2013 AUDI A5 COUPE Owners Manual

When accelerating, the transmission wi ll au­
tomatically shift into the next gear before the
engine reaches its maximum RPM.
I f yo u app ly a ligh t throt tle when acce lera t­
ing, tiptronic will a utomatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you apply a heavy
thrott le, the transmission will stay in 1st gear
until near maximum RPM is reached, or unt il
the dr iver shifts into 2nd gear.
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l
when dr iving down a steep incline, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the
next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and eng ine RPM . Auto­
mat ic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the thrott le aga in .
(D Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
t h e transmiss io n will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine.
- When the k ick-down comes on, the
transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine speeds.
- Tiptronic is inope rat ive when the trans­
mission is in the fail-sa fe mode.
Transmission malfunction
Ap plies to vehicles: with tiptro nic
[O] Tran smi ssion: Press brake pedal and se­
lect gear again.
P ress the brake pedal and se lec t th e des ired
selec tor lever pos it io n a gain. You can then
continue dr iv ing.
[O] Trans mission overh eating : Ple ase drive
c onserv atively.
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty dr iving manner .
D rive in a less spo rty manne r until the tem­
pe rat ure retu rns to the norma l range a nd the
in dicator light switches of.
[O] Tran smission malfunct ion: You can con­
tinue driving Tran
sm iss ion 87
There is a system mal function in the t ransmis ­
sion . You may contin ue driving . Drive to yo ur
authorized Aud i dea ler o r qualified repa ir fa­
c ility soon to have the ma lfunction corrected.
[O] Transmi ssion malfunction: Lim ited driv­
ing functionality
T he re is a system malfunc tion in the t ransmis­
s ion. The transm ission is swi tching to emer­
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer ­
tain gears or will no longer shift at al l. The en­
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Transmi ssion malfunction : Stop vehicle
and shift to park.
Do not con tinue dr iving. Se lect the P selector
lever position and see your au thori zed A udi
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis ­
tance.
Q) Note
If the transmission swi tches to emergency
mode, you should ta ke t he ve hicle to an
a uthorized Audi dea lership as soon as pos­
sib le to have the condition corrected.

88 Transmission
Emergency release of the selector lever
App lies to vehicles: with tiptronic
If the vehicle's power supply foils, the selec­
tor lever con be released in on emergency.
Fig. 88 Removing ashtray insert
Fig. 89 Emergency release for selector lever
The emergency release is located under the in­
sert for the ashtray.
.. Slide open the cover for the ashtray.
.. Release the ashtray by push ing the switch
@¢fig. 88 to the right.
.. Remove the ashtray insert@.
.. Now you can see a small cover in the ash­
tray holder on the front of the ashtray re­
cess.
.. Re lease and remove this cover .
.. You now have access to a bolt. Using a
screwdriver or similar, press the bolt down
and hold it down ¢
fig. 89.
.. Now press the interlock and move the selec-
tor lever to the N pos ition .
The selector lever can only be moved from the
P position if the ignition key is in the lock and
the ignition is turned on. If the vehicle has to
be pushed or towed if the power supply fa ils
(e.g. battery is discharged), the selector lever
must first be moved to the N position using
the emergency locking device.
S tronic ®
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transm ission
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronical­
ly-controlled manual transmission called S
tronic ®. Two independent clutches transfer
the power between the engine and transmis­
sion . They rep lace the torque converter used
in conventional automatic transmissions and
allow the vehicle to accelerate without a no­
ticeable interruption in traction.
You can also shift the gears
manually using
tiptronic , if you like ¢ page 92.
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: wit h S t ronic tra nsmi ssio n
Fig. 90 Display: Se lector lever posit ions
The instrument cluster display shows the cur­
rent se lector lever position and current gear .
P -Park
The wheels are mechanically locked in this po­
sition. You can only shift into Park when the
vehicle is
stationary ¢ /1. .
To shift in and out of P, press the interlock
button in the selector lever
while press ing the
brake pedal.
R - Reverse
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed ¢
/1..
To select R, press the interlock button while
pressing the brake pedal. The back-up lights
switch on in the R position if the ignition is
switched on .

