Clear vision Lights
Switching the headlights on and off
Fig . 57 Instrument pane l: light switch
F ig. 58 Instrument pane l: light switch w ith daytime
running lights (DRL)
The light switch must not be overturned past
the stops in
either dire ct ion.
Switching on automatic headlight
control*
.,. Turn the light switch to AUTO* ¢ fig. 57 .
Switching on the side ma rker lights
.,. Turn the light switch to ,oo:.
Switching on the headlights and high
beam
.,. Turn the light switch to gD .
.,. Push the high beam lever forward towards
the instrument panel¢
page 55.
Switching off the lights
.,. Turn the light switch to 0.
The headlights only work when the ignition is
switched on. While starting the engine or
when switching
off the ignition, the head-
Clear vision 53
lights will go off and only the side marker
lights will be on.
Daytime running lights (DRL) (USA
models)
The daytime r unning lights can be turned on
or
off using this function. If the function is ac
tive, the daytime running lights are turned on
automatica lly when the ignition is switched
on.
The daytime running lights are activated
only
when the light switch is at the AUTO* or DRL *
position.
Daytime running lights (Canada models
only)
The daytime running lights are activated only
when the light switch ¢ fig. 57 is either at the
0 or the ,oo: position.
The daytime r unning lights function cannot be
turned
off .
Automatic headlight control*
In the switch position AUTO the automatic
headlight control
is turned on. The low
beams are turned on automatically through a
light sensor as soon as ambient brightness
(e .g. when driving into a tunnel) falls below a
value preset at the factory. When ambient
brightness increases aga in, the low beams are
turned
off again automatica lly c:> & .
In the AUTO position the low beams are
switc hed
off automatically when the ignition
is tur ned
off.
Light Sensor Malfunction*
In the event of a light sensor malfunction, the
driver is notified in the instrument cluster dis
play:
ral Automatic headlights/automatic wipers
defective
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
on permanen tly with the switch in
AUTO* .
However, you can continue to turn the lights
on and
off using the light switch. Have the ..,.
locked or when the ignition is turned on, the
interior lights are turned off.
When a door is open, the interior l igh ts are
turned off afte r abo ut 10 m inu tes to p reven t
battery draining.
The brightness of the lights is controlled au
t om atically by a dimmer when they are
sw itched on and off.
Instrument panel illumination
The illumination of the instruments, displays
and the cen ter console can be adjusted .
Fig . 64 Instr ument pane l illu min at io n
i a:. .. a,
You regulate the brightness of the instru
ments with the left thumbwheel
Co/¢ fig. 64 .
Ign ition ON, light switch at @.
Wit h t he igni tion swi tched ON, the glow o f in
strument needles
can be adjusted to a ppear
b righter or dimmer.
Ignition ON , light switch at ~oQ: or ~D .
With the l igh ts sw itched on, the brightness of
i nstr ument cluster (i.e. needles, gauges and
d isp lays) and center console i llumination can
be ad justed .
(D Note
The instrument cluster and cente r console
illumination (ga uges and needles) comes
on when you switch on the ignition and the
vehicle headlights are off. Be aware of t he
following difference between mode ls built
to US or Ca nadian specifications:
- USA models: illumination of the instru
ment cluster (gauge s and needles),
dash and cente r console around the
Clear vi sion 5 7
gearshift lever is controlled by a light
sensor located in the in strument panel.
The in strument panel illumination will
automatically become dimmer as the
daylight fades away and eventuall y will
go out completely when outside light is
very low . This i s to remind you, the driv
er, to switch on the headlights before it
get s too dark.
- Canada models: in strument pan el illu
min ation w ill stay bright r egardless of
the intensit y of ambient light . Alwa ys
be aware of changes in out side light
conditions while you are dri ving. Re·
s pond in time to fading daylight by
turning the light switch to position
~D
(or "AUTO" if your car is equipped with
this feature)
to turn on you r headlights.
luggage compartment light
The light is located on the right side of the
luggage compartment.
These lights come on automatically when t he
rear lid is opened . The lights turn off automat
ical ly if the lid is left open for more then 10
minutes .
Vision
Sun visors
Using the sun visors make s driving safer .
Fig. 65 Sun visor
- ~ ---------.ttr -···---=-=---------~=--·-·----- -·-==:. - · =-~-----
The vanity mirrors in the sun visors are equip
ped with lids. Push lid in direct ion of arrow to
open.
66 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 115 .
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always heed the informa
tion rega rd ing child safety provided in
¢ page 136, Child Safety .
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the floor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush
ion! This applies espec ially to the passen
gers .
If your seating position is incorrect
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident.
If the
airbag infla tes and the seating position
is incorrect this could result in personal
injury or even death.
- It is import ant for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between them
selves and the steering wheel and/or in
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can
not protect you properly . In addition to
this, the front seats and head restra ints
must be adjusted to your body height so
that they can give you max imum protec
tion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the s teer
ing wheel or instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r fron t pa s
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpected ly, caus
ing sudden loss of vehicle contro l and
personal injury . If you ad just yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust the seat in fo re and aft direction so
t ha t you can easily p ush the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knee slightly bent
i::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im
portant? on page
66 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Posit io n the head restraint according to the
occupant 's height
<=:>page 70 . For maxi
mum protection, t he top of the head re
s t raint shou ld be a t least at eye level, pref
erab ly higher and idea lly level with the top
of the head
¢ page 101, fig. 109 .
