
Automatic Transmission
multitronic ®, S tronic ®,
tiptronic
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with multitro ni c/S tronic/t iptronic
The automatic transmission is controlled elec
tronically . The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depend ing on which drive
program is se lected.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical
driving mode .
It will then change up early and
de lay the downshifts to g ive better fuel econ
omy.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode after a k ick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can a lso se lect the gears
manually (t iptronic mode ) ¢ page 109.
Various automatic transm issions may be in
stalled, depend ing on the model :
multitronic® transmission
The multitronic ® transmission is a continuous
ly variable transmission. Power is transferred
using a multidisk clutch. In contrast to con
ventional automatic transmissions using shift
ing operat ions, the transmission ratio in the
continuously variable transmission is changed
continuously. This opt imizes the comfort level
and conserves fuel.
S tronic ® transmission
The S tronic ® is a dual-clutch transmission .
Power is transferred using two clutches that
work independently from one another. They
r eplace the torque converter used in conven
tional automat ic transmissions and allow the
vehicle to accelerate without a noticeable in
terruption in traction.
Automatic Transmission 105
tiptronic transmission
In the tiptronic transmission, power is trans
ferred by a torque converter .
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: wit h mult itronic/5 tro nic/tiptro nic
Fig. 111 Disp lay in the instrument cluster: selector
l ever pos itio n
The selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selector lever as well as in the in
strument cluster display.
P -Park
In this selector lever position the transmis
sion is mechanically locked. Engage P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped¢&.
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 108.
To shift in or out of position P, yo u must first
press and ho ld the brake pedal and then press
the release button in the selector lever handle
while moving the selector lever to or from P .
You can shift out of this position only with the ignition on .
R -Reverse
Select R only when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed¢ A in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 108.
Before you move the se lector lever to R, press
both the button in the handle of the selector
lever
and the brake pedal at the same time .
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu
minate when the selector lever is moved into
R. .,.

106 Autom atic Tran smissi on
N - N eutr al
The transmission is in neutral in this position.
Shift to this position for stand ing with the
brakes applied
q .&. in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 108.
When the ve hicle is stationary o r at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the footbrake befo re and while moving the
l ever out of N .
DIS -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmiss ion can be
operated e ither in the normal mode Dor in
the sport mode S. To select the sport mode S,
pull the se lector lever back briefly . Pulling the
lever back aga in will select the normal mode
D. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driving mode.
In the
normal m ode D, the transmission auto
mat ica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio.
It de
pends on engine load, veh icle speed and driv
ing style.
Select the
s p or t mod e S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's
power. Shifting may become noticeable when
accelerating.
When the ve hicle is stationary or at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while moving the lever to D/S out of N .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS q .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 108.
(D Note
-
Coast ing downh ill with the transmission in
N and the engine not running w ill result in
damage to the automatic transmiss io n
and possib ly the catalytic converter .
@ Tips
-Audi drive select : you can adjust the
sporty sh ift c haracte ristics in the
Dy-
namic driv ing mode.Swi ll appea r in the
instrument cluster display instead of D.
-If you acc identally select N whi le 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 fail ure, the selector
lever w ill not move out of the P position.
The emergency release can be used if
this happens
qpage 111.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptron ic
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or
the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
' ) ( )
F ig . 11 2 Shi ft gate: selector lever lock pos it ions a nd
release b utto n high lig h ted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
.,. Turn the ignition on.
.,. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the re lease button on the
side of the gear selector knob
c::> fig . 112
with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the desired posit ion .
Automat ic sel ect or lev er lo ck
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po
s itions when the ignit ion is turned on . Yo u
must press the brake pedal and the re lease
button to select another position . As a re
minder to the driver, the following warni ng
appears in the instrument clus ter display
whe n the selector is in P and N:
When stationary appl y brake peda l while se-
lec ting gear ..,_

110 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with multitron ic/S tronic/t iptronic
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
Applies to ve hicle s w ith a multit ro nic ®
t ra nsmission
When you depress the accelerator pedal be
yond the resistance po int, the transmission
downshifts into a lower gear ratio depend ing
on the vehicle speed and engine speed. As l ong as the accelerator peda l is depressed, the
engine speed is a utomat ica lly regulated for
maximum accelera tion.
Appli es to veh icl es with a S tronic ®-/ ,
tiptronic tran smi ssion
When you dep ress the accele rator pedal be
yond the resistance po int, the a utomat ic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de
pending on vehicle speed and engine speed.
The upshift into the next higher gear takes p lace once the maximum specified engine
speed is reached.
A WARNING
,-
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used on a smooth slippery
road - there is a risk of skidding .
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop .
Requirement : The engine must be at operat
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
.. Press the
I~ O FF I button ¢ page 194 while
the engine is running. The
IJ indica tor light
illuminates in the instrument cluster and
Sta bilization contr ol (ESC ): Off Warn ing!
R educed stabi lit y
appears in the dr iver in
fo rmat io n system disp lay .
.. Move the selecto r lever to posit ion D/S to
select sport mode (5) or select
D yna mic
mode in Audi dr ive select c:> page 99 .
.. Press the b rake pedal strongly with you r left
foot and hold it down for at least 1 second .
.. At the same time, press the accelerator
pedal down complete ly with your r ight foot
until the engine reaches and mainta ins a
high RPM .
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal
w ith in
5 seconds c:> ,&. .
_&. WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the tr aff ic
f low.
- Onl y use the Launch Cont ro l Program
when road and t raff ic condi tions a llow i t
and other d rivers w ill not be endangered
or annoyed by your driving and the vehi
cle 's acceleration.
- Please note that the driving wheels can spin and the vehicle can b reak away
when ESC is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery .
- Once the vehicle has started moving,
press the
1 1' OFFI button brief ly to turn
the ESC on .
(D Tips
- The transmission temperature may in
crease signif icantly after using the
launch control program. If that happens,
the program may not be ava ilable for a
few minutes. It w ill be available again af
ter a cool-down per iod.
- When accelerating using the launch con
tro l program, all vehicle parts are subject
to heavy loads . This can resu lt in in
creased wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/S tronic/tiptronic
[O] Tran smi ssi on: Pr ess brake pedal and se
lect gear again
Press the brake peda l and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can the n
continue d riving .
[O] Transmi ssion overheating: Plea se drive
con servatively