N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this position.
DIS -Normal position for driving forward
In the 0/5 position , the transmission can be
operated either in the normal D mode or in
the 5 sport mode. To select the S sport mode ,
pull the se lector lever back briefly. Pulling the
lever back again will select the normal D
mode. The instrument cluster disp lay shows
the selected driving mode.
I n the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matica lly selects the best gear ratio . It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and the
dynamic control program (DRP).
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driv ing.
The vehicle makes full use of the engine's
power. Shifting is more noticeable when accel­
erating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while moving the l ever to D/S out of N.
I n certain circumstances it may be advanta­
geous to temporarily switch to the manual
shift program to manually select gear ratios
to match specific driving conditions
~ page 92.
A WARNING
-Never select R or P while driving.
- Power is stil l transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions (except P) when
the engine is running. Do not inadver­
tent ly press the accelerator pedal when
the vehicle is stopped if a gear is engag­
ed . Otherwise the vehicle will start to
move immediately. This could happen
even if the parking brake is activated.
- Before opening the hood and working on
a running engine, select P with the se lec­
tor lever and activate the parking brake.
Always read and follow the applicable
Transmission 89
warnings ~ page 209, Engine compart­
ment.
@ Tips
- On vehicles with Audi drive select*, you
can adjust the sporty shift characteristics
in the
Dynamic driving mode.Swill ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display in­
stead of D.
- If you accidentally select N while driving,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal
immediately and wait for the engine to
slow down to idle before selecting D/S.
- If there is a power failure, the selector
lever will not move out of the P position .
The emergency release can be used if
this happens~
page 94.
. Selector lever lock
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The selector lever lock prevents you from se ­
lecting a gear accidentally , causing the vehi­
cle to roll .
Fig. 91 Selector le ve r lock
To release the selector lever lock :
1-Switch the ignition on.
.. Press the brake pedal
while pressing the in-
terlock button.
Automatic shift lock (ASL)
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po ­
sitions when the ignition is turned on . You
must press the brake pedal and the interlock
button to select another position. As a re­
minder to the driver, the following warning
appears in the instrument cluster display
when the selector is in P and N:

90 Transmi ssion
When st a tiona ry apply brake ped al while se­
lecti ng gear
The se lector lever lo ck only funct ions when
the vehicle is stationary and at speeds up to
3 mph (5 km/h). At higher speeds, the lock is
automatically deactivated i n the N position .
The se lector lever is not loc ked when s hifting
q ui ckly thro ugh N, for examp le from R to D/5.
This makes it possible to free the veh icle when
it is stuck by " rocking" it . The selector lever
l ock engages if the lever stays in N longer
than 1 second when the brake pedal is not pressed.
Inte rlock button
The interlock button in the selector lever han ­
d le prevents you from moving the selector
l ever inadvertently while in some selector lev­
er positions. Press ing the interlock button re­
leases the se lector lever lock. The pos itions
that require the interlock button to be press ­
ed are marked in color in the i llustration
~ fig.91.
Ignition key safety inte rlock
You can only remove the key after switching
the ign it ion off if the selec tor lever is in the P
position . T he selector lever w ill be locked in
the P pos ition as long as the key is not in the
ignit io n.
Driving information
App lies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The transmission shifts up and down auto­
matically when in the driving gears .
Fig. 92 Sect io n of the ce n ter conso le: Sele ctor lev er
w it h inte rlock b utton
M N N N
" CD CD
You can on ly start the engine when the se lec­
tor lever is in the P or N position.
Sta rting from a stop
" Press and hold the b ra ke peda l.
.. Press and hold the interlock button (in the
selecto r lever hand le), move the selector
lever to the desired position s uch as D/5
~ page 88 and re lease the interlock button .
.. Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts. You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages.
.. Release the brake peda l and press the accel­
erator pedal¢& .
Stopping t emporarily
.. Press the brake peda l to prevent the veh icle
from mov ing, for example at traffic lights .
.. Do not press the accelerator peda l when do-
ing this .
Parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the veh icle
could roll. The message
Transmission : Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears .
.. Press and hold the brake pedal¢ ,&. .
.. Activate the park ing brake.
.. Hold the interlock button down, place the
selector lever in the P posit ion and re lease
the interlock button .
Stopping on an incline
.. Always press the brake pedal to ho ld the ve ­
hicle in place and preven t it from "ro lling
back" ¢,&. . Do
not try to prevent the vehicle
from "roll ing back" when a gear is engaged
by increasing the eng ine speed
~ CD .
St arting on an incline
.. Activate the park ing brake .
.. With the driving gear selected, press the ac­
celera tor peda l carefully . The parking brake
w ill release automatically if your seat be lt is
fastened .
Driving o n an incline: Under certain c ircum-
sta nces, such as dr iv ing in the mounta ins, it ..,_

