Table of Contents
Layout of this Owner's Manual
(explanations)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Using the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Instruments and warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Overview of the instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Engine revolutions counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Counter for distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Service reminder indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Shift recommendation for changing gears . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Multi-functional indicator (onboard computer) . . . . . . . 14
MAXI DOT display (information display) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Auto Check Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Locking and Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Vehicle key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Synchonisation of the remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Panoramic sliding roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Lights and Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Windshield wiper and wash system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Rear-view mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Seats and Stowage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Adjusting front seats electrically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Middle rear head restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Variable loading floor in the luggage compartment . . 74
Variable loading floor with spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cup holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Note holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Cigarette lighter, power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Storage compartment on the front passenger side . . 80
Cooling of storage compartment on front passenger
side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Storage compartment on the dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Stowage compartment in front centre console . . . . . . 82
Stowage compartment for spectacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Storage compartment in the front and rear doors . . . . 82
Stowage compartment below front passenger seat . . 83
Front seat armrest with storage compartment . . . . . . 83
Stowage compartment in rear centre console . . . . . . . 84
Storage compartments in the luggage compartment . 84
Flexible storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Removable through-loading bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Clothes hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Heating and air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Air conditioning system (manual air conditioning
system)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Climatronic (automatic air conditioning) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating and ventilation) . . 95 Starting-off and Driving
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Setting steering wheel position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Rear parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Front and rear parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Cruise control system (CCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
“(START-STOP)” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Automatic gearbox DSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Automatic gearbox DSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Multifunction steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Universal telephone preinstallation GSM II . . . . . . . . . . 119
Voice control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Music playback via Bluetooth ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Passive Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Basic information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Correct seated position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Why seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
The physical principle of a frontal collision . . . . . . . . . . 132
Important safety information regarding the use of
seat belts
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
How are seat belts correctly fastened? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Description of the airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Driver's knee airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 3
Table of Contents Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Head airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Deactivating an airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Transporting children safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
What you should know about transporting children! . 146
Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Attaching a child seat using the “ISOFIX” system . . . . 151
Attaching child seat using the “Top Tether” system . . 152
Driving Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Electronic stability programme (ESP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Antilock brake system (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Uphill Start Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Electromechanical power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Tyre pressure monitoring system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Diesel particle filter (diesel engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Off-road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Driving and the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
The first 1 500 kilometres and then afterwards . . . . . . 162
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Driving in an economical and environmentally
conscious manner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Environmental compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Motoring abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Avoiding damage to your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Driving through bodies of water on roads . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Off-road driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
General Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the
vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Care of the exterior of vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Care of the interior of vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Fuel
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Inspecting and Replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Windshield washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Wheels and Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Accessories, changes and replacement of parts . 207
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Breakdown assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Breakdown assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Space for first-aid box and warning triangle . . . . . . . . . 208
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Tyre repair kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
The vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Fuses and light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Electric fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Used abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Identification details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Fuel consumption according to the ECE standards and
EU guidelines
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Other information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine oil specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Engine 1.2 l/77 kW TSI - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine 1.4 l/90 kW TSI - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Engine 1.8 ltr./118 kW TSI - EU2, EU5 (1.8 ltr./112 kW TSI
- EU5)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Engine 1.6 l/77 kW TDI CR - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Engine 2.0 l/81 kW TDI CR - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Engine 2.0 l/103 kW TDI CR - EU4, EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Engine 2.0 l/125 kW TDI CR - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Multi-purpose vehicles (AF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2404
Table of Contents
Remove carrier rails
Fig. 64 Luggage compartment: Slacken check points/remove carrier rails
Remove carrier rails
– Slacken the check points B
⇒ fig. 64 on the carrier rails using the vehicle key
or a flat screwdriver.
– Grasp the carrier rail A at the position
1 and slacken it by pulling in the direc-
tion of the arrow.
– Grasp the carrier rail A at the position
2 , slacken it by pulling in the direction
of the arrow and take it out.
