2012 AUDI A6 ESP

86 Adaptive cruise control and braking guard
The road exceeds the maximum possible an­
g le for proper adaptive cruise contro l opera­
tion. Adaptive cruise control is sw itched off .
ACC: only selector lever positions D, S or M
available
Select the D/S or M selector lever position.
ACC: unavailable at this time. Parking brake
set
The adaptive cruise control system switches
off automatically if the parking brake is set .
ACC: unavailable at this time. ESP interven­
tion
This message appears if the Electronic Stabili­
zation Program (E SP) is wo rking to he lp stabi­
lize the vehicle. In this case, adaptive cruise
control switches off automatically.
ACC : Please take over
This message appears when adapt ive cruise
control cannot set the parking brake. Press
the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from
r olling .
•••
Three white dots appear if a setting cannot be
selected with the operat ing lever . For exam­
ple, this happens if adaptive cru ise control
cannot resume driving in stop-and-go traffic
because one of the conditions required for
ACC to wor k is not prese nt.
Door open
The adaptive cruise control system cannot
switch on when a door is open.
Stationary object ahead
This message appears if you wou ld like to
switch adaptive cruise control on and there is
a stationary vehicle or obstacle directly ahead
of your vehicle.

Audi side assist Lane Change Assistant
Description
App lies to vehicles: with si de assist
The side assist helps you when changing
lanes .
H AUDI I
Fig. 87 Rear bumper : Pos ition of rada r sen sors (not
v isib le on outs ide)
Fig . 88 S ig n al l ight on the outside m irro r - drive r's side
Side assist uses radar sensors (not visib le on
outside)
c::> fig. 87 to help the driver check
blind spots, and see what is happening in traf­
f ic beh ind the veh icle
c::> page 88, fig. 89 .
Signal lights are built into both outside mir­
rors <=>
fig. 88. The signal light on the left out­
side mirror assists when moving over into the left lane and the signal light on the right out­
side m irror assists when moving over into the
right lane .
The signal light comes on to tell you that side
assist has detected a vehicle on that side and
that the position of this other vehicle should be taken into account if yo u were to change
lanes. This is called the
informati onal stag e
s ignal
c::> page 89. The informational stage
signal is designed so that you notice it only
when yo u are look ing in the outside mirro r.
Aud i side assist 8 7
When you activate the turn signal and side as ­
sist detects a vehicle in a notable location, the
corresponding signal on the outside mirror
c::> fig . 88 (D flashes br iefly and brightly sever­
al times . This is the
aler t stage signal
c::> page 89 .
Activating and deactivating
Applies to vehicles: wit h side assist
Activating
.., Press the button @c::> page 87, fig. 88 . The
ind icator on the button lights up .
Dea ctivating
.., Press the button again. The indicator light
on the button goes out.
The system works at speeds faster than 19 mph (30 km/h).
A WARNING
-
- Improper reliance on the side assist sys-
tem can cause collisio ns and serious per­
sonal injury:
- Never rely on ly on s ide assist whe n
changing lanes.
- Always check rear view mir rors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all veh icles un­
de r al l conditions- danger of accident!
- Side assist cannot detect vehicles in time
to a le rt you when they approa ch from
behind a t very high speed, or fall drop
back very q uickly.
- The radar sensor's
vision can be red uced
or entire ly blocked by rain, snow, and
heavy spray . This can resu lt in side assis t
not adequately detecting vehicles or, in
some cases, not detecting them at all.
Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling and the relevant area
around the vehicle .
- Please note that s ide assist indicates
there are approac hing vehicles, or vehi­
cles in your blind spot, on ly afte r you r ve­
hicle has reach ed a driv ing speed of at
least 19 mph (30 km/h).
~

