190
Controls, Safety, Instruments
Trailer Coupling
Warning!
Risk of accident.
fFollow the operating instructions for the trailer
recommended by the trailer manufacturer.
fDo not modify or repair the trailer coupling.
fBefore having new ADAPTER fitted, find out
from your authorized Porsche dealer about the
current authorization status.fUse only ADAPTER makes tested and appro-
ved by Porsche.
fEnsure that all trailer equipment conforms to
the appropriate classification for total gross
trailer weight and tongue weight.
fPlease observe the chapter “WEIGHTS” on
Page 352.
fPlease observe the chapter “LOADING INFOR-
MATION” on Page 191.
RetrofittingHave a trailer coupling retrofitted only by an autho-
rized Porsche dealer. The dealer is familiar with
the manufacturer's specifications and any neces-
sary conversion measures.Electrical connectionYour Porsche is equipped with a 7-pin connector A
for the electrical connection to the trailer.
Warning!
Risk of accident. Failure to keep an electrical
adapter clean may result in corrosion and af-
fect operation of electrical lines, resulting in
possible trailer brake system failure.
fPeriodically inspect and clean adapter as needed.
Hitching trailerfAlways turn off the alarm system before you at-
tach a trailer. The inclination sensor could trig-
ger the alarm unintentionally.
fFollow the operating instructions for the trailer
recommended by the trailer manufacturer.
fPlease observe the chapter “WEIGHTS” on
Page 352.Unhitching trailerfIf the trailer is equipped with an overrun brake,
do not unhitch the trailer when its brake is still
applied.
Controls, Safety, Instruments
193
Stowing load in the vehicle
Warning!
Danger of injury.
An unsecured or incorrectly positioned cargo
can slip out of place or endanger the vehicle
occupants during braking, direction changes
or in accidents.
Never transport objects which are not se-
cured.
fAlways transport cargo in the cargo area, nev-
er in the passenger compartment (e.g. on or in
front of the seats).
fSupport the cargo on the seat backrests when-
ever possible. Always lock the backrests into
place.
fPlace the cargo behind unoccupied seats
whenever possible.
fStow heavy objects as close to the front of the
cargo area as possible, with lightweight ob-
jects behind them.
fThe cargo must never project over the top
edge of the seat backrest.
fAlways protect the passenger compartment
with a luggage safety net and a luggage
compartment cover.
Do not drive with objects on top of the luggage
compartment cover.fIf the rear seats are not occupied, the back-
rests can be additionally secured with the safe-
ty belts. Simply cross the outer safety belts
and insert each into the opposite buckle.
fMake sure that the load cannot damage the
heating filaments of the rear window and the
TV antenna of the side window.
Luggage net
fLuggage must be stowed completely covered
by the luggage net.
The luggage net can prevent only lightweight
objects from slipping.
Tie-down belts
fDo not use elastic belts or straps to tie down
a load.
fDo not place belts and straps over sharp edg-
es.
fObserve the directions for use and information
for the tie-down equipment.
fUse only belts with a tear strength of at least
1543 lbs. or 700 kg and a maximum width of
1 in or 25 mm.
fCross the belts over the load.Driving
fThe car's handling changes depending on the
vehicle load. Adapt your driving style to the
changed driving behavior.
fDo not exceed the maximum gross weight and
the axle load.
fPlease observe the chapter “WEIGHTS” on
Page 352.
fNever drive with the rear window or rear lid
open.
Exhaust gases can enter the passenger
compartment.
fAdapt the tire pressure to the load.
fPlease observe the chapter “TIRE PRESSU-
RES, COLD” on Page 350.
200
Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
D - Automatic selection mode (in the road
driving program)The functions of selector lever positions Dand M
differ in the on-road program, High Range, and in
the off-road program, Low Range.
fUse selector lever position D for “normal” driv-
ing.
The gears are shifted automatically according
to the accelerator position and speed.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and on
the resistance (e.g. uphill), the gear-changing
points are shifted towards higher or lower engine-
speed ranges. Movement of the accelerator,
driving speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration
and the road profile all have an influence on the
gear-changing characteristic.
When PSM is switched off, transmission gear
changes are done at higher engine speeds.
Unwanted upward shifts, e.g. before bends, are
prevented by swiftly releasing the accelerator ped-
al.
Depending on lateral acceleration, upward chang-
es on bends are not made until the engine-speed
limit is reached.
