
Cockpit
10
Cockpit 
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays 
1Rear window blind*97
2Rear window safety switch35 
3Opening and closing windows34
4Adjusting exterior mirrors455
Turn signals56
High beams, headlamp flasher88
Roadside parking lamps88
Check Control67
Computer69 

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6Buttons on steering wheel
7Instrument cluster12
9Ignition lock5110Horn: the entire surface 
13Releasing hood176
14Opening luggage compartment lid32
 
Telephone*153: 
>Press: accept call or terminate 
call
as well as dialing if an entry has 
been selected from "A - Z", 
"Top 8", "Redial", "Received 
calls" or "Missed calls"
>press longer: redialing
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice com-
mand system
*22
Fast forward/reverse132
>Radio 
Press: change radio station
Press longer: manual search 
or automatic search scan
>CD 
Press: select track 
Press longer: fast forward/
reverse
>Telephone
* 
Press: select entry in "A - Z", 
"Top 8", "Redial", "Received 
calls" or "Missed calls"
Individually programmable
*46 
Individually programmable46 
8
Windshield wipers57
Rain sensor57
11
Steering wheel heater*46
Steering wheel adjustment45
12
Cruise control
*:58
Active cruise control
*59
15
Head-Up Display
*84
16
Parking lamps87
Low beams87
Automatic headlamp control
*87
Adaptive Head Light88
*
17
Instrument lighting89
Fog lamps
*88 

At a glance
 13Reference
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Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
Indicator and warning lamps and their combina-
tions are displayed in the display region1 and in 
the display2. To better differentiate between 
malfunctions, different symbols can be shown 
on the display2.
Some lights in the display region1 are tested 
for proper function by briefly lighting up during 
starting of the engine or when the ignition is 
switched on.
Acknowledging active functions
The following indicator lamps in the display 
region1 indicate that the associated functions 
are activated:
What to do in case of a malfunction
All warning lamps and indicator lamps not yet 
listed are also accompanied by text messages 
on the Control Display. These may contain 
more information as to the cause of a malfunc-
tion and instructions on what to do.
Sometimes, warning lamps are also accompa-
nied by supplemental text messages on the 
Control Display that are shown immediately. 
Text messages that do not appear immediately 
are stored and can be displayed subsequently. 
For further information on displaying these 
messages later, refer to Check Control on 
page 67. Turn signals56
Handbrake engaged52
Handbrake engaged for Canadian 
models
Front fog lamps88
DTC Dynamic Traction Control78
High beams/headlamp flasher88
DSC Dynamic Stability Control78 

Driving
56
R Reverse 
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
For example, engage in automatic car washes. 
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position 
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are available.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when driving in position D.
Kick-down 
The kick-down mode provides maximum accel-
eration: press the accelerator pedal beyond the 
full-throttle resistance point.
Manual operation and Sport program 
M/S 
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot: 
The sport program is activated and DS appears 
in the instrument cluster. This position is 
recommended for a performance-oriented 
driving style.
When the selector lever is pressed forward or 
back, the manual mode is activated and the 
Steptronic shifts the gear. The instrument clus-
ter shows M1 through M6.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a plausible combination 
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, 
a downshift that would cause the engine to 
overrev will not be executed by the system. The 
selected gear appears briefly in the instrument 
cluster, followed by the current gear.To use the automatic function again, move the 
selector lever to the right into position D.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher 
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the 
resistance point.
Atypically rapid flashing of the indicator 
lamp indicates that a turn signal bulb 
needs to be replaced. 
After switching off the ignition, make sure that 
the roadside parking lamps are not switched 
on.<
Signaling for a short time
Press lever to resistance point and hold for as 
long as you wish to signal.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever to the resistance point; the turn 
signal flashes three times. 
You can activate or deactivate this function.
Control Center, for principle details, refer to 
page16.
1.Open the   menu.
2.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the 
controller.
3.Select "Light" and press the controller. 

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4.Select "Triple turn signal activation" and 
press the controller.
 Triple turn signaling is activated.
Wiper system 
1Switching on wipers
2Switching off wipers or brief wipe
3Activating/deactivating rain sensor
4Cleaning windshield and headlamps
5Adjusting rain sensor sensitivity level
Switching on wipers
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once. 
The system reverts to operation in the intermit-
tent mode when the vehicle is stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance 
point. 
The system reverts to normal speed when the 
vehicle is stationary.
Rain sensor
The wiper operation is controlled automatically 
as a function of the rain intensity. The rain sen-
sor is located on the windshield, directly in front 
of the interior rearview mirror.
Activating the rain sensor
Press button. The LED in the button lights up.
Adjusting rain sensor sensitivity level 
Turn the serrated dial 5.
Deactivating the rain sensor
Press the button again. The LED goes out.
Deactivate the rain sensor when passing 
through an automatic car wash. Failure to 
do so could result in damage caused by undes-
ired wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield and headlamps* 
The system sprays washer fluid against the 
windshield and activates the wipers for a brief 
period.
When the vehicle lighting system is switched 
on, the headlamps are cleaned at regular and 
appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washers if there is any 
danger that the fluid will freeze on the 
windshield. If you do so, your vision could be 
obscured. To avoid freezing, use a washer fluid 
antifreeze, refer to Washer fluid. Do not use 
washing mechanisms when the washer fluid 
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage 
the washer pump.< 

