KIA Niro: Characteristics of Dual clutch transmission

The dual clutch transmission has seven forward speeds and one reverse speed.The individual speeds are selected automatically when the shift lever is in the D (Drive) position.

• The dual clutch transmission can be thought of as an automatically shifting manual transmission. It gives the driving feel of a manual transmission, yet provides the ease of a fully automatic transmission.
• When D (Drive) is selected, the transmission will automatically shift through the gears similar to a conventional automatic transmission. Unlike a traditional automatic transmission, the gear shifting can sometimes be felt and heard as the actuators engage the clutches and the gears are selected.
• The dual clutch transmission incorporates a dry-type dual clutch mechanism, which allows for better acceleration performance and increased fuel efficiency while driving.

  But it differs from a conventional automatic transmission because it does not incorporate a torque converter.

  Instead, the transition from one gear to the next is managed by clutch slip, especially at lower speeds.

  As a result, shifts are sometimes more noticeable, and a light vibration can be felt as the transmission shaft speed is matched with the engine shaft speed. This is a normal condition of the dual clutch transmission.

• The dry-type clutch transfers torque more directly and provides a directdrive feeling which may feel different from a conventional automatic transmission.

  This may be more noticeable when launching the vehicle from a stop or when traveling at low, stopand- go vehicle speeds.

• When rapidly accelerating from a lower vehicle speed, the engine rpm may increase dramatically as a result of clutch slip as the dual clutch transmission selects the correct gear. This is a normal condition.
• When accelerating from a stop on an incline, press the accelerator smoothly and gradually to avoid any shudder feeling or jerkiness.
• When traveling at a lower vehicle speed, if you release the accelerator pedal quickly, you may feel engine braking before the transmission changes gears. This engine braking feeling is similar to operating a manual transmission at low speed.
• When driving downhill, you may wish to move the gear shift lever to Manual Shift mode and 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 selftest. This is a normal sound for the dual clutch transmission.
• During the first 1,500 km (1000 miles), you may feel that the vehicle may not be smooth when accelerating at low speed. During this break-in period, the shift quality and performance of your new vehicle is continuously optimized.

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