-Always acce lerate with specia l care on
even, smooth surfaces s uch as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al
ways help to reduce the risk of loss of ve hicle control.
(0 Tips
- ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equ ipped w ith ident i
ca l tires. Different tire s izes can lead to a
reduct ion i n eng ine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are wo rking .
- If the indicator light D] or m!S (USA
models) ;tiJ (Canada models) appears,
the re may be a malfunct ion
c:> page 19,
~ page 19.
Sedan : Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine .
Fig . 174 Vers io n A: low er c en te r co nsol e, 1', O FF bu t
to n
Fig. 175 Ve rsio n B: upper ce nte r console,~ OFF bu t
to n
Intelligen t technolog y 187
Turning off ASR
In some sit uatio ns, it may be useful to switch
ASR
off to a llow the wheels to spin . For exam
ple:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when i t is st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Qu ick ly press the
I~ O FF I button c:> fig. 174 or
c:>
fig . 175. The fil indica tor light turn s on and
t he me ssage
T rac tion control (A SR ): Off.
War ning! R estrict ed stability
appears in the
display .
It i s only possible to turn
off the ASR up to
30 mph (SO km/h) for vehicles wi th front
wheel drive . At about 45 mph (70 km/h) it au
tomat ically turns on again .
It is possible to
turn
off the ASR at any speed fo r vehicles with
all wheel drive .
Turning off ESC
Press and hold the I;; OFFI button for three
seconds . The
fl ESC indicator light turns on
and the message
Stabil ization cont rol (ESC ):
o ff . Warni ng ! Re str icted stab ilit y
appea rs in
the d isplay. ASR is also sw itched
off when ESC
i s sw itched off.
Switching on
Press the j ;; O FFI button again . The fi indica
tor light t urns on and the message
St abi liz a
t ion control (ESC ): On
appears in the disp lay.
_&. WARNING
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
contro l of the vehicle more eas ily when
ASR and ESC are switched off, especia lly
when the road is s lippery .
- Switch ASR/ESC
off only when yo ur driv
ing skills, traffic and weather conditions
permit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch ASR and ESC off when
adaptive cruise control* is working .
-
188 Intelligent technology
allroad: Switching on /off
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine .
Fig. 176 Version A: lower ce nter console,~ OFF but
to n
...... [ I I n-I _,,. .,., -------' -"~ __..,
Fig. 177 Versio n B: upper ce nter conso le,~ OFF but
to n
ESC Offroad mode
In order to maintain maximum traction and
optima l brak ing when driving offroad , the
conditions for the ESC to work are reduced to
such a degree, tha t the vehicle whee ls co uld
start to spin . The stabilizing effects start to
work later wh ich results in limited vehicle sta
b ili ty.
The ESC Offroad mode should on ly be used in
the following situations:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving on rough terra in when much of the
car's weight is lifted off the wheels (axle ar
t icu lation)
- Driving with snow cha ins
- Driving downhill while braking on loose
ground
F or your safety, switch off the ESC Offroad
mode in advance.
Switching on th e ES C Offroad mode
Press the In OF FI button ¢ fig. 176 or
¢ fig. 177 . The I indicator light turns on and
the message
St abilization cont ro l ( ES C): Off
ro ad. Wa rning! Rest ricted stability
appears
in the disp lay.
Swit ching off th e ESC Offroad mode
Press the !.$ O FF I button again to sw itch the
ESC back on . The
IJ indicator light turns off
and the message
Stabil ization contro l (ESC ):
On
appears in the display.
_& WARNING
- You shou ld only turn on the ESC Offroad
mode when driving offroad or with snow
chains.
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more easi ly when
ASR and ESC are in Offroad mode, espe
cially whe n the road is slippery.
- Switch to Offroad mode only whe n your
driving skills, traff ic and weather condi
tions permit .
(D Tips
You cannot sw itch Offroad mode on when
adaptive cruise control* is working.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pad s
During the first 250 mi les (400 km), new
brake pads do not possess the ir full brak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first¢ .&,.
