2012 AUDI A6 Owners Manual

Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i drive select makes it possible to experi­
ence different types of vehicle settings in one
ve hicl e. The driver can select three
Comfort,
Auto
and Dynamic modes in the MMI to
switch between a sporty and a comfortable
driving mode.
You can also adjust the setting according to
your preferences in the
individual mode. For
examp le, you can comb ine settings such as a
sporty engine tuning with light steering.
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the vehicle's features. The engine, transmis­
sion and steering are always involved . The cor ­
nering light* can also be adjusted . The revers i­
ble safety belt tensioners~
page 187 are
adapted to the dynamic mode.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and the
transmission respond more quickly or in a more balanced manner to accelerato r pedal
movements. In the sporty dynamic mode, the
transmission shifts at higher RPMs.
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering effort
and steering ratios . Indirect steer ing that
moves easily as in comfort mode is especially
suited to long drives on a highway. In con­
trast, dynamic mode provides sporty, direct
steer ing .
The follow ing applies to vehicles with dynam ic
steering*: the steering ratio changes based on
veh icle speed in order to maintain optimum
steer ing effo rt for the driver at all times . Thi s
sets the steering to be less sensitive a t higher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicle
control.
Audi drive select 95
Cornering light*
The cornering light adapts to driving on
curves . The pivoting action and the lighting
are also adapted to the mode.
¢j) Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto
and Dynamic modes.
- Selecting the
Dynamic mode results in
sporty shifting characterist ics. The
S
gear position engages automatically.
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual .
Fig. 96 MMI: Drive select
.. To se lect the mode , se lect the following in
the MMI:
ICARI function button> Comfort,
Auto, Dynamic or Individual.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently selected mode is a lso activated for
the engine .
Comfort -provides a comfort-oriented veh icle
setup and is suited for long drives on high­
ways.
Auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
namic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
use .
Dynamic -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driv ing style.

96 Audi drive select
Individual -¢ page 96.
Adjusting the Individual mode
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating Au­
d i drive select to prevent potential risk of
an accident.
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.. Se lect : I CARI function button > Set individ­
ual
control button. You can now adjust the
individual systems.
The
Individual driving mode will automatica l­
ly be activated when you have finished config­
uring the settings.
I
Systems
Engine /Transmission
Steering Cornering light*
Belt tensioner*
{1) Tips Comfort
balanced
comfortable
comfortable
-Standard
Your
Individual mode settings are auto­
mat ically stored and assigned to the re­
mote control key being used. The
equipment in your vehicle will determine
which settings you can adjust. The following
table provides an overview of the characteris­
tics of each driving mode.
Auto
ba lanced
balanced
ba lanced
Standard
---~·
---~,
Dynamic
sporty
sporty
sporty
Deployment time
adapted
-

Night vision assistant
Night vision assistant
with detected pedestrian marking
Description
App lies to vehicles: with night v isio n assistant
Fig . 97 D isplay: n ight vision ass istant
"Night v is ion assistant with pedestrian detec­
tion" uses an infrared camera to monitor the
area in front of your vehicle at night. Within
the limits of the system, it can display objects
up to about 1000 feet (300 meters) away. The
heat image of a pedestrian detected by the
camera is shown in the instrument cluster dis­
play
Q fig . 97 . Warm areas appear lighter and
cold areas appear darker .
Pedestrian detection
Applies to vehicles: with n ig ht v ision ass istant
F ig. 98 Display : yellow pedest rian mark in g
Night vision assistant 97
Fig. 99 Display: symbol when infrared image is not
visible
Night vision assistant can detect pedestrians
that are between about 50 and 300 feet (15
and 90 meters) in front of the vehicle, under
ideal conditions . If a pedestrian is detected
when it is dark outside and the vehicle head­
lights are switched on, the pedestrian is high­
l ighted in yellow
Q fig . 98, Q page 98, Gen­
eral information .
If another display such as
navigation replaces the image from the night
vision assistant , the symbo l~,, appears in a
tab
r::',> fig . 99.
(D Tips
If the night vision assistant image does
not appear when the system is switched
on, you can access it with the buttons on
the m ultifunction steering wheel
¢pa ge 24.

