2013 AUDI A6 driving style

(D Note
-Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the veh icle when park­
ing . The height of the vehicle can change
once it is park ed due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i­
tions and changes to the dr iv ing modes,
which can affect clearance .
- When t ransporting the veh icle on a car
carr ier, tra in, ship or by other means, on­
l y tie the veh icle dow n at the runni ng
su rface of the tires , which is the ou ter
ci rcumference . Secur ing t he vehicle at
the a xle components, s uspension str uts
or tow ing eyes is not pe rm itted because
the pressu re in the air suspension st ruts
can change during transport. The vehicle may not be secu red sufficiently if this
happens.
- If you are going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
<=> page 204.
{!) Tips
-In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto
and Dynami c modes.
- Se lecting the
Dynamic mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear posit ion engages automatically.
- In vehicles with spo rt differential", the
Dynamic mode is deactivated when tow ­
i ng a trailer.
Adjusting the Individual mode
Audi dri ve sele ct 99
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between Comfort, Auto , Dy­
namic and Individual .
Fig. 102 MMI: D rive selec t
.,.. To se lect the mode , se lect the following in
the MMI: IC ARlf unction button>
Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Individual.
You can change the d riv ing mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving.
If traffic
permi ts, after changing modes, briefly take
yo ur f oot off the acce lerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is a lso activated for
the engine.
Comfort -prov ides a comfor t-orie nted veh icle
setup and is s uited fo r long drives on h igh­
ways .
Auto -provides an overall comfo rtable yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and i s suited for every day
u se .
Dynamic -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a spo rty driv ing style .
Individual -<=> page 99.
_.& WARNING
-Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi d rive select to prevent potential risk
of an acc ident.
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,.. Se lect : I CAR I funct ion bu tton> Set indi vid ­
ual
control button . You can now adjust the
i ndividual systems . The
Indi
vidu al driving mode wi ll automatical­
ly be activa ted when you have finished config­
uring the sett ing s.

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 ..,_

192 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorde r (EDR), ins talled by some manu­
facture rs fo r the express p urpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or cras h
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restr ict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A ltho ugh yo ur vehicle is not equ ipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine f unction, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during norma l vehicle op­
erat ion for diagnostic and repa ir purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded ove r a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a sys tem faul t or o ther
cond ition is sensed by a cont ro l u nit. Some of
the data then stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condit ion. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of ve hicle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
o ut of control and he lps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing eng ine power and
providing steer ing ass istance to he lp hold the
vehicle o n the dr iver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the inst rument cluster
blinks when ESC is ta king action to help yo u
control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations.
It is importa nt to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under a ll cond it ions you may come up aga inst.
F or example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
s u dden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is sudden ly covered w ith water,
s lush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the ve hicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been in terrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ibil ity of keeping the vehi cle under con ­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the d river's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
ca uses you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

196 Intellig ent technolog y
-Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power stee ring adapts electronically based on
the veh icle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steerin g d efecti ve! Stop th e vehicl e
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering may have fa iled.
Do
not continue driving . See your authorized
Aud i dealer or other qualified repa ir facility
for assistance.
lor-ij St eerin g: S yste m malfun ction ! You m ay
c ont inue driv ing
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected .
(D Tips
If the . or 'Iij indicator light only stays
on for a shor t time, you may contin ue driv­
ing .
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles : with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive , all four wheels are driv­
en .
General info rmation
With a ll Wheel Drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
condit ions at the time. See also ¢
page 192.
With the sport differential*, power distribu­
t ion to the rear wheels is va riable and can be
adjusted with Audi drive select*
r::¢, page 98.
Always read and follow safety precautions
Q _& .
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, eve n wit h
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea ­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak ­
ing : these tires must be mo unted on
all fou r
wheel s. See also ¢ page 255 , Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to ve hicles
with all-wheel drive r::¢,
page 256, Snow
chains.
Replacing wh eels /tires
Vehicles with all-wheel drive m ust always
have ti res of the same s ize. A lso avo id tires
with different t read depths . For detai ls see
page r::¢,
page 251, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
You r Audi does not have e nough ground clea r­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle . It is
t h erefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
r::¢, page 200. ..,_

Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full b raking effect.
([) Note
-Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or electr ical
system can be severely damaged by driv­
i ng th rough water.
- Always switch off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water~ page 76.
(D Tips
-Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng t hrough it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the eng ine off whe n driving
through water .
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep fo r your vehi­
cle to drive t hrough safely.
- Avoid dr iv ing through salt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 201
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your eng ine, brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your pe rsonal d riving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut you r
fuel consumpt io n by 10-15 percent . T his sec­
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your po cketbook.
@ Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROT ECTI ON AGENCY
( E PA) a nd Tra nspo rt Canada may no t corre­
spond to your actual consump tion on the
road, which will va ry depending upon vehi ­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
ditions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most f ue l when they a re ac ­
ce le rat ing. If you ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible - for examp le when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
•
•

250 Tires and wheels
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehi cle. Consult thi s manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available car go
and luggage lo ad capacity of
y o ur vehicle .
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(9 fig . 195) to de termine the
de signated load rating for a
s pe cifi c tir e.
Tire service life
The s ervi ce life of tires dep ends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correc t tire pressu re and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 193 T ire tread: tread wea r ind icators ( TWI)
( ,------- ')
l"-------
Fi g. 1 94 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore eve n wear
Tread W ear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l t ires o n your ve hicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators" ¢
fig. 193 r
u nning across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, t here will be six to e ight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for examp le "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the positions of the tread
wear indicato rs . Wor n tires must be rep laced.
D iffere nt f igures may apply in othe r countr ies
Q ,&. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect t ire pressure ca uses premature wear
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
o nce a month ¢
page 246.
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy acce lerat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
Fo r all four tires on your ve hicl e to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear t ires a re rotated according to
the tire manu fact urer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from t he
veh icle service interva ls outlined in your
Warranty
& M aintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
o n t he vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; theref ore, we recommend t hat y ou
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation int ervals .
- Veh icles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the fro nt wheels com­
pa red to a ll-wheel d rive ( quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown¢
fig. 194.
- Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires ¢
page 268.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balance d.
Howeve r, various s ituations during everyday
dr iv ing can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulti ng in vibrations you can usually
feel th rough the steer ing wheel.
liJJ,-