Page 304 of 631
 while pressing the brake
pedal and pushing [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] button or inserting,
pressing down a tool (e.g. flathead
screw-d KIA SPORTAGE 2021 Owners Manual Driving your vehicle
185
4. Change the gear shift lever to [N](Neutral) while pressing the brake
pedal and pushing [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] button or inserting,
pressing down a tool (e.g. flathead
screw-d](/manual-img/2/55169/w960_55169-303.png)
Driving your vehicle
185
4. Change the gear shift lever to [N](Neutral) while pressing the brake
pedal and pushing [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] button or inserting,
pressing down a tool (e.g. flathead
screw-driver) into the [SHIFT
LOCK RELEASE] access hole at
the same time. Then, the vehicle
will move when external force is
applied. D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transmission will auto-
matically shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades,
depress the accelerator fully, at
which time the transmission will
automatically downshift to the next
lower gear.
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.
WARNING- Parking In
Neutral
• With the exception of parking in neutral gear, always park
the vehicle in [P] (Park) for
safety and apply the parking
brake.
• Before parking in [N] (Neutral) gear, make sure the parking
ground is level and flat. Do not
park in [N] gear on any slopes
or gradients. If parked and left
in [N], the vehicle may move
and cause serious damage or
injury.OQL055009
Manual
mode
++
((UUPP))
--
((DDOOWWNN))
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5 19
Driving your vehicle
In manual mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.
Up (+) : Push the lever forward onceto shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear.
• In manual mode, the driver must execute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions, taking care to
keep the engine speed below the
red zone.
• In manual mode, only the 6 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. • In manual mode, downshifts are
made automatically when the vehi-
cle slows down. When the vehicle
stops, 1st gear is automatically
selected.
• In manual mode, when the engine rpm approaches the red zone shift
points are varied to upshift auto-
matically.
• To maintain the required levels of vehicle performance and safety,
the system may not execute cer-
tain gearshifts when the shift lever
is operated.
• When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the
+(up) position. This causes the
transmission to shift into the 2nd
gear which is better for smooth
driving on a slippery road. Push
the shift lever to the -(down) side to
shift back to the 1st gear.Paddle shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when
the shift lever is in the D position or
the manual mode.
OQL058010
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![KIA SPORTAGE 2021 Owners Manual Driving your vehicle
205
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter will operate when
the vehicle speed is more than
6.2mph(10km/h).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up KIA SPORTAGE 2021 Owners Manual Driving your vehicle
205
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter will operate when
the vehicle speed is more than
6.2mph(10km/h).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up](/manual-img/2/55169/w960_55169-305.png)
Driving your vehicle
205
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter will operate when
the vehicle speed is more than
6.2mph(10km/h).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear and the
system changes from automatic
mode to manual mode.
When the vehicle speed is lower than
6.2mph(10km/h), if you depress the
accelerator pedal for more than 5
seconds or if you shift the shift lever
from D (Drive) to manual mode and
shift it from manual mode to D (Drive)
again, the system changes from
manual mode to automatic mode.
With the shift lever in the manual mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear.
✽NOTICE
If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle
shifters at the same time, you cannot
shift the gear.
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 turn the ignitionswitch to the ON position.
3.Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the
shift lever in the P (Park) position, a
chattering noise & vibration near the
shift lever may be heard. It is a nor-
mal condition.WARNING- Shifting from park
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (Park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in
or around the vehicle.
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Driving your vehicle
365
To release EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) automatically:
• Shift lever in P (Park)With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of P
(Park) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
• Shift lever in N (Neutral) With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse) or D
(Drive).
• Automatic Transmission 1. Start the engine.
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt.
3. Close the driver's door, engine hood and tailgate.
4. Depress the accelerator pedal while the shift lever is in R (Rear),
D (Drive) or manual mode.
Make sure the brake warning light
goes off.✽NOTICE
• For your safety, you can engage the EPB even though the ignition
switch or engine stop/start button
is in the OFF position, but you
cannot release it.
• For your safety, depress the brake pedal and release the parking
brake manually with the EPB
switch when you drive downhill or
when backing up the vehicle.
Do not follow the above procedure
when driving on a flat level ground.
The vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward.
✽NOTICE
If the parking brake warning light is
still on even though the EPB has
been released, have the system
checked by an authorized Kia dealer.
EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) may
be automatically applied when:
• The EPB is overheated
• Requested by other systems
✽NOTICE
For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake)
equipped vehicles with AUTO
HOLD function used while driving,
if the ignition button has been
turned OFF, the EPB will be
engaged automatically. Therefore,
the AUTO HOLD function should
be turned off before the ignition but-
ton is turned off.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with
the EPB applied. It may causeexcessive brake pad and brakerotor wear.