You can compensate for this slightly reduced
braking power by p ushing harde r on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy brak ing loads dur ing the
break-in pe riod.
Oper ating cond ition s and driving habit s
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat
ing co nd it ions and driving hab its
¢ .&, . On
vehicles that are either driven most ly in stop-
and-go city traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
lilJ,,
brake pads should be checked by your a uthor
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
War ranty & M aint enance booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can res ult
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the braking
effect of the engine . This way, you prevent un
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously . Pump the brakes at inter
vals.
Operating no ise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and outside condi
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Effect of w ater and ro ad salt
In certain sit uations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, after overnight
condensation or after washing your car, the brak ing effect can be reduced by moisture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads. The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake app lications.
At h igher speeds and with the w indshield w ip
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs at regula r intervals without the
d river noticing and provides for better brake
response time under wet condit ions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes a re not used . L ikew ise,
you clean off a ccumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few ca utious ap
p lications of the brake
c:> .&. .
Cor rosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to bu ild up
on the brake pads a nd corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regular ly or
only for short t rips with little use of the
b rakes.
I f the b rakes are not used frequently, or if cor
r osion has formed on the discs, it is advisab le
t o clean off the pads and discs by brak ing
Int ellig ent technolog y 189
firmly a few times from a moderately h igh
speed
c:> .&. .
Faults in the brake s yst em
If you shou ld notice a sudden in crease in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have fai led
c:> .&. .
Lo w brake fluid l ev el
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low . The brake flu id
level is monitored elect ro nica lly.
Brake booster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate with the brake peda l. It works
only when the engine is running
.c:> .&
Brake lining wear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If neces
sa ry, the wheel may be removed for th is in
spect ion
c:> page 259, Changing a wheel.
A WARNING
- New brake pads don' t have the best stop
ping power and m ust be "bro ken-in" dur
ing the initial
100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity driving.
You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly. Th is also
applies later when new pads are instal
led.
- You should perform braking maneuvers for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road use rs must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gea r or l ower dr iving range . Do not ride
the brakes or hold t he pedal down too
long or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not " ride the brakes" by res ting you r
foo t on the pedal when you do not intend .,..
•
•
190 Intelligent technology
to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
f or a test . B rakes will dry a nd ice coat
ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended pe riod of time on
salt -covered roads without using you r
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct
ed . O therwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to t he near
est author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your ve hicle, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
the veh icle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Ste ering d efe ct ive ! Do not d rive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
a nd this message appears, the power steering
may have failed .
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance.
'Tij D ynamic steer ing: Sy stem f au lt! You c an
cont inue d riving
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes
sage appears, the stee ring may be more diffi
c ul t to move o r more sensitive than usua l. The
steering wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driv ing straight.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lf u nction
corrected.
'Tij Dynamic stee rin g: initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel, dynamic steer ing* is being re initia lized . On ce
you start the engine after t his is finished, the
steering wheel will be easy to move . Re-initi
alizat ion might be necessary if the steering
whee l was moved hard to the left and right
whi le the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initiali zation is complete.
A WARNING
-Have the dynamic steering* system mal
function repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop - r is k of accident!
-
@ Tips
- If the . or
fT j indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, you may continue
driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering*, refer to
c:> page 113.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with a ll-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
Gener al inform ati on
W ith all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving style and the road
conditions at the t ime. See also
c:> page 185.
A center different ial distr ibutes the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle . It
works together with selective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving throug h
curves
c:> page 186. With the spo rt d ifferen
tial*, power dist ribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with drive select
c:> page 113.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power. Yo ur vehicle is exception
ally powerful and has exce llent driving charac
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and fo llow
safety precautions
c:> A .
Winter t ir e s
When driv ing in the w inter, your veh icle w ith
all-wheel drive has an advantage,
even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
w heels . See also c:> page 250, Winter tires .