The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con
tinue driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con
tinue driving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis
sion . The transmission is switching to emer
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer
tain gears or will no longer shift at a ll. The en
gine may stall. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Iii Transmission malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
S tronic ® transmission: There is a system mal
function in the transmission. The transmis
sion is switching to eme rgency mode. This
mode on ly shifts into certain gears or wi ll no
longer shift at all. The engine may sta ll. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa
cility immediately to have the ma lfunction
corrected .
[O] Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle
and shift to
P
Do not continue driving. Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis
tance.
(D Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you shou ld take the vehicle to an
author ized Audi dealersh ip as soon as pos
sible to have the cond ition corrected.
Automatic Transmission 111
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to veh icles: w it h m ult itronic/5 tro nic/t iptro nic
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec
tor lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 116 Front center console: se lector lever emergen ·
cy release
.,. To reach the emergency release mechanism,
remove the ashtray insert*.
.,. Loosen and remove the small cap in the
ashtray mount
c:> fig . 116.
.,. You now have access to a bolt. Using a
screwdriver or similar, press the bolt down
and hold it down .
.,. Now press the interlock and move the se lec-
tor lever to the N position.
T he selector lever can only be moved from the
P position if the ignition is turned on. If the
power supply fai ls ( for example, the battery is
discharged) and the vehicle must be pushed
or towed, move the selector lever to the N po
sition first using the emergency release.

-Have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection sys
tem determines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the frontal airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis
carded components do not cause injury or pol
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal in
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de
ploy and protect properly.
Airbag system 161
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery over the front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once .
After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially
for your Audi model version. Replace ment of complete airbag systems or air
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only. Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE
CORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the ...
L..._ _____________ _j ...
•
•

174 Child Saf ety
always correctly signaled by the PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light .
M any types and models of ch ild restra ints
have been ava ilable over the years, new mod
e ls are introduced regularly incorporating new
and improved designs and older models are
taken out of production. Child restraints are not standardized. Ch ild restra ints of the same
type typically have different weights and s izes
and d ifferent "footprints", the size and shape
of the bottom of the child restraint that sits
on the seat, when they are installed on a veh i
cle sea t. These differences ma ke it vi rtually
i mposs ible to ce rtify comp lia nce w it h the re
q ui rements for advanced a irbags w ith each
and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course
of the useful life of your vehicle.
F or this reason, the United States Nat ional
Highway Traffic Safety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify compliance of the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle with the suppress ion
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208 . These child rest raints are :
Subpart A -Car bed child rest ra int s
Model
Ange l Guard Ange l
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit December 1, 1999
4543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-0 13PAW and base
l 22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad-December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
1 20 4
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
-Model
Graco Snug ride
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
P eg Perego Primo Vi- September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMU NOOUS
Subpart C -Forward -facing and
convertible child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Br itax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007 H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007 Booster 22-209
E venf lo Tribute V September 25, 200 7
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December
1, 1999
254
E venflo Generations Se ptember 25, 20 07
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo Septembe r 25, 2007
.&_ WARNING ~
To reduce the risk of serious inju ry, ma ke
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
chi ld restraint is insta lled on the front pas
senger seat and the ignit ion is switched
on.
- Ta ke the chi ld restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not s tay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer immed iate
ly .

@ Tips
-Certain Audi pre sense functions are not
ava ilable when ASR is switched off (sport
mode) or when driving in reverse.
- The Audi pre sense functions may not be
available if there is a malfunction in the
ESC system or the airbag control mod
ule.
- The Audi pre sense front/plus functions
are not available if there is a malfunction
in the adaptive cru ise control* system
9 page89.
-The Audi pre sense rear/plus functions
are not available if there is a malfunction
i n the Audi side assist* system
9page89.
Audi pre sense 191
•
•

194 Intelligent technology
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped w ith identi
cal tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator light
DJ or 11:11 (USA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 20,
c> page 19.
Switching on and off
ESC
turns on automatically when you start
the engine.
Fig. 177 Center console w it h ESC OFF button
Switching sport mode on
Press the I~ OF FI button c::> fig . 177. The ac
tions taken by the ESC system to stabilize the
vehicle are limited. In vehicles with front
wheel drive, the anti-slip regulation (ASR) is
limited. In vehicles with a ll-wheel drive, the
ASR is switched off. The
It) ESC indicator light
turns on and the message
Stabilization con
trol (ESC): Off Warning! Reduced stability
¢.&. appears in the driver information system
d isplay.
The following examples are unusual situa
tions where it may make sense to switch sport
mode on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle back and forth when it is
stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Switching sport mode off
Press the 1.$ OF FI button again. The I indica
tor light turns off and the message
Stabiliza
tion control (ESC): On
appears in the driver
information system display .
A WARNING
-
-Drive wheels can spin and you can lose
control of the vehicle more easily when
ASR and ESC are in sport mode, especial
ly when the road is slippery.
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic and weather condi
tions permit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on when
adaptive cruise control* is working.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
-
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat
ing condit ions and driving hab its
c::> .&. . On
vehicles that are either driven most ly in stop
and-go city t raff ic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author
ized Audi dea ler more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should 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 .
Moisture o r road salt
Under certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in .,,_