
Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
WARNING
Heavy load s will influ ence the way your ve
hicle handl es and heavy loads t hat are not
properly stowe d or sec ured can cause loss of
contro l a nd se rious injury.
• Always keep in
when transporting
h eav y ob ject s, that a chan ge in th e center of
gravity can also cause c hanges in vehicle han
dling:
-Always distribute the load as evenly as
po ssib le.
- Secur e heavy object s properly as far for
ward in the lug gage compar tment as pos
sible.
- Alwa ys s ecure heavy items securely
using the tie-downs provided wit h suitable
s trap s.
• Never excee d the Gross Axle Weight
or the Gross Ve hicle Wei ght Hating on the
s afe ty compliance sticker o n th e left d oor
jamb. Exceedi ng permi ssible weig ht can ca use
the vehicle to slide and handle difTerently.
• Always read and heed a ddition al imp or
in forma tion on driving 2.1
" Safety first."
WARNING
To help p rev en t poisonou s exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle , a lways ke ep the
rear lid clo sed w hile driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be
cause t he rear lid cannot be full y closed.
• If you abso lut ely must drive with the rear
li d open, observe the following notes to reduce
th e risk of poisoning:
WARNING (continued)
-Close all wind ows,
- Close the power roof,
- Open all air outlets in the in strumen t
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
WARNING
Always make sur e that the doors and rear lid
are secure ly clo sed and locke d to redu ce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
u sed.
• Afte r clo sing the rear lid , a lways mak e sur e
that it is p roper ly closed and locked.
• Never leave yo ur vehicle unattended espe
cially with th e rear lid left open. A child could
craw l into the vehicle through the luggage
compartment a nd pull the re ar lid or window
s hut becoming trapped and unab le to get ou t.
Being trapped in a ve hicle can lead to serious
p ersona l inju ry.
• Never le t ch ildr en play in or around the ve
hicle.
• Never let passe ngers ride in the luggag e
com par tmenl. Vehicl e occupants must always
be properl y re strained in one of the veh icle's
s eat ing po siti on s.
Note
o bj ec ts o n th e hat sh elf co uld d am age the
w ires of the re a r w ind ow d efogg er.
Tips
D o no t co ve r th e ve ntilatio n slo ts in front of th e
r e ar sid e w ind ows beca use this ca n pr event sta le
a ir fr om esca ping the vehi cle.
Seats and storage 75

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
Cooling system
When the air condit ion ing is on, not on ly th e
temperatur e, but also the air humidit y in th e ve
h icle interior is re du ced. Thi s improve s comfort
for the vehicle occupallls and preve nts th e w in
dows from fogging up when th e o utsi de a ir i s
very humid.
I f the air conditionin g does not
on, it
co uld be for one of the follow ing reasons
• the eng ine is no t running.
Applies to vehicles: with Climatic
Air recirculation mode
• th e fan is sw itch ed off.
• t he outs id e te mperatu re is lower than
rou ghly
+ 40 ( +3 °CJ .
• the air conditioner compr essor has bee n
tempor aril y sw it ched off because th e e ngi ne
coo la nt te mp erature i s too high.
• the air condition er fu se is blow n.
• have the air condit ione r ch ecked by an au
th ori ze d Vo lkswage n deale r.
Air recirculat ion mod e prevent s fum es or unpleasant smells from entering the ve
hicle.
- Pre ss the butt on 82, 68
switch air r eci rculat io n mode on or off.
When it is s witch ed on a yellow light in the
button light s up.
Air r ecircul atio n m ode pre vents stro ng out door
odors from ent erin g th e ve hicle interior, for ex
amp le when driving th rough a tunnel or in
de nse traffi c.
the out side te mp erature is low, usin g air
r e circulat io n m ode prov ides mor e effective
h ea tin g by hea ting air fr om th e ve hicle int eri o r
instead of cold air from outsid e.
W hen th e o utside te mperat ure is hi gh, usin g air
r eci rculation mode prov ides m ore effectiv e
coo ling
cooling air from th e ve hicle i111erior
in ste ad of wa rm ai r from ou ts id e.
