
Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
WARNING (continued)
redu ce the risk of personal inju ry if the
driv er' s ai rbag infl ates.
• Neve r hold the ste er ing wheel at th e 12
o'cloc k po sition or with your hands a t other
positions insid e th e steeri ng whe el rim or on
t he steer ing wheel hub. I-foldin g th e s teerin g
whe el the wro ng way can cau se s eriou s inju-
Safety
WARNING (cont inu ed)
rics to th e han ds, a rms and head the driv er's
a irb ag inflat es.
• After adjus ting th e s teering wheel, always
pus h the stee ring wh eel a dju stment lever back
up as
as it will go. T his en sure s th e po siti on
of the st eering whee l ca nnot be alt ered unin
t e ntionally when the vehicle is moving.
Applies lo vehicles: wi th Electronic S ta biliza tion Progr am (E S P)
Electronic Stabilization Program
ESP helps mak e driving safer in certain situations.
Fi g. 75 D etail of the center console: bu tto n for ES P or ASR
Th e Electro nic Sta biliza tion Program (ESP) co n
tain s th e Ele ctro ni c Diff ere ntial Lock (ED L) and
t h e Anti -Slip Regu la tio n (A SH). Th e ESP works
to ge th er with the Anti -lo ck in g Brake System
( ABS ). Both warnin g lig hts w ill come o n if the
E SP or ABS sys te m s m alfu nct io n .
T he ES P is s ta rt ed a utomat ica lly w hen th e en
g in e is sta rt ed.
The ESP s hou ld ge nerall y be lef t sw itc hed on at
a ll tim es. In sp ecifi c circ um stan ces w here you
r e quir e less tract ion you ca n sw itch off th e ES P
by press ing buu on
75
For example: •
when dri vi ng w ith snow ch ain s,
• when dri vi ng in deep snow or on loo se sur
faces .
• when ro ckin g th e ve hicle backwa rd and for
wa rd to fre e it fro m mu d, for exa mple.
Yo u sh o uld press th e
to swi tc h th e back o n when you no longer need wh ee l spin .
Th e and ED Lare also sw itch ed off if th e ESP
i s sw it c h ed off. This means th at this te chn ology
i s not ava ilab le fo r as lo ng as th e ESP re ma in s
s w itc hed off.
When does the w ord OFF l ight up in the button
ESP?
• will lig ht up if th ere is a fault in the ES P.
• It will li gh t up if the ES P is sw itc hed off.
WARNING
• Always adjust your driv in g to th e road,
t raffic a nd weat her cond itions. Do not l et th e
extra sa fety that ESP can prov ide temp t you
int o tak ing extra risks.
• Always drive safel y.
• ESP and ASR cannot defy the laws of
ph ysics . Slipp ery and wet roads arc dangero us
eve n with ESP!
• ESP and
ca nnot re du ce the risk of ac
cident, for example if you drive too fast for
co nditi ons or if you do not keep your di sta nc e
fro m the vehicle in
of you.
Driving 91

@ Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
WARNING
• Always re memb er th at ve hicl e alterat ion s
or modifi cation s can affe ct the fun cti on of the
ABS, BAS, EDL and ESP syste m s. Examp les o f
the se alterations or modification s include a
different whe el/ tir e co mbination and bra ke or
c h ass is m odifi cation s
3.2 "T ips and
Advi ce", c hapter "Repa irs an d techni cal mod
ifi ca tions."
• Changin g the vehicle su sp ens ion or using
unappro ved tire
I rim combin ation can
c h ange th e wa y th e ABS, BAS, EDL and ESP
sys tem s work and r educe th eir effe cti ve ne ss.
App lies lo vehi cles: with An ti-Slip Regula tion
Anti-Slip Regulation
WARN ING (continued)
• The effec tive ne ss ofESP is also determined
b y th e tir es fitted
3.2 "Ti ps and vice", c hapt er "W hee ls ."
g ine power -even when this is not the bes t thin g
t o do und er th e circu mstan ces .
• After reco nnect ing the v ehicle ba ttery the
ESP warning light in the ins trum ent cluste r w ill
co me on and s ta y o n.
will go o ff afte r you have
d ri ve n abou t 10 feet (3 m eter s) at 10 mph (15 km /h ).
ASR helps make driving safer in certain situation s.
On vehicl es w ith front -whee l dri ve, ASH help s
pr eve nt th e fron t w hee ls from spinnin g when
th e ve hicle is ac ce lerat ed by redu cin g th e e ngine
power dir ecte d to these whe els. T he AS H work s
to ge ther wit h the Anti-L ock B rake Sys tem (ABS).
B o th warn ing ligh ts w ill com e on if th e
or
A BS sys te m s malfun ction.
T he ASH is sta rt ed aut om ati call y wh en th e en
g in e is s tart ed.
T he ASH s hou ld genera lly be lef t sw itch ed on at
all tim es. In specifi c ci rc um sta nces w here yo u
requ ire les s trac tion you ca n sw it c h off th e AS H
b y pr ess ing b utton
91, fig . 75.
For exam ple:
• when dri ving with sno w ch ain s,
• whe n dr iv in g in dee p s now or o n loo se s ur
faces,
• when roc king the ve hicl e ba ckw ar d and for
war d to free it from mud, for examp le.
Yo u sh ould pre ss the butt on
to sw itch th e back on when you no lo nger nee d w hee l s pin .
Th e EDL is al so sw itch ed off if th e ASH is
swi tche d off . Thi s m ea ns that this tec hn ology is
n ot ava ilable for as lo ng as the ASR remains
sw itched off .
92 Driving
When doe s the word OFF light up in the button ASR?
• It will lig ht up if there is a in the
• It will lig h t up if th e AS R is sw itch ed
WARNING
• Alwa ys adju st yo ur dri vin g to the road, and weather conditions. Do not l et the
ex tra safe ty th at ca n provide te mpt you
into t aking extra risk s.
• Alw ays dri ve safel y.
• ASH ca nnot defy th e la ws of ph ysics. S lip
p ery an d we t roads arc dangerou s eve n wi th
• cann ot r edu ce the risk of accident , for
exa mpl e if yo u dri ve too fast for conditions or
if yo u do not k eep your dista n ce from the
hicl e in fr ont of you.
WARNING
• re m em be r that vehicl e alterations
or mod ifica tions can affec t th e fun ction of the
ABS , BAS , EDL and ASR systems. Examp les of
th ese a .Itera tion s or modifi cations include a

