2012 AUDI A6 fuel consumption

Instrument s and warning /indicator lights 25
on until it is switched off. If yo u continue driv ­
ing within two hours after switching the igni­
tion off, the new val ues are included when
calculating the current tr ip informat ion.
Unlike the short-term memory, the long-term
memory is not e rased automatica lly. You can
se lect the t ime period for eval uat ing trip in ­
formation yo urself.
F or some vehicle functions, you can access the
trip information from the temporary memory
i n the line
(I) ~ page 23, fig. 5.
Efficiency program
The eff iciency p rogram can help yo u to u se
l ess fuel. I t eva luates dr iving information in
re ference to fue l consumpt ion and shows oth ­
er equipment inf luencing co nsumption as we ll
as shift recommendations.
c> page 25. Fue l
economy messages
c> page 25 provide tips
for efficient driving. The eff ic iency prog ram
uses distance and consumption data from tr ip
computer
1.
To display the efficiency program, call up Ve ­
hicle functions and select the menu option
Efficiency program . If the data are deleted in
the efficiency program , those values are also
reset in trip computer.
(D Tips
- All stored va lues w ill be lost if the veh i­
cle battery is disconn ected.
- Fuel consumptions (ave rage and cu r­
ren t), range and spe ed are displayed in
m etr ic uni ts on Cana dian models .
Other equipment
Fig. 8 Tri p co mpute r: ot her eq uipment
Req uirement: The e fficiency program m ust be
displayed
~ page 25.
1-Tur n the thumbw heel u ntil th e other e quip-
men t ap pears in the display.
Ot her equ ipment t hat is c urrently affe cti ng
fuel consump tion is liste d in t he eff iciency
progr am. The disp lay sh ows up to th ree o ther
items of eq uipment @. The equ ipment using
the most fuel is listed first . If more than th ree
items us ing fuel are switched on, the equip ­
ment that is c urrently using the most fuel is
displayed .
A scale @also s hows the c urrent tota l co n­
sumption of all other equipment .
Fuel economy messages
Fig. 9 Dis play : exa m ple of a fuel eco nomy m essage
Fuel economy me ssage s are di splayed when
fuel consum ption is increased by cert ain con­
di tions. If you fo llow these fuel economy mes ­
sa ges, you ca n re duce your ve hicle's consump­
t ion o f fuel. The messages appear a utomat i­
ca lly and are only d isp layed in the efficiency
program. The fue l economy messages turn off
automat ica lly afte r a certain period of t ime .
.,. To turn an economy message off immedi-
ately after it appears, press any button on
the mult ifunct ion steering wheel.
{!) Tips
- Once yo u have tur ned a f ue l economy
m essage off, it will o nly appear agai n af­
ter yo u turn the ign itio n on again .
- The fue l economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rather in in­
te rvals over a period of time.

198 Driving and en vironm ent
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
sto re the full braking effect.
@) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through salt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec­
t ion will give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con ­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce lerating. If you anticipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
thus, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible - for example when you see
that the next traffic light is red.

Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
"" Try and keep well below your car's maxi-
mum speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­ tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
g ine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"" Shut the engine off when you are not driv­
ing the vehicle.
"" Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings, or at traffic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
bu rned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 199
'
heating o r othe r damage to the veh icle or
other p roperty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"" Have your veh icle serviced at reg ular i nter-
vals.
By having your veh icle regu la rly serviced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensu re that it runs prop­
erly and economically. The condition of your
vehicle not only affects its sa fety and ability to
hold its value, it a lso affects
fuel con sump­
tion .
Check your oil e ach t ime you fill your tank .
The amount of o il used is re lated to eng ine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven .
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(U) Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Ma in­
tenance booklet . Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss io n cont ro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, swit ches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to p rotec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
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200 Driving and environment Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avo id driving short distances with a
cold eng ine.
The engine and catalyt ic converte r have to
reac h their optimal
operating temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis­
sions effect ively .
Just afte r starting, a cold engi ne in a mid -size
car on ly achieves a f uel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallo n (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
ha lf a m ile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/ 1 00 km). Afte r abo ut
2.5 m iles ( 4 km),
the eng ine is at its proper ope rat ing temp era­
ture and fue l e co nomy has rea ched a no rma l
l eve l. So you can see th at you sho uld a void
shor t trip s wheneve r poss ible.
Th e
outside temperature is also critical in this
r egard. Your car co nsum es more fuel in the
win ter than in the summe r.

224 Check ing and filling
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent add it ives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ning for a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am age or m alfunc tions du e to lack of
m ainten ance
It is essential that you change your oil at the recommended in tervals using only engine o il
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW 502 00. You r Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fail ure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty &
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dea ler proof in the form of Service or Re­
pa ir Orders that all scheduled ma intenance
was performed in a t imely manner.
Eng ine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in­
ternal comb ustion eng ines consume a certa in
amount of oil. O il consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typica lly, engines
with a specif ied break-in period (see
¢
page 196) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under norma l conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions . Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensat ion or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oi l. As any engine is subject to wear as mi
leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement of worn components may become necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regu lar and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
in the instrument cluster
II! lights up, you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 225. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 225.
A WARNING '"---
Before you check anythi ng in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 220.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
-The oil pressu re warn ing display. is
not an indic ator of the oil le vel. Do not
r el y on it . In ste ad, ch eck the oil lev el in
y our engin e at r eg ular inter vals , pref ­
erably ea ch time you r efu el, and alwa ys
before going on a long trip .
- If you have t he impression yo ur engine
cons umes ex cessive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consu lt your Aud i
dea ler to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that
the accurate meas urement of oi l con­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime. Your Audi dea ler has in­
structions about how to measure oil con­
sumption accurately.
-

