Driving with automatic transmission
Please fir st read and n ote the int rod uctory informatio n and heed th e WARN INGS on page 179.
All forwa rd gea rs shift up and down automatically.
Driving on
Th e steeper grade, lower the gea r that must be selec te d. Lowe r gea rs in crease the b raking ef
fect o f th e e ng ine. Neve r coast downhill in (N).
Heduce sp eed.
Switch to Tiptron ic mod e by m oving theselecto r l eve r fro m Drive (D) t o the rig ht into the Tipp age 185.
Dow nshift by pullin g th e selec to r l ever back briefly(-).
page 185.
Emergency shift
program
trans
m issio n will th en operate in th e em ergency shif t
p rogram. The emergency shift progra m lets you drive th e ve hicle, bu t at a re duced speed and w ithout bein g able to use all of th e forwa rd gears.
I n
som e cases, vehicles with Direct Gearbox (DSG® ) may not be able to shift into reverse.
I n
any event, have the automatic tra nsm iss ion checke d by an authorized Volkswage n dealer or authorized Volkswage n Service Facility.
O verload prot ection for Direct
Drive
With k ick-down actu ate d , t he tran sm iss io n will stay in th e current gear lo nge r an d not ups hift un til
t h e e ng ine reaches m aximum rpm.
Launch control
program
The launch control p rogra m lets you ta ke ad van
t age of maximum acce lera tion from a standstill.
Switc h off Anti -Sli p H egulation 188.
De press and ho ld th e bra ke pedal with your le ft
foot.
Move th e selector leve r in to Dr ive
W ith your rig ht foot, depress the accelerator
pedal un til the engine reaches rpm.
Hemove you r left foo t from the stop at the m aximum rate.
y o u h ave acce le rated, swit ch back on aga in!
H apid
accele rati on ca n cause skidding and loss of trac ti o n, esp eciall y on slippery roa ds, re
s ultin g in loss of ve hicl e co ntrol , co llisio ns,
and se rious pe rso na l injury .
Use th e kic k-down feature or fa st acceleration only if vis ibilit y, weather, road , and traffic conditions permit.
A lways adapt your dri vin g to th e tr affi c flow.
use the launc h contro l progra m if road and traffic co nditi ons a llow it and oth er dri ve rs
w ill no t b e endangered by your drivin g and th e
ve hicle's accele rati on .
Note tha t th e drive whee ls ca n spin and the
ve hicle can swerve when
back
Note
When stopping on hills with the transmission in a drive gear, do not use the accelerator to help prev ent the vehicle from rolling backward s. This can cause the automatic transmission to overhea t and be damaged.
Starting, shifting, parking
Note (continued)
Never let the vehicle coast or roll down a hill in Neutra l (N), especial ly when the engine is not running. The transmission not be lubricated and be
186 187
Braking, stopping, and parking
Introduction
In this section yo u'll find inform ation on fo l
lowi ng:
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Park in g brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1
About t
he brakes . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 192
Bra king assistance sys tem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Switching Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) on ond off . . 196
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
T he brakin g support syste ms are Brake A ss is t E lec tro nic Differ e n tial Loc k (EDL). Anti-Slip
M ore information:
Trail er page
pag e
Tires and page 276
acce ssories, r epa ir s and modifi catio ns
brakes or worn brake pads can
ca use colli sio n and serious personal inju ry.
light s up in the
in strument cluste r di splay, w heth er a lo n e or to
ge ther with tex t message, immediat ely conta ct an authorized Volk swage n dea ler or authorized
Volkswag en Se rvi ce Faci lity to have th e brake pad s ch ecke d and , if necessary, re pl aced.
WARNING
improperly can cause se riou s pe rso nal
injury .
Never re m ove key from the ignition switch while vehicl e is m ov ing or ro llin g to a
s top. The steering w heel w ill lock and you not be
Never park the vehicle w here the ho t ex ha ust
syste m or catalyti c convert er could ignit e flam
mabl e mater ia ls, su ch as brus h , leaves , dry grass, spilled fue l, e tc .
Always apply th e parki ng brake whe n
p a rki ng your veh icle. Imprope r u sc of th e
p a rking bra ke can se rio usly injur e you and your passe nge rs.
Never use the
e m ergency . The stopping dista n ce is muc h
longer b ec au se onl y the wheels arc braked . use the foot brake to sto p the vehicle .
Never the throttl e from
th e e ng in e
th e automati c transmission is in gear. The ve hicle will start t o move as soon the e ngine speed ev en i f th e brake is on.
