Kia Sportage: Automatic transaxle / Good driving practices

Kia Sportage QL (2015-2026) 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 ...

Other information:

Kia Sportage QL (2015-2026) Owners Manual: Emergency towing precautions

Turn the ignition switch to ACC so the steering wheel isn’t locked. Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral). Release the parking brake. Press the brake pedal with more force than normal since you will have reduced brake performance. More steering effort will be required becaus ...

Kia Sportage QL (2015-2026) Service Manual: Description and operation

Description It's a system that uses illumination sensor to automatically turn ON the tail lamp and head lamp based on the change in surrounding environment's illumination condition. It activates when the vehicle enters/exits tunnel, or when the illumination condition ...