
Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
WARNING (con tinued) 
•  Al ways  insta ll r ear -faci ng child  seats  o n th e 
rea r seat. 
•  If yo u mu st  in sta ll  a reanva rd faci ng c hild 
se at  on  th e fr ont  p asse nger seat  beca use  of ex
c epti onal cir cum stance s an d  th e PAS SEN GER 
AIR  BAG  OFF light  do es not co me o n an d  stay 
on,  immedi ate ly  in sta ll th e rear -fa cin g child 
sea t in 
re ar  se a ti ng  po siti on  and  hav e th e 
a irba g syste m  inspe cte d b y yo ur  Volk swagen 
d ea le r. 
WARNING 
O bj ec ts  be twee n yo u and  th e airbag  w ill in 
c rease  the r is k of  injury in a c rash  by  int er
fe rin g w ith th e way  the a ir ba g unfold s or by 
b ein g pu sh ed  into yo u as  the a ir ba g infl ates. 
•  Never  hold thin gs in your  hand s or on  your 
l a p  when  the v ehicl e is  in u se. 
•  Neve r tran sport  item s on  or  in  th e area  of 
the  f ront p asse nger  sea t. Obj ec ts  co uld  move 
int o th e a rea  of  the front  airb ags  durin g 
br ak ing o r oth er su dden  man euv er  and  be
co me dange ro us  pro jec tiles  that  ca n  ca use se
ri ou s 
injur y airba gs infl ate. 
•  Neve r place  or att ac h acce ssori es or oth er 
o bj ec ts  (s uch  as  c up  h old ers,  tele phon e 
bra ckets,  la rge , h eav y or bul ky obj ects)  on  the 
d oor s, ove r or  n ear th e area  mark ed  "AIRB AG" 
o n  th e steer ing wh eel, in strum ent pan el,  sca t 
b ac krests  or b etw een  those  a reas 
36, 
fi g. 23 and  yourself. T hese ob jec ts  coul d ca use 
in ju ry  in  a cras h, es pecia lly w hen  th e airbags 
infl ate . 
•  Nev er  re clin e th e fro nt  p asse nge r's  sca t to 
t ra nsp o rt  obj ec ts.  Item s can also  move  into 
th e are a  of  the  sid e airba g or the  front  air b ag 
durin g bra kin g or in  a s udd en  m an eu ve r. Ob
j ec ts  nea r th e a irb ags  can  beco me pro jec tiles 
a nd  cause  inj ury , p articu lar ly w hen  th e sea t is 
r ecl ined . 
•  Always  make s ure that  no thin g is  on  th e 
fr ont  pass enger  s eat that  will  cause  the 
we ig ht -se nsing  mat in  th e scat to sense  that 
t h e sea t is  occupi ed  or  is occ upie d b y a  perso n 
th at i s hea vier  th an  th e occ upa nt actually  on 
38  Airbag  system 
WA RN IN G  (con tinued) 
th e s eat.  Th e w eight  oflhe  obj ect could  cause 
the  pas senge r sid e airbag  t o be  turn ed  on 
wh en  it shoul d be  off o r could cau se the a irbag 
to fun ctio n  in  a w ay  th at  is  diff ere nt  fro m  the 
way  it wo uld  h ave w orked  with o ut  th e added 
we ig ht . 
•  Always make  s ure th at  nothin g on th e front 
pa sse nge r sca t w hen  the bac krest  is  fold ed for
w ard.  Eve n light  obj ect s c ould  b e pu sh ed  int o 
th e seat  c ushi on  and  cause  the weig ht-se nsin g 
m at i n  th e scat to  reg is te r  enou gh  we ig ht  to 
turn  th e airb ag on. 
•  Al ways  make sur e that  the s ta tu s s ignal ed 
b y  th e PAS SENGER  AIR BAG  OFF light  is c or
r ec t for  the w ay  that the  front  p assenger sea t is 
b ein g use d. 
WARNING 
The  fin e dust  c rea ted  wh en  airb ags  depl oy ca n 
ca use  brea thin g pr oblem s for  p eople w ith a 
hi sto ry  of  asthm a or o th er bre athin g condi 
tion s. 
•  T o  reduce the risk  of brea thing  problem s, 
with  asthm a or oth er  res pir ato ry c ondi 
ti o ns s hould  get fr esh ai r right  away  by ge tting 
o ut  of the ve hicle  o r openin g windows  o r 
d oor s. 
•  If y ou ar c in  a co llisio n  in  w hi ch  airb ags  de
pl oy,  wash  yo ur  hand s and  fa ce with  mild  soap 
a nd  wa te r b efo re e atin g. 