For safety re aso ns, air re cir cu lati on is not pos
s ib le
th e colll ro l for air di stributi on i s set
t o th e® pos ition. The air reci rc ul atio n m ode ca
n b e sw itch ed back on b y pressing
bu lion .
WARNING
Stale air cau ses driver fatigue and reduces
dri ver alert ness . Thi s can lead lo acciden ts,
co llisio ns and seriou s perso nal injury.
• Neve r use air reci rculation for lo ng period s
of tim e becau se no fresh air will come into the
pa ssenger com partm ent.
• If the coo ling sys tem is sw itch ed o ff, the
w indows can fog up qui ckl y and decrease
dr ive r vis ibilit y.
• Always sw itch the recirculation mode off
wh en i t is not nee ded.
Do not s moke whil e a ir reci rc ul atio n m ode is on,
as sm oke draw n i111 0 the clim ate-co ntrol sys te m
ca n leave a re sidue on th e evaporator, producin g
perm an en t unpl easant odo r.
Air conditioning system 83

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
Applies to vehicles: with Climat ronic
Air recirculation mode
Air rec irculation mode prevents fumes or unpleasant smells from entering the ve
hicle.
- Press the but ton 87, 72 to
s witch air rec ircu lat ion mode on or off.
Wh en it i s switched o n a ye llow lig ht in the
button ligh ts up.
A ir reci rculati on mod e pr events stron g outd oor
odors from enter ing th e ve hicl e int eri or. for ex
a mpl e when dri ving through a tunnel o r in
dense traffic.
W hen th e o utsid e te mp eratur e is low , u sin g air
r ecirc ulatio n mod e pro vides mor e effec tive
h eat ing by hea ting air from th e veh icle inte rior
in stea d of co ld air from ou ts id e.
When the ou ts id e te mp era tur e is high. using air
recirc ulatio n mode provides m ore
coo ling by coo ling air fr om the ve hicle interior
in stea d of warm air from out sid e.
Important notes
T he pollen filter
The poll en filt er (a co mbin ed particl e filt er and
ac tive c harcoa l fil te r) se rves as a ba rr ier again st
impu rit ies in the outside air, includ ing dus t a nd
poll en.
Fo r th e air condi tio nin g sys te m
o ff
88 Air conditioning system
WARNING
Stale air causes driver fatigue and reduces
driver alertness. T his can lead to accidents ,
collisions and se rious personal injury.
• Neve r use air recircu latio n for long periods
of time because no fresh air will come into the
pa ssen ger compartment.
• The w indows can fog up quickl y if the
cooling system is switched off an d decrease
dri ver visibility.
• Always switch the recircu lat ion mod e off
w hen it is not ne ed ed.
Note
Do not sm oke whil e air rec ircul ation mod e is o n,
as sm oke drawn into th e cl im ate-co ntrol syste m
can le ave
res idu e on the evaporator, prod ucing
a per manent unpleasant odor. _,..
• Out side temperatur e is below abo ut 40° F
temperat ure.
• The air- co nditi onin g fu se is blow n.
• There is so me othe r prob le m with
ve
hicl e. Ha ve the air- co nditi onin g sys te m ch ec ked
a t yo ur auth orize d Vo lkswagen dea ler or quali
fi ed wo rks hop.
WARNING
Poor visibility increases the risk of collisions
an d ot her accide nts.
• Always make sure all windows are clear of
i ce, s now , and condens ati on for good v isib ility
- out the windshi eld, side and rear w indows.
• Maximum heating output and fa st de
fro stin g
only occ ur af ter the en gin e has

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
&. WARNING (continued)
dows can be opera te d l eading lo serio us per
so nal inju ry.
• Neve r leave ch ildren, disa bled perso ns or
anyone who cann ot help themselves in the ve
hicle. The door s can be lo cke d using the re
mote control key. This could resu lt in people
b ein g trapped in the vehicle in an emerge ncy.
example, depend ing o n the time of year,
peo ple trapped in the vehicle ca n be expose d
t o very high or low tem pera tures.
