KIA Sorento 2006 - Manual (Page 205)

Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip,
especially when going to a remote
area. Know the terrain and plan your
route. You are much less likely to
encounter unwanted surprises. Get
accurate maps of trails.
It’s also a good idea to travel with at
least one other vehicle. If something
happens to one of them, the other
can quickly help.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road
Driving
It’s necessary for you to practice in an
area that’s safe and close to home
before you begin serious off-road
driving. Off-road driving requires new
and different driving skills.
You need to tune your senses to dif-
ferent kinds of signals. For example,
constantly sweep the terrain with
your eyes looking for unexpected
obstacles. Listen for unusual tire,
gear, or engine sounds. Feel and
respond to the vibrations of the vehi-
cle with your hands, feet, and body
while still carefully controlling your
vehicle.You’ll also need to adjust your
expectations and greatly lower the
number of miles you expect to cover
in an hour or a day.
Controlling your vehicle is the key to
successful off-road driving. One of
the best ways to control your vehicle
is to control your speed. Here are
some things to keep in mind when
traveling at higher speeds:
• You approach things faster and you
have less time to scan the terrain
for obstacles.
• You have less time to react.
• You have much more vehicle
bounce when you drive over obsta-
cles, giving you less vehicle control.
• You’ll need more distance for brak-
ing, especially since you’re on an
unpaved surface. Such terrain will
always be more “slippery” than a
paved road.
DRIVING TIPS
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