•  B e caref ul  not  to get th e du st  int o yo ur 
eyes , o r  int o any c uts o r sc ratc hes. 
•  If th e re sid u e s hou ld ge t int o your  eyes , 
flu sh  th em  with  wate r. 
Tips 
If  yo u  or a  pa sse nge r w ho  yo u w ill  be  using  your 
ve hicl e has  a d isab ility tha t ma y affect  the  way 
t h e  Advan ced Airb ag Sys te m  in  yo ur  vehicle 
wo rks,  you  can contact  Volkswagen  Custo m er 
C ARE  at 180 0 822-8987  for informa tion  about 
p oss ib le m od ifi ca tion s or  o th er  ste p s  th at h elp 
address  th e  sit uat io n . 
- 

Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
a 
safety  belt. 
Th e dri ver sea t and  front  pa ssenger  seat  can be 
adjusted  in many  ways to  sui t the  physi cal need s 
of  the ve hicle occupams . Seat  position  i s very 
i mporta nt: 
•  fast and  easy operation  of all  control s on  th e 
in strum ent panel, 
•  relax ed  posture  that does  not ca use  drow si
ness, 
•  safe  driving, 
•  opt imum  protection  from  the  seat  belts  and 
airbag  syste m 
2.1  "Safety  fir st." 
WARNING 
Drivers  or  passe ngers  who  arc  unbelted , out  of 
position  or too  close  to the  airbag can be  seri
ously  injured  or  killed by an airba g as it  un
folds. To  help  reduce  the  risk  of  ser iou s per
so nal  injur y: 
•  Alwa ys adjust  the  driver's seat  and  the 
s teering  wheel  so that  th ere a re  at  least  10 
inches  (25 cm)  betwe en  yo ur  breastbone  and 
the  steeri ng w heel. 
•  Alwa ys hold  th e steer ing  wheel  on  th e  out
s id e of  the s teer ing wheel  rim with  your  hand s 
at  the 9 o'clock  and  3 o'clock  positions  to  help 
reduce  the risk  of personal  injury  if the 
driver 's airbag  inflates. 
•  Neve r  hold  th e steer ing  wheel  at  the 12 
o'clock  position  or  with  your  hands at  other 
pos ition s in sid e the  steer ing w hee l rim  or  on 
the  steer ing wheel  hub. Holding  the  ste ering 
w hee l th e wrong  way can cause  serio us  inju
ries  to the  h ands,  ar ms and  head if the  driver's 
airbag  inflates. 
•  P assengers  must  alway s sit in  an  upright 
po sitio n and  ne ver lean  against  or  place  any  ,0. 
WARNING 
(continued) 
part  of  th eir body  too  close to the  area  where 
the  airbags  arc  located. 
•  Passengers  who  are  unbelt ed,  out  of posi
tion  or  too  close to the  airbag  can be  seriously 
injured  by an 
as  it  unfo lds  with  great 
force  in  the blink  of an  eye. 
•  Always  make  sure  th at  there  arc  at  least 10 
in ch es  (25 cm)  between  the front  passeng ers 
breastbone  and  the  instrum ent panel. 
•  Each  passenger  must always  sit  on  a sca t of 
th eir  ow n and  properly  fasten  and  wear  the 
safety  belt belonging  to  that  seat. 
•  Before  driving,  a lways  adjust  the  front 
seats  an d head  restra ints pr operl y. 
•  Neve r adjust  the  seats while  the  vehicle  is 
moving.  Your scat may  mo ve unexpectedl y 
and  you  could  lose  control  of  the  vehicle . 
•  Always  keep your  feet  on  the floor  in front 
of the  scat. Neve r rest  them  on the  seat, instru
m ent  panel,  out  of the  window,  etc. The  airbag 
s ystem  and  safety  belt  will not be  able  to  pro
t ect  you  properl y a nd  can  even  increase  the 
ri sk  of injur y in  a crash. 
•  Never  drive with  the backrest  recl ined  or 
tilt ed  far  back!  The  farther  the  backrests  arc 
tilt ed  back,  the  greater  the risk 
due  to 
in cor rect  positionin g of the  safety belt  and  im
proper  seating  position. 
•  Safety  belts only  offer  max imum  protec
ti on wh en  th e sea t back  is sec urely  latched  in 
th e upri ght  position  and  the safety  belts arc 
proper ly  positioned  on  the bod y. By not  sitting 
upright,  a rear  scat passenger  increase s th e 
r is k  of  per sonal  injury from  improperly  pos i
ti oned  safet y belts! 
•  Children  must  always  ride  in child  seats. 
