2021 HYUNDAI KONA Owners Manual

5-15
Driving your vehicle
5
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park).
To shift from P (Park), you must
depress firmly on the brake pedal
and make sure your foot is off the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot shift the lever out of P
(Park), see "Shift-Lock Release" in
this section.
The shift lever must be in P (Park)
before turning the engine off.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R
(Reverse); you may damage the
transmission if you shift into R
(Reverse) while the vehicle is in
motion.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart
a stalled engine.
Shift into P (Park) if you need to
leave your vehicle for any reason.
Always depress the brake pedal
when you are shifting from N
(Neutral) to another gear.
NOTICE
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
After the vehicle has stopped,
always make sure the shift
lever is in P (Park), apply the
parking brake, and turn the
engine off.
When parking on an incline,
place the shift lever in P (Park)
and apply the parking brake to
prevent the vehicle from
rolling downhill.
WARNING

5-16
Driving your vehicle
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position.
The transmission will automatically
shift through a six-gear sequence,
providing the best fuel economy and
power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or driving uphill depress
the accelerator pedal further until
you feel the transmission downshift
to a lower gear.
The DRIVE MODE switch, located
on the shift lever console, allows the
driver to switch from COMFORT
mode to SPORT mode.
For more information, refer to
"Drive Mode Integrated Control
System" later in this chapter.Manual shift mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, manual shift mode is
selected by pushing the shift lever
from the D (Drive) position into the
manual gate. To return to D (Drive)
range operation, push the shift lever
back into the main gate.In Manual Shift mode, moving the
shift lever backwards and forwards
will allow you to select the desired
range of gears for the current driving
conditions.
+ (Up) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
- (Down) : Pull the lever backwards
once to shift down one
gear.
Information
• Only the six forward gears can be
selected in Manual Shift mode. To
reverse or park the vehicle, move
the shift lever to the R (Reverse) or
P (Park) position as required.
• Downshifts are made automatically
when the vehicle slows down. When
the vehicle stops, 1
stgear is automat-
ically selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches
the red zone the transmission will
upshift automatically.
i
Do not shift into gear unless
your foot is firmly on the brake
pedal. Shifting into gear when
the engine is running at high
speed can cause the vehicle to
move very rapidly. You could
lose control of the vehicle and
hit people or objects.
WARNING
OOS057069
+ + + +

( ( ( (
U U U U
P P P P
) ) ) )
- - - -

( ( ( (
D D D D
O O O O
W W W W
N N N N
) ) ) )

5-17
Driving your vehicle
5
• If the driver presses the lever to
+ (Up) or - (Down) position, the
transmission may not make the
requested gear change if the next
gear is outside of the allowable
engine rpm range. The driver must
execute upshifts in accordance with
road conditions, taking care to keep
the engine rpms below the red zone.
• When accelerating from a stop on a
slippery road, push the shift lever
forward into the + (Up) position.
This allows the transmission to shift
into the 2
ndgear which is better for
smooth driving on a slippery road.
Push the shift lever to the - (Down)
side to shift back to the 1
stgear.
• When driving in Manual Shift
Mode, slow down before shifting to
a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower
gear may not be engaged if the
engine rpms are outside of the
allowable range.
Shift-lock system
For your safety, the automatic trans-
mission has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the transmis-
sion from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transmission from P
(Park) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or place the igni-
tion switch in the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
Shift-lock release
If the shift lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) position into R (Reverse)
position with the brake pedal
depressed, continue depressing the
brake, and then do the following:
1. Place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Carefully remove the cap (1) cov-
ering the shift-lock release access
hole.
4. Insert a tool (e.g. flathead screw-
driver) into the access hole and
press down on the tool.
OOS057005L

5-18
Driving your vehicle
5. Move the shift lever.
6. Remove the tool from the shift-
lock override access hole then
install the cap.
If you need to use the shift-lock
release, have your vehicle inspected
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer
as soon as possible.
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake,
and place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle.
Good Driving Practices
Never move the shift lever from P
(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P
(Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Do not move the shift lever to N
(Neutral) when driving. If the shift
lever is moved to N (Neutral) while
driving the vehicle loses the ability
to provide engine braking. Doing
so may increase the risk of an acci-
dent.
Also, moving the shift lever back to
D (Drive) while the vehicle is mov-
ing may severely damage the
transmission.
When you stay in the vehicle
with the engine running, be
careful not to depress the
accelerator pedal for a long
period of time. The engine or
exhaust system may overheat
and start a fire.
The exhaust gas and the
exhaust system are very hot.
Keep away from the exhaust
system components.
Do not stop or park over flam-
mable materials, such as dry
grass, paper or leaves. They
may ignite and cause a fire.
WARNING