– The carrier rail on the other side of the luggage compartment can be removed
in the same way.
Install carrier rails
– Position the carrier rails on the sides of the luggage compartment.
– Press both check points on each carrier rail up to the stop.
– Check the attachment of the carrier rails by pulling it. WARNING
Pay attention when installing that the carrier rails and the variable loading
floor are correctly fixed, otherwise the occupants are at risk. Variable loading floor with spare wheel
Use variable loading floor
Fig. 65 Luggage compartment: Fold the side parts of the loading floor/example for using the
variable loading floor
The variable loading floor makes it easier to handle bulky goods and creates an
even luggage compartment floor when the rear seat backrests are folded forward.
The maximum permissible surface load of the variable loading floor is 75
kg.
You can fold down the side parts of the variable loading floor in direction of arrow
in order to enlarge the space foreseen for stowing items of luggage ⇒ fig. 65 . Note
● If the variable loading floor with spare wheel is installed, no flexible storage
compartment can be installed.
● The variable loading floor with spare wheel can be secured in the raised posi-
tion in the same way as the variable loading floor without spare wheel ⇒
page 74,
Secure the variable loading floor in the raised position. 75
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
WARNING
● The parking aid is not a substitute for the driver paying proper attention
and it is always the driver's responsibility to take care when reversing the ve-
hicle or carrying out similar manoeuvres.
● You should therefore satisfy yourself, before reversing, that there is no
small obstacle, such as a rock, thin post, trailer drawbar etc., in front or behind
your vehicle. Such an obstacle might not be within the range detected by the
sensors.
● Under certain circumstances, surfaces of certain objects and types of
clothing cannot reflect the signal of the parking aid. Thus, these objects or
people who wear such clothing are not recognised by the sensors of the park-
ing aid. Note
● Only the front parking aid operates if you are towing a trailer (applies only to
models which feature a factory-fitted towing device).
● If a warning signal sounds for about 3 seconds after activating the system and
there is no obstacle close to your car, this indicates a system fault. The fault is
confirmed additionally when the symbol flashes in the button
⇒ fig. 100 - left.
Have the fault rectified by a specialist workshop.
● The sensors must be kept clean and free of ice to enable the parking aid to
operate properly.
● If the parking aid is activated and the selector lever of the automatic gearbox
is in the position P , warning signal indicates interruption (vehicle can no longer
move).
Park Assist Description and important information The park assist assists you when parking in a suitable parallel parking space be-
tween two vehicles or behind a vehicle.
The park assist automatically searches for suitable parking spaces after switching
on the ignition and when driving up to 30 km/h.
During the parking procedure the park assist only takes over the steering move-
ments, the pedals continue to be operated by the driver. Function of the system is based on:
●
Length and depth measurement of the parking spaces when driving
● Evaluation of the size of the parking space
● Definition of the correct position of the vehicle for parking
● Calculating the line on which the vehicle drives backwards into the parking
space
● Actuation of the steering force assistance, automatic spinning of the wheels
of the front axle when parking. WARNING
The park assist does not take away the responsibility from the driver when
parking.
● Pay particular attention to small children and animals as they would not be
recognised by the sensors of the parking aid.
● Under certain circumstances, surfaces of certain objects and types of
clothing cannot reflect the signal of the park assist or the parking aid. Thus,
these objects or people who wear such clothing are not recognised by the
sensors of the parking aid.
● The external sound source of the park assist and the parking aid can be
disruptively influenced and under unfavourable conditions, objects or people
cannot be recognised by the sensors of the parking aid. CAUTION
● If other vehicles are parked behind or on the kerb, the park assist guides your
vehicle beyond the kerb or onto it. Make sure that the wheels or the wheel rims of
your vehicle are not damaged and if necessary intervene in time.
● You should satisfy yourself before parking that there is no small obstacle, such
as a rock, thin post, trailer drawbar etc., in front or behind your vehicle. Such an
obstacle might not be within the range detected by the sensors.
● Under certain circumstances, surfaces or structures of certain objects such as
wire mesh fences, powder snow etc..., cannot be recognised by the system.