Never leave childr en or anyo ne w ho canno t
h elp them se lve s beh in d in the vehicl e. They could re leas e the brak e move the gear selector leve r or shift , wh ic h could cause th e vehicle to start m ov ing. Thi s ca n lea d
to a cras h and seri ous personal injuri es.
Always take the key with you when yo u
leave th e ve hicle . The engine ca n be started and ve hicl e sys te m s s uch as the power wind ows can
b e operate d , le ad ing to seri ous perso nal injury.
Neve r leave childr en , di sabled perso ns, or a nyon e who cannot h elp them se lves in the vehicl e. T he doors can b e lo cke d wit h the re mote contro l ke y, trapping passe nge rs in the
ve hicle in an emerge ncy. For exa mpl e, dep ending on th e tim e of year, people trappe d in the
ve hicle can be ex pose d to very high or very temperatures. Heat build -up in the passenger and parked vehicl e result in temperatu res in the ve hicl e th at arc much hi gher than the outsid e tempe mtu
res, partic ul arl y in summer. T emperatures ca n
qui ckly reac h le v e ls that can cause uncon
scio usn ess ch ildr en.
Brake booster
Th e brak e boo ste r w ork s o
nly wh en the engi ne is
running . It increa se s th e forc e on the brake s above and beyond the pre ssure put on th e brake pedal by
the driver.
If the brake booster is not working, or if th e ve hicl e
ha s to be towed, you have to push th e brak e
p ed a l hard er to make up for the lack of booster
New brake pads do not provide maximum braking performance.
New brake pads do not have the best ping power for the first km) and must be You can compensate for the slightl y reduced braking force by putting more pressure on the brake pedal.
Drive with
Never follow otl1er vehicles too closely or put yourself into other sit uation s that might require sudden, hard braking ,especially when the brake pads have not been broken
Overheated brakes
When driving downhill , the brakes have to
work es pecially hard and heat up quickly.
Before driving downhill, es peciall y on th at are long or steep, alwa ys reduce s peed and shift into lower gear (manual or automatic
transmission) so that the engine he lp s to brake
the vehicl e. Othenvise, the brake system cou ld
ov erheat and pos sibly u se the brakes
w hen yo u need them to slow the v ehicl e down
m ore or to stop.
A damaged front spoiler or a non- standard spoiler can reduce airflow to the brakes and
Starting, shifting, parking
Wet brakes or brakes witl1 icc or road salt
react slow er and n eed lo n ger stoppin g tances.
Ca refully apply the brakes to test th em.
Always dry brak es and clean off ice and salt
coat ings with a few cautious
tions permit.
Driving when the booster is no t working
in creases stopping distances and can cause dent s and seriou s personal injuries.
Never le t the vehicl e coast when the en gine is
switc hed off.
If the brake booster is not working (such as
w he n the vehicle is bein g towed), a lot more pedal force is needed to slow down and stop.
Note
Neve r the by keeping your foot on the to brak e.
Constant pressure on the brake pedal can make th e brakes overheat. This sub stantially reduce
braking performance, increase stopping di stan ce, and can cause co mpl ete failure of th e brake
s y stem.
Before driving downhill, especially on that are long or steep, always reduce speed and shift into lower gear (manua l or automati c
When th e front brake s are serviced , you should have the rea r brake pads inspected
rized Volksw agen deal er or au th orize d Volkswa gen
Service Facility vis uall y insp ec t th e pads through
th e o pe nin gs in the wh eel rim s or from nea th tl1e ve hicle. If n ecess ary, the wheels ca n be
t ake n off for a mor e thorou gh
192 193
Efficient driving
Please information and heed the on page 198.
Shifting faster
As a rule, the following applies: The higher gear is
a lways the more efficient gear. The rule of thumb for most vehicles is to drive in 3rd gear at mph f km/h, 4th gear at 25 mph f km/h, and 5th gear at mph f km /h.
If
and driving conditions permit, gears when upshifting also saves fuel.
Do
not run the gears up to their limit.
mati c transmissions .
Vehicles with gear recommendation aid in fuel fic ient dri ving by indicating the optimum time to shift gears.
livery to the engine is interrupted, which lowers
fuel consumption.
T herefore, when nearing a red stop light , for s tanc e, allow the vehicle to coast without using the accelera tor. Press the clutch pedal and release it only if the v ehicle is moving too slowly or the coasting distance is too long. The engine will then continue to run at idl e.