5-19
Driving your vehicle
5
Driving uphill or downhill, always
shift to D (Drive) when driving for-
ward or to R (Reverse) when driv-
ing backwards, and check the gear
position indicated on the cluster
before driving. If you drive in the
opposite direction of the selected
gear, the engine will turn off and a
serious accident might be occurred
due to the degraded brake per-
formance.
Do not drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light, but
consistent pedal pressure can
result in the brakes overheating,
brake wear and possibly even
brake failure.
Depressing both accelerator and
brake pedals at the same time can
trigger logic for engine power
reduction to assure vehicle decel-
eration. Vehicle acceleration will
resume after the brake pedal is
released.
Always apply the parking brake
when leaving the vehicle. Do not
depend on placing the transmis-
sion in P (Park) to keep the vehicle
from moving. Exercise extreme caution when
driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident.
Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator.
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
ALWAYS wear your seatbelt.
In a collision, an unbelted
occupant is significantly more
likely to be seriously injured
or killed than a properly belt-
ed occupant.
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering or turning.
WARNING
Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly
increased if you lose control
of your vehicle at highway
speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to reenter the
roadway.
In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
HYUNDAI recommends you
follow all posted speed limits.

5-20
Driving your vehicle
Dual Clutch Transmission
Operation
The dual clutch transmission has
seven forward speeds and one
reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically when the shift lever is
in the D (Drive) position.
The dual clutch transmission can
be thought of as an automatically
shifting manual transmission. It
gives the driving feel of a manual
transmission, yet provides the
ease of a fully automatic transmis-
sion.
When D (Drive) is selected, the
transmission will automatically shift
through the gears similar to a con-
ventional automatic transmission.
Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, the gear shifting can
sometimes be felt and heard as the
actuators engage the clutches and
the gears are selected.
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Move shift lever. Press the shift button, then move shift lever.
Depress the brake pedal, press the shift button, and then move shift lever.OOS057004

5-21
Driving your vehicle
5
The dual clutch transmission incor-
porates a dry-type dual clutch
mechanism, which allows for better
acceleration performance and
increased fuel efficiency while driv-
ing. But it differs from a conven-
tional automatic transmission
because it does not incorporate a
torque converter. Instead, the tran-
sition from one gear to the next is
managed by clutch slip, especially
at lower speeds. As a result, shifts
are sometimes more noticeable,
and a light vibration can be felt as
the transmission shaft speed is
matched with the engine shaft
speed. This is a normal condition of
the dual clutch transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers
torque more directly and provides
a direct-drive feeling which may
feel different from a conventional
automatic transmission. This may
be more noticeable when launch-
ing the vehicle from a stop or when
traveling at low, stop-and-go vehi-
cle speeds. When rapidly accelerating from a
lower vehicle speed, the engine
rpm may increase dramatically as
a result of clutch slip as the dual
clutch transmission selects the cor-
rect gear. This is a normal condi-
tion.
When accelerating from a stop on
an incline, press the accelerator
smoothly and gradually to avoid
any shudder feeling or jerkiness.
When traveling at a lower vehicle
speed, if you release the accelera-
tor pedal quickly, you may feel
engine braking before the trans-
mission changes gears. This
engine braking feeling is similar to
operating a manual transmission at
low speed.
When driving downhill, you may
wish to move the gear shift lever to
Manual Shift mode and downshift
to a lower gear in order to control
your speed without using the brake
pedal excessively.
When you turn the engine on and
off, you may hear clicking sounds
as the system goes through a self-
test. This is a normal sound for the
dual clutch transmission. During the first 1000 miles, you
may feel that the vehicle may not
be smooth when accelerating at
low speed. During this break-in
period, the shift quality and per-
formance of your new vehicle is
continuously optimized.
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-
ing areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle into
D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver's
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position, then set the parking
brake, and place the ignition
switch in the LOCK/OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
WARNING

5-22
Driving your vehicle
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive) or
R (Reverse).
Do not put the shift lever in N
(Neutral) while driving.
DCT warning messages
Steep grade
This warning message is displayed
when vehicle is driven slowly on a
grade and the vehicle detects that
the brake pedal is not applied.
Driving up hills or on steep grades:
To hold the vehicle on an incline
use the foot brake or the parking
brake.
When in stop-and-go traffic on an
incline, allow a gap to form ahead
of you before moving the vehicle
forward. Then hold the vehicle on
the incline with the foot brake. If the vehicle is held or creeping
forward on an incline by applying
the accelerator pedal, the clutch
and transmission may overheat
which can result in damage. At this
time, a warning message will
appear on the LCD display.
If the LCD display warning is
active, the foot brake must be
applied.
Ignoring the warnings can lead to
damage to the transmission.
NOTICE
OTLE055019
Do not use aggressive engine
braking (shifting from a high-
er gear to a lower gear) on
slippery roads. This could
cause the tires to slip and may
result in an accident.
Due to transmission failure, you
may not continue to drive and
the position indicator (D, P) on
the instrument cluster will blink.
Contact an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer and have the
system checked.
WARNING