Specia l precautions  apply  when  insta lling a 
child  scat on  the  front  pas senger  sea t 
2.1, ch ap ter  "Chi ld 
Seats  and  storag e 57  

Booklet  3.1  Controls and  Equipment 
App lies to  vehic les:  with  front  armrest 
Front  center  armrest 
The front  center armrest  can  be adju sted up and  down  orforwa rd  and  backward. 
Fig. 48  Front  center  armrest 
Rear  seat  bench 
Adjust ing  the  height  of  the  armrest 
-th e armr est in  the  directio n of  th e 
arro w 
48 gradua lly  unti l it latche s 
i n to  the  desi red  pos ition . 
- T o lowe r the  armr est, you  must 
it  all  the wa y up.  Then  you  will b e able  to 
l ow er it do wn. 
Adjusting  the  armrest  for ward  or 
backward 
- Pull the  armr est forward © fu lly  unti l it 
e ngage s or pus h it 
Folding  backrest  forward  and  backward 
The rear seat backrest can be  folded forward to expand  th e luggage  compartment. 
Fig.  49  Rea r seal  backrest : un lock ing 
66  Seats  and  storage 
The  rear sea tback  i s split  for  folding.  Both 
sec tions  can  b e fold ed  for ward  individu 
all y. 
Folding  the  rear  seatback  forward 
- Fir st mo ve  th e dri ver's  se at  and  front 
pa sse nge r's se at as 
for ward  a s po ssible . 
- Unlock  th e  ba ckrest  u sing  the mast er 
ke y int o th e lock 
49 tu rni ng  the 
lo ck 
th e hori zontal  po sit io n  to  the 
v erti cal  po sition. 
- Pu ll  the  backre st  re lea se  lever  in  the  di
rec tio n  of  the  arro w. 
-
th e bac kres t all  t he  w ay  

Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
Raising  the  backrest  into  place 
Fig.  5 0 Rear  seat  backrest  marking 
-Fold  the backrest  back  up  firmly  until  it 
engages.  The red  marking  must  not  be  vis
ibl e 
50. Make  sure  that  the saf ety 
bel ts  do  not  get  trapped. 
- Lock the  backrest  using the  master  key 
into  lock 
66,  fig. 49 by  turning 
th e lock  from  the vertical  position  to  the 
horizonta l po sition. 
WARNING 
Improperl y positioned  safety belts can  ca use 
serio us  personal  injury  in an  accident. 
•  Safety  belts  olTeroptimum  protection  only 
w hen  the scat back  is upright  and  belts  arc 
correc tly  positioned  on  the body. 
•  Always  make sure  that  the rear  scat back
rest  to which  the  center  rear safety  belt is  at
t ached  is secure ly  lat ch ed  whenever  the rear 
center  safe ty  belt  is being  use d.  If the  backre st 
is  not  secure ly  lat ch ed,  the passenger 
will move  forward  with  the  backrest  during 
WARNING  (continued) 
sudde n braking,  in a sudden  maneuver  and 
es pecia lly in  a cras h. 
•  Never  attach  the  safety  belt  to  the  buckle 
for  another  seat. Attac hing the  belt to  the 
wrong  buckle 
will reduce  safety belt  effective
n ess  and  can  cause  serious  persona l injury. 
•  A passen ger who  is  not  correc tly  re strain ed 
can  be ser ious ly  injured  by  the safety  belt  itself 
when  it move s from  the  stronger  parts  of  the 
bod y into  sensitiv e areas  like th e abdomen. 
•  Never  le t the  safety  belts  become  trapped 
between  the scat  and  the  side  of  the ve hicle 
when  raising  the scat back s. A trapped  safety 
belt  can be  damag ed  so  that  it can not  help  to 
r ed uce  the  risk of injury  in a cras h. 
•  Alway s mak e sure that  rear  seal safe ty  belts 
arc  in their  proper  positio n and  able  lo be  used 
after  the  rear  scat backr ests have  been  se
c ur ely  lat che d in  the up right  position. 
•  Neve r let passengers  ride  on  the  rear  load 
surface  in the luggage  compartment  area  or sit 
on  the  folded  clown backrests.  Passengers  who 
are  not  properly  wearing  their  safety  belts risk 
ser ious injuri es  and even  dea th  in  a co llisio n. 
•  Alwa ys make  sure that the  rear seat  back
r es ts  are  securely  latched  after  moving  them 
back  to the  upright  positio n. to  properly  latch 
it back.  Loose  items  in the 
compart
ment  can  fl y through  th e passenger  compart
ment  in  a  crash  and cause ser ious  injury. 