may be useful to switch temporarily to the
manual shift program in order to adjust the
gears to the driving conditions by hand
Q & .
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
This prevents the locking mechanism from be­ ing loaded too heavily and will make it easier
to move the selector lever out of P.
A WARNING
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long. Constant
braking causes the brakes to overheat
and substantially reduces braking per­
formance, increases braking distance or
causes complete failure of the brake sys­
tem .
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
[O] illu­
minates and a driver message appears
Transmission 91
Q page 93 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the S tronic
transmission to overheat and can dam­
age it . Activate the parking brake or
press the brake pedal to prevent the ve­
hicle from rolling .
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the en ­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the S tronic transmis­
sion because it is not lubricated under
those circumstances.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles : wi th S tronic t ra nsmi ssio n and hill de ·
sce nt contro l
The hill descent con trol system assists the
driver when driving down declines .
Hill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The S tronic transmission automatically
shifts down into a gear suitable for the de­ cline. Hill descent control tries to maintain
the speed achieved at the time of braking,
within physical and technical limitations. If
may still be necessary to adjust the speed
with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
Q page 80, hill descent control is also activat-
ed when the speed is set. .,,.

92 Transmission
& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the
brakes.
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears .
Fig. 93 C en ter conso le : shift in g th e mu ltitro nic/t ip­
tron i c manually
Fig. 94 Steering wheel : Shi ft buttons
Gear selection with selector lever
"' N N N
" "' a)
The tiptronic mode can be s elected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.. Push the selector lever to the right from 0/
S. As soon as the transmission has switched
over , the selected gear appears in the dis­
play .
.. To upshift, push the selector lever forward
to the plus position
0 o fig . 93 .
.. To downshift, push the lever to the minus
pos it ion
0 -
Gear selection with paddle levers*
The shift buttons are activated when these­
lector lever is in 0/5 or the tiptronic manua l
shift program.
.. To upshift, touch the button on the right ©
ofig. 94 .
.. To downshift, touch the button on the left
0 .
When accelerating, the transmission will au­
tomatically shift into the next gea r before the
engine reaches its maximum RPM.
If you apply a light throttle when accelerat­
ing, tiptronic will automatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you apply a heavy
throttle , the transmission will stay in 1st gear
until near maximum RPM is reached, or until
the drive r shifts into 2nd gear .
If you take you r foot off the acce le rator pedal
when dr iving down a steep incline, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the
next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and engine RPM. Auto­
matic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the throttle again.
@ Tips
-When you shift into the next lower gear,
the transmission will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev ­
ving the engi ne.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicl e and engine
speeds .
- Tiptronic is inoperative when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you press the accelerator pedal down
beyond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­
pending on vehicle speed and engine RPM .
It ...