Page 342 of 631

Driving your vehicle
565
• Don't "ride" the brake pedal.Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-
ous because the brakes might
overheat and lose their effective-
ness. It also increases the wear of
the brake components.
• If a tire goes flat while you are driv- ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe place.
• If your vehicle is equipped with an Automatic Transmission, don't let
your vehicle creep forward. To
avoid creeping forward, keep your
foot firmly on the brake pedal when
the vehicle is stopped.
• Be cautious when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transmission). If your vehicle
is facing downhill, turn the front
wheels into the curb to help keep
the vehicle from rolling. If your vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the vehicle from rolling, block
the wheels.
• Under some conditions your park- ing brake can freeze in the
engaged position. This is most like-
ly to happen when there is an
accumulation of snow or ice
around or near the rear brakes or if
the brakes are wet. If there is a risk
that the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you
put the shift lever in P (automatic
transmission) and block the rear
wheels so the vehicle cannot roll.
Then release the parking brake.
• Do not hold the vehicle on an incline with the accelerator pedal.
This can cause the transmission to
overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
Page 343 of 631
5 57
Driving your vehicle
DRIVE mode
The drive mode may be selected
according to the driver’s preference
or road condition.The mode changes whenever the
DRIVE MODE button is pressed.
❈
When normal mode is selected, it
is not displayed on the cluster.
ECO mode (Active ECO)
Active ECO helps improve
fuel efficiency by control-
ling certain engine and
transmission system
operating parameters.
Fuel efficiency depends
on the driver's driving
habits and road condition.
• When the DRIVE MODE button is pressed and the ECO mode is
selected, the ECO indicator
(green) will illuminate to show that
the Active ECO is operating.
• When the Active ECO is activated, it does not turn off even though the
engine is restarted again. To turn
off the system, press the DRIVE
MODE button again.
DRIVE MODE INTEGRATED CONTROL SYSTEM
COMFORT(NORMAL)
SPORT ECO
OQL055032
■Type A
■Type B
OQL055033
ECO
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Driving your vehicle
585
When Active ECO is activated:
• The acceleration may slightly bereduced even though you depress
the accelerator fully.
• The air conditioner performance may be limited
• The shift pattern of the automatic transmission may change.
• The engine noise may get louder.
The above situations are normal
conditions when the Active Eco
System is activated to improve fuel
efficiency. Limitation of Active ECO opera-
tion:
If the following conditions occur while
Active ECO is operating, the system
operation is limited even though
there is no change in the ECO indi-
cator.
• When the coolant temperature is
low:
The system will be limited until
engine performance becomes nor-
mal.
• When driving up a hill: The system will be limited to gain
power when driving uphill because
the engine torque is restricted.
• When using manual mode: The system will be limited accord-
ing to the shift location.
• When the accelerator pedal is deeply depressed for a few sec-
onds:
The system will be limited, judging
that the driver wants to speed up.SPORT mode
SPORT mode focuses on
dynamic driving by auto-
matically adjusting the
steering wheel, engine
and transmission system.
• When the DRIVE MODE button is pressed and the SPORT mode is
selected, the SPORT indicator
(yellow) will illuminate.
• When the SPORT mode is activat- ed, and the engine start/stop but-
ton is turned off and on it will
change to NORMAL mode. To turn
on the SPORT mode press DRIVE
MODE button again.
• If the system is activated:
- It maintains the gear and RPM for some time even though the accel-
erator pedal is not depressed.
- Up-shifting is delayed.
✽ NOTICE
In Sport drive mode, the fuel effi-
ciency may decrease.
SPORT
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Driving your vehicle
1165
To decrease the cruising
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
• Move the lever down (to SET-) andhold it. Your vehicle will gradually
slow down. Release the lever at the
speed you want to maintain.
• Move the lever down (to SET-) and release it immediately. The cruising
speed will decrease by 1.0 mph (2
km/h) each time the lever is operat-
ed in this manner.
To temporarily accelerate with
Cruise Control on:
If you want to speed up temporarily
when Cruise Control is on, depress
the accelerator pedal. Increased
speed will not interfere with Cruise
Control operation or change the set
speed.
To return to the set speed, take your
foot off the accelerator.
To cancel Cruise Control, do
one of the following:
• Depress the brake pedal.
• Shift into N (Neutral) with an Automatic Transmission.
• Press the CANCEL switch.
• Decrease the vehicle speed lower than the memory speed by 12 mph
(20 km/h).
• Decrease the vehicle speed to less than approximately 15 mph (25
km/h).
OQLE058146OQL058230L