A WARNING "--
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot-
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function. In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
wo uld not be able to brake or accelerate!
100 Driving Safely
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as
possible but no lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
t::;> fig. 108 .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 67 .
.&_ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev
er lean against or place any part of your body too close to the area where the air
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are prop
erly restrained .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect
ed Ly and you could lose control of the ve
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
t::;> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
t::;> page 115.
Proper seat ing position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as possible but not lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
¢ page 101.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 66.
A WARNING 1-=
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas
senger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop
erly and can even increase the risk of in
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
c> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 115.
Driving Safely 101
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 109 Corre ctl y adju sted head restra int vi ewe d fro m
the side
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
.. Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge of the restraint is level with the top of
your head, but no lower than eye level and
so it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
c> fig . 109.
Adjusting head restraints c> page 70 .
A WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal
neck injuriy dramatically . To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve
hicle properly adjusts their head re
straint. Each head restraint must be ad
justed according to occupants' size so that the upper edge is as even with the
top of the person's head, but no lower
than eye level and so it is as close to the
back of to the head as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
•
•
104 Driving Safely
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
• Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forward as possible.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak
ing or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv ing
~ page 98.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
-
those fitting completely into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the convertible top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
-Always make sure that the doors, all win-
dows, the convertible top and the rear lid
are securely closed and locked to reduce
the risk of injury when the vehicle is not
being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es pecially with the rear lid left open . A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
@ Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the
left side of the luggage compartment.
Be sure to keep these slots free and
open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar .
The tire pressure label lists the ..,
110 Safety belts
-Never strap more than one person, in
cluding small children, into any single
safety belt.
- Neve r place a safety belt over a child sit
t ing on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv
en.
- Never let any person ride with feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of being injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury.
- Never wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi
tion.
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce their effectiveness.
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch
ing securely.
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt. Howev
er, special clips may be required for the
correct use of some child restraint sys
tems.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat hardware.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web
bing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt by an a uthor ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop . Replacement may be necessa- ry
even if damage cannot be clearly seen.
Anchorages that were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repai r the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
c::> page 172, Safety belts.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 115 Belt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body.
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint
properly
c::> page 66, General recommenda
tions.
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even
ly across the chest and pelvis
c::> .&_.
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
c::>fig . 115.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat
ic be lt retractor on the shoulder belt . This fea
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident .
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
116 Airbag sys te m
angle of im pact that will always trig ger the
airbags, since the circumstances wi ll vary con
siderably between one collision and another.
Important factors include, for example, the
nature (hard or soft) of the object which the
car h its, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. The front airbags will also not inflate in
side or rear collisions, or in roll-overs .
Always remember : Airbags will deploy only
once, and only in certa in kinds of collisions.
Your safety belts are always there to offe r pro
tection in those s ituations in which airbags
a re not supposed to deploy, or when they have
a lready deployed; for example, when yo ur ve
h icle strikes or is st ruck by another after the
first collision .
This is just one of the reaso ns why an a irbag is
a supplementary restra in t and is no t a s ubst i
tute for a safety be lt. The airbag system
works most effective ly when used with the
safety be lts. Therefore, always properly wear
your safety belts¢
page 107.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel will decrease the effec
tiveness of the airbags and will increase
the risk of pe rsonal injury in a collision .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm)
to the stee ring wheel or instr ument pan
el.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steer ing wheel, investi
gate whethe r adaptive equipment may
be available to held you reach the pedals
and incre ase your sea ting dis tance from
the steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of posi tion in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- Yo u w il l a lso receive serio us in juries and
co uld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r is k of i njury when an air
bag inf lates, a lways wear safety belts
properly
c::> page 110, Safety belts .
-If ch ildren are not properly restra ined,
they may be severely injured or killed
when an airbag inflates.
- Never let ch ildren ride unrestrained or
improperly restrained in the vehicle. Ad
just the fro nt seats properly.
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer ing whee l or the instrument pane l
¢ page 99, Proper occupant seating po
sitions.
- Always sit uprig ht with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the f loor in front of the seat to
he lp prevent serio us in ju ries to the legs
a nd h ips if the airbag inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags that have deployed i n a crash must
b e repla ced.
- Use on ly or ig inal equipment airbags ap
p roved by Aud i and installed by a trained
technici an who has the necessa ry too ls
an d diagnost ic equipment to properly re
p lace any airbag in your vehicle an d as
sure system effectiveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled air
bags to be installed in yo ur vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.. Be sure to read the important information
and head the WARNINGS for important de
tails about children and Advanced A irbags
¢page 136.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly dange rous place fo r a
c hi ld to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place fo r a child in a fo rward-facing child safe
ty seat.
It can be a very d angerous p lace for a n
infant or a chi ld in a rearw ard-f acing seat.
T he Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle
has been ce rtified to comply wit h the Require
ments of Un ited States Fede ral Motor Vehicle .,.