98 Night visi on assis tant
Pedestrian warning
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 100 D isplay : pedestrian warn ing
F ig . 101 D is p lay: pedestrian warning w ith a nother dis ­
p lay
I f a pedestrian is detected i n an area in front
of the vehicle that the system considers criti­
cal, the pedestrian is high lighted in red
q fig . 100 and a warning tone sounds. Th is
area is based on the vehicle speed and steer ­
ing angle. The pedestrian warning prompts
you to pay even closer attention to the area in
front of the ve hicle and to watch out for pe­
destrians.
If another display s uch as the tr ip computer
replaces the image from the night vision as­
sistant, the indicator light turns red when
there is a pedestria n warning
I¢ fig. 101.
The pedestr ian war ning I appea rs in the
Head-up Display *.
(D Tips
The pedestrian marking and warn ing tone
can be adjusted in the M MI
r:!) page 99.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 102 Fro nt of th e ve hicle: nig ht v is ion assistant
camera
T he following sit uat io ns may affect the fu nc­
t io n of the n igh t vision assistant sys tem:
- poor visibility such as snow, rain, fog or
heavy road spray
- dirty le ns on the n ight vis ion assistant cam -
era
Make sure the night vision assistant camera
¢ fig . 102 is not covered by stickers, depos its
or any other obstructions because that can
prevent the camera from working properly.
For information on cleaning the lens, refe r to
q page
206.
Pedestrian detection depends on the d iffer ­
ence in temperature between the person and
t h e background. Pedestr ians may not be de­
tected if the temperature diffe ren ce is too
small . Th e pedestrian highl ighting feature is
deactivated at tempe ratures above 77 ° F (25
°C) and when it is light outs ide.
A WARNING
Night vision assistant has limits a nd can­
not always detect pedestr ians. Always pay
close attention to traffic a nd the area
a round your vehicle even when night vision
assistant is sw itched on .
- Night vision assistant can only warn
about people located within the visual
range of the infra red camera. The visual
range corresponds to the image in the in­
s trument clus ter di splay .
- Night vision assistant may not detect
-
peop le and h ighlight them if .,.

-they are not in an upright position, for
examp le if they are s itting, crouching
or lying down and/or
- if the outline in the display is incom­
p lete or interrupted, for example be­
cause the person is partially hidden by
a parked veh icle .
(D Tips
-Pedestrian detection and the pedestrian
warming are lim ited to objects that are
detected as pedestr ians. The system
does not detect animals . Even though
the shape and warmth radiated by each
object det ected is evaluated, the system
does have lim itations and it can give in­
correct warnings.
- Fo r techn ical reasons , the image pauses
in split second interva ls.
Switching on and off
Appl ies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig . 103 Area a round the light switch: n ight v ision as ­
sistant button
.. Switch the ignition on and turn the light
switch to the
AUTO position or io.
.. To switch night vision assistant on, press
the
EJ button Q fig. 103. The image from
the night vision camera appears in the in­
strument cluster d isplay.
.. Press the button
EJ again to switch night vi ­
s ion assistant off .
Night vision assistant 99
Settings in the MMI
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 104 Display : exa mple of pedest rian detectio n and
warn ing to n e switched off
.. Select: I CAR I function button > Car systems
cont rol button > Driver assist > Night vision
assist.
Highlight pedestrians -
You can switch pedes­
trian detect io n
on and off . If you switch pe­
destrian detection off, the pedestrian warning
tone also switches off . The symbols
I) and r2J
appear in the upper right area of the instru­
ment cluster disp lay ¢
fig. 104.
Warning tone -You can switch the tone for
the pedestrian warning
on and off. When the
warning tone is sw itched off, a yellow symbol
for the deactivated warning tone with a line
through it appears in the upper right of the in­
strument cluster display¢
fig. 104.
Contrast -When the night vision assistant is
switched on and the image is visib le in the in­
strument cluster display, you can adjust the
contrast in the image from
Min to Max .
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Night vision assistant: system malfunction!
The system cannot work properly and is
switched off. See your authorized Audi dealer
for assistance.
Night vision assistant: not available
The system cannot detect properly under cur­
rent conditions and is switched off temporari-
~ ~

100 Night vision assistant
Night vision assistant: only available in dark­
ness and with lights switched on
N ig ht vision assist ant only wo rk s when i t is
da rk ou tside and the headlig hts are o n.
Night vision assistant: pedestrian detection
not available
The system has deactivated the pedestrian de­
tec tion f unct ion.

