2023 HYUNDAI SONATA Owners Manual

While Driving
6-42
WARNING
If ESC indicator light (
) or EPS
warning light () stays on or blinks,
your vehicle may have a malfunction
with the VSM system. When the
warning light illuminates, have your
vehicle checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer as soon as possible.
Driving with wheels and tires with
different sizes may cause the ESC system
to malfunction. Before replacing tires,
make sure all four tires and wheels are
the same size. Never drive the vehicle
with different sized tires and wheels
installed.
Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
The Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
helps prevent the vehicle from rolling
backwards when starting a vehicle from
a stop on a hill. The system operates the
brakes automatically for approximately
2 seconds and releases the brake after 2
seconds or when the accelerator pedal is
depressed.
WARNING
Always be ready to depress the
accelerator pedal when starting off on
a incline. The HAC activates only for
approximately 2 seconds.
NOTICE
• The HAC does not operate when
the shift button is in P (Park) or N
(Neutral)
• The HAC activates even though the
ESC (Electronic Stability Control) is
off but does not activate when the ESC has malfunctioned.
Good Braking Practices
WARNING
Whenever leaving the vehicle or
parking, always come to a complete
stop and continue to depress the brake
pedal. Move the shift button into P
(Park) position, then apply the parking
brake, and place the ignition switch in
the LOCK/OFF position.
Vehicles parked with the parking brake
not applied or not fully engaged may
roll inadvertently and may cause injury
to the driver and others. ALWAYS apply
the parking brake before exiting the
vehicle.
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 call
an authorized HYUNDAI 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 driving,
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 forward.

06
6-43
The Launch Control system controls the
vehicle to reduce wheel spin or slip on a
hard acceleration from a standing start.
Launch control operation and
release
Prerequisite for activation
The Launch Control gets ready to
be activated, when the following
prerequisites are satisfied. •
All doors, hood and trunk are closed.
• The driver’s seat belt is fastened.
• If the engine temperature is
overheated, cooling down it before
using the launch control.
• If the engine temperature is low,
warming up the engine.
• The vehicle is at a complete stop.
Then align the steering wheel straight.
• Release the parking brake by pressing
the EPB switch and if the AUTO HOLD
function is working, please turn off
the function by releasing the AUTO
HOLD button.
CAUTION
• The Launch Control system is
intended for use at a closed race
track and not intended for use on
public roads. It will not compensate
for driver’s who are inexperienced or
lack familiarity with the race track.
• The Launch performance may be
varied by fuel, environment, tire and
load condition.
• We recommend you use the function
after breaking in your vehicle and
constant use of Launch Control can
put enormous stress on the vehicle
resulting in premature wear of
related components. To Ready Launch Control
ODN8N050001L
1. Select SPORT+ mode using the drive mode selection Switch. (SPORT+
indicator will illuminate on the
instrument cluster LCD display.)
2. Turn off ESC by pressing the ESC OFF button for more than 3 seconds. (The
ESC OFF indicator will illuminate on
the instrument cluster.)
3. Shift to the D (Drive) position.
4. Depress the brake pedal firmly with
your left foot, and depressing the
accelerator pedal down fully with your
right foot. Then, the launch control
is ready for operation. The message
“Launch Control Ready” will appear
on the instrument cluster LCD display.
launch control(if equippeD)

While Driving
6-44
To Active Launch Control
ODN8N050002L
5. Press the accelerator to the maximum and start to drive by taking your foot
off from the brake pedal within 4
seconds. The Launch Control will
operate and a message ‘Launch
Control Active” will appear.
6. To deactivate (end) Launch Control, release the accelerator pedal.
CAUTION
• If you press the brake pedal and
accelerator pedal simultaneously
and take your foot off from the
accelerator pedal, the Launch
Control system will be released.
• If you do not depart within 4 seconds
while pressing the brake pedal
and accelerator pedal, the Launch
Control function will be canceled.
• Launch Control is available again
after cooling down by driving the
vehicle for at least 2 minutes.
Launch Control Limitation
If you use the Launch Control system
when the oil temperature of the
transmission is over a certain standard, a
warning message will be displayed and
the function will not work. In this case,
you should drive your vehicle fully (over
60 km/h) to lower the oil temperature
of the transmission to use the Launch
Control system.

06
6-45
Drive moDe integrateD control system (if equippeD)
Drive Mode
ODN8069020
The drive mode may be selected
according to the driver’s preference or
road condition.
Information
If there is a problem with the
instrument cluster, the drive mode will
be in COMFORT mode and may not
change to NORMAL mode or SPORT mode.
The mode changes when you toggle the
DRIVE MODE button.
CUSTOM
SPORT
NORMAL
SMART
„„Type A
CUSTOM
SPORT+
SPORT
NORMAL
„„Type B
When COMFORT mode is selected, it is
not displayed on the instrument cluster. • NORMAL mode :
NORMAL mode helps provide smooth
driving and comfortable riding.
• SPORT mode :
SPORT mode helps provide sporty but firm riding.
• CUSTOM mode :
The driver can separately adjust
modes of each driving system.
• SMART mode :
SMART mode automatically adjusts
the driving mode (NORMAL « SPORT)
in accordance with the driver's driving habits.
• SPORT+ mode :
SPORT+ mode provides sporty but firm riding.
The drive mode will change to NORMAL
mode when the engine is restarted.
When changing the drive mode setting,
the responsiveness of Smart Cruise
Control changes.