• Never remove the key from steering lock
w hil e th e vehi cle is mo ving or wh ile it is ro lling
t o a stop . The steer ing w hee l co lumn will loc k
Applies lo vehic les: with on aulomalic lransmission
Safety interlock for ignition key
WARN ING (continued)
up and you w ill not be abl e to steer or contro l
the vehicl e.
your vehicl e (key positio n
Tips
If you ope n the dr iver's door with the ke y still in
th e igniti on l ock, a buzze r w ill so und to r emind
yo u
ta ke the ke y and lock your ve hicle. -4
The ignition key can only be taken of the ignition lock if the selector lever is in
the P position.
-Switch the ign ition.
- Mo ve the selec tor le ver
102 to P
(Pa rk).
Electronic immobilizer
- Remove the key. Thi s locks the selecto r
lever.
-4
The immobilizer helps to prevent use of the vehicle.
The re is a chip in the key that automati call y de
ac tiva tes the imm obilizer w hen you p ut th e key
into the igni tion lock.
T he electronic immobili ze r is automaticall y
tivated w hen you tak e the key out of the ignition
lu ck.
94 Driving
Th e engine can only be s tart ed using a genuin e
and correc tly co ded Volkswagen key.
Tip s
You can on ly start the e ngin e with
co rrec tly ge nuin e Volk swagen k ey. You may have
prob lems starting t he ve hicle if ge nuin e and
c orre ctl y co ded Volkswagen key is no t u sed. -4

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equ ipment
Starting and stopping the engine
Applies to vehic les : a gasoline engine
Starting the gasoline engine
Th e e ngi ne c an only be s tarted a g en uine Volkswagen key with th e corr ect
cod e.
M ove the s elec to r l eve r to P (Pa rk ) o r N
( N eutral )
98.
Depress the fo ot brak e. In vehicl es wi th
a m anual transmi ssion d epr ess the clut ch
p ed al.
Turn the ig niti on ke y to position
93 , 76 to start the engin e.
R elea se the ig nition k ey as soo n as the
e n gin e start s to avoid damagin g th e
s tart er.
Af ter s ta rtin g an en g in e th at is hot, yo u m ay
n ee d t o p ress the acce le rat or b riefl y.
W hen sta rtin g a co ld en gin e, it m ay be a
noisy fo r th e few seco nds oil pr ess ure
h as b uilt up i n th e hyd rau lic va lve li ft ers . Thi s is
n o rma l a nd n o cause for co nce rn.
I f th e en gin e does no t sta rt after
JO sec ond s,
sw itch off the ig n it io n, wait 30 seconds, then try
a g ain .
I f yo u have pro blem ssta rting=bookle t 3.2 "Tips
a nd
chapt er sta rtin g."
WARNING
Reduce the risk of ser iou s perso nal i nju ry
when st arting and run ning the vehicle' s en
g ine.
WARNING
• Nev er start or let the engine run in a co nor en clos ed are a. Exhau st from the en
g in e contain s carbo n mono xide, a poi sonous ,
c o lor le ss and odo rless ga s. C arbon monoxide
can c au se unconsciousne ss an d deat h.
• Never leave the ve hicle unattended with
the engine running. The vehicle could move
sudden ly or
unu sual operat ing cond ition
cou ld occur res ulting in property damage or
per sona l in ju ry.
• Never use "start ing assist fluids." Th ey are
potent ia ll y e xplo sive and can cause a "run
away" ve hicle condition.
Note
Y ou ca n da mage the e ngin e if yo u dri ve high en
g in e spee ds, a t full throttle or by ove rload ing th e
e n gin e w hen it i s c old.
ci> For th e sake of environmen t
Do n ot warm up th e engi ne by runnin g it w ith
th e ve hicl e sta ndin gstill. Drive off as soon as you
s ta rt th e eng ine. Thi s help s th e engin e reac h op
era tin g te mp era tu re fas te r a nd red uces
Driving 95

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
-Mov e th e gearsh ift leve r int o Neutral.
- Press the gears hift le ver down , mo ve it
lo the lef t and then mo ve it forward into
Reve rse
77 or 78 shown
o n th e gea rs hift lever.
W hen yo u shi ft int o Rev erse the back up lights
c om e on.