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
i0, WARNING (continued)
different wheel/lire combination and brake or
c ha ssis modifications 3.2 "Tips and
Advic e", chapt er "lle pair s and technical mod
ifications."
• Changing the vehicle suspens ion or using
unappro ved tire
I rim combination can
c h ange the way the ABS, BAS, EDL and ASH
sys tems work and redu ce their elTective ne ss.
• Th e effectivene ss of
is also determined
b y th e tir es 3.2 and Ad
v ic e", chapter "Wheels."
Ignition lock
Position of the ignition key
F ig . 76 lgnilion key posit io ns
Ignition switched off, steering column
In thi s po siti on the ig niti on is sw itched
off, and th e steering co lumn i s locked.
T o engage the stee ring wheel lock, re m ove the
key from the steering lo ck and turn the stee ring
w hee l un til it locks into place. You should always
l oc k the steer ing whee l w hen yo u le ave your ve
hicl e. This make s vehi cle th eft m ore difficult
Switching on the ignition or glow plug system
Turn the ig niti on key to this pos ition and re lease
th e key. If the key can not b e tu rned or is difficult
turn from pos ition ® to posi tion m ove the
go off afte r you have
d riven about IO fee t (3 meter s) at 10 mph (15 km/ h).
s tee ring wheel (to take the load off the stee ring
l ock mec han ism) until it turn s free ly.
Starting the engine
Start the en gin e when the key is in this posit io n.
Co mp onent s th at u se a lot of electricity are
sw itch ed olT te mp orar ily. Each time you want to
s tart your engine, you must turn the ke y back to
position
0, and then perform the starting proce
dure once aga in.
Switching off the ignition
Turn the ignition ke y this position and re lease.
Automatic switch-off of ele ctrical components
Comp on en ts that use a lo t of e lectricity (for ex
a mpl e se at heat ers, or rear win dow defogge r)
wi ll aut om aticall y be switc hed off wh en th e ign i
ti on is o n and th e eng ine off. This prevents
draining your b all ery.
Com po nent s th at us e littl e elec lricit y are not
sw itch ed off automatica lly. H oweve r, th ey ca n
drain the batt ery.
WARNING
Improp er u se of vehicl e ke ys can resu lt in se
rious personal injur y.
• Always take the key wit h yo u when you
le ave the vehicl e. The engine can be star ted
and vehicle systems s uch as the power win-
»,,
Driving 93