In situati ons
where the vehicle will be stopped for
a longer period of time, such as at a train cros sing,
physically switch off the engin e.
D efens ive driving
and with traffic
Fre
quent braking and accel eration increases fuel consumption sign ific antly. Just by driving sivel y and keeping a su fficiently large distance away fro m the vehicle in front of you can make up for the speed fluctuation s caused by taking your foot off the accelerator. Active braking and ating is then not necessarily required.
system information
The power stee ring syste m i s not hydrauli c.lt is an electro-mechanical syste m. The advantage of this
s te ering system is tha t no hydra uli c hoses, draulic oil, pumps, filters or other parts are quired . Th e e lectro-m echanica l system is more fue l effi cient. A hydraulic system requires constant oil pressure in the syste m; an electro -mechanical
s teerin g sys tem, however, needs power only whil e
s teering.
Th e el
ectro-mechanical power steering
chanical power steering works only when the gin e is running.
and smooth driving
Consistency is more important than speed. The more smoothly yo u drive, the less fuel the vehicle consumes.
When driving on the highwa y or freeway, a
stantly accelerating and braking. you can r each your destinatio n just as quickly by driving at a moderate, but steady speed.
The c rui se control syste m can a ssis t in
sciou s manner.
Some dev ices can increase fuel consumption when activated (examples):
C limate control air conditioning system:
trasting temperatures, it requires a large amount of energy, which is generated by the e ngin e. T he
tr emely different from that of the outside
windows increase fuel consumption.
Switch off seat heating once it has served its
purpose.
Sw itch off the windshield and rear window
Malfunctioning engine control.
Driving in the mountains.
Towing a trailer .
page 257
Towing and page 357
Turning the steering wheel is very hard when the power steering system is not working. This makes it harder to control the vehicle.
steering works only when the engine is running.
Never let the vehicle coast with the engine switched off.
Never remove the key from the ignition
switch while the vehicle is moving or rolling to a
stop. The steering column will lock and you will be unable to control the vehicle.
first r ead and n ote th e introducto ry in forma ti o n o n page
Hill Hold help s keep th e vehicl e from rollin g back
w ard s w hen sta rtin g out on a hill , for example aft er
s topping at a lig h l. don 't h ave to appl y
and r e le ase the parkin g brak e whi le dep re ss in g the For Hill Hold to work . th e e ng in e m ust
b e runni ng and the veh icle mus t b e in First Gea r or R eve rse (m anual tran smissio n) o r in Driv e (DJ. Dri ve (S), o r Reve rse (R) (a utomatic trans
mi ssion) and yo u must usc the foo t b ra ke to ho ld
th e ve hi cle befo re
force yo u u sed to pre ve nt the ve hicl e
from moving. This g ives you tim e to take your foo t
off the brake, le t t h e clu tc h out on a m anual t ran s
m ission ve hicle . and gently depress the acc ele r- a
to r to
p edal and ge t the ve hicl e moving
a ga in w ithin this time, the brake s will and the ve hicle will roll downhill. Furtherm ore , if re qu ire m en t f or e nga gin g Hill Hold is no lo nge r
m et while the vehicle is s toppe d, Hill Hold di sengages, the in dicator light in the butto n goes out,
a nd the brakes are automatically re leased and will no lo nge r h old the ve hicl e.
The intelligent technolo gy of
The llillllold feature cannot h old the ve hicl e
in all start situ ations ( for example, if the
surface is icy or s lip pery ).
Ho ld can only help keep the ve hicl e from mov ing fo r l ess than two seconds. Af te r tha t, the
b rakes be re lease d and the ve hicl e can roll
d ow n the hill .
Hill Hold is activated outomoli colly when the following conditions ore all met at the some tim e
I to 3 mus t b e m et a t the sa m e time:
M
anua l tran smissio n Automatic transmission
H old the stoppe d ve hicle on a n in cline w ith th e foot brake o r park in g brak e.
2.
3.
The e ngine must be run ning
if uphill o r in Revers e if headed
d o w nhill; you must hold th e clutch down and the foo t brak e must b e d ep ressed to keep th e
ve hicle from mo ving.
R elease the brake as yo u let the clutch out an d
g e ntl y de press the accelerator.
Hill Hold is imm ediat ely deactivated :
As soon an y re qu ire m en t liste d unde r page is a cti ua te d auto matically follo win g con d itio ns ar e time is no longe r m el.
If the engin e is not runnin g smoothl y or there
a rc e ng in e malfun ctions.
