What influences the driving safety?
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 128.
The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety
is effected, you place yourself and the oncoming traffic at risk.
The following guidelines must therefore be observed. › Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
passengers or mobile phone calls.
› Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication, alco-
hol, drugs.
› Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
› Always adjust the driving speed to the road, traffic and weather conditions.
› Take regular breaks on long journeys – at least every two hours. ÐCorrect seated position
ä
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Correct seated position for the driver 130
Correct seated position for the front passenger 130
Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats 130
Examples of an incorrect seated position 131
WARNING
■ The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be
correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your
occupants.
■ Always assume the correct seated position before setting off and do not
change this position while driving. Also advise your passengers to adopt the
correct seated position and not to change this position while the car is mov-
ing.
ä WARNING (Continued)
■ If the occupant adopts an incorrect seated position, he is exposed to life-
threatening injuries, in case he is hit by a deployed airbag.
■ If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is
increased due to incorrect routing of the seat belt.
■ The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from the steering
wheel, and a distance of at least 10 cm between the legs and the dash panel
at the height of the knee airbag. The front passenger must maintain a dis-
tance of at least 25 cm to the dash panel. Not maintaining this minimum dis-
tance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you
- hazard!
■ When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9
o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel in
the 12 o'clock position or in any other way (e.g. in the middle or inner edge of
the steering wheel). In such cases, you could severely injure the arms, hands
and head when the driver airbag is deployed.
■ The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system -
risk of injury!
■ Ensure that there are no objects in the driver's footwell as they may get
caught behind the pedals when driving or applying the braking. You would
then no longer be able to operate the clutch, brake or accelerate.
■ Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being driven - never
place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces
of the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes nec-
essary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is de-
ployed, you may suffer fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated posi-
tion! Ð
129
Passive Safety
Correct seated position for the driver
Fig. 116
The correct distance of the driver from the steering wheel and dash
panel/The correct head restraint adjustment
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 129.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident,
we recommend the following setting.
› Position the steering wheel so that there is a gap of at least 25
cm between the
steering wheel and the chest A
» Fig. 116
, and that the distance between the
legs and the dash panel at the height of the knee airbag is at least 10
cm B
.
› Adjust the driver’s seat in the forward/back direction so that the pedals can be
fully depressed with slightly bent legs.
› Adjust the seat backrest so that the highest point of the steering wheel can be
reached with your arms at a slight angle.
› Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the
same level as the upper part of your head C
.
› Correctly fasten the seat belt
» page 134, Fastening and unfastening seat
belts.
Manual driver seat adjustment » page 56, Manually adjusting the front seats .
Electrical driver seat adjustment » page 57, Adjusting front seats electrically .Ð Correct seated position for the front passenger
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 129.ä
ä For the safety of the front passenger and to reduce the risk of injury in the event
of an accident, we recommend the following setting.
› Position the front passenger seat back as far as possible. The front passenger
must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the dash panel so that the airbag
offers the greatest possible safety if it is deployed.
› Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the
same level as the upper part of your head C
» Fig. 116
on page 130.
› Correctly fasten the seat belt
» page 134, Fastening and unfastening seat
belts.
In exceptional cases the front passenger airbag can be deactivated » page 141,
Deactivating airbags .
Manual front passenger adjustment »
page 56 .
Electrical front passenger seat adjustment » page 57.Ð Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 129.
To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a sudden braking manoeuvre or an ac-
cident, the occupants on the rear seats must observe the following.
› Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the
same level as the upper part of the head C
» Fig. 116 on page 130.
› Correctly fasten the seat belt
» page 134, Fastening and unfastening seat
belts .
› Use a suitable child restraint system if transporting children in the vehi-
cle » page 143, Transporting children safely . Ð
ä
130 Safety
Seat belts
Seat belts
ä
Introduction Fig. 117
Driver wearing seat belt
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
The physical principle of a frontal collision 133
Fastening and unfastening seat belts 134
Seat belt height adjuster on the front seats 135
Seat belt for the rear middle seat 135
Belt tensioners 135
Seat belts that are fastened correctly offer good protection in the event of an ac-
cident. They reduce the risk of an injury and increase the chance of survival in the
event of a major accident.
