Kia Sportage 2023 Owner's Manual page 238

Driving your vehicle
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift lever position when the
ignition switch or ENGINE START/STOP
button is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transmission and prevents the front
wheels from rotating.
WARNING
僅 Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle
is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you to
lose control of the vehicle.
僅 Do not use the P (Park) position in
place of the parking brake. Always
make sure the shift lever is latched in
the P (Park) position and set the park-
ing brake fully.
僅 Never leave a child unattended in a
vehicle.
CAUTION
The transmission may be damaged if
you shift into P (Park) while the vehicle is
in motion.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you
may damage the transmission if you
shift into R while the vehicle is in motion,
5 14
Automatic transmission (Shift Lever)
except as explained in "Rocking the
vehicle" on page 5-168.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest incline unless the park-
ing brake or service brakes are applied.
WARNING
Do not drive with the shift lever in N
(Neutral).
The engine brake will not work and lead
to an accident.
CAUTION
僅 Always park the vehicle in "P" (Park)
for safety and engage the parking
brake. If left in "N" (Neutral), the vehi-
cle may move and cause serious dam-
age and injury.
僅 After the ignition switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button has been turned
off, the electronic parking brake can-
not be disengaged.
僅 For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake)
equipped vehicles with AUTO HOLD
function used while driving, if the igni-
tion button has been turned "OFF", the
electronic parking brake will be
engaged automatically. Therefore,
AUTO HOLD function should be
turned off before the ignition button is
turned off.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving posi-
tion. The transmission will automatically
shift through 8 gear sequence, providing
the best fuel economy and power.