2021 KIA NIRO PHEV automatic transmission

Driving your vehicle
16 5
Dual clutch transmission oper-
ation
The dual clutch transmission has six
forward speeds and one reverse
speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT)
ODE056010
The shift lever can freely operate. Press the shift button while moving the shift lever. Depress the brake pedal and press the shift button while moving the shift lever.
❈To move the shift lever from/to P (Parking) or between R (Reverse) and D (Drive), you
must depress the brake pedal for the vehicle to stand still.

517
Driving your vehicle
The dual Clutch Transmission
gives the driving feel of a manual
transmission, yet provides the
ease of a fully automatic transmis-
sion. Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, the gear shifting can
be felt (and heard) on the dual
clutch transmission
- Think of it as an automatically
shifting manual transmission.
- Shift into Drive range and get fully
automatic shifting, similar to a con-
ventional automatic transmission.
Dual clutch transmission adopts
dry-type dual clutch, which is dif-
ferent from torque converter of
automatic transmission, and
shows better acceleration perform-
ance during driving. But, initial
launch might be little bit slower
than Automatic Transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers torque
and provides a direct driving feeling
which may feel different from a con-
ventional automatic transmission
with a torque converter. This may be
more noticeable when starting from
a stop or low vehicle speed. When rapidly accelerating at low
vehicle speed, engine could rev at
high rpm depending on vehicle
drive condition.
For smooth launch uphill, press
down the accelerator pedal
smoothly depending on the current
conditions.
If you release your foot from the
accelerator pedal at low vehicle
speed, you may feel strong engine
brake, which is similar to manual
transmission.
When driving downhill, you may
use Sports Mode to 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.
WARNING
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 or ENGINE START/
STOP button in the OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
Do not use engine braking
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip, causing an accident.

523
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.
To stop the vehicle during driving,
please press brake pedal fully to pre-
vent unintended movement.Manual mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, manual mode is selected
by pushing the shift lever from the D
(Drive) position into the manual gate.
To return to D (Drive) range opera-
tion, push the shift lever back into the
main gate.
In manual 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.✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Only the six forward gears can be
selected. To reverse or park the
vehicle, move the shift lever to the
R (Reverse) or P (Park) position as
required.
• Downshifts are made automatical-
ly when the vehicle slows down.
When the vehicle stops, 1st gear is
automatically selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches
the red zone the transmission will
upshift automatically.
• If the driver presses the lever to +
(Up) or - (Down) position, the trans-
mission may not make the request-
ed gear change if the next gear is
outside of the allowable rpm range.
ODEP059012

Index
6I
Components of the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32
Distributing the sealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-35
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-29
Notes on the safe use of the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . 6-30
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Using the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Important safety precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Air bag hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Always wear your seat belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Control your speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Driver distraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Keep your vehicle in safe condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Restrain all children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
In case of an emergency while driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or crossing . . . . . . 6-3
If the engine stalls while driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
If you have a flat tire while driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Infotainment system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-178
Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-178
How vehicle radio works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-179
USB port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-178
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-67
Dual clutch transmission shift indicator . . . . . . . . . 4-75
Gauges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-69
Instrument Cluster Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-69
Instrument panel overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Interior features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-164
Air ventilation seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-166Cargo security screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-174
Clothes hanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-172
Cup holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-164
Floor mat anchor(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-173
Luggage net holder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-174
Power outlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-167
Seat warmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-164
Sun visor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-167
USB charger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-168
Wireless smart phone charging system . . . . . . . . . 4-169
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-136
Automatic turn off function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-136
Liftgate room lamp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-138
Map lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-136
Room lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-137
Vanity mirror lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-138
Interior overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Key positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Ignition switch position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Illuminated ignition switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Starting the hybrid system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
K