WARNING
• When the engi ne is running, the vehicle
will start to mo ve as soon as a gear is engaged
a nd
clutch released.
WARNING (continued)
• Make sure vehicl e is a t a complete
s tan dstill b efor e engagi ng Rever se, othen vise
e ngin e dama ge could res ult.
Not e
• Do not res t yo ur hand on th e ge arshift l ever
knob when driving. Th e pr ess ure of yo ur hand
co uld cause pre m atu re we ar in th e tran smi s
s io n.
• Always depr ess the clu tc h peda l fully w hen
c hangin g gea rs .
• Do not h old th e vehicl e o n a hill with the
c lutc h pedal partiall y d epr esse d. Th is ma y ca use
p remature cl utch wea r or
I direct shift gearbox
Transmission programs
The transmission I direct sh ift gearb ox has t wo progr ams .
Fig. 79 Sectio n of ce nter console : se lector lever
Selecting the standard program
- Move the selec tor lever into po sition D
(D rive).
Selecting the sport program
-Move the selecto r leve r positi on S
Dri ve
I f yo u se lec t the stan dar d program you will b e
drivin g in the eco nom y m od e and w ill reduce
f u el co nsum ption. The trans mission upshift s
a nd downs hifts at lower engin e s pee ds. W hil e
driv ing dow nhill in D, th e eng ine does not brak e
th e v ehicl e.
S
(Sport)
I f yo u se lec t th e spo rt p rogr am you will be
dr iv in g in a sport y m ode. All forward gears up
s hi ft and dow n-shift automa tica lly at high er en
g in e spee ds depe nding on engine load, yo ur in
d iv idu al dri vin g sty le and the ve hicle speed.
While driving do wn hill in S, th e e ngin e dues not
b rake the ve hicle .
For the sake of environment
D rivin g in D uses less fuel t han drivin g in S.

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
has bee n se lec te d in ad dition to po siti on D 83 .
If po sit io n N h as been selec te d and you wi sh to
se le ct D , yo u mu st pre ss the foot brake if th e ve
hi cle is stat io nary, or travellin g at under 5 km/h
( approx. 3 mph )
S - standard dri ving posit ion {sport program)
If y ou s ele ct t he sport pro gra m yo u will be
dri ving in a sport y mode . A ll forward gear s
shift and down shift automat ically at high er en
g in e s pee ds dep ending on en gin e load , you r in
di vid ual d rivin g sty le and th e ve hicle sp ee d.
W hile dr iv ing downh ill in S, the engin e docs not
the veh icle. Th e displa y al so sh ow s wh ic h
ge ar ha s be en se lec te d in addit io n t o po siti on S .
WARNING
Neve r switch off the engine before the ve hicle
ha s come lo a complete stop. You can lose co n
trol of the vehicl e, crash and be ser iously in
jured.
• The airb ags a nd safe ty bell pretensioners
w ill n ot work when the igniti on i s swi tched off.
• The br ake boo ster do es no t work when the
eng ine i s turn ed off. A lot mor e brak e pedal
pressure will be necessary to stop th e vehicle.
• The power steer ing system does not work
w hen the engine is turn ed off and you will
n eed more force to steer th e ve hicl e.
Applies to vehicles: with on a utoma tic trans missio n
Kick-down function
WARNI NG (continued)
• When the key is removed, th e steer ing
w hee l co lumn will lo ck up and you will not be
able to stee r th e ve hicle.
• Never coast down a slop e w ith th e trans
mi ssio n in Ne utral.
Tips
• If th e selec to r lev er i s un inte nti onal ly mo ved
int o N wh ile dri ving , take your fo ot off t he acc el
era to r p eda l a n d wa it until th e engi ne spee d has
dropp ed to idl e sp ee d before sele c tin g a dri vin g
po sition .
• If th ere is
fa ult in th e sys te m and th e auto
mati c tra nsmi ssion I dir ect shift gearbox is run
n in g in an emergen cy program if all the displays
of the s elector leve r position s for the au tomat ic
tr ansmi ss ion
I di rec t s hi ft g ea rb ox have light
ba ckg ro un d. The a utoma tic tran smi ssio n I di
r ec t shift gearbo x shou ld be c hec ked b y an au
thori zed Vo lkswage n dea ler as soon as
po ssibl e._.