D river assista nce systems
A n autom atic transmissio n ve hicle must b e in
H e vc rse (R). Dr iv e (D ), or S po rt Drive ( S) and th e foot brak e m ust be d epresse d to keep the
ve hicle from movin g.
R el
ease the brake as yo u gentl y depress t11e celc rnt or.
If th e e ng in e s tall s or is swi t c he d off.
Vehicles ruitl1 automatic If you m ove the selector lever i nt o N eutral (N).
Vehicl es autom ati c tran smission: If a tir e docs no t h ave eno ug h ro ad contac t (s uch as w hen the ve hicle is tippe d or at an
Never open or close the engine hood if steam or coolant is escaping. Hot steam or coolant can cause serious burns. Always wait until you no longer sec or hear steam or coolant escaping
from the engine.
Hot parts of the engine and the exhaust
system will burn skin on contact.
When the engine has cooled down and you are ready to open the hood:
- Firmly
apply the parking brake and shift the transmission into Park
The engine coolant system is under pressure when the engine is hot. Never unscrew the coolant expansion tank cap when the engine is
hot. Hot coolant can spray out and cause severe burns and other serious injuries.
- Turn
the cap slow ly and very carefully in a
counter-clockwise direction while applying
light downward pressure on the top of the cap.
- A
lways protect your face, hands, and arms from hot escaping coolant or steam by
Never spill fluids on the engine or exhaust
system when Spilling fluids onto hot parts of the engine or exhaust system can cause a fire.
High voltage systems in the
engine com ment can cause electrical shocks or even
Never short-circuit the electrical system. Be especially careful when using jumper cables. The vehicle's battery could explode!
To reduce the risk of electrical shock and sonal injury while the engine is running or being started:
the engine compartment
- Never touch ignition cables. Never touch other components of the high voltage tronic ignition system.
- Never touch
the wiring of the gas
Never reach into t11e area around or touch the
radia tor fan. Contact with the blades can cause serious personal injury. Always remember that the radiator fan is temperature-controlled and can come on suddenly even when the engine has been switched for a while and the key has been removed from the ignition.
lfyou have to perform a check or repair when the engi ne is running, there are more risks from tl1e rotating parts, such as the drive belts, nator, radiator fan, etc ., and from voltage ignition system. Always use extreme care.
- Always make
sure that jewelry, loose clothing and long hair do not get caught in rotating engine parts. Before starting any work remove your je welry, take
parking brake is on.
Never leave any objects in the engine
left behind can cause malfunctions,
Do not smoke.
Never work next to open flames or sparks.
Never pour or spill operating fluids or other flammable liquids on the engine. These fluids can ignite on hot en g in e parts and cause ries .
242 243
Lights up Possi ble cause
Cata ly tic converte r malfunction.
Diese l particulate
gin e).
Misfir e, whi ch can th e ca talytic
co nve ner.
W he n th e ignit io n is swit ched o n , seve ral warning and indicator lights come o n b riefly for functio n
check. They go out after a few seconds.
a ll applicable legal requirements when cleaning the d iese l p articulate filter .
diesel particula te filt er mended only when v isib ility, we ather, road, and traffic conditions permit.
converter
firs t rea d and not e the introductory inform ati o n and heed the on page315.
The cata lytic con ve rter prov ides exha ust gas treatment to help red uce pollutan ts in the exhaus t
g a s. To help ensure lo ng serv ice life of the exhaus t
sys te m and gaso lin e engine catalytic conv en er:
Neve r comple te ly empty th e fu el tank.
Do not exceed the correct page 247.
mainte nan ce
Prop er response
Ease off the accelerator.
minutes in 4th gear (m anual
transmission) or in D Dri ve (automat ic trans-
m ission) a speed of about45 mph km /h ).
speed
an authorized Volk swage n dealer or au-thorized
deale r or authorized F ac ility.
Ease off the acce lerator. dri ve to the
n earest authorized d ea le r or thori zed Facili ty. Have en-gin e c hecked.
D o not put others at risk.
Note
Failure to heed warning lights or text can result in ve hicl e damage.
As long as the in dicator ligh ts are on , ex pect engin e malfunctio ns, cre ased fuel co nsumption a nd loss of en g in e
efficie ncy.
Do not tow-start the vehicle; jump-start stead page 353.
yo u ex perie nce mi sfires, loss of p ower or th e gin e is not running smoothl y w hile driving. reduce
speed immediately and have the ve hicl e checked by an authorized