Does Smart Mode in KIA Save Gas? Our Research and Recommendations

Kia experimented a lot in the American market and provided vehicles in North America with the Smart Mode in their transmissions. At first, it was an additional mode, and 2015 year model cars come with Eco, Normal, Sport, and Smart mode. After that, they got rid of Eco and now they usually have Smart, Normal, and Sport.

The smart mode isn't used for saving gas. It's mainly a combination of Eco, Normal, and Sport that automatically changes according to the style of your driving. That's why it's called smart - it basically decides every second which mode is appropriate for you right now. And Kia thinks it has solved this transmission mode problem that has been the topic of discussion in so many forum threads.

Here's what I will cover today:

• Why doesn't Smart mode in Kia actually save gas?
• Do I recommend Smart mode to be used in your Kia at all times?
• What's the best mode you can use in each driving situation?
• How can you save gas in your Kia vehicle?

Let's get started!

Does Smart mode in your Kia save gas?

As said above, the Smart mode in your Kia transmission is not used for saving gas. Actually, model Kia transmissions are not made to save more gas than in Normal mode because there is no Eco. When you turn your transmission into Smart, it starts juggling between Sport and Normal whenever needed.

I should say that the mapping of the Smart mode actually resembles Eco and you can feel this - the car becomes quite sluggish. But once you press the pedal, something changes and the beast wakes up under the hood. At this moment, you waste more fuel than you managed to save while driving in the Eco part of the Smart mode.

Here's how it works:

• you turn your transmission into Smart mode and it immediately uses the most fuel-efficient mapping it has;
• if you don't press the gas pedal too hard, the economical mode stays on and you save some drops of fuel per mile;
• once you press the pedal because you want sharp acceleration, the Smart mode changes the mapping and uses the Sport mode for some time;
• in stop-and-go traffic, the Normal mode mapping will most often be used and only in smooth and slow driving you will be using Eco features;
• on a highway, the mode is also Normal instead of Eco because it doesn't make any sense to implement any other mapping when you are driving at a constant speed.

So, in the city, you will be using Normal most of the time and on highways, it's also Normal. The Smart mode will just sometimes turn to Eco. I know some owners of previous generations of Kia vehicles and they often stay in Eco mode to save some fuel. And it actually works with those cars really well.

But the Smart mode in modern Kia cars is not as economical as Eco was before. And that's why all the discussions on forums. When you are choosing to drive in Smart mode, the gas mileage totally depends on your driving style. It may be optimal or it may be disastrous if you keep pressing that gas pedal hard.

Do I recommend Smart mode in Kia cars?

No, I don't recommend Smart mode because it doesn't make sense to use it. This mode gives a lot of thinking to the computer in your vehicle and it has to decide when it is time to shift to another mode. But Kia implemented pretty strange rules for the computer and it acts unpredictably.

I personally had a lot of jerking and unpredictable revving when I was test-driving the new Seltos in the Smart mode. Although I love the 2.0L engine in it, the Smart mode spoils all the benefits this engine gives you.

I see several bad things in the Smart mode in Kia cars:

• it's not predictable which may be dangerous on the road;
• the mode just switches between different modes with no clear patterns;
• it uses several mapping types and turns them on sporadically;
• it won't save you a lot of fuel;
• the MPG in your car will depend purely on your driving style;
• it will hold you a little if you want to accelerate quickly;
• this mode is not very pleasant to use in your Kia.

When you start driving in the Smart mode, it seems to hold your car a little like the Eco mode would normally do. But if you press the pedal harder, it quickly switches to some other mapping, and your car jerks and then moves much faster. I believe this is not that good for your transmission. Especially if you are using the DCT transmission which is not considered extremely reliable.

So, I wouldn't use the Smart mode constantly. Maybe just for some experiments and checking out the technology. But in a Kia vehicle, I would always drive in Normal because it gives you the same fuel economy and provides the predictable reaction of the vehicle to any road condition.

What's the best mode to use in your Kia car?

The best mode depends on the road conditions. Actually, using Sport or Smart when you are driving on a highway and using cruise control at 70 MPH doesn't make any sense at all. Your car will always be at, let's say, 3200 RPM and it will use exactly the same amount of gas in any mode.

When you are in the city traffic and can change driving patterns according to road conditions, I strongly recommend Normal mode. It has predictable reactions of your vehicle to any type of pressing of the gas pedal. Also, it offers smooth and optimal acceleration without any jerks.

If you are living in a town with little to no traffic on the road, you may try Smart mode. But in this case, you should also try not to press the pedal too hard to keep the Eco mapping active as long as possible. This will obviously save you some grams of fuel.

If you decided to go off-roading or your town has gravel roads, just forget about the Smart mode. Use Normal because your Kia will go crazy trying to understand which mapping is best for the situation. This will lead to a problem when it will switch between different mapping all the time and this will obviously annoy you.

So, I would drive in Normal most of the time. Given I don't like active driving, my Sport mode would be all dusty as I would never touch it. But if you love quick acceleration and high revving, you may also use Sport mode from time to time to have some fun.

How can you save gas in your Kia vehicle?

Fuel-efficient driving is the whole science that you need to learn and then practice to master it. Personally, I don't think it's worth it because you will need to change your driving style, watch the gas pedal on the road and accelerate just like a turtle to get the best possible gas mileage in your Kia.

But if fuel economy is the priority for you, you need to start experimenting with different driving styles.

Here's what exactly you may try:

• when accelerating, don't press the gas pedal hard - just touch it a little with your foot;
• choose routes with less traffic - this will greatly affect the overall consumption;
• when on the highway, always use cruise control to ensure smooth driving;
• avoid using Sport mode as it allows the engine to rev up much higher than needed;
• make sure there are no problems, warning lights, and error messages in your vehicle;
• use proper gas and don't experiment with the quality or octane number of the fuel.

There is one more trick that will allow you to choose the best driving style for your Kia. Use the immediate fuel consumption monitor on your trip computer. Whenever you are accelerating, try to keep fuel consumption as low as possible. But also remember that your task is to reach the optimal RPM and speed quite fast to avoid long acceleration.

So, the recommendations are pretty simple and none of them has the tip to use the Smart mode, as you see. You may economize some fuel with the Smart mode but only if you adjust your driving style. Otherwise, it's impossible to save fuel and reduce driving costs.

If you want to read more about common things Kia owners have to deal with, read this article about the Engine Control System error in these vehicles.

Final thoughts

I'm sure that the Smart mode won't be your favorite mode in a Kia car. You should understand that this mode just switches between several available mappings and is not any kind of magic. It will help you save some fuel in that case only if you adjust your driving style and make it much more economical.

If you have good experience with the Smart mode in your Kia vehicle, please share it in the comments below. Also, ask any questions and I will try to answer them as soon as possible.