While Driving
6-46
CUSTOM mode
In CUSTOM mode, the driver
can select separate modes and combine them on the
infotainment system screen.
• Type A
- Engine/Transmission: NORMAL/ SPORT
- Steering wheel: NORMAL/SPORT
• Type B
- Engine/Transmission : NORMAL/
SPORT/SPORT+
- Steering wheel : NORMAL/SPORT
- Electronic Stability Control (ESC) :
NORMAL/SPORT
For more infomation, refer to the
separately supplied manual with your
vehicle. • When CUSTOM mode is selected
by using the DRIVE MODE button,
the CUSTOM mode indicator will
illuminate. SPORT mode SPORT mode manages the
driving dynamics by
automatically adjusting the
steering effort, the engine
and transmission control
logic for enhanced driver
performance.
• When SPORT mode is selected by
using the DRIVE MODE button, the
SPORT indicator will illuminate.
• Whenever the engine is restarted,
the Drive Mode will revert back to
NORMAL mode. If SPORT mode is
desired, re-select SPORT mode from
the DRIVE MODE button.
• When SPORT mode is activated:
- The engine rpm will tend to remain raised over a certain length of time
even after releasing the accelerator
- Upshifts are delayed when accelerating
Information
In SPORT mode, the fuel efficiency may
decrease.

06
6-47
SPORT+ mode
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SPORT+ mode manages the
driving dynamics by
automatically adjusting the
steering effort, the engine
and transmission control
logic for enhanced driver
performance.
• When SPORT+ mode is selected by
using the DRIVE MODE switch, the
SPORT+ indicator will illuminate.
• Whenever the engine is restarted,
the Drive Mode will revert back to
NORMAL mode. If SPORT+ mode is
desired, re-select SPORT+ mode from
the DRIVE MODE switch.
• When SPORT+ mode is activated:
- The engine rpm will tend to remain raised over a certain length of time
even after releasing the accelerator
- Upshifts are delayed when accelerating
Information
In SPORT+ mode, the fuel efficiency may
decrease. SMART mode
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SMART mode selects the
proper driving mode among
NORMAL and SPORT by
judging the driver’s driving
habits (i.e. Economic or
Aggressive (Sportive)) from
the brake pedal depression
or the steering wheel
operation.
• Toggle the DRIVE MODE button to
select SMART mode. When SMART
mode is selected, the indicator
illuminates on the instrument cluster.
• SMART mode automatically controls
the vehicle driving, such as gear
shifting patterns and engine torque,
in accordance with the driver’s driving habits.
Information
When you dynamically drive the vehicle
in SMART mode by abruptly decelerating
or sharply turning the driving mode
changes to SPORT mode. However, it may
adversely affect fuel economy.

While Driving
6-48
Various driving situations, which you may
encounter in SMART mode
• The driving mode automatically
changes to SMART SPORT, when
you abruptly accelerate the vehicle
or repetitively operate the steering
wheel (Your driving is categorized
to be sporty.). In this mode, your
vehicle drives in a lower gear for
abrupt accelerating/decelerating
and increases the engine brake
performance.
• You may still sense the engine
braking performance, even when
you release the accelerator pedal in
SMART SPORT mode. It is because
your vehicle remains in lower gear
over a certain period of time for next
acceleration. Thus, it is a normal
driving situation, not indicating any malfunction.
• The driving mode automatically
changes to SMART SPORT mode only
in harsh driving situations. In most
of the normal driving situations, the
driving mode sets to be in SMART NORMAL mode.
Limitation of SMART mode
The SMART mode may be limited in
following situations. (The OFF indicator
illuminates in those situations.) • The driver uses the paddle shifter
(manual shift mode) :
It deactivates SMART mode. The
vehicle drives, as the driver manually
changes gear with the paddle shifter.
• The cruise control is activated :
The cruise control system may
deactivate the SMART mode when
the vehicle is controlled by the set
speed of Smart Cruise Control system.
(SMART mode is not deactivated
just by activating the cruise control
system.)
• The transmission oil temperature is
either extremely low or extremely high :
The SMART mode can be active in
most of the normal driving situations.
However, an extremely high/ low
transmission oil temperature may
temporarily deactivate the SMART
mode, because the transmission
condition is out of normal operation condition.

06
6-49
Vehicle characteristic
The characteristic of each components varies according to which drive mode is
selected by pressing the DRIVE MODE switch on the steering wheel.
DCT ComponentDRIVE MODE Switch
NORMAL Mode SPORT Mode SPORT+ Mode
Engine & Driving Engine NORMAL SPORT SPORT+
REV matching NORMAL SPORT SPORTPush feel Off On (SPORT) On (SPORT+) Launch Control Off Off OnLFU* 1
Inhibit Control Off On (SPORT) On (SPORT+)
Chassis Steering NORMAL SPORT SPORT
ESC* 2
NORMAL NORMAL SPORT
(TCS* 3
OFF)
Sound ASD* 4
NORMAL SPORT SPORT+
When driving in CUSTOM mode, the REV matching/N Power Shift/Launch Control/LFU
Inhibit Control/ASD System may vary depending on the CUSTOM mode-Powertrain
system settings. *1 : Lift Foot Up
*2 : Electronic Stability Control
*3 : Traction Control System
*4 : Active Sound Design