Intellig ent technolog y 191
Tire chain s
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this no rma lly also applies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive
c:> page 251, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of t he same s ize. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths . For detai ls see
page
c:> page 246, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
You r A udi does no t have enough ground clear
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle .
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
c:> page 194.
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iving to road and traf
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road surfa ces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
co uld begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If this should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in
crease in engine speed as w ith a front
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con
ditions -risk of crash.
•
•
192 Intelligent technology
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat
tery is d ischarged by idling current consumers
(e.g. immobilizer). In ce rtain circumstances it
can result i n there bei ng insuff ic ient ene rgy
avai lab le to start the engine .
Intell igent energy management in your vehi
cle hand les the d ist ribu tion of elect rical ener
gy. Starting ab ility is mar ked ly imp roved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically , energy management consists of
batt ery diagno sis , idling curr ent manag e
ment
a nd dynami c energy man agement .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously determ ines
the state of the battery . Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This dete rm ines the current
sta te of charge and the power of the ba ttery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption wh ile the vehicle is stand ing .
W ith the ignition switched off, it cont ro ls the
ene rgy s upply to the va rio us e lectrica l compo
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid
e red.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
i nd ividua l consumers are grad ually t urned off
to p revent ex cess ive d isc harge of the ba ttery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is be ing dr iven , dynamic en
e rgy management dist ributes t he energy gen
e rated accordi ng to the needs of the individu
a l componen ts.
It reg ulates consump tion, so
that more electrical ene rgy is not being used than
is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy man ageme nt canno t
negate the limi ts of physics . Conside r
that the powe r and life of a battery are
limited .
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi
cator light (•) appears ~
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability .
The b attery is severe ly taxed in short -d istance
driv ing, in ci ty traff ic and during t he cold time
of yea r. Ab undant electrical energy is re
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engine is not r unning and electri
ca l components are turned on . In this in
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precisely these s ituations that you will
notice energy management active ly reg ulat
ing the d istribution of energy.
Vehicle stand s for an e xtended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectrica l compo
nents are gradually cut back or sw itched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in
ta ins start ing capability over a longer pe riod .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior lights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
f unc tions wi ll be available again when yo u
swi tch on the igni tion and sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w it h
the engine t urned off or use other MMI func
t ions, t he battery is be ing discharged.
If starting capability is jeopardized due to en
ergy consump tion, the following warning ap-
pears in the MM I display: .,,.
Please start the engine soon or the system
will be turned off.
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automa tically after 3 minutes. If
you wish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the engine .
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is be ing driven , the battery can be
come discharged. This happens most ly when
litt le energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To br ing t he ene rgy balance back into equili
brium, consumers which require especially
l arge amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par
ticular requ ire a great deal of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has bee n restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly . This is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine idle
speed the add itional ene rgy required is gener
ated and the ba ttery is charged.
Intelligent technology 193
•
•
194 Driving and environment
Driving and
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
... Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
.,. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in per iod
... Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
After the break- in period
... Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un
der any circumstances .
... Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale¢
page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine's inter na l friction is higher tha n later
when alt the moving parts have been broken
i n. How welt this break- in process is done de
pends to a conside rable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome ters).
(D Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto
mat ica lly re duced. However, these rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine welt
r u n- in, not a new eng ine.
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
reduces no ise and protects the environ
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 kilo meters) after fitting.
_& WARNING
N ew tires tend to be slip pery a nd mus t al
so be "broken -in" . Be s ure to remembe r
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les (500 kilo
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you a re d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, ste ep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low- ly ing parts s uch as spoile rs and ex ha ust
s ystem parts do not bot tom o ut and get dam
aged.
T his is espec ially true for veh icles with low
s lu ng chassis (s por ts chassis)* and fully load
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note th e following to avoid vehicle damage
whe n driving through water, for examp le on
flooded roads:
- The wa ter must not be any hig he r th an the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not dr ive faste r than walk ing speed.