KIA Soul 2012 - Manual (Page 239)

5 17
Driving your vehicle
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the
shift knob. The transaxle is fully syn-
chronized in all forward gears so
shifting to either a higher or a lower
gear is easily accomplished.
Depress the clutch pedal down fully
while shifting, then release it slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch pedal.
The shift lever must be returned to
the neutral position before shifting
into R (Reverse). The ring (1) located
below the shift knob must be pulled
upward while moving the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) position.
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into R
(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with the
tachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
• During cold weather, shifting may
be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant is warmed up. This is normal
and not harmful to the transaxle.
• If you've come to a complete stop
and it's hard to shift into 1st or R
(Reverse), leave the shift lever at
neutral position and release the
clutch. Depress the clutch pedal
back down, and then shift into 1st
or R (Reverse) gear position.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
OAM052001
The shift lever can be moved without pulling
the ring (1).
The ring (1) must be pulled up while moving
the shift lever.
CAUTION - Downshifting
Do not downshift more than 2
gears or downshift the gear
when the engine is running at
high speed (5,000 RPM or high-
er). Such a downshifting may
damage the engine.