During braking, and depending on the amount of
deceleration, the Tiptronic changes down earlier.
For subsequent cornering, the right gear is en-
gaged when pressure is applied to the brakes be-
fore the bend.The bend is taken in the right gear, and when you
accelerate out of the bend you do not have to
change down.
Moving off
In 2nd gear, the vehicle moves off with the throttle
only slightly open. Move off in 1st gear with the
throttle open wider or when the engine is cold.
When PSM is switched off, the car generally
moves off in 1st gear.
Shifting gear on the steering wheel
By shifting gear with the rocker switches on the
steering wheel, you can temporarily change from
automatic selection mode D to manual selection
mode M.
Advantages
– Shifting down before bends and on entering
built-up areas.
– Shifting down on downward slopes (engine
braking).
– Shifting down for brief spurts of acceleration.
– Selecting 1st or 2nd gear for moving off.
The manual selection mode remains engaged:
– For cornering (depending on the lateral accel-
eration) and overrunning,
– When the vehicle is stationary (e.g. at a junc-
tion).The system leaves manual selection mode:
– automatically after around 8 seconds
(unless car is cornering, overrunning or
stationary),
– if you depress the accelerator to kickdown.
Temporary change-down
Precondition
– Speed is higher than approx. 33 mph
(54 km/h).
fDepress accelerator quickly.
The Tiptronic changes temporarily to the sport-
iest gear-changing map, i.e. to the highest pos-
sible gear-changing points. Correspondingly,
the transmission shifts down immediately by
one, two or three gears.
Ending the function
fRelease the accelerator markedly (by approx.
25%).
Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
201
Kickdown
The kickdown function is active in selector lever
position D.
fFor optimum acceleration, e.g. when overtak-
ing, depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
full-throttle point (kickdown).
The transmission shifts down depending on the
speed of travel and engine speed.
Upward shifts occur at the highest possible engine
speeds.
These gear-changing speeds remain active until
the accelerator is released to approx. 80% of the
full-throttle position.D - Automatic selection mode (in the off-
road driving program)The functions of selector lever positions Dand M
differ in the on-road program, High Range, and in
the off-road program, Low Range.
fUse selector lever position D for “normal” driv-
ing.
The gears are shifted automatically according
to the accelerator position and speed.
The gears are shifted automatically according to
the accelerator position and speed. The gear-
changing points have been adjusted to achieve the
best possible vehicle control on difficult terrain.Depending on the route profile, the gear-changing
points are shifted towards higher or lower engine-
speed ranges. On steep downhill stretches, up-
ward shifts are prevented until medium engine
speeds are reached (at least 2,500 rpm).
When the car is overrunning, an automatic upshift
does not occur when the engine speed limit is
reached.
Moving off
The car moves off in 1st gear.
Shifting gear on the steering wheel
By shifting gear with the rocker switches on the
steering wheel, you can temporarily change from
automatic selection mode D to manual selection
mode M.
Advantages
– Shifting down on downward slopes (engine
braking).
– Shifting down for brief spurts of acceleration.
– Selecting 1st/2nd or 3rd gear for moving off.
The manual selection mode remains engaged:
– For overrunning
– Depending on lateral acceleration
– When the vehicle is stationary (e.g. at a junc-
tion).The system leaves manual selection mode:
– Automatically after around 8 seconds
(unless car is subject to high lateral accelera-
tion, is overrunning or stationary),
– if you depress the accelerator to kickdown.
Kickdown
The kickdown function is active in selector lever
position D.
fFor optimum acceleration, e.g. when overtak-
ing, depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
full-throttle point (kickdown).
The transmission shifts down depending on the
speed of travel and engine speed.
Upward shifts occur at the highest possible engine
speeds.
These gear-changing speeds remain active until
the accelerator is released to approx. 80% of the
full-throttle position.
Tip on driving
Unlike in the on-road driving program, an auto-
matic upshift is not performed in manual selection
modeM when the engine-speed limit is reached.
Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
223
Driving downhill
Danger!
There is a danger of serious personal injury
or death and risk of damage if the vehicle
should overturn.
fDo not drive over slopes at an angle to the line
of maximum gradient.
fDrive downhill slowly, with the wheels pointing
straight ahead.
fIf the vehicle starts to tilt, immediately steer in
the direction of the tilt (line of slope).
fWhen driving downhill, never let the vehicle roll
when in idle.
fUse engine braking effect.