•  A red  mark  on  the  backre st  latch  show  that 
the  back rest  is not  secur ely  engaged.  When 
th e marker  i s not  visible  th e backrest  is prop 
erly  and securely  latched.  Always make  sur e 
the  mark  i s not  visi bl e after  raising  the back 
re sts  to  the  upri ght 
Seats  and  storage  67  

Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
Applies  lo vehicles: with  an  opening  in  the rear  backrest  lo  transport  long  objects 
Transporting  long  items 
Your vehicle  has  an  opening  in the  center  of the  rear  back rest, which  ena bles y ou 
to t ra n spor t long ob jects,  which  do  not fi t in  th e  luggage c om partme nt. 
Fig.  51 Opening  from  the  inside 
Opening  from inside  the  vehicle 
-Fold d own  t he  rear  arm rest  comp le te ly. 
- Unl ock  t he  re lease  han dle  ::::)f1 g. 51 
loca te d in th e plas tic cover  be hind  th e  rear 
a rmre st by  turn ing  the master  key  to  th e 
pos itio n. 
- Gras p  the hand le a nd  lowe r the cove r 
in to  t he 
The  p last ic  cover  is in 
tegra te d  t o  t he  ce nte r rea r arm rest. 
Opening  from  the  luggage  compart
ment 
- Ope n the  rea r li d. 
- Press  d ow n  th e re lease  button  in  th e  di-
r ec tion  o f th e a rrow 
an d fold  th e 
cove r towa rd th e  int erior  of th e ve hicle. 
W hen  th e cove r is unlo cked a red  mark ing 
w ill  be  vis ib le  on  t he  re lease  button . 
Loading  the  long  objects  inside the ve
hicle 
- Place  t he  lo ng o bjec ts  th roug h  the 
cente r open ing ca re full y and sec ure  them 
w ith  an  app ropriate  strap . 
68  Seats  and storage 
Fig.  52  Opening  from  the  luggage  c ompar tme nt 
- Close  th e  rear  lid . 
Closing  from  the  inside 
- R em ove  a ll objects. 
- Fo ld  the  plast ic  cover  upward  and  press 
u ntil  you  h ear  it click  into  place. 
- Lock t he  co ver  by  tu rn ing  the m aste r 
key to  the 
- Fold  t he  rea r arm res t back  into p lace . 
WARNING 
Loose  luggage  or  oth er  obj ect s in  th e vehicle 
ca n ca use se rious pers on al inju ry. 
•  Durin g sudd en  braking  mano euv res  or  ac
cident s, loo se  obje cts  in  th e passe nge r com
partm ent  can 
for ward, injurin g vehicle 
occ upant s. 
•  Sec ure heavy  objects  w ith  suit abl e s trap s 
s o  that  th ey cannot  mo ve around  while  you 
arc  driving. 
•  When  you  tr an sport  heavy o bjec ts, a lways 
k ee p in  mind  that  a chan ge  in th e ce nter  of 
g rav ity ca n als o cau se chan ges  in  vehicle  han-
dlin g.  

Booklet 3.1 Controls  and  Equipment 
Applies  to  vehicles: with front  center  armrest and  one storage  comportment 
Front  center  armrest  with  storage  compartment 
arm rest can  be moved  backward  and forward. 
Fig.  5 5 Front  armrest  with  storage  comportme nt 
Opening  and  closing  the  storage 
compartment 
- To  open  th e storage  compar tment  lift 
th e armr est in  the direction  of the arrow 
55 . 
Applies  to vehicles: with  rear  armrest 
- To  clo se th e s torag e co mpartm en t, pu ll 
do wn  the  a rm re st. 
Cooling  the  s torag e compartment  in the front 
ce nter  armr est 
In ve hicles w ith  air  co nditi oning  there  is a n 
ou tlet in  the s to rage  c omp artm ent  (pro vid ed a 
C D  Chang er 
no t be en in sta lled) . D ep ending 
o f th e settin g of th e front  controls =: page  81 or 
84  cold  or h eat ed  air  ca n be g uid ed int o 
th e co mpartm ent . Turn  th e air  outl et t o o pen 
a nd  clo se it. 
WARNING 
Str iking  an  open  armrest  cover  can  cause  se
riou s inju ry in  a cras h. 
•  Always  keep  the armrest  closed when  th e 
ve hicl e is  m ov ing. 
Opti onal e quipm ent 
70  Seats  and  storage 
-Fold  th e rear  armr est do wn  complete ly . 
- Pre ss  the s torage  compa rtment relea se 
c at ch 
56 
- Lift th e storage  compartme nt 
WARNING 
St riki ng  an  open  armrest  cover ca n cause  se 
r ious  injury in  a cras h. 
