The dual clutch transmission has 7 forward speeds and one reverse speed.

The individual speeds are selected automatically when the shift button is in the D (Drive) position.

• The dual clutch transmission 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. Unlike a traditional automatic transmission, the gear shifting can sometimes be felt and heard as the actuators engage the clutches and the gears are selected.

• The dual clutch transmission incorporates a dry-type dual clutch mechanism, which 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 dry-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-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 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 button 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 a normal sound for the dual clutch transmission.

• During the first 1,500 km (1000 miles), 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.

• Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).

• Do not put the shift lever in N (Neutral) while driving.

Driving up hills or on steep grades:

• To hold the vehicle on an incline use the foot brake or the parking brake.

• When in stop-and-go traffic on an incline, keep some distance ahead before moving the vehicle forward. Then hold the vehicle on the incline with the foot brake.

• If the vehicle is held on a hill by applying the accelerator pedal or by creeping with brake pedal disengaged, the clutch and transmission may overheat which can result in damage. At this time, a warning message will appear on the LCD display.

• If the LCD warning is active, the foot brake must be applied.

• Ignoring the warnings can lead to damage to the transmission.

• Under certain conditions, such as repeated stop-and-go launches on steep grades, sudden take off or acceleration, or other harsh driving conditions, the transmission clutch temperatures will increase excessively. Finally the clutch in transmission could be overheated.

• When the clutch is overheated, the safe protection mode engages and the gear position indicator on the cluster blinks with a chime. At this time, "Transmission temp. is high! Stop safely" warning message will appear on the LCD display and driving may not be smooth.

• If this occurs, pull over to a safe location, stop the vehicle with the engine running, apply the brakes and shift the vehicle to P (Park), and allow the transmission to cool.

• If you ignore this warning, the driving condition may become worse. You may experience abrupt shifts, frequent shifts, or jerkiness. To return to the normal driving condition, stop the vehicle and apply the foot brake or shift into P (Park).

  Then allow the transmission to cool for a few minutes with engine on, before driving off.

• When possible, drive the vehicle smoothly.

• If the vehicle continues to be driven and the clutch temperatures reach the maximum temperature limit, the " Transmission Hot! Park with engine on" warning will be displayed. When this occurs the clutch is disabled until the clutch cools to normal temperatures.

• The warning will display a time to wait for the transmission to cool.

• If this occurs, pull over to a safe location, stop the vehicle with the engine running, apply the brakes and shift the vehicle to P (Park), and allow the transmission to cool.

• When the message "Trans cooled. Resume driving." appears you can continue to drive your vehicle.

• When possible, drive the vehicle smoothly.

If any of the warning messages in the LCD display continue to blink, for your safety, have the system checked by a professional workshop. Kia recommends to visit an authorized Kia dealer/service partner.