Hyundai i20 Quiz
Driving Your Vehicle

Downshifting

In this manual: Driving Your Vehicle
Vehicle Overview — 4Your Vehicle's Safety System — 51Practical Features of Your Vehicle — 202Driving Your Vehicle — 88What to Do in an Emergency — 37Interview — 94Specifications and Consumer Information — 20
~1min read

If you need to reduce speed due to traffic, or to climb a hill, downshift to a lower gear to avoid overloading the engine.

You also reduce the risk of stalling and get better acceleration when you need to increase speed.

When driving downhill, downshifting helps maintain a safe speed by using engine braking and reduces brake wear.

NOTICE

To avoid damage to the engine, clutch, and transmission:

  • When downshifting from fifth to fourth gear, be careful not to accidentally move the shift lever sideways toward second gear. Such a sudden downshift may increase engine speed, causing the tachometer needle to enter the red zone.
  • Do not downshift by more than 2 gears at a time, and never downshift when the engine is running at high speed (5000 rpm or more). Such downshifting may damage the engine, clutch, and transmission.

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