2021.02.09 Hyundai Motor Group
We All Love Convenience - So, What Do These Buttons Do?
Vehicles support various functions for our safety and convenience. Let's talk about those unfamiliar buttons in your car and their functions.
It is not easier than you think to use all the various functions installed in a car. This is because advanced specifications that provide safety and convenience to users such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), climate control systems, seats, and navigation are applied for various purposes. Especially, drivers who have just got a new car may not know what all those buttons do. Let's talk about those unfamiliar buttons in your car and their functions.
1. Remote Window Control
If you're a driver, you've probably gotten out of the vehicle and found that some of the windows are still open. If you use the remote window control, you can conveniently close the window without re-boarding and starting the vehicle. It is also easy to use. If you press the lock button of the remote key for longer than 3 seconds, the remote window control function is activated and closes all open windows. Remote window control is supported on some models (optional) such as Hyundai Grandeur, Palisade, Santa Fe, Tucson, Kia K9, and K7 equipped with safety power windows for all seats in both the first and second rows.
2. Air cleaning mode
With increasing awareness of air pollution and sanitation, interest in air quality inside vehicles is also growing. This is why many drivers install additional air purifiers. Hyundai Motor Group's dual full-auto air conditioner not only individually controls the left/right indoor temperature, but also supports an air cleaning mode that purifies the cabin. When the climate control button with a tree shape is pressed, the air cleaning mode is activated. After checking the indoor fine dust concentration status using the sensor installed in the vehicle, it activates the air conditioner and switches to the internal air circulation mode for a certain period of time, if necessary, to block outside air. The system successfully blocks polluted air from outside and filters fine dust and various pollutants floating in the cabin using the dehumidifier and air conditioner filter of the climate control system.
For reference, some models of the Hyundai Motor Group features an auto controller to prevent the inflow of external air, which automatically closes the window before entering the tunnel by linking with the driving information of the navigation system and switches to the internal air circulation mode to manage indoor air quality.
3. More comfortable seating
Automobile seats are parts that are in close contact with the body. Because everybody is different, the seat provides various features and movements. Typical examples include seat position movement, backrest angle adjustment, and cushion height adjustment. In addition, Hyundai Motor Group's luxury sedans such as Genesis G80, G70, Hyundai Grandeur, Kia K9, Stinger, and K7 support the driver's electric cushion extension feature (optional) that adjusts the seat cushion size. The driver's electric cushion extension allows the driver to extend the length of the front seat cushion to suit his or her body shape, allowing a more natural and comfortable driving posture.
The passenger seat relaxation comfort seat is a function that maximizes the comfort of the passengers in the passenger seat, and passengers can experience the zero gravity position as if they are floating in space. It distributes the load concentrated on the hips and waist through the optimal back angle and cushion angle, which can be found in Hyundai Motor Company's Grandeur, Sonata, and Kia K5. On the other hand, the driver's electric cushion extension and passenger seat relaxation comfort seat are operated with a horizontal button applied to the lower side of each seat (applied to a walk-in switch on the side of the passenger seat backrest in Hyundai Grandeur and Sonata).
4. Favorite button of the Infotainment system: User button
The infotainment system is evolving into a more diverse content platform beyond providing vehicle information, navigation, and media playback. As it supports various functions, it is very important to secure intuitive utility; this is because it is difficult to display all of the buttons corresponding to every feature on the screen. Therefore, in order to maximize convenience, most models of Hyundai Motor Group offer the User button (★) that can be designated for frequently used infotainment features as a shortcut. This means that the environment for using infotainment can be specified individually. If you long-press the user button, you can go to the user setting menu and may choose one of the various features such as media, DMB, phone projection, and screen on/off, and a short-press activates the corresponding function specified by the user.
5. Shift lock release: Useful for double parking
If there is not enough parking space, double parking becomes inevitable. In this case, you need to leave your car in Neutral (N) gear; the idea here is to allow others to push your car aside to allow another car to get out of a parking slot. However, a vehicle equipped with a shift lock that prevents the malpractice of the automatic transmission cannot be parked in the Neutral gear. This is because the shifting lever automatically changes to P (parking) when the engine is turned off. The shift lock is designed to be activated only by pushing the brake pedal when you want to change the shift lever from P (parking) to R (reverse) or D (driving). However, there are cases in which it is necessary to operate the shifting lever while the engine is inevitably turned off, such as double parking or towing, and for this purpose, the system allows Shift Lock Release. By pressing the shift lock release button, the shifting lever can be switched to the desired position even when the engine is turned off. For reference, models that use electronic shift buttons such as Hyundai Grandeur, Sonata, Palisade, Santa Fe, and Tucson do not have a separate shift lock release button, and the shift lock is released by turning off the engine, pushing the brake pedal, and pressing the N (neutral) button for a long time.
6. Low-speed driving on a steep slope & Off-road driving mode, all for your safety
When driving off-road, you need to be more careful. This is because you need to check the traction of each wheel that changes from moment to moment to maintain the proper speed. In particular, it is important to maintain your speed when driving on steep downhill roads with poor road conditions. If the wheels can accidentally lock and slip when your car is not fast enough, and an accident may occur if you drive too fast. In this case, you can safely pass through the slope by using the low-speed driving function. This is because the function keeps the constant speed even if the driver does not press the brake pedal. The driver only needs to focus on steering without using pedals.
How to use it is as follows: when the vehicle is slower than 60 km/h with the low-speed driving button pressed, the function is in standby mode, and it is activated when the speed is between 4 to 40 km/h without pushing a brake or accelerator, and when the road is steeper than a certain grade. The driver can set a low-speed driving speed on a slope by pushing the brake or the accelerator, and is automatically released when the speed is outside the operating range. The blinking green light indicates the low-speed driving mode is on, and the system is off when the green light is either stays on or completely off. The low-speed driving function on the slope is a secondary function supported by the all-wheel-drive system and is applied to Genesis GV80, GV70, Hyundai Palisade, Santa Fe, Tucson, Kia Mohave, Sorento, etc. (all-wheel-drive only).
The off-road driving mode is a device that integrates the engine, transmission, all-wheel-drive system, and braking system to help you easily escape from rough roads including snowy, muddy, and sandy roads. When you press the off-road mode button, the drive mode changes to the off-road mode, and you can select one of SNOW, MUD, and SAND within 4 seconds by rotating the off-road mode knob. It becomes especially useful when it suddenly snows like these winter days.
The Snow mode controls the driving force on a slippery road to help a stable start and avoid slipping. The Mud and Sand mode optimally distribute power on muddy roads, dry sand, gravels, and unpaved roads to improve driving performance. The off-road mode is applied to all Hyundai Motor Group SUVs such as Genesis GV80, GV70, Hyundai Palisade, Santa Fe, Kia Mohave, and Sorento.
Cars offer so many other functions. Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, and Genesis official websites provide user manuals of not only the latest models but also of old ones. Studying those manuals would help properly care for and use your vehicles; you will be able to use all the functions that make driving convenient.
