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GETTING TO GRIPS WITH KIA’S DUAL CLUTCH SYSTEM

The Kia Soul’s innovative Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) is designed to provide improved fuel economy as well as better acceleration. While operating a DCT is similar to that of a  regular automatic transmission, there are a few tricks to keep in mind to take full advantage of the improvements of the new system.

·         During the first 1,500 km (1,000 miles), you may feel that the vehicle may not run smoothly when accelerating at low speed.

·         If you release your foot from the accelerator pedal at low speed, you may feel strong engine braking similar to a manual transmission.

·         When driving downhill, you may use Sports Mode to downshift to a lower gear in order to control your speed without using the brake pedal excessively.

HANDLING HOT SITUATIONS WITH YOUR DCT

Some specific situations might cause the clutch in the DCT to overheat, leading to some warning messages to appear on the vehicle’s instrument cluster.

This can happen if the vehicle is held steady on a hill by stepping on the accelerator pedal. In this case, you may feel the vehicle vibrate and the display on the instrument cluster will start to blink. The clutch will be disabled until it cools to normal temperature. To hold the vehicle steady on an uphill road, use the foot brake or the parking brake.

Repeated launches on steep grades could also overheat the transmission. When this happens, the safe protection mode will engage. The gear position display on the dash will start to blink with a chime sound and driving may not be smooth.

Overheating may also occur during repetitive kick-downs (when the transmission shifts to a lower gear during hard acceleration). This will lead to a change in how the vehicle shifts and trigger some warning message. To return the car to normal driving conditions, avoid excessive, hard accelerations while driving.

Remember these tips whenever you get those dreaded warning messages on your vehicle’s LCD display.

·         Pull over to a safe area, shift into P (Park) and apply the foot brake for several minutes while the clutch and transmission cools.

·         Ignoring the warnings can lead to serious damage on the transmission.

·         If the display continues to blink, we encourage you to contact an authorized Kia dealer for your safety.

With these handy reminders, you're all set to enjoy the wonderful benefits of Kia’s DCT system when you go out for your next drive.