Controls
 87Reference
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Lamps 
Parking lamps/low beams 
0Lights off
1Parking lamps
2Low beams/daytime driving lamps
*
3Automatic headlamp control*/
Adaptive Head Light
*
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side 
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the 
parking lamps for parking. For lighting on one 
side for parking as an additional feature, refer to 
page88.
Low beams 
The low beams are activated in switch 
position2 only when the engine is running, oth-
erwise only the parking lamps are switched on.
Pathway lighting 
If the vehicle is parked and the headlamps are 
switched off, operating the headlamp flasher 
activates the low beams. You can set the dura-
tion on the Control Display or deactivate the 
function.
Control Center, for principle details, refer to 
page16.
1.Open the   menu.
2.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the 
controller.3.Select "Light" and press the controller.
4.Select "Pathway lighting" and press the 
controller.
5.Turn the controller to select the corre-
sponding duration.
6.Press the controller to apply the setting.
Lights on warning 
If you turn the ignition key to position 0, an 
acoustic signal sounds when you open the 
driver's door for a few seconds to remind you 
that the light has not yet been switched off. 
At the same time a message appears on the 
Control Display.
Daytime driving lamps* 
If so desired, you can leave the light switch in 
the low beam position2.
Always observe all applicable laws governing 
the use of daytime driving lamps.
You can switch on the parking lamps when 
needed using the standard procedure 
described under Parking lamps.
 Automatic headlamp control* 
In the switch position3, the system activates 
and switches on and off the low beams in 
response to changes in ambient light condi-
tions, for instance, in a tunnel, at dawn and 
d u s k ,  a n d  in  r a i n  o r  s n o w .  A d a p t iv e  H e a d  L ig h t
* 
is active. The LED next to the symbol is illumi-
nated when the low beams are on. 

Lamps
88 The low beams remain switched on inde-
pendent of the ambient lighting condi-
tions when you switch on the fog lamps.
With the daytime driving lamps
* activated, the 
low beams are always switched on when the 
ignition key is in position 2.<
The automatic headlamp control cannot 
serve as a substitute for your personal 
judgment in determining when the lamps 
should be switched on in response to ambient 
lighting conditions. For example, the system 
cannot detect fog. To avoid safety risks, you 
should always switch on the lamps manually 
under these conditions.<
Adaptive Head Light* 
The concept
Adaptive Head Light is a variable headlamp 
control system that enables better illumination 
of the road surface. Depending on the steering 
angle and other assumptions, the light from the 
headlamp follows the course of the road.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
In the switch position3, the Adaptive Head 
Light is active and the automatic headlamp con-
trol
* is switched on.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adaptive 
Head Light
>is not active when driving in reverse
>is only active toward passenger side when 
stationary 
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. Adaptive Head Light is 
faulty or has failed. Have the system checked as 
soon as possible.
High beams/roadside parking 
lamps 
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Roadside parking lamps
Roadside parking lamps, left or right* 
You also enjoy the option of lighting up just one 
side of your vehicle when parking. When using 
this function, comply with national regulations:
With the ignition off, press the lever in the 
desired direction3, past the resistance point.
The roadside parking lamps drain the bat-
tery. Do not switch them on for long peri-
ods of time, otherwise it may no longer be pos-
sible to start the engine.<
Front fog lamps 
The parking lamps or low beams must 
be switched on for the fog lamps to 
operate. The green indicator lamp in 
the instrument cluster lights up whenever the 
fog lamps are on.
The fog lamps are switched off whenever the 
high beams are switched on. 

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If the automatic headlamp control is acti-
vated, the low beams will come on auto-
matically when you switch on the fog lamps.<
Instrument lighting 
You can control the lighting intensity by using 
the serrated dial.
Interior lamps 
The interior lamps, footwell lamps, door entry 
lighting and courtesy lamps
* are controlled 
automatically.
Switching interior lamps on and off 
manually
Press the button.
If you want the interior lamps to remain off con-
tinuously, maintain pressure on the button for 
approx. 3 seconds.
Reading lamps
Reading lamps are provided in the front and rear 
adjacent to the interior lamps. Press the button 
to activate or deactivate this system.
To avoid draining the battery, all of the 
vehicle's interior lamps are automatically 
switched off approx. 15 minutes after the igni-
tion is switched off.<