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
Ap plies to ve hicles : with a di esel engine
Starting the diesel engine
The engine can only be started a genuine Volkswagen key the correct
code.
- Move the se lector lever to P (Park) or N
(Ne utral )
98.
- Dep ress the foot brake. In vehicles with
manual transm iss ion d epress th e clutch
pedal.
- Turn the igni tion key to position
93, 76 The g low plug
warni ng light light s up while the glow
plug s are warm ing up.
- When the warning light goes out, turn
the key to pos ition
93, fig. 76
sta rt the engine. Do not press the acc eler
ator.
- Release the ign itio n key as soon as the
e ngin e starts to avoid damaging the
start er.
When start ing a cold eng ine, it may be a litt le
nois y for the fir st few se conds until oil pre ssur e
h as bui lt up in the hydrauli c
valve lift ers . This is
normal and no cause for conce rn.
When staring a warm engine, the pre -glow
warning light will no t li ght up. You can sta rt the
e n gi ne immed iate ly
If yo u ha ve problems sta rtin g
3.2 "Tip s
and Advice", chapt er "J ump startin g."
Di ese l e ngin e pre-glow system
Wh ile pre- glow is acti ve , n o major elec trical
lo ad s s hou ld be switched on -oth erwise unnec
ess ary load is pla ce d on the vehicle battery.
You should start the engine immediate ly after
th e pr e-g low indica tor lig ht has gone out.
96 Driving
To start the diesel engine after the fuel tank has
been run dry
If the fuel tank was run comp lete ly dr y, the
s tartin g proc ess after refueling with die sel fuel
can take long er th an usual -up t o one minute.
Th is is be cause th e fu el sys tem fir st ha s to be
vented of a ir wh ile starting.
WARNING
H edu ce the risk of ser ious per sonal injur y
when startin g and running the vehicl e's en
g in e.
• Never start or le t the engine run in a con
fined or enclosed are a. Exha ust from the en
gi ne contain s carbon mono xide , a poisonous,
co lor less and odo rless gas. Carbo n monoxide
ca n cause unconsci ousness and death .
• Neve r leave the vehicle unatt ended with
the eng ine runnin g. The vehicle could mo ve
s udd enly or an unusual operating condition
co uld occur res ultin g in prop erty damage or
personal injury.
• Neve r use "sta rting ass is t fluid s." They arc
po tentia lly exp los ive and can ca use a " run
away" vehicl e co ndition .
Note
You can
the eng ine if you drive hi gh en
g ine speeds, at full th rottle or by overloading the
en gin e whe n it i s cold.
For the sake of environment
Do not warm up the engine by running it with
th e ve hicl cstandin gstill. Drive off as soo n as yo u
s tart the e ngin e. T hi s help s th e e ngin e
o p
e ra tin g temperature fa ster and r edu ces
emissions .
--4

Booklet 3.1 Controls and Equipment
Switching off the engine
- Let the vehicle come to a complete stop.
- Turn the ignition key to position
93, 76
WARNING
Never switch off the engine before the vehicle
ha s come to a com plete stop. You can lose co n
of the vehicle, crash and be ser iously in
jured.
Manual transmission
Applies to vehicles: with monuol
WARNING (continued]
• The airbags and safety belt pretensioners will not wo rk when the ignition is switch ed off.
• The brake booster docs not work when the
engine is turned off. A lot more
pedal
pressure will be necessary to stop the vehicle.
• The power steer ing system docs not work
w hen the engine is turned off and you will
ne ed mor e force to stee r the vehicle.
• When the key is removed, lhc steering
whee l co lumn will lock up and you will not be
ab le to steer the veh icle.
engin e could ov erh eat w hen it is
s wi tc h ed off . To r edu ce the ri sk of en gine
dama ge, be sur e
to le t th e engine id le for ab out 2
minut es before yo u sw it c h it off._.
5-speed and 6-speed manual transmissions
Fig. 77 Section of center console : 5- speed manual
transm ission
Selecting Reverse gear
- The ve hicl e shou ld be stat ionary w ith
Fig. 78 Section of center console : 6 -speed manual
t ransm issio n
the eng in e idli ng. Depr ess the clutch p edal
fully. ._
Driving 97

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
Applies to vehicles: with on outomotic transmiss ion
Selector lever positions
The selector lever position s are shown on the display in the instrument cluste r
Fig. 82 Section of the instrument cl uster: se lec tor
lever d isplay wi th the selector lever in position D ond
4 th geor
Selector lever position
Th e gea r se lec ted is di splayed on the s ide of the
se lec tor
leve r and in t he d is pl ay in strum ent clu ste r.
Gear selec tion display for "Tiptronic
If th e automat ic tran smi ssion/dire ct shift
gea rbox is shifted m anuall y or u sing
troni c® " the indi vidu al gea rs are sh ow n on the
di splay 83 .
P Pork
When th e selec tor leve r is in P, th e dri ve w hee ls
ar e lo cked mec hani ca lly.
O nl y s hift into
P w hen the v ehicl e is at a plete
se lec tin g a nd deselec tin g P yo u mu st
p ress the re lease button in the selec tor le ve r
h andle
Re verse
T he reve rse gea r ma y be e ngage d onl y when the
ve hicl e is a t a comp le te stop and the engine is
pr ess the release
but to n whil e depr essing th e brak e pe dal.
When the reverse gea r is se lected and the
tio n is on th e back up ligh ts co me on .
N
Neut ral
In
N p owe r is not transmitt ed th e
whee ls and t he e ngine does no t h ave a braking
fun ction .
To move the selec tor leve r ou t of
N , you must pr ess the br ake ped al an d dri ve slowe r th an 3 m ph (5 km /h )
Neve r use N coast dow n a hill bec au se the gin e w ill not function a bra ke and you w ill
h ave to re ly onl y on th e foot brake.
You could dam age the aut om ati c tra nsmi ssio n
I direc t shift gearbox if yo u dri ve clown hills w ith
the sele ctor leve r in po siti on N and the en gin e
s w itch ed off.
D
engin e spee ds. W hil e
dri vin g do wnhill in D , th e en gine d oes not brak e
t h e v ehicle. The di spla y al so sho ws w hich gear

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