The speed rating letter code (c::> page 23 7) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 246.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated .
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al­
ways remember :
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@l For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
-
Tires and wheels
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels , and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch
(10,S mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
c::> (]) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING ,..__
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer .
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains .
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so. ..,.
251
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28 0 Con sum er Inf ormation
-Always make sure the transmission se­
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) and the park brake
is f irmly app lied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings wi ll ad­
versely affect em iss ion levels. This is det­
rimental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula­
tions when dispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn o ut tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo ­
rate Material -spec ial handling may ap­
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous­
was te/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the res traint system including
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten ­
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authori zed Aud i dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be­
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de­
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of a c­
tive and passive safety .
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap­
proved changes to the ve hicle. For this reason ,
if pa rts have to be replaced , please obse rve
the following points when install ing addition­
a l accessories: Approved Audi accessories and genuine Aud
i
parts are available from authorized A udi deal­
ers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have the necessary facili­
ties, tools and tra ined specialists to install the
parts and acc essories proper ly .
A WARNING
-Using the wrong spare parts or using non-
approved accessories can cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and gen uine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specia lly designed to be used on yo ur ve­
h icle .
- Never install accessor ies such as tele­
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir­
bag covers or within the airbag deploy­
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNI NGS
9 page 214 .
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth­
ods, this can resu lt in seve re damage to
your vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi ­
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible .
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations.

Child safety . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 168
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 179
Important safety instructions fo r using
chi ld safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2
Important things to know when dr iv ing
with chi ldren ............... ... ... 168
Tether anchors ... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 185
Tet her straps ......... ...... .... .. 185
Ch ild safety lock
Reardoo~ .............. .... .. .... 37
Ch ild safety sea ts ....... ... .. .. .. ... 174
Booster seats .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 177
Convertible c hild seats . ... .. .. .. .. . 175
Convertible locking retractor .. .. .. .. . 179
H ow do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ............ ... .. 172
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Install ing .. ................ ... ... 179
I nstal ling a chi ld restraint using the
L A T C H sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
L A TCH sys tem ............ .. .. .. .. . 184
L owe r ancho rages ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 183
M ounting and releasing the ancho rage
hook .... .. .. .. ........... .. .. ... 184
Safety instructions ........ .. .. .. .. . 172
C igare tte lig hte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
C lea ning and protection .......... .... 204
A lcantara (synthet ic suede) ..... ... .. 213
E ng ine compartment ...... .. .. .. .. . 214
E xha ust tail pipes ......... .. .. .. .. . 210
Fa brics and fabr ic coverings .. .. .. .. . 210
I ns trumen t panel . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 2 11
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
L eather .... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 212
MMI disp lay/controls ...... .. .. .. .. . 210
P lastic and v inyl .......... .. .. .. .. . 207
Plastic pa rts ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 211
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
tr im str ips .... ........... ... ... .. 208
T rim str ips . ............. .... .. ... 207
Climate control Air vents . ................ ... ... ... 65
Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Climate con trol (four-zone)
Opera tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Climate control (three-zone) Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
C lock ..... .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... 26
Inde x 285
Closing
Sliding/ti lting s unroof ... .... ... .. .. . 39
Cold tire infla tion p ress ure ............ 239
Coming home . .. .. ................. . 43
Compac t spa re tire ... . ... .... ... .. .. 257
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Compliance ... .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 281
Consumer Informa tion.......... 131, 278
Consumption (fuel) .. . ... .... ... .. .. . 24
Contacting NHTSA ... . .. ..... ... .. .. 131
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Star ting t he engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Stopping the eng ine (S TAR T E NGINE
S TOP b utton) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Switching the ignition on .... ... .. .. . 70
U nlocking and loc kin g vehicle . ... .. .. . 34
Conve rtib le child safe ty seats ..... .... 175
Convertib le loc king retractor
Activating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Deact ivat ing . .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. 182
U si ng to secure a child safety seat 1.79, 181
Coolant
refer to E ng ine coolant ......... .... 227
Cooling mode (automat ic climate control) 66
Cooling mode (climate control) . . . . . . . . . 64
Cornering light .. .. ................. . 95
Cruise cont ro l
Changi ng speed . ... . .. ..... ... .. .. . 76
Presetting your speed ... .... ... .. .. . 77
Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Switching on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 22
( upholder .. .... .. .................. 55
D
Data ....... .. .. .. ... ............ .. 276
Data recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Date d isp lay . ..... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 26
Dayt ime runn ing lights ... .. .. ... ... .. . 41
Declarat ion of compliance
Adaptive cruise control ......... .. .. 281
Audi s ide ass ist .. ................. 281
Ce ll phone package . ............... 281
Co nvenience key .. .. . .. .. .. ... ... .. 281
El ectronic immob ilizer .......... .... 281
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