
66 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
8_ WARNING
-
- The ski sack is intended only for the
transportation of skis and other light ob
jects . To reduce the risk of serious per
sonal injury, never transport heavy or
pointed objects in the ski sack.
- When brak ing rapidly or during an acci
dent, the load could be displaced and
ca use injury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be covered
for protect ion. Always fasten the belt
t ightly around the sack and its contents
¢ fig. 70.
-For safety reasons, do not transport
more than two pairs of skis in the ski
sack .
- You must sec ure the ski sac k with the
st rap after loading.
- Make su re a ll objects that you are t rans
porting in the pass-through are secured.
Otherwise they cou ld slide around during
sudden braking maneuvers and cause in
jury.
(D Tips
- Never stow the sk i sack away when it is
still wet or damp (for examp le, snow
melting from skis). Allow it to dry com
plete ly before stowing it away.
- When transporting skis or snowboards, tighten the securing strap between the bindings.
- Position skis in the ski sack wit h the
pointed ends facing the front and ski
po les with the pointed ends facing the
rear.
- You can lock or un lock the pass-through
u sing the mechanical key. This prevents
any access to the luggage compartment
from the vehicle interior .
Parcel shelf
The parcel shelf behind the rear seatback can
be used to car ry light items of cloth ing .
8_ WARNING
No heavy or hard objects should be p laced
on the parcel shelf. They are a hazard to
the veh icle occupants during s udden brak
i ng . The is a risk of injury .
(D Note
Please make sure that the heating w ires
for the rear window defogger are not dam
age by abrasive objects .
(D Tips
To ensure problem-free ven tilation , the
vent ilation slots between the rear window
and the pa rcel she lf must not be covered .

78 On the road
Startin g and automati cally r ele a s ing the
p ark ing b rake
.. When you start to drive as usua l, the park
ing brake is automatically released and your
vehicle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping
in city traffic on vehicles with an automatic
transmission, the parking brake can be ap
plied. The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake. The park ing brake elimi
nates the tendency to creep with a drive range
engaged. As soon as you dr ive off as usual,
the park ing brake is released automatically
and the veh icle starts to move .
Starting on slopes
When starting on inclines, the start ing ass ist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll
ing back. The braking force of the parking
b rake is not released until sufficient dr iving
fo rce has been bu ilt up at the whee ls.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re
leased automatically only when the dr iv
er 's sa fety belt is engaged in the bu ck le.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
.. Keep the switch@c::> page 76, fig. 78
pulled and depress the accelerator . The
parking b rake stays applied and prevents
the vehi cle from rolling backward.
.. You can release the switch @once you are
s u re that yo u are developing enough driving
force at the wheels by depressing the accel
erator.
Depending on the weight o f the rig (vehicle
and trai ler) and the severity of the incline, you
may roll backwards as you start . Yo u can pre
vent roll ing backwards by holding the parking
brake switch @pulled out and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with
a conventional hand brake.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys
tem fails or locks .
.. In an emergency, pull the switch@
c::> page 76, fig. 78 and continue to pull it to
slow your vehicle down with the parking brake .
.. As soon as you release the switch @or ac-
celerate, t he b ra ki ng pro cess stops.
If you pull the switch @and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen
cy bra king funct ion is initiated. The ve hicl e is
braked at all fou r whee ls by activating the hy
draulic brake sys tem. The brake performance
is similar to making an emergency stop
c::> ,&.
In order not to a ct ivate the eme rgency brak
ing by mis take, an audib le warning tone (buz
zer) so unds when the switch @is pulled. As
soon as the switch @ is released, or the acce l
erator pedal is depressed, emergency braking
stops.
A WARNING ,-
Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal foot brake
has fa iled or the brake pedal is obstructed .
Using the par king brake to pe rform eme r
gency b raking will s low your veh icle down
as if you had made a full brake application.
The laws of phys ics cannot be suspended
even with ESC and its associated compo
nents (ABS, ASR, EDS). In corners and
when road or weathe r cond itions are bad,
a full brake application can cause the vehi
cle to skid or the rear end to break away
risking an accident.
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep
your driving speed below a set speed limit.
T he speed warn ing system warns if the driver
exceeds a p reviously sto red max imum speed.
A warning tone w ill sound as soon as the
Ill-