•  Always  keep the ar mr est clo sed when  the 
ve hicl e is  movin g.  

@ Booklet  3.1  Controls  and  Equipment 
Cup  holders  in  the  center  console 
Fi g. 58  Cup  ho lder in th e center  console 
Applies  to vehicles:  with reor  armrest 
Cup  holders  in  the  rear  armre st 
Fi g. 5 9  Open  cup  holder  in  rear armres t 
Opening  and  clo sing  the  r etractabl e 
cup  holder 
-Fold  the rea r armre st dow n comp letely. 
72  Seats and storage 
There  are  two  cup  ho lders 58  in the  center 
co nsol e between  the front  seats . 
WARNING 
H ot liquid s can  spill in  a cras h, during  hard 
braking,  sudd en  maneu vers and  even ca use  a 
co llisio n. 
•  Neve r put  containers  w ith  hot liquid s in 
t h e  cup  hold ers. 
•  Never  put heavy  c ups/beve rages  or other 
h eavy  things  in the c up  hol ders.  Heavy  objects 
ca nn y throu gh  th e passe nge r co mpartment 
i n  a crash  and cause  serious  injury. 
-Push  th e  cove r in  the  di rec tion  of  the 
arrow 
59 . The  cup hold er  wi ll fold 
open. 
- Push  the  front  part  of the  cup  h older  to 
fold  it ba ck into  plac e. 
WARNING 
I-lot liquids spill  in a cras h, d urin g hard 
brakin g, sudd en  maneuvers  an d  eve n cause  a 
co llisio n. 
•  Neve r put  contain ers  with  hot li qui ds  in 
th e c up  holde rs. 
•  Neve r put  heavy  cups/ bevera ges  or oth er 
h eavy  things in the c up  ho ld ers.  Heavy  objects 
ca n fly  throu gh th e passe nger  co mpartment 
in  a cras h an d  cause  se rious inju ry.  

Booklet 3.1 Controls and  Equipment 
Conve nien ce  open ing  41 
Conven ie n ce  operatio n (elec tric 
w ind ows)  18 
Coo lant 
li ght  11 
Coo lant  leve l 
Warn ing  24 
Coo lant  te mperature 
Gauge  6 
Warn ing  24 
Coo ling the  glo ve 
69 
C ru ise  co111rol  107 
Wa rnin g light  29 
Cup  ho ld ers 
I n  the  rear armrest  72 
C up  holder s in  the  center  co nso le  72 
C urrent  f uel cons umption  9 
D 
Day  time runnin g lights 
Warning  lig ht  30 
Daytime  dri vin g ligh ts  46 
Di gita l c loc k 5 
Di sp lay  7,  12 
D is plays 
One-co lo r display  12 
Distance  trave lled  9 
Door  re lease  hand le  3 
Door s 
Wa rnin g lig ht  26 
Drain  the bauery  52 
Driving  time 9 
Driving 
an  automatic  transmi ssion  99 
Dust 
88 
E 
See Electron ic  D iffe rentia l Lock 
EDS 
Wa rnin g light  27 
E lec tric  seal  a djustment 
See Seat  adj ustme nt 
Ele ctrical  accessories  73 
Elec tro-mechanica l power  steering  syste m 
Warning  light  29 
110  Alphabetical  index 
Electron ic  Diffe re nti al Lock 
Wa rnin g lig ht  27 
Electronic  immobilize r 94 
Wa rnin g light  23 
Electro nic parking  assistance  106 
E lectro nic Power  Control (EPC) 
light  23 
E lec tron ic Stabi liza tion  Program  28,  91 
Wa rnin g lig ht  28 
Emergency 
48 
E m erge ncy  wa rning lights 
light  24 
Engi ne  fault 
Warning  light  23 
E ngin e hood 
Warning  light  26 
E ngin e malfun ction 
Warn in g  light  23 
E ngine  mana gement 
Warn ing lig ht  23 
E ngine  oil pr essure 
Wa rnin g light  11 , 25 
Environmental  inform ation 
Fuel  economy  6 
Environmental  tip 
Fue l economy  77 
ESP  91 
See E lectronic  Stabil ization  Program 
Exhau st  warning  light 
Warning  lig ht  22 
F 
Firs t- aid  kit  74 
Fog  lig ht s 46 
Foo t brak e 
Wa rning  lig ht  30 
cen te r a rmr est  70 
Fron t passenger 
backre st 
Folding  forward  6 1 
F ront  seats  60 
E le ctri ca l adj ustab le 62 
Manua l ad justab le  60 
Fuel  filler  cap  Wa rnin g light  29 
Fue l g auge 
Di splay  7 
Fuel  level  7