Th e kick -down permits maximum a ccele ration the se lector lev er
is
D, So r
down, th e tran smi ssion p ermi ts a c
c e le ratio n. The tran smi ssio n aut om atica lly
down shift s, de pending on the road spe ed as we ll
a s th e eng ine sp ee d.
Th e tra nsmi ssion
not up sh ift until the en
g in e reac hes the engin e s pee d for th e
g ear sele ct ed .
WARNING
Accelerating on slippe ry road s can cause lo ss
of ve hicle control and serious per sonal injury.
• Be very careful when u sin g th e kick -do wn
especi all y o n sli ppery sur faces. Rapid
accelera tion may ca use w hee l spin and sk id
d in g.
• Use the kick-down fea tur e o nly w hen
and weather conditions permit
Driving 103

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
Parking
The parking brake can be us ed to pr eve nt the vehicle from moving uninten tion
ally.
A lways apply th e parking brake fully when
yo u leave y our vehicl e a nd when you p ark
yo ur vehicl e.
- Use the foo t brake to stop the veh icle.
- Appl y th e parking brake full y.
- On a ma nual tran smi ssion engage
gea r. On a n aut omatic tra nsmi ssion move
the selector lever to P.
- Switch off the engine and r emo ve the
key from the ignition lock. Turn th e
s tee rin g w he el s li ghtl y to en gage the
stee ring loc k.
- Always take you ve hicle keys w ith you
whe n yo u leave the
When parking on slopes
Before turnin g off the engin e, turn the steer ing
w hee l so if th e vehicle sta rt s to ro ll, it will roll
i nt o th e c urb:
• If th e ve hicle is faci ng
turn the whee ls so that they poilll toward the cur b.
• If th e vehicle is faci ng
turn the front
w heels so t hat they poi nt away from the curb .
• As a lways, appl y th e pa rking
full y and
m ove the se lector lever to P.
WARNING
Improp er parking procedures can lead to se
ri ous perso nal injury for you or your passen
gers.
• Never remove the key from steering lock
whil e th e ve hicle is movin g or rollin g to a stop .
The steer ing wheel
will lock up and you will not be able to stee r or control the vehicle.
WARNING
• Never park where the hot exha ust sys te m
co uld ignit e flammabl e material s, such as
bru sh, l eave s, dry grass, sp illed fuel etc.
• Alw ays apply the parking brak e fuJly wh en
parking your vehicle.
• Never leave anyone in your vehicl e to pre
ven t the ve hicle from moving if the parking
br ake is r elease d or selector lever is moved.
• Alwa ys tak e the key w ith you when you
l e ave the vehicle. The engine can be started
and vehicl e sy stems su ch as the power win
d ows can be operated leading to seriou s per
s onal injury .
• Never leave children , disabl ed p erson s or
anyone who cannot help th emselves in the ve
hicl e. The doors can b e lock ed u sing th e re
mot e co ntrol trappin g passenger s in the ve
hicle in an emergenc y. Depending on the time
of year, people tr app ed in
vehicle can be
expose d to v ery high or very low temperatures.
Note
• Please exercise care when yo u pa rk your ve
hicl e in parkin g are as w ith p arkin g barri ers or
cu rb s. Parking barriers and curb s vary in heig ht
an d co uld damage yo ur bump er and re la te d
compo nents as th e fron t of yo ur vehicl e moves
over
b arri er or curb that is too high . as you park
or as you back out of parking spot. In order to
be sur e th at no su ch d ama ge ca n occ ur, yo u m ay
wish to s top sh or t o f h av ing th e front tires o f yo ur
ca r touc h parking barri er o r curb.
• Please a lso exe rcise exce ptiona l ca re when
yo u drive up or d own steep ramp s or drive over
cu rbs or oth er obsta cles, fo r w hi ch lhe ve hicle is
not d esign ed , b ec au se compone nts of th e ve
hicl e close lo th e groun d su ch as bump er cove rs,
s poil ers , suspensio n and exhaust syste m com
ponent s, m ay beco me
Driving 105