Rocking back and forth to become
un stuck
~ Shi ft on ly between D/S and R when the ve
hicle is at a full stop and the engine is
runn ing at idle speed.
Stopp ing
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal unti l the ve
hicle has come to a complete stop .
~ Keep the brake pedal depressed so that the
vehicle cannot roll forward or backward
while it is idling¢ .&_.
~ Once stopped, do not depress the accelera-
tor pedal to rev up the engine ¢.&_ .
Pa rking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the dr iver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. The message
T ra nsmi ssion: C ar
may roll! Shift to park!
appears.
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal unti l the ve
hicle has come to a complete stop.
~ Set the parking brake firmly¢ page 77,
Parking.
~ Press and ho ld the release button in these
l ector lever handle, move the selector lever
into P and then let go of the release button
¢ .&_ .
The engine can only be
s tart ed when these
l ecto r lever is in the P o r N posit ions .
On slopes , activate the parking brake first and
the n move the selector lever to the P pos it ion .
This prevents too much stress from being
p laced on the lock ing mecha nism .
_& WARNING
-Unin tended veh icle movement ca n cause
serious injury .
- When the selector lever is in a dr iving
position, the veh icle may creep, even at
id le speed. Therefore do not release
the park ing brake or foo t brake until
you are ready to move, because powe r
is t ransmitted to the whee ls as soon as
a dr iving posit ion is engaged.
Tran sm iss ion 83
-Do not accelerate wh ile selecting a
driv ing position. At this time the en
gine must be at idle speed so that un due stress is not placed on the clutches
i n the transmiss ion.
- Remember: Even when stopped br iefly
with the automatic t ransmission in D/S
o r R, eng ine power is being transmit
ted to the wheels. Your veh icle cou ld
"creep" forward or backwa rd. Whe n
stopped, keep the brake pe dal fu lly de
pressed and use the pa rking brake if
necessary to keep the vehicle from ro ll
ing.
- If the selec to r l ever is unintentionally
moved into N while you are driving, take
your foot off the accelerator peda l and
wait for the eng ine to ret urn to idle
speed before se lecting a dr iv ing pos ition.
- Never sh ift into R or P when the vehicle is
in motion.
- Never get out of the d river's seat when
the eng ine is running.
- If you m ust get out of the vehicle, move
the selector lever secure ly into the P po
sition and apply the parking brake firmly.
- If the engine must remain r unning, neve r
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P w it h the par king brake
fi rm ly set¢
page 209, Engine compart
ment.
Othe rwise, any in cr ease in engine
speed may set t he vehi cle in motion,
even with the park ing brake applied .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the pa rking brake is re
l eased a utomatically o nly when the d riv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.

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. .,,.

124 Driving Safely
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others. We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section -for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-Always make sure that you follow the in
structions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals a re op
erating correctly.
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and
afford good visibility to the outside.
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
qpage59 .
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir
rors correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restraints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children¢
page 166,
Child Safety. "'

.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
¢page 53,
Seats and storage.
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly¢
page 134 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi
tion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you a lso become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
~ .&_.
Therefo re:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen
gers or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVE R drive when yo ur driv ing ability is im
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 125
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 127 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢&_ .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone
~ fig. 12 7. If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip
ment.
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. App lies to vehicles with adjustable head re
s tra ints: Ad just the head restraint so the up
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this pos it ion as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
¢ page 13 7 . .,._

126 Driving Safely
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 54 .
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de
ploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple
mental driver 's airbag to protect you in a
collision .
- Always sit in an upright position and nev
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect
edly and you could lose control of the ve
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in- jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 166. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 142 .
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Move the front passenger seat back as far
as possible . There must be a minimum of
10 inches (25 cm) between the breastbone
and the instrument panel¢,&. .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If tha t is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this position as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 137.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 53.
A WARNING
-
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:

-Passengers must always sit in an upright
posit ion and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located .
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenge r's breastbone and the instru
ment pane l.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of the ir own and properly fasten and
wear the safety bel t belong ing to that
seat .
- Before driv ing, a lways adj ust the front
passenger seat and head restra int prop
er ly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc . The airbag system and safety
belt w ill not be ab le to protect you prop
erly and can even increase the risk of in
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c::> page 166. Spec ial precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenge r seat
c::> page 142.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor
rect seat ing pos ition in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas-
Dr ivin g Sa fely 12 7
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
1-Make s ure th at the seatback is secure ly
la tched in the upright position
c::> page 63 .
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety be lts properly
c::> page 13 7 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrai ned in a child restraint that is appro
p riate for the ir s ize and age
c::> page 166.
.&, WARNING
P assengers who are imp roperly seated on
the rea r seat can be seriously i njured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always si t on a seat
of their own and pr operly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec
tion when the sea tback is sec urely latch
ed in the upright position and the safety
be lts are properly positioned on the
body. By not s itting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
inju ry from improperly positioned safety
belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection .
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: wit h adjustab le hea d r est ra in ts
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle 's occupant re
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 1 28 Head restra int: v iewed fro m th e front