2023 HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ Owners Manual

06
6-15
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift lever position when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death:
• ALWAYS check the surrounding
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
position. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed.
• When using the paddle shifter
(manual shift mode), do not use
engine braking (shifting from a
high gear to lower gear) rapidly on
slippery roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park).
To shift the vehicle from P (Park), make
sure to depress firmly on the brake
pedal and also make sure your foot is
completely 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
chapter.
The shift lever must be in P (Park) before
turning the engine off.
WARNING
• 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, shift
the gear to P (Park) and apply the
parking brake to prevent the vehicle
from rolling downhill.
• Do not use the P (Park) position in
place of the parking brake.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
NOTICE
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.
Also note that when the vehicle is in D
(Drive) or R (Reverse) and you open the
driver's door, a warning will chime and
a warning message "Shift to Park" will
appear in the LCD cluster display.

Driving Your Vehicle
6-16
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart a
stalled engine, or if it is necessary to stop
with the engine ON. 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.
WARNING
Make sure your foot is firmly depressing
on the brake pedal when shifting into
gear. Also, keep your foot off of the
accelerator pedal when shifting into
gear. Shifting when the engine rpm
is high can cause the vehicle to move
suddenly. You could lose control of the
vehicle and serious injury could occur.
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position. The
transmission will automatically shift
through an 8-gear sequence, providing
the best combination of fuel economy
and power.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or driving uphill, continue to
depress the accelerator pedal. You may
notice the transmission downshift to
the next lower gear or multiple gears
as needed for the vehicle to accelerate
sufficiently.
The DRIVE MODE switch, located on the
shift lever console, allows the driver to
switch between NORMAL mode, SPORT
mode, or SMART mode.
For more Details, refer to "Drive Mode
Integrated Control System" later in this
chapter.

06
6-17
Manual shift mode
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[A] : + (Up), [B] : - (Down)
Manual shift mode may be selected by
simply toggling the shift lever to the
left (toward the driver) into the manual
shift gate. If your vehicle is currently in D
(Drive), then the gear shift display in the
instrument cluster will change from 'D' to
the number of the current gear.
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 eight 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 automatically
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 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 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.

Driving Your Vehicle
6-18
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:
ONX4E060037ONX4E060037
1. Place the ignition switch in the LOCK/
OFF position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Carefully remove the shift lever boots.
4. Move the Shift lever while holding
the release button (1) with a tool (for
example, flathead screw-driver).
If you need to use the shift-lock release,
have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer immediately.
Shift-lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transmission has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the transmission
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 ignition
switch in the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position.
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.
WARNING
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 flammable
materials, such as dry grass, paper or
leaves. They may ignite and cause a fire.

06
6-19
Using the Paddle Shifters (if
equipped)
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The paddle shifter is available when the
shift lever is in the D (Drive) position or
the manual shift mode.
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter will operate when the
vehicle speed is more than 6mph.
Pull back on the [+] paddle (right side)
to upshift or the [-] paddle (left side) to
downshift. You will see the gear change
in the LCD cluster display.
When using the paddle shifters and you
wish to return from manual shift mode to
'D' Drive mode, do one of the following:
- Pull back on the [+] paddle (right side)
for more than one second.
- Toggle the gear shift lever from 'D'
(Drive) to the manual gate on the
left side (towards the driver) and
then toggle it back to the normal 'D'
position.The vehicle will automatically revert
from paddle shifting manual shift mode
to 'D' Drive mode if one of the following
situations occur:
- When the accelerator pedal is gently
depressed for more than 6 seconds
while driving
- When the vehicle stops
Information
If the [+] and [-] paddle shifters are pulled
at the same time, gear shift may not occur.

Driving Your Vehicle
6-20
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. Doing so
may result in an accident because
of a loss of engine braking and the
transmission could be damaged.
• Driving uphill or downhill, shift to D
(Drive) to drive forward or R (Reverse)
to drive backwards, and check
the gear position indicated on the
cluster before driving. If the vehicle
is moving in the opposite direction
of the selected gear, the engine may
stop and a serious accident may
occur. Never attempt to select a gear
that is opposite to the direction of
the vehicle motion. Stop the vehicle
before changing to the desired gear.
• 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.
• When driving with shifter paddles,
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.
• Always apply the parking brake when
leaving the vehicle. Do not depend on
placing the transmission 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.
WARNING
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 belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when cornering or
turning.
• 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.

06
6-21
'8$/&/87&+75$160,66,21

Driving Your Vehicle
6-22
• The advanced wet-clutch dual clutch
transmission in your vehicle 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 transmission.
• When D (Drive) is selected, the
transmission will automatically
shift through the gears similar to a
conventional automatic transmission.
With a wet-type dual clutch
transmission, however, the engine
torque that is transmitted directly
from the engine to the transmission
is transferred by a clutch pack that
is lubricated in oil. The oil's primary
purpose is to cool the clutch, and
because of lubricating properties of
the oil and this cooling effect, gear
shifts are smooth as well as direct.
• The wet-type dual clutch transmission
allows for better acceleration
performance and increased fuel
efficiency while driving. But it differs
from a conventional automatic
transmission because it does not
incorporate a torque converter.
Instead, the transition 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 wet-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 launching the vehicle
from a stop or when traveling at low,
stop-and-go vehicle 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 correct gear.
This is a normal condition.
• 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 accelerator
pedal quickly, you may feel engine
braking before the transmission
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 (1,500km),
you may feel that the vehicle may not
be smooth when accelerating at low
speed. During this break-in period, the
shift quality and performance of your
new vehicle is continuously optimized.