● The evaluation of the parking space and the parking procedure depends on
the circumference of the wheels. Under certain circumstances, the system may
not function correctly if your vehicle is mounted with wheels of non-permissible
size, snow chains or a temporary spare wheel (in order to reach the nearest work-
shop). If the tyres other than those excepted by the manufacturer are mounted,
the resulting position of the vehicle in the parking space can differ slightly. The
parking assistant system automatically performs the correction of the wheel cir-
cumference when driving. £ 105
Starting-off and Driving Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
The Brake Assist is able to help you achieve a shorter braking distance in emer-
gency situations by rapidly producing the pressure required in the brake system. It
fully exploits the attributes of the ABS. After you release the brake pedal, the
function of the Brake Assist is automatically switched off and the brakes operate
in the normal way.
The Brake Assist is part of the ESP system. If a fault occurs in the ESP, the Brake
Assist function is also not available. Further information on the ESP
⇒ page 153.WARNING
● The Brake Assist is also not able to overcome the physical limits of your car
in terms of the braking distance required.
● Adapt your speed to the conditions of the road surface and to the traffic
situation.
● The increased safety offered by the Brake Assist must not tempt you to
take a greater safety risk than otherwise.
Uphill Start Assist The uphill start assist makes it easier to start off on steep hills. The system assists
a start off by holding the brake pressure produced by the brake pedal actuation
for approx. 2 seconds after releasing the brake pedal. The driver can therefore
move his foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and start off on the
slope, without having to actuate the handbrake. The brake pressure drops gradu-
ally the more you operate the accelerator pedal. If the vehicle does not start off
within 2 seconds, it starts to roll back.
The uphill start assist is active as of a 3 % slope, if the driver door is closed. It is
always active on slopes when in forward or reverse start off. When driving down-
hill, it is inactive.
Electromechanical power steering The power steering enables you to steer the vehicle with less physical force.
With the electromechanical power steering, the steering assist is automatically
adapted to the speed and to the steering angle.
It is still possible to fully steer the vehicle if the power steering fails or if the en-
gine is not running (vehicle being towed in). The only difference is that greater
physical effort is required. If there is a fault in the power steering, the warning light
or lights up in the
instrument cluster ⇒
page 25. WARNING
Contact your specialist garage if the power steering is defective.
Tyre pressure monitoring system Fig. 139 Button for setting the tyre in-
flation pressure control value
The tyre pressure monitoring system compares with the aid of the ABS sensors
the speed and also the rolling circumference of the individual wheels. If the rolling
circumference of a wheel is changed, the warning light
in the instrument clus-
ter ⇒ page 28 and an acoustic signal sounds.
The rolling circumference of the tyre can change if:
● the tyre inflation pressure is too low,
● the structure of the tyre is damaged,
● the vehicle is loaded on one side,
● the wheels of an axle are loaded heavily (e.g. when towing a trailer or when
driving uphill or downhill),
● snow chains are mounted,
● the temporary spare wheel is mounted,
● one wheel per axle was changed. £158
Intelligent technology
●
spare wheel and tyre repair kit,
● shovel.
Safe off-road driving Adopt a correct seated position and always fasten the seat belt correctly. Make
sure that your front passenger and your passengers seated on the rear seats al-
ways fasten their seat belts correctly.
When driving off-road, it is perhaps more useful to adopt a slightly different seat-
ed position. Depending on the terrain, an increased force may be required to turn
the steering wheel because the force is transferred from the front wheels to the
steering wheel. You must be seated in such a way that you have good front visibil-
ity, especially when driving uphill or downhill. You must never be seated in such a
way that the distance between your chest and the middle of the airbag cover is
less than 25 cm ⇒
page 139.
Under no circumstances must you drive off-road with high heels, slippery or open
shoes. You should wear shoes which fit your feet well and allow you to get a feel
for the pedals. WARNING
Observe the important guidelines ⇒
page 168.
Before driving off-road ●
Make sure the tyres are suitable for the planned off-road journey. Before you
drive through difficult terrain, equip your vehicle with off-road tyres.
