Kia Sportage: Automatic transaxle / Good driving practices

Kia Sportage QL (2015-2025) Owners Manual / Driving your vehicle / Automatic transaxle / Good driving practices

Never move the gear shift lever from P (Park) to any other position with the accelerator pedal depressed.
Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may not be engaged.
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the transaxle in P (Park) to keep the vehicle from moving.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly depressing and releasing the accelerator pedal.

✽ NOTICE - Kickdown Mechanism

Use the kickdown mechanism for maximum acceleration. Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point. The automatic transaxle will shift to a lower gear depending on the engine speed.

Moving up a steep grade from a standing start

Ignition key interlock system

The ignition key cannot be removed unless the shift lever is in the P (Park) position. Even if the ignition switch is in the LOCK position, the key cannot be removed. If your vehicle is equipped ...

Moving up a steep grade from a standing start

To move up a steep grade from a standing start, depress the brake pedal, shift the shift lever to D (Drive). Select the appropriate gear depending on load weight and steepness of the grade, and re ...

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Kia Sportage QL (2015-2025) Owners Manual: Wheel replacement

When replacing the metal wheels for any reason, make sure the new wheels are equivalent to the original factory units in diameter, rim width and offset. A wheel that is not the correct size may adversely affect wheel and bearing life, braking and stopping abilities, handling characteristics, gr ...

Kia Sportage QL (2015-2025) Owners Manual: Cargo security screen

Use the cargo security screen to hide items stored in the cargo area. To use the cargo security screen, pull the handle backward and insert the edges into the slots. When not in use cargo security screen, follow below steps. 1. Pull up the luggage cover using the handle(1). 2. Pull up ...