Driving Notes
The forward gears are shifted up or down au
tomatically.
--
-
-
-
-
-
--Fig. 98 Section from cente r console: Selector lever
wit h rele ase butto n
Starting from stop
.. Step on and hold the brake pedal.
.. Hold the release button (button in selector
lever) down, move the selector lever to the
desired position, for example Do
page 87,
and release the button .
.,. Release the brake pedal and accelerate
o,& .
Stopping temporarily
.. Bring the vehicle to a full stop with the
brake, e.g . at traffic signals.
.. Do not accelerate.
Parking
.. Step on and hold the brake pedal o _&.
.. Apply the parking brake firmly.
.. Hold the release button down, move these
lector lever to P and release the button .
Stopping on an incline
.. Always hold the vehicle with the footbrake
or parking brake in order to prevent "roll
back" o
_&. Do not try to prevent the vehi
cle from rolling back by rewing the engine
while it is in gear.
Starting on a hill
.. Apply the hand brake firmly.
.. With the engine in gear, gradually acceler
ate and release the hand brake.
Transmission 89
The engine can only be started with the selec
tor lever in P or N
opage 81. At low ambient
temperatures
(14 °F /-10 °C), it is only possi
ble to start the engine with the selector lever
in P.
When parking on level ground, it is sufficient
to place the selector lever in P. On a steeply
sloping road, you should first apply the park
ing brake firmly and then place the selector
lever in P. This way, you do not overload the
pawl mechanism and it is easier to move the
selector lever out of P .
.&_ WARNING
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle with the engine running, set
the parking brake and engage the park
lock.
- When the engine is running and the
transmission is in gear (D, Sor R) or in
"tiptronic" mode, it is essential that you
stop the vehicle with the footbrake.
When idling, the transmission of power
does not stop completely -the vehicle
"c reeps" .
- Do not accelerate when you change the
selector lever position with the vehicle
stationary and the engine running - risk
of an accident!
- Never place the selector lever in the R or
N position while the vehicle is moving -
risk of an accident!
- If you have to bring your vehicle to a stop
while on an incline, keep the foot brake
depressed all the way down so that the
vehicle does not start to roll backward.
You should never hold the vehicle using
the clutch if you are going to be stopped
on an incline. If you do, the clutch will
start to slip when it overheats caused by
the constant overload . This is dangerous
because if the vehicle starts to roll back
ward, you could cause an accident. If the
clutch should start to slip, you will feel
the vehicle "jerk" and the selector lever
display will start blinking. ..,.
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.
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.
During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt p re
tensione r that helps to t igh ten the safety be lt
and remove s lack when the pretensione r is ac
tivated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a warning light
¢ page 16.
Switchable locking feature
Every safe ty belt excep t the one on the driver
seat is eq uipped w ith a switchab le locking fea
ture that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat . Be s ure to read the
important informat ion about th is f eature
c:;, page 144.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
¢ page 111, Safety belt position .
-Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
belts are properly positioned on the
body .
-
-Never attach the safety belt to the buck
le for another seat . Attach ing the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effect iveness and ca n cause seri ous per
sonal in jury.
- A passenger who is no t properly rest rain
ed can be se rio usly inju red by the safety
belt itself when it moves from the stron
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen .
- Always lock the convert ible locking re
tractor when yo u are secur ing a chi ld
seat in the vehicle
c:;, page 146 .
Safety belts 111
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig . 1 16 Head restra int a nd safety be lt pos it io n as
see n fr om t he side
Use the height adjustment to change the posi
tion of the shoulder straps of the fro nt seat
safety belts .
A WARNING
Imp roperly posit ioned safety be lts can
cause ser ious persona l injury in an acci
dent.
- The shou lder belt portion of the safety
be lt must be posi tioned over the midd le
of the occupant's shoulder and never
across the neck or throat.
- The safety be lt must lie fla t and sn ug on
the occupant's upper body¢
fig. 116.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
-
- The lap be lt po rtion of the safety belt
must be posit ioned as low as possib le
across pelvis and never over the abdo
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug ¢
fig. 116 . Pull on the belt to tight
en if necessary .