● Fill up your tank. The fuel consumption of the vehicle is much higher when
driving off-road than when driving on the road.
● Install the towing eye at the front or at the rear before driving off-road. It is
not always possible to install the towing eye if the vehicle got stuck.
● Always check the inflation pressure of all the tyres and if necessary correct it.
● Check the vehicle tool kit and supplement it according to your needs.
● Fill with engine oil up to the line A , so that the engine is sufficiently supplied
with engine oil when the vehicle is in a tilted position ⇒
page 191, Check engine
oil level.
● Top up wash fluid.
● Stow your load as low as possible in the vehicle and attach all the items which
are loose. Off-road driving ●
Never be alone when driving off-road and be prepared to encounter unexpec-
ted situations. Travel together with at least two off-road vehicles. Equipment with
which you can call for help in an emergency is particularly useful.
● Drive slowly through unclear terrain.
● You must stop when encountering difficult passages and explore the continu-
ation of the route on foot. If you cannot go on or if you doubt the safety of the
route, turn back and choose another way.
● Drive slowly over hilltops. Make sure that the wheels of the vehicle do not lift
off the ground, as this could severely damage the vehicle and it may become disa-
bled.
● Drive slowly on difficult stretches of the route. When driving on a slippery
ground, shift up into the next higher gear and make sure that the vehicle always
stays in motion. Do not drive too fast so that you don't lose control over your vehi-
cle.
● If your vehicle got stuck in sand, snow or sludge, it may be more effective to
reverse the vehicle than trying to drive forwards.
● Place stones, footmats or pieces of wood under the spinning wheels in order
to achieve traction on a sandy or slippery ground.
● Do no drive through water before reading what you must take into account
⇒ page 167.
● Keep sufficient distance from other vehicles even at low speeds. When the
first vehicle suddenly gets stuck, the following vehicle can still stop in time with-
out getting stuck itself.
● Do not plan day trips which are too far in distance.
● Do not use the cruise control system when driving off-road. It is only intended
for driving on the road. WARNING
● The intelligent engineering of your vehicle cannot overcome the physical
limits of your vehicle.
● Be very alert and look ahead when driving off-road. Excessive speed or in-
correct driving manoeuvres can cause damage to the vehicle and lead to seri-
ous injuries.
● Observe the important guidelines ⇒ page 168. £ 171
Driving and the environment Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Towing a trailer
Towing a trailer
Technical requirements Your vehicle is designed primarily for transporting persons and luggage. It can,
however, also be used for towing a trailer - provided certain technical equipment
is fitted.
If your vehicle has been
factory-fitted with a towing device or has a towing device
from
ŠKODA Original Accessories, the towing device satisfies all technical and le-
gal requirements.
Your vehicle is fitted with a 13-pin power socket for the electrical connection be-
tween the vehicle and trailer. If the trailer which you wish to tow has a 7-pin con-
nector , you can use a suitable adapter from ŠKODA Original Accessories.
This work must be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's specifica-
tions if a towing device is retrofitted.
Authorised ŠKODA Service Partners can provide detailed information about retro-
fitting a towing device and for any necessary modifications to the cooling system. WARNING
We recommend that you have the towing device from ŠKODA Original Acces-
sories installed by an authorised
ŠKODA Service Partner. He is familiar with all
the relevant details relating to retrofitting such equipment. There is a risk of
an accident if the towing device is not properly fitted!
General Maintenance Trailer load
The permissible trailer load must on no account be exceeded.
You can negotiate appropriately steeper inclines and descents if you do not make
full use of the permissible trailer load.
The trailer loads specified only apply for
altitudes up to 1000 metres above mean
sea level. The fact that the engine power output drops with increasing height due
to a lowering of air pressure and thus the ability to climb, means that the towed
weight must be reduced by 10 % for every further increase of 1 000 metres in height above sea level. The towed weight is the weight of the (laden) vehicle and
the (laden) trailer together. One should take this into account before driving up to
higher altitudes.