Correctly fastened seat belts hold occupants of the car in the correct seated posi-
tion » Fig. 117.
The seat belts reduce the kinetic energy (energy of motion) to a considerable ex-
tent. They also prevent uncontrolled movements which, in turn, may well result in
severe injuries.
The occupants of a vehicle who have fastened and correctly adjusted their seat
belt, profit to a major extent from the fact that the kinetic energy is optimally ab-
sorbed by the belts. The structure of the front end of the vehicle and other pas-
sive safety measures, such as the airbag system, also contribute to reducing the
kinetic energy. The energy produced is thus absorbed and there is less risk of in-
jury. Particular safety aspects must be observed when transporting children in the ve-
hicle
» page 143, Transporting children safely . WARNING
■ Fasten your seat belt before each journey - even when driving in town! This
also applies to the people seated at the rear - risk of injury!
■ Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of
ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child » page 134.
■ Adjust the height of the belt in such a way that the shoulder part of the belt
is roughly positioned across the middle of your shoulder - on no account
across your neck.
■ Always ensure that the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Seat
belts which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in
minor accidents.
■ The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only achieved if you
are correctly seated » page 129, Correct seated position .
■ The seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear
otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness. ■ The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or twisted,
or chafe against any sharp edges.
■ Make sure you do not catch the seat belt in the door when closing it.
■ A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as your body is
moved forward by the kinetic energy produced in an accident and is then sud-
denly held firm by the belt.
■ The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. specta-
cles, ball-point pens, keys etc.) as this may be a cause of injuries.
■ No two persons (also not children) should ever use a single seat belt togeth-
er.
■ The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is the correct
one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to pro-
tect and the risk of injury increases.
■ The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked by paper or similar objects
otherwise the belt tongue will not lock in place properly.
■ Many layers of clothing and loose clothing (e. g. a winter coat over a jacket)
do not allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the
seat belts. ■ It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e. g. for
shortening the belts for smaller persons). £
132 Safety
Seat belt height adjuster on the front seats
Fig. 121
Front seat: Seat belt height ad-
juster
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 132.
The seat belt height adjuster makes it possible to adjust the routing of the front
seat belts in the area of the shoulder to the body size.
›
Press the height adjuster and move up or down in the desired direc-
tion » Fig. 121.
› Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height adjuster has cor-
rectly locked in place. ÐSeat belt for the rear middle seat
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 132.
The seat belt for the rear middle seat is anchored in the area of the boot on the
left side of the headliner.
Fasten
›
Pull the belt with both lock tongues out of the headliner mount.
› Insert the lock tongue at the end of the belt into the belt buckle on the left side
until it is heard to lock in place.
› Pull the second lock tongue, which is moveable on the seat belt, over the chest
and insert it into the belt buckle on the right side until it is heard to lock in
place.
› Pull on the seat belt to check that both lock tongues are securely engaged in
the locks.
ä
ä The belt tongues for the rear middle seat are shaped differently so that they only
fit into the correct belt buckle. If you are not able to insert a lock tongue into the
wrong belt lock you probably tried to put it into the wrong buckle.
Release
› Take off the safety belt in the reverse order to how you fasten it.
› Manually guide the belt back so that it is easier to fully roll up the webbing, the
seat belt does not twist, does not remain caught between the seatrest and the
trim, and the trim panel is not damaged. WARNING
■ After releasing the seat belt hold it tight and let it slowly reel up until both
lock tongues lock into the headliner mount and are secured with a magnet -
risk of injury. ■ Never unlock both lock tongues simultaneously. Ð Belt tensioners
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 132.
Safety for the driver and front passenger
wearing their seat belts is enhanced by
the belt tensioners fitted to the inertia reels of the front three-point seat belts.
The three-point seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a frontal
collision of a certain severity. The belt tensioners can also be deployed if the seat
belts are not fastened.
The fastened three-point seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a
frontal or side collision of a certain severity.
Belt tensioners are not activated in the event of minor frontal collisions, side and
rear-end collisions, in the case of a rollover and also not in accidents in which no
major forces are produced from the front. £
ä
135
Seat belts
Transporting children safely
Child seat
ä
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Use of a child seat on the front passenger seat 143
Child safety and side airbag 144
Classification of child seats 144
Suitability of child seats 144
Child seats with the ISOFIX system 145
Child seat with the TOP TETHER system 145
Children are generally safer on the rear seats than on the front passenger seat.
