Kia Soul: Dual clutch transmission (DCT) / Dual clutch transmission operation

The dual clutch transmission has 7 forward speeds and one reverse speed. The individual speeds are selected automatically in the D (Drive) position.

WARNING

To reduce the risk of serious injury or death:

• ALWAYS check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for people, especially children, before shifting a vehicle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver's seat, always make sure the shift lever is in the P (Park) position, then set the parking brake, and place the ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF position. Unexpected and sudden vehicle movement can occur if these precautions are not followed.
• When using Manual Shift Mode, use caution when shifting from a higher gear to a lower gear on slippery roads. This could cause the tires to slip and may result in an accident.
• To avoid damage to your transmission, do not try to accelerate with the shift lever in R (Reverse) or any forward gear position with the brake engaged.
• When stopped on a slope, do not hold the vehicle with accelerator pedal. Engage the service brake or the parking brake.
   
• The Dual Clutch Transmission gives the driving feel of a manual transmission, yet provides the ease of a fully automatic transmission. Unlike a traditional automatic transmission, the gear shifting can be felt (and heard) on the dual clutch transmission
  - Think of it as an automatically shifting manual transmission.
  - Shift into Drive range and get fully automatic shifting, similar to a conventional automatic transmission.
• Dual clutch transmission adopts drytype dual clutch, which is different from torque converter of automatic transmission, and shows better acceleration performance during driving. But, initial launch might be little bit slower than Automatic Transmission.
• The dry-type clutch transfers torque and provides a direct driving feeling which may feel different from a conventional automatic transmission with a torque converter.This may be more noticeable when starting from a stop or low vehicle speed.
• When rapidly accelerating at low vehicle speed, engine could rev at high rpm depending on vehicle drive condition.
• For smooth launch uphill, press down the accelerator pedal smoothly depending on the current conditions.
• If you release your foot from the accelerator pedal at low vehicle speed, you may feel strong engine brake, which is similar to 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.
• When you turn the engine on and off, you may hear clicking sounds as the system goes through a self test. This is a normal sound for the Dual Clutch Transmission.
• 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.

WARNING

Due to transmission failure, the vehicle may not move and the position indicator (D, R) will blink on the cluster. In this case, have the system checked by a professional workshop. Kia recommends to visit an authorized Kia dealer/service partner.