2021 KIA SPORTAGE Owners Manual

5 51
Driving your vehicle
Downhill Brake Control (DBC)
The Downhill Brake Control (DBC)
allows the vehicle to descend from a
steep hill without depressing the
brake pedal. It slows down the vehi-
cle under 5 mph (8 km/h) and allows
the driver concentrate on steering
the vehicle.
✽NOTICE
• The DBC defaults to the OFF posi-tion whenever the ignition switch
is placed in the ON position.
• Noise or vibration may occur from the brakes when the DBC is acti-
vated.
• The rear stop light comes on when DBC is activated.
OQL055117
OQL055116
WARNING
Always turn off the DBC on nor-
mal roads. The DBC might acti-
vate inadvertently from the
standby mode when driving
through speed bumps or mak-
ing sharp curves increasing the
risk of a crash.
WARNING
The DBC is a supplemental sys-
tem only and is not a substitute
for safe driving practices. A
driver should not solely rely on
this system when descending
from a hill and should always be
ready to apply the brakes
depending on road and traffic
conditions.

Driving your vehicle
525
DBC operation✽NOTICE
If the DBC red indicator light illu-
minates, the system may have over-
heated or have malfunctioned.
When the warning light illuminates
even though the DBC system has
cooled off, we recommend that the
vehicle be checked by an authorized
Kia dealer as soon as possible.
✽NOTICE
• The DBC may not deactivate onsteep inclines even though the
brake or accelerator pedal is
depressed.
• The DBC does not operate when: - The shift lever is in P (Park).
- The ESC is activated.
Standby
Press the DBC button when vehicle speed is under 25
mph (40 km/h). The DBC system will turn ON and enter
the standby mode.
The system does not turn ON if vehicle speed is over 25
mph (40 km/h).
In the standby mode, if vehicle speed is under 22 mph
(35 km/h) while driving down a steep hill, the DBC will
activate automatically.
In the activated mode, the DBC will temporarily deacti-
vate under the following conditions:
• The hill is not steep enough.
•
The brake pedal or accelerator pedal is depressed.
If the above conditions are gone, the DBC will automat-
ically activate again.
The DBC will turn OFF under the following conditions:
• The DBC button is pressed again.
• Vehicle speed is over 38 mph (60 km/h).
Activated
Temporarily deactivated
OFF
Mode Indicator light
Description
blinks
illuminated
not
illuminated
illuminated

5 53
Driving your vehicle
Good braking practices
Wet brakes can be dangerous! The
brakes may get wet if the vehicle is
driven through standing water or if it
is washed. Your vehicle will not stop
as quickly if the brakes are wet. Wet
brakes may cause the vehicle to pull
to one side.To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action returns
to normal, taking care to keep the
vehicle under control at all times. If
the braking action does not return to
normal, stop as soon as it is safe to
do so and we recommend that you
call an authorized Kia dealer for
assistance.
DO NOT drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light, but
constant pedal pressure can result in
the brakes overheating, brake wear,
and possibly even brake failure.
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 location.
Keep your foot firmly on the brake
pedal when the vehicle is stopped to
prevent the vehicle from rolling for-
ward.
Vehicle stability management
(VSM)
This system provides further
enhancements to vehicle stability
and steering responses when a vehi-
cle is driving on a slippery road or a
vehicle detects changes in coeffi-
cient of friction between right wheels
and left wheels when braking.
WARNING
Whenever leaving the vehicle or
parking, always come to a com-
plete stop and continue to
depress the brake pedal. Move
the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, then apply the parking
brake, and place the Engine
Start/Stop button in the OFF
position.
Vehicles with the parking brake
not fully engaged are at risk for
moving inadvertently and caus-
ing injury to yourself or others.WARNING- Tire/
Wheel size
When replacing tires and wheels,
make sure they are the same size
as the original tires and wheels
installed. Driving with varying
tire or wheel sizes may diminish
any supplemental safety benefits
of the VSM system.

Driving your vehicle
545
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability manage-
ment is operating properly, you can
feel a slight pulsation in the vehicle
and/or abnormal steering responses
(EPS- Electronic Power Steering).
This is only the effect of brake and
EPS control and indicates nothing
unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
• Driving on a sloping road such as agradient or incline
• Driving in reverse
• ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains on the instrument cluster
• EPS indicator light remains on the instrument cluster
VSM operation off
If you select the LCD display  ESC
 ESC OFF/ESC OFF (TCS OFF)
the VSM will also cancel and the
ESC OFF indicator light ( ) illumi-
nates.
To turn on the VSM, select the ESC
OFF/ESC OFF (TCS OFF). The ESC
OFF indicator light goes out.
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if
you don’t cancel the VSM operation
by select the ESC OFF/ESC OFF
(TCS OFF). It indicates that a mal-
function has been detected some-
where in the Electric Power Steering
system or VSM system. If the ESC
indicator light ( ) or EPS warning
light remains on, take your vehicle to
an authorized Kia dealer and have
the system checked.
✽NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function above approximately 13 mph (22
km/h) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function above approximately 6 mph (10
km/h) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu surface. A split-mu sur-
face is made of two surfaces which
have different friction forces.
WARNING
- Vehicle stability manage-
ment
Drive carefully even though your
vehicle has Vehicle stability man-
agement. It can only assist you in
maintaining control under cer-
tain circumstances.

5 55
Driving your vehicle
• The Vehicle Stability Managementsystem is not a substitute for safe
driving practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the responsi-
bility of the driver to always check
the speed and the distance to the
vehicle ahead. Always hold the
steering wheel firmly while driving.
• Your vehicle is designed to activate according to the driver’s intention,
even with installed VSM. Always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions – including driving in clement
weather and on a slippery road.Hill-start assist control (HAC)
A vehicle has the tendency to roll
back on a steep hill when it starts to
go after stopping. The Hill-start
Assist Control (HAC) prevents the
vehicle from rolling back by applying
the brakes automatically for about 2
seconds. The brakes are released
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed or after about 2 seconds.
The HAC is activated only for about 2
seconds, so when the vehicle is
starting off always depress the accel-
erator pedal.
Good braking practices
• Check to be sure the parking brakeis not engaged and the parking
brake indicator light is out before
driving away.
• Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at all
times. If the braking action does not
return to normal, stop as soon as it
is safe to do so and call an author-
ized Kia dealer for assistance.
• Don't coast down hills with the vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
WARNING- Maintaining
Brake Pressure on Incline
HAC does not replace the need
to apply brakes while stopped on
an incline. While stopped, make
sure you maintain brake pres-
sure sufficient to prevent your
vehicle from rolling backward
and causing an accident. Don’t
release the brake pedal until you
are ready to accelerate forward.WARNING
For maximum protection,
always wear your seat belt. No
system, no matter how
advanced, can compensate for
all driver error and/or driving
conditions. Always drive
responsibly.

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.

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

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