The trailer and drawbar load information on the type plate of the towing device
are merely test data for the towing device The data relating to your vehicle,
which is often less than this test data, can be found in your vehicle registration
documents.
Distribution of the load
Distribute the load in the trailer in such a way that any heavy items are located as
close as possible to the axle. Secure the items to prevent them slipping.
Tyre pressure
Correct the tyre inflation pressure on your vehicle for that of
“fully laden”
⇒ page 201. The inflation pressure of the tyres fitted to the trailer adjust in ac-
cordance with the manufacturer's recommendation.
Exterior mirrors
You have to have additional exterior mirrors fitted if you are not able to see the
traffic behind the trailer with the standard rear-view mirrors. Both exterior mirrors
should be attached to folding arms. Adjust the mirrors so that they provide you
with an adequate field of view to the rear.
Headlights
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights.
Alter the setting as necessary with the aid of the headlight beam adjuster
⇒ page 50.
Detachable ball head
The ball head is detachable on vehicles with towing device and can be obtained
from ŠKODA Original Accessories. It is stowed together with separate fitting in-
structions in the spare wheel well in the luggage compartment of the vehicle. Note
● We recommend that you also have your vehicle inspected between service in-
tervals if you tow a trailer frequently.
● The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and de-
coupling the trailer. 178
Towing a trailer
Wheels and Tyres
Wheels
General information ●
New tyres do not offer optimal grip at first. They should therefore be run in for
about 500 km at a moderate speed and an appropriately cautious style of driving.
You will also profit from longer tyre life.
● The tread depth of new tyres may differ because of design features and the
configuration of the tread (depending on the type of tyre and the manufacturer).
● Drive over curbs on the side of the road and other such obstacles slowly and,
where possible, at a right angle in order to avoid damage to tyres and wheel trims.
● We recommend you Inspect your tyres and rims from time to time for damage
(punctures, cuts, splits and bulges). Remove foreign bodies from the tyre profile.
● Damage to tyres is frequently not visible. Unusual vibrations or pulling of the
vehicle to one side could be a sign of tyre damage. Please reduce your speed im-
mediately and stop if you suspect that a wheel is damaged. Inspect the tyres for
signs of damage (bulges, splits, etc.) If no visible damage is present, please drive
at an appropriately slow speed and carefully to the nearest specialist garage in or-
der to have your vehicle inspected.
● Also protect your tyres from contact with oil, grease and fuel.
● Immediately replace any dust caps of the valves which have got lost.
● Mark wheels before removing them so that their previous direction of running
can be maintained when mounted them again.
● Always store wheels or tyres which been removed in a cool, dry and, where
possible, dark place. Tyres which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored
upright.
Unidirectional tyres
The direction of rotation of the tyres is marked by arrows on the wall of the tyre.
This indicates the direction of rotation of the tyre, and it is essential that the tyres
are fitted on to run in this direction. Only then are the tyres able to provide the
optimal properties in terms of grip, low noise, wear-and-tear and aquaplaning.
Further information concerning the use of unidirectional tyres ⇒
page 205. WARNING
● New tyres during the first approximately 500 km do not offer optimal grip
and should therefore be run appropriately - risk of accident!
● Never drive with damaged tyres - risk of accident! Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.
Tyre life Fig. 160 An opened fuel filler flap with a
tyre size and tyre inflation pressure ta-
ble
The life of your tyres very much depends on the following points:
Tyre pressure
The working life of tyres will be shortened considerably if the tyres are insuffi-
ciently or over-inflated and this will have an adverse effect on the handling of
your vehicle.
Correctly inflated tyres are of particular importance when travelling at high
speeds . It is therefore good to check the tyre pressure, including that of the spare
wheel, at least once a month and also before setting off on a long trip.
The tyre inflation pressures for summer tyres are indicated on the inside of the
fuel filler flap ⇒ fig. 160 . The inflation pressures for winter tyres are 20 kPa
(0.2
bar) higher than those for summer tyres ⇒ page 204. £ 201
Wheels and Tyres Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data