88 Audi side a ssis t
- Side assist signal does not work around
t ight corners (turning radius less than
328 feet or 100 m).
- Side assist is no rep lacement for the driv­
er's full attent ion. The dr iver alone is re­
sponsible for lane changes and similar dr iv ing maneuvers . Always keep an eye
on the di rection yo u are traveling and the
relevant area around the vehicle.
(D Note
- To ensure that you do not adversely af­
fect side assist, do not block the area on
the rear bumper whe re the radar sensors
are located with foreign objects (such as
stickers o r bicy cle racks).
- Make sure that the signa l light on the
outside m irror is not blo cked by st ickers
or other items.
@ Tips
- Side assist a utomat ica lly deactivates if it
detects that the radar sensors a re
blocked E} page 93. The ind icator light
on the bu tton goes out.
- The area on the bumper where the radar
sensors are located must consis tently re­
main free of snow, ice, and heavy soiling
so that side assist can function properly .
Fo llow the additional notes on
c> page 93.
-Additional tinting on the front side win­
dows can make it harder to see and cor­
rectly understand the signa l light on the
outside mirror.
- For Declarat ion of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions
c> page 281.
Sensor detection area
Applies to veh icles: w ith side assist
F ig. 89 Schemat ic ill ust rat ion : Sensor detect ion a rea
The detection c> fig. 89 of the radar sensor de­
tection area is made up of:
- the approach area (light red area)
(D , about
230 feet (70 m) behind the vehicle, and
- the "b lind spot" (dark red area)@.
T he rada r sensors cover the adjace nt left and
right lanes. Other lanes a re
not covered by the
radar sensors.
(0 Tips
Side assist does not measure a ctual lane
wid th. The system assumes a fixe d lane
width. Detection in the left and right lanes
is based on this assumed lane width .
When driv ing on narrow roads or when
driving to the left or right of the center of
a travel lane, it is possible that vehicles
will be detected that are
not in the lane
next to the lane you are us ing
c> page 92.
Operation
Applies to veh icles: w ith s ide assist
S ide assist compares t he d istance and diffe r­
ence in speed of detected vehicles wi th the
speed of your vehi cle. Wheneve r the d iffe r­
ence in speed and distance is registered as no ­
tab le if you were to change lanes, a signal
li ght appears on the respective mirror.
T he signa l can ligh t up if yo u are passed by a
vehicle or if you are passing another vehicle.
If you pass another vehi cle slowly (difference
in speed less than 9 mph, o r 15 km/h), the ..,.

signal light will come on as soon as the other
vehicle is in your blind spot and is detected by
side assist. When the difference in speed is
greater, the signa l light will not come on.
Informational and alert stage signals
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assis t has two s ignal stages:
- the informationa l stage signal, and
- the a le rt stage signa l.
Side assist he lps you by usi ng the approp riate
signal s tage, depending on whether or not
you have activ ated the tu rn signal, and thus
have indicated that you are or are not chang ­
ing lanes .
Informational stage signal
As long as you have not a ctivated the tu rn sig­
n al , side a ssis t inf orms you of detec ted vehi­
cles th at are registered as being in a notable
l ocation if you were to change lanes. Whenev­
er the detected vehicle's difference i n speed
and d istance is registered by side assist as no­
table, the signal lig ht on the respective m irror
prod uces muted illuminat ion.
The brightness of the informat io na l stage sig ­
na l is designed not to be as intense, so that it
does not interfere wit h your view of the road
when you are driving and have no intention of
changing lanes. When you look in the o utside
mirror, you can clear ly see the info rmat iona l
stage signal.
Alert stage signal
When you activate the turn signa l, and side
assist has detec ted a vehicle i n a notable loca­
tion o n that particular side, the s ignal l ight on
this sid e mirro r flashes b right ly . The repeated
b rie f and bright flashing of the alert stage
signal re minds yo u to carefully check tr aff ic to
the rear in the o utside mirror and ove r your
shoulder, so that yo u can safe ly complete the
l ane change
c:> & in Safety tips on page 93.
Aud i side assist 89
@ Tips
The br ightness of the s ignal li ght on the
outside m irr ors can be adjusted with the
MMI c:> page 92.
Driving situation: Fast approaching
vehicles
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
@
Fig. 9 0 Side as sis t: Fast approac hing ve hicle s
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
No vehicle was detecte d by the sensors . The
s ignal on the o utside mirror does not lig ht up
c:> .&. in Safety tips on page 93 .
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A fast appro ach ing vehicle -in the left-h and
l ane fo r example - was detected by the sen­
sors . Although this vehicle is still fa r away, it
sho uld be taken into accou nt if yo u were to
c hange lanes, due to the cons iderab le differ­
ence in speed. The informationa l stage s ignal
o n the outside mirror lig hts up
r=> page 89. ..,.