If the engine braking effect is not adequate, gently apply the foot brake.Note on operation
fActivate Low Range. The off-road ABS is
switched on automatically.
Tips on driving
The same general principle as for uphill driving ap-
plies to downhill driving.
fDo not perform manual gear changes when
driving, and try to avoid stopping.
fAvoid high engine speeds (max. 2,500 rpm).
A special circuit of the off-road ABS permits con-
trolled brief lock-up of the front wheels so that they
can dig into the loose surface more effectively.
Locked wheels slip and can no longer be steered.
fWhen driving down steep hills on unpaved sur-
faces, brake carefully and do not start to slide.
Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
227
Driving on sandNote on operation
fActivate Low Range and engage differential
locks if necessary.
Tips on driving
Loose sand is an especially tricky surface for off-
road driving.
You can often become stuck in sand within
minutes if you do not drive correctly in such
situations.
fDrive at brisk pace and do not stop under any
circumstances. This will reduce the chance of
the car becoming bogged down.
fFollow existing tracks – provided that they
have not been covered by blown sand, are not
too deep and the car's ground clearance is
sufficient.
Please observe the chapter “GROUND CLEA-
RANCE” on Page 355.
fAvoid high engine speeds (may. 2,500 rpm).When driving on slopes with soft sand:
fUse the manual select mode M in addition to
the Low Range program.
If your vehicle becomes stuck nevertheless:
fDo not spin the wheels. Instead, use branches,
mats or similar items to provide adequate trac-
tion so that you can drive out of the critical ar-
ea.
Track rutsOther vehicles leave ruts in many off-road courses
or gravel roads.
fPlease observe the chapter “GROUND CLEA-
RANCE” on Page 355.
Caution!
Risk of damage to the vehicle floor when
driving through ruts that are too deep.
fAlways bear in mind the car's ground clear-
ance.
fDo not drive over ruts that are too deep.
Note on operation
fActivate Low Range and engage differential
locks if necessary.
Tips on driving
fIn cases of doubt, drive with one wheel on the
strip of grass.
fAvoid high engine speeds (max. 2,500 rpm).
fDrive slowly.
240
Maintenance, Car Care
Coolant LevelfPlease observe the chapter “EXERCISE
EXTREME CAUTION WHEN WORKING ON YOUR
VEHICLE” on Page 234.
The coolant provides year-round protection from
corrosion and freezing down to -31°F/-35°C
(Nordic countries -40°F/-40°C).
fUse only anti-freeze authorized by Porsche.
fCheck the coolant level regularly.Checking coolant level/adding coolantThe expansion tank for the coolant is located un-
der the engine-compartment cover in the engine
compartment.
When the engine is cold and the car is level, the
coolant level must lie between the minimum and
maximum marks.Checking when engine is cold
1. Remove cover.2. Open cap of the expansion tank carefully and
allow any overpressure to escape.
Then unscrew cap completely.
3. Read the coolant level.
4. Top up with coolant if necessary.
Do not exceed the max. mark.
Only add a mixture of anti-freeze and water in
equal parts.
Antifreeze in coolant:
50% provides anti-freeze protection down to
-31°F/-35°C.
5. Screw the cap closed firmly and put on the
cover.
242
Maintenance, Car Care
Brake-Fluid LevelfPlease observe the chapter “EXERCISE
EXTREME CAUTION WHEN WORKING ON YOUR
VEHICLE” on Page 234.
fUse only new (unused) Original Porsche brake
fluid.
Warning!
Brake fluid is hazardous to your health, and
may be fatal if swallowed.
Brake fluid also attacks paintwork.
fKeep brake fluid out of children's reach.
fImmediately rinse off spilled brake fluid with
clean water.
fIf brake fluid gets into your eye, immediately
rinse with clean water for a few minutes. Then
see a doctor immediately.
fPlease note all the information on the refill container of the brake fluid.
Checking the brake-fluid levelThe reservoir for the hydraulic braking system is
located in the engine compartment.
1. Rotate the turn-locks 90° counterclockwise
(arrow) with a screwdriver and remove the
cover.
2. Check brake-fluid level at the transparent res-
ervoir.
The fluid level should always lie between the
MIN and MAX marks.A slight decrease in the fluid level due to wear and
automatic readjustment of the disc brakes is
normal.
If, however, the fluid level falls markedly or below
the MIN mark, the braking system may have devel-
oped a leak.
fPlease have the braking system checked im-
mediately at an authorized Porsche dealer.