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri
ous injuries by shifting its pos it ion on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulne rable , soft tissue and cause ser ious
in jury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢page 109.
routed around the child restraint as descri
bed in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's
instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea
ture on the safety belt for the front passen ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the seat can do its job
~ page 144 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and child safety seat are
not being transpo rted on the front passen
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenge r sea t back and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, ma ke s ure that i t is not so tight tha t it
ca uses the weight -sensing mat to meas ure
more weight than is actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
d oes not come o n
and does not stay on con
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- ta ke the ch ild restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and insta ll it p roperly at one of the
rear seat pos itions. Have the a irb ag system
inspected by your A udi dealer immediately.
- move the chi ld to a rea r seat posi tion and
make su re that the ch ild is p roperly res train
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld
NO T come on when the ign ition is on and an
ad ult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat.
If the PASSENGER
AIR B AG O FF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds while dr iv ing, un
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the ad ult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
c u shi on with h is or her back up against the
backrest and the backrest is not reclined
A irbag system 127
~ page 99, Proper occupant seating posi
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing we ight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat .
In add ition to the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG O FF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASS ENGE R AIR BAG O FF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appear
i n the instrument cluster d isp lay . This is to in
form the dr iver of the current front passenge r
a irbag sta tus.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An ai rbag system that is not functioning
p roperly cannot provide supplemental pro
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on, it
means that there may be something
wrong wi th the Advanced Airbag Sys tem.
It is poss ible that the ai rbag w ill inflate
when it is not supposed to, or will not in
f late when it sho uld .
- Have the airbag system inspected imme
diate ly by yo ur Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without
a child restraint, in a rearward -facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing child re
straint that has not been proper ly installed
-
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed. ~
•
•
Child Safet y 139
Subp art C -Forward-f acing and conv ert ibl e child r estraints
Model
BritaxRoundaboutE9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519
Cosco Summit Deluxe High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Booster 22-209
M anufactured on or after
September 25, 2007
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Evenflo Tribute V 379xxxx
E venflo Medallion 254
-------·-
Evenflo Generations 352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport
----~-,
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety Seat Step 2
Grace Platinum Cargo
--------
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on .
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenge r seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PA S
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the infla ting airbag
will hit the child safety seat or in fant car
rie r with great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer .
@ Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been tested by A udi on ly for the Ad
vanced Airbag function. September 25, 2007
Important safety
instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are responsible for the safe
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially chi l
dren:
"' Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
c:::;, page 141 .
"'Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufac turer's inst ruct ions on how to ro ute
t he sa fe ty belt proper ly through the c hild
safety seat .
"' When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from mov ing
c:::;, page 144.
"' Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move fo rwa rd o r
sideways mo re tha n one inch ( 2.5 cm).
Always remember : Even tho ugh you r vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
c h ild should always ride in the seat properly
rest rained for its age and s ize.
•
•
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in a ve
hicle is being used
¢page 107, Safety
belts,
c:;, page 115, Airbag system and
c:;, page 136, Child Safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restrain t is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Never ins tall a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If t he PAS
SENGER AI R BAG O FF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant ca r
rie r with great fo rce and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
back rest, door or roof. Have the airbag
s ystem inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-fac
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
I
Fig. 1 27 Rea rward-faci ng infant seat, proper ly insta l·
led on th e passe nge r seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to insta ll
a ch ild safety seat, you must f irst activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
Child Safety 141
safety belt to prevent the child sa fety seat
from moving ¢page 144.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
fu ll weig ht to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
Infants up to about one year
(20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in spec ial infant carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small chi ldren shou ld r ide on ly in special re
stra ints in wh ic h the child faces the back of
the vehi cle. These infa nt seats support the ba
by's back, nec k and head in a crash
c:;, fig. 12 7.
A WARNING
Not using a child sa fe ty seat, using the
wrong child safety seat o r improperly in
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install a rear-fac ing ch ild restraint
in the forward-facing d irection. Such re
straints are designed for the special
needs of infants and very small children
and cannot protect them properly if the
seat is forward-facing.
- Never install a rearward faci ng child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and s tays on. If t he PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not
come on and stay on the inflating a irbag
wi ll hit the child safety seat or infant car
rier with great force and wi ll smash the
child safety seat and child against th e
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Aud i dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢ page 107, Safety
belts,~ page 115, Airbag system
and
c:;, page 136, Impor tant things to know.