shifts up into the ne xt higher gea r once the
maximum specified engine RPM is reached .
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is
active.
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The Launch Control Program provides the
best ac celeration possible when starting from
a s top .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat ­
i ng temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned.
... Press the
I~ OFF I button ¢ page 187 while
the engine is running . The
II indicator light
i ll uminates in the instrument cluster and
T raction control (ASR ): Off. Wa rn ing! Re ­
stricted stabil it y
appears in the driver infor­
mation system d isplay .
... Move the selector lever to the D/S position
o r se lect t he
dynamic d riving mode in Aud i
drive selec t* ¢ page 110 .
... Press the br ake ped al stro ng ly w it h your left
f oot and hold it down for at least one sec ­
ond.
... At t he same time, press the accelerato r
peda l down completely with your right foot
unti l the engine reaches and maintains a
high RPM.
... Remove your foot from the brake peda l
within 5 seconds¢_&. .
A WARNING
-Always adapt you r d rivi ng to the traffic
flow.
- Only use the Launch Control P rogram
when roa d and tr affic cond it ions allow it
and ot her dr ivers will not be end angered
o r annoyed by yo ur driv ing and the vehi ­
cl e's acce leration .
- P lease note th at t he driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can brea k away
-
Tran sm iss ion 93
when ASR is switched off, especially
when t he road is sli ppery .
- Once you have accelerated, you shou ld
sw itch the ASR back on by pressing the
I ~ OFFI button.
(D Tips
- The transmission temperature may in ­
crease s ignificantly after using the
launch control program. I f that happens,
the program may not be ava ilable for a
few minutes. It w ill be available again af­
t er a cool-down per iod .
- When accelerating using the Launch
Cont ro l program, a ll vehicle parts are
subjec t to heavy loads . T his can r esult in
increase d wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
[O] Tran smission: Press brake pedal and s e­
lect gear again.
P ress the brake pedal and select the desire d
selector lever position again. You ca n the n
continue d riving.
[O] Transmis sion overheating: Pleas e driv e
conservatively .
The transmiss ion temperature has increased
s ignificantly due to the sporty driving manner.
D rive in a less sporty ma nner until the tem ­
perature returns to the normal range and the
i ndicato r light switches of.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con­
tinue driving
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion. You may cont inue driving. Drive to yo ur
authori zed Aud i dea ler or qualified repa ir fa­
c ili ty soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction : Limited dr iv-
ing functionality
""°

94 Transmi ssion
There is a syste m ma lf un ction in t he tr ansmis­
sion. The transm ission is switching to emer­
gency mode. Th is mode only sh ifts into cer­
tain gears or will no longer shift at all. The en­
gine may stall. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer o r qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction co rrected .
[O] Ii) Transmi ssion malfunct ion: No re verse
You can conti nue d riving
There is a system ma lf u nction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is sw itching to emer­
gency mode. Th is mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will no longer shift at a ll. The en­
g ine may stall. You cannot engage the reve rse
gear . D rive to your authorized A udi dealer or
qua lified r epai r faci lity immediate ly to have
the ma lf u nction co rrec ted .
[O] Tran smission malfunct ion : Stop veh icle
and shift to park .
Do not continue driving. Select the P se lector
lever pos ition and see your authorized Audi
dealer o r qualified repair facility for assis ­
tance.
({D Note
If the transmiss io n sw itches to emergency
mode, you sho uld take the vehicle to an
author ized Audi dealersh ip as soon as pos­
sib le to have the cond ition co rrected.
Selector lever emergency release
App lies to vehicles: with S tronic tr ansmiss ion
If the vehicle's power supply fails , the selec ­
tor lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 95 Fron t cen te r con so le: Remov ing the ashtray in­
sert
F ig. 96 Selec to r lever eme rge ncy re lease
"' To access the emergency re lease mecha ­
n ism , remove the ashtray insert @ us ing the
release switch @q
fig. 95.
"' Loosen an d remove the cap in t he asht ray
mou nt.
"' Yo u n ow have access to a p in . Using a sc rew­
driver or simi la r object, press the pin down
and hold it in that position
¢ fig . 96.
"' Now press the i nterlock button and move
the selector lever to the N posi tion .
T he selector lever can only be moved from the
P position i f the key is in the lock and the igni­
t ion is switched on. If the power supply fails
(for example, the battery is discharged) and
t h e veh icle must be pushed or towed, move
the selecto r lever to th e N position fi rst usi ng
the emergency re lease.