Automatic Transmission
multitronic ®
Introduction
Appl ies to vehicles: with multitr oni c
Your veh icle is equipped with an electronically
controlled,
continuously variable transmis­
sion
(multitronic ®). In contrast to convention ­
al automatic transmi ssions using shifting op­
erations, the transmission ratio in the contin­
uously variab le transmission is changed con ­
tinuously. This optimizes the comfort level
and conserves fuel.
The gear ratio in the transmission is selected
(upshift and downshift) completely automati­
cally as a function of the defined driving pro­
grams.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode).
Instead of the torque converter in convention­
al automatic transmissions, your multitronic ®
transmission uses a multidisk clutch for pow­
er transmission . Therefore, the "creep behav­
ior" of the veh icle dur ing idling when tempo­
rarily stopped in selecto r lever pos it ion 0/S or
R is less pronounced.
Driving the automatic transmission
A ppl ies to vehicles: with multitr onic
Fig . 105 Shift gate on the cente r console: se lecto r lev­
er wi th release button
Starting the engine
• The selector leve r must be in P or N. Automatic Transmission 101
Starting off
•
Press and hold the brake pedal.
• Press and hold the re lease button in these­
lector lever handle and move the selector
lever from
P or N to D/S and release the but­
ton
c:> _&. .
.,. Wait briefly until the transmission has shift­
ed (you will feel a slight movement) .
.,. Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
accelerate .
Rocking back and forth to become
unstuck
.,. Shift only between D/S and R when the ve ­
hicle is at a full stop and the engine is run­
ni ng at idle speed .
Stopping
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal until the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop .
• Keep the brake pedal depressed so that the
veh icle cannot roll forward or backward
while it is idling
c:> _&. .
• Once stopped, do not depress the acce le ra­
tor peda l to rev up the engine
c:> _&. .
Parking
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal until the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop .
• Set the park ing brake firmly
c:> page 7 4,
Parking .
• Press and hold the release button in these ­
lector lever handle, move the se lector lever
into
P and then let go of the release button
c:> _&..
The selector lever must be in P or N. If one of
the driving positions is engaged a safety
switch will prevent the eng ine from being
started . See also co
page 70.
Before you move the selector lever from the
P
position, you must always app ly the brake
pedal before and while depressing the button
in the handle of the selector lever.
A WARNING
-- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.

102 Autom atic Tran smi ssi on
-When the selector lever is in a driving
position, the veh icle may creep, even at
id le speed. Therefore do not release
the park ing brake or foot brake until
you are ready to move, because power
is transmitted to the wheels as soon as
a driving posit ion is engaged.
- Do not accelerate while selecting a
driving position. At this time the en­
g ine must be at idle speed so that un­
d ue stress is no t placed on the clutches
in the t ransmission.
- Remembe r: Even when stopped briefly
with the automatic transmission in D/S
or R, engine power is being transmit ­
ted to the whee ls. Yo ur vehicle could
"creep" forward or backward . When
stopped, keep the brake peda l fully de­
pressed and use the parking brake if
necessary to keep the vehicle from roll­
ing .
-If the selector lever is unintentionally
moved into N wh ile you are driving, take
yo ur foot off the accele rator pedal and
wa it for the engine to return to idle
speed befo re selec ting a drivi ng position.
- Never shift into R or P when the veh icle is
in mo tion.
- Never get out of the dr iver's seat when
the engine is runn ing.
- If you must get out of the vehicle, move
the se lector lever securely into the P po­
si ti on a nd apply the park ing brake fi rm ly.
- If the eng ine must remain running, never
have any driv ing pos ition engaged when
chec king under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake
firmly set¢
page 214, Engine comport­
ment .
Otherwise, any increase in engine
speed may set the vehicle in mot ion,
even with the parking brake applied.
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: wit h mult itronic
This section describes the selector lever posi­
tions and driving ranges.
F ig . 106 Display in th e inst rument cluster: se lector
l ever positio n
The selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selector lever as well as in the in­
strument cluster d isplay.
P - Par k
In this se lector lever position the transm is­
sion is mechanically locked . Engage
P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped¢.&
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 101 .
To shift in or out of posit ion P , you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the re lease button in the selector lever handle
whi le moving the selector lever to o r from
P .
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition on.
You must release the parking lock manually before towing the vehicle ¢
page 106.
R - Reverse
Se lect R only when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed¢.& in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 101.
Before you move the selector lever to R , press
both the button in the hand le of the se lector
lever
and the brake pedal at the same t ime.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights i llu ­
minate when the selector lever is moved into
R . 1111-