Drive modes smart, eco, comfort, sport,custom what's the difference

[TERRY LERCH]

is there anywhere in this forum about the drive modes

 

[Waynerm002]

The drive modes alter the engine, transmission, steering and suspension (for those vehicles with adaptive suspension) behavior, depending on the modes. Smart is a mix of all modes and vary according to your driving habits, ECO is for economical driving, Comfort (should be Normal) is for standard everyday driving and Sport liven things up for sporty driving. I see you have a GT, anything I missed would be covered in your manual. Is there anything specific you are looking for?

 

[ShannonC]

is there anywhere in this forum about the drive modes

 

[Graphite_GT_305]

View attachment 19789

What "valves" are those?

 

[ShannonC]

What "valves" are those?

Oops, posted in wrong thread! It's for bi-modal exhaust.

 

[app_master]

I am not certain of the full specification of what the mode "setting" changes are (i.e. throttle response, steering feel, damping stiffness, transmission trickery) but they all act differently.

I personally like SMART mode, for most my daily drives and I like to see the dash display that shows when you're driving green (economic) or edging to red (sportive).
I dial in SPORT when in the mood for some spirited driving with "enhanced" engine sound (turned on) and the feel and handling of full suspension stiffness, road has to be smooth though, for me, to "enjoy" it properly.
So conversely, when road is not so smooth, but I still feel spirited, I have CUSTOM set to sport steering and sport engine but with comfort suspension.
My wife likes to just leave in COMFORT mode, which I guess is right in the meat of the mid spec settings.
I have never used ECO exclusively, might try on an extended highway drive sometime, but smart mode finds eco as needed anyway.

We are spoiled for choices, but they (Kia) have done a good job on this front.

 

[TERRY LERCH]

Thanks for all the replies. I am leaning very heavily toward smart mode. I went and looked at the manual and read the description and was not aware of the color change as driving style changed. The app master did a better job of explaining this vs the manual. This car continues to amaze me and is very similar to my 1991 M5. This"bad boy really walks the dog".

 

[smmrfld]

My experience is there is very little difference between them IRL.

 

[app_master]

My experience is there is very little difference between them IRL.

Really ... the difference between say ECO and SPORT (in the Aussie GT = to the usa GT2 rwd?) is like chalk and cheese, for me.

 

[Jimmer]

Thanks for all the replies. I am leaning very heavily toward smart mode. I went and looked at the manual and read the description and was not aware of the color change as driving style changed. The app master did a better job of explaining this vs the manual. This car continues to amaze me and is very similar to my 1991 M5. This"bad boy really walks the dog".

Unless I really know I want to drive aggressively, I stay in Smart mode.

If I want to drive aggressively, I put it into Custom and put everything but steering in Sport mode (with enhanced sound). I put steering in Comfort. To me, that's the best setting for a good time.

 

[Jimmer]

Really ... the difference between say ECO and SPORT (in the Aussie GT = to the usa GT2 rwd?) is like chalk and cheese, for me.

yeah, the difference between sport and eco is huge. Try punching it in eco and it's obvious you are NOT in any other setting, especially sport.

 

[Crisis]

I have CUSTOM set to sport steering and sport engine but with comfort suspension.

That's how I have my Custom set and drive in that mode 99% of the time. Our roads are always sh*t here, so sport suspension isn't a practical choice.

You don't have to switch from Eco to Sport to notice a difference. When you're driving in Comfort, just turn the dial one notch to the right and there is an immediate, very noticeable increase in revs and responsiveness. It's just way better...

 

[OriginalRobby]

I just wished it remembered the last saved setting, especially SMART

 

[app_master]

That's how I have my Custom set and drive in that mode 99% of the time. Our roads are always sh*t here, so sport suspension isn't a practical choice.

You don't have to switch from Eco to Sport to notice a difference. When you're driving in Comfort, just turn the dial one notch to the right and there is an immediate, very noticeable increase in revs and responsiveness. It's just way better...

Shyte roads everywhere here too. It sux. But say on a track, 200km+ on the autobahn or roads in s.korea ... sport suspension might be just the trick.
Comfort to sport is noticeable, I certainly agree, but was trying to highlight that from eco to sport (either end of mode settings presumably) the throttle response difference alone is significant. Let alone transmission gear, damping and steering.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I put steering in Custom.

Did you mean "Comfort"?

 

[MerlintheMad]

I haven't heard anyone say there isn't a noticeable difference in engine revs and shifting points in Sport, compared to the other modes. It is the ride, the suspension response, that many have said that they cannot tell any real life difference in Sport. I see/feel a small difference, a bit more stiffness, is all, in Sport.

 

[Jimmer]

Did you mean "Comfort"?

Yes

 

[Mike_TX]

With my Optima 2.0T's the difference between "Normal" and "Sport" was pronounced. Sport really woke the Optima up.

But in my Stinger Premium it's not so big a change, except that the transmission holds onto gears longer (too long in many cases). And Eco hardly makes any difference that I can tell.

You guys with GT's probably have a completely different experience.

 

[eflyguy]

I definitely feel the difference in steering and suspension, as well as transmission. I spent the day on twisty roads yesterday and would leave it in comfort while cruising, and flip to sport as the fun stuff came up, and you can definitely feel an immediate change..

 

[DeadOhioSky]

Do the drive modes also effect the AWD ratio?