In contrast to adults, the muscles and bone structure of children are not yet fully
developed. Thus children are exposed to increased risk of injury.
Children should be transported in accordance with the relevant statutory provi-
sions.
Child seats that comply with the ECE-R
44 standard must be used. The ECE-R
Norm stands for: Economic Commission for Europe - Regulation.
Child seats that comply with the ECE-R 44 standard have a test seal that cannot
be removed: a large E within a circle with the test number below. WARNING
■ The national legal requirements must be observed when using child seats.
■ One should never carry children, and also not babies! - on one's lap.
■ Never leave children unattended in the vehicle. Certain outside climatic con-
ditions can cause life-threatening temperatures in the vehicle.
■ Under no circumstances allow children to be transported without the use of
a suitable restraint system. In the event of an accident the child will be
thrown through the vehicle and may as a result suffer fatal injuries, and also
injure other occupants. WARNING (Continued)
■ Children are exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent if they lean forward or adopt an incorrect seated position when the vehi-
cle is moving. This particularly applies to children who are transported on the
front passenger seat as they can suffer severe, or even fatal injuries if the air-
bag system is deployed!
■ Pay particular attention to the information provided by the manufacturer of
the child safety seat regarding the correct routing of the belt. Seat belts
which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in minor
accidents.
■ Safety belts must be checked to ensure that they are running properly. One
should also ensure that the belt is not damaged by sharp-edged fittings.
■ It is essential to switch off the front passenger airbag if using a child seat in
which the child is seated with its back facing the direction of travel on the
front passenger seat. Further information » page 143, Use of a child seat on
the front passenger seat. Note
We recommend that you use child seats from ŠKODA Original Accessories. These
child seats were developed and also tested for use in
ŠKODA vehicles. They fulfil
the ECE-R 44 standard. Ð Use of a child seat on the front passenger seat
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 143.
For safety reasons, we recommend that you install child seats on the rear seats
whenever possible.
The following guidelines must be observed when using a child safety seat in
which the child is seated with its back facing the direction of travel on the front
passenger seat.
› Switch off the front passenger airbag
» page 141, Deactivating airbags .
› Slide the front passenger seat all the way back.
› Move the front passenger seat backrest into the vertical position.
› Set the height-adjustable front passenger seat as high up as possible.
£
ä
143
Transporting children safely
Towing a trailer
Towing a trailer
Technical requirements
If your vehicle has already been factory-fitted with a towing device or is fitted
with a towing device from ŠKODA Original Accessories, then it meets all of the
technical requirements and national legal provisions for towing a trailer.
On vehicles with a towing device, the ball rod is detachable and is stowed togeth-
er with separate operating instructions in the spare wheel well or in the compart-
ment for the spare wheel within the boot » page 190, Vehicle tool kit.
Your vehicle is fitted with a 13-pin power socket for the electrical connection be-
tween the vehicle and trailer. If the trailer that is to be towed has a 7-pin connec-
tor, you can use a suitable adapter from
ŠKODA Original Accessories.
If a towing device is retrofitted, it must be completed in accordance with the
manufacturer's specifications. Note
If you have any questions, please contact a ŠKODA Service Partner. ÐLoading a trailer
Loading a trailer
The vehicle/trailer combination must be balanced, whereby the maximum permis-
sible drawbar load must be utilised. If the drawbar load is too low, it jeopardises
the performance of the vehicle/trailer combination.
Distribution of the load
Distribute the load in the trailer in such a way that heavy items are located as
close to the axle as possible. Secure the items from slipping.
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and the trail-
er is laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this
combination. Tyre pressure
Correct the tyre inflation pressure on your vehicle for a
“full load” » page 182 ,
Service life of tyres.
Trailer load
The permissible trailer load must not be exceeded under any circumstan-
ces » page 208 , Technical data .
