
Automatic
transmission
tiptronic
Introduction
The automatic transmission is controlled elec
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive
program is selected. The power is transferred
by a torque converter .
When a
mode rate d riv in g s ty le is used, the
transmission selects the most econom ica l
driving mode. It w ill then change up early and
delay the downshifts to g ive better fuel econ
omy.
T he transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a k ick-down or when the driver uses a
spo rty driving sty le 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 select the gears
manually ( tiptronic mode ) c:> page 12 7.
Selector lever positions
Fig . 132 D isp lay in t he i nst ru m en t cluster: selecto r
l ever in pos it ion P
The selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selecto r lever as well as in the in
strument clus ter disp lay.
P- P ark
In th is selector lever pos ition the transmis
sion is mechan ically locked . Engage P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped c:> 11::..
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 123
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 126.
T o shift in or out of posit io n P , yo u m ust first
press and ho ld the brake pedal and then press
the re lease button in the selector leve r handle
whi le moving the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition on.
R -Reverse
Se lect R on ly when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed c:> 11::.. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 126.
Before you move the se lector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le o f the selector
lever
and the brake pedal at the same t ime.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu
minate when the selecto r lever is moved into
R .
N -Neutral
The t ransm iss ion is in neut ral in this pos ition.
S hi ft to t his position fo r standing with the
brakes appl ied
c:> 11::.. in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 126 .
The vehicle can
also roll when the engine is stopped .
When the vehicle is stat iona ry or at speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), yo u m ust