92 Audi side a ssis t
MMI settings
App lies to vehicles: wit h side ass ist
The basic brightness setting of the signal on
the outside mirror can be adjusted via the
MMI.
,. Select : I CARI function button > Car s ystem s
control button > Driver assist > Audi s ide
a ss is t.
The brightness of the signal lig ht for both the
informationa l and alert stages is automatical­
ly adjusted to amb ient light conditions. In ad­
d it ion, you can adjust the
basic brightness
sepa rately, via the brightness fun ction.
While making the adjustment, the new brightness setting is displayed briefly . The
brightness displayed is that of the informa­
tional stage signal. The alert stage signa l
b rightness is lin ked to the informational st age
signal brightness.
The informational stage signa l br ightness
should be adjusted so tha t you not ice the sig­
na l ill uminat ion when yo u loo k in the outside
mirror, but not when you look forward
throug h the windshield.
I n very da rk or light surroundings, the au to­
mat ic brightness setting adjusts s ignal light
brightness to maxim um or minimum intensi­
ty, as needed. In circumstances such as these,
you may not notice any change in the bright­
ness on the outside mirror when ad justing the
basic brightness . You may not notice the
cha nge unt il lighting conditions are norma l
aga in .
(D Tips
- Side assist is not active when the basic
brightness is adjusted. The signal light
comes on br iefly to help you make the
adjustment .
- Your settings are automatically stored
and ass igned to the remote control key
being used.
General information
Applies to veh icles : w it h side assist
S ide assist has limits and cannot dete ct vehi­
cl es unde r all road and weat he r c ondit ions .
Please remember sys tem limita tions and nev­
er rely on the system, especially when :
- driving thro ugh curves ~
page 92,
- lanes are of d ifferent widths~
page 92.
· When driving through curves
Applies to veh icles: w it h side assist
S ide assist cannot detect ve hicles in c urves
with a turning rad ius o f less than 3 28 fee t
(10 0 m).
When driving thro ugh a curve, it is poss ible
that side assist may reg iste r a veh icle two
l anes over, a nd the signa l o n the ou ts ide mir­
ror will ligh t up.
Lane width
Appl ies to veh icles : w ith side assist
0
Fi g. 94 La nes o f a norma l widt h are in detect ion area
Fi g. 95 Narrow la nes: S ide ass ist may detect ve hicles
two lanes away
S ide assist's detec tion a rea is designed to cov -
er lanes of standa rd width to the left and
ll-

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.

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 .,.

Reverse Parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with rear
view camera
Parking mode 1 can be used when parking in
a garage or into a parking space.
Fig. 125 MMI display: a iming at a park ing spot
Fig. 126 MMI display: aligning the vehicle
• Switch the MMI on and select reverse gear.
• Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orientation lines
(D appear in the parking
spot¢
fig. 125. Use the markings @to help
you estimate the distance from an obstacle .
Each marking represents 3
ft (1 meter). The
blue area represents an extension of the ve­
hicle's outline by approximately 16
ft (5 me­
ters) to the rear.
• While driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering wheel angle to fit the parking space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines ¢ (D. @ marks the rear bumper. Stop the
vehicle when the red orientation line© bor­
ders an object¢ £!
A WARNING
-The rear view camera does not show the
entire area beh ind the veh icle
¢p age 115, fig. 123. Watch out espe­
cially for smal l children and animals. The
Parking system 117
rear view camera cannot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the bumper of a parked vehicle, a trailer
hitch, or the rear ofa truck). In this case,
you shou ld not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
In the MMI d isplay, the direction of travel
of the vehicle rear is represented depend­
ing on the steering wheel angle. The vehi­
cle front swings out more than the vehicle
r ear. Maintain plenty of distance so that
your outside mirror or a corner o f your ve­
hicle does not collide with any obstacles.
This can damage to your vehicle.
Parallel Parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with rear
view camera
Use parking mode 2 to help you parallel park
along the side of a street.
Fig. 127 MMI display: blue surface in the park ing spot
Fi g. 128 MMI display: Blue curve on the curb