The trailer loads specified apply only to altitudes up to 1 000 metres above mean
sea level. As the engine output drops at an increasing altitude due to the declin-
ing air pressure and therefore the climbing ability is also reduced, this means that
the maximum permissible towed weight must be reduced by 10 % for every fur-
ther increase of 1 000 m in height. The towed weight comprises the actual weight
of the (loaded) towing vehicle and the (loaded) trailer. Always drive particularly
carefully with the trailer.
The trailer and drawbar load information on the type plate of the towing device
are merely test data for the towing device The vehicle-specific values are detailed
in the vehicle documents. WARNING
■ If the maximum permissible axle and drawbar load and the maximum per-
missible total or towed weight of the vehicle and the trailer are exceeded this
can cause accidents and serious injuries.
■ Slipping loads can significantly affect the stability and safety of the vehicle/
trailer combination, causing accidents and serious injuries. Ð Towing a trailer
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. The national legal
requirements must be observed.
Headlights
The headlight settings must be checked before starting a journey with a coupled
trailer. If necessary, adjust the settings with the headlight beam adjust-
ment » page 44 , Headlight beam adjustment .
Driving speed
For safety reasons, do not drive faster than the maximum permissible speed indi-
cated on the trailer. £
157
Towing a trailer
Opening and closing the bonnet
Fig. 139
Bonnet/radiator grille release lever: Release lever Fig. 140
Securing the bonnet with the
bonnet support
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 169.
Opening
›
Pull the release lever under the dash panel 1
» Fig. 139.
Before opening the bonnet, ensure that the arms of the windscreen wipers are
correctly in place against the windscreen otherwise the paintwork could be dam-
aged.
› Press the release lever in the direction of the arrow 2
» Fig. 139 and the bon-
net is unlocked.
› Grab hold of the bonnet and lift.
› Take the bonnet support out of its holder in direction of arrow 3
and secure
the opened bonnet by inserting the end of the support in the opening 4
de-
signed for it » Fig. 140.
ä Closing
› Lift the bonnet slightly and unhook the bonnet support. Press the bonnet sup-
port into the holder designed to hold it.
› Let the bonnet drop into the lock carrier lock from a height of around 20 cm –
do not push it in .
› Check that the bonnet is closed properly. Ð Engine compartment overview
Fig. 141
1.8 ltr./118 kW TSI Petrol engine
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 169.
Coolant expansion reservoir 174
Windscreen washer fluid reservoir 176
Engine oil filler opening 172
Engine oil dipstick 172
Brake fluid reservoir 175
Battery (below a cover) 176
Note
The location of the inspection points in the engine compartment of petrol and
diesel engines is practically identical. Ð
ä 1
2
3
4
5
6
171
Inspecting and replenishing
Handling wheels and tyres
Fig. 149
Changing wheels around
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 181.
Changing wheels around
If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend chang-
ing the front wheels around with the rear wheels as shown in the dia-
gram » Fig. 149. You will then obtain approximately the same life for all the tyres.
We recommend that you change the wheels around every 10
000 km in order to
achieve even wear on all wheels and to obtain optimal tyre life.
Storing tyres
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 possi-
ble, dark place. Tyres which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored up-
right. ÐNew wheels and tyres
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 181.
Only fit tyres of the same type, size (rolling circumference) and the same tread
pattern on one axle on all 4
wheels.
The tyre/wheel combinations which are approved for your vehicle are indicated in
your vehicle documents.
ä
ä Proper knowledge of the tyre data makes it easier for you to select the correct
type of tyre. Tyres, for example, have the following inscription on their walls.
225/50R
17 91 T
What this means is:
225 Tyre width in mm
50 Height/width ratio in %
R Code letter for the type of tyre - Radial
17 Diameter of wheel in inches
91 Load index
T Speed symbol The following speed restrictions apply to tyres.
Speed symbol Permissible maximum speed
S 180 km/h
T 190 km/h
U 200 km/h
H 210 km/h
V 240 km/h
W 270 km/h
Y 300 km/h The date of manufacture
is also stated on the tyre wall (possibly only on the in-
side of wheel ): e.g.
DOT ... 20
12...
means, for example, that the tyre was manufactured in the 20th week of 2012.
The following must be observed if only one temporary spare wheel is availa-
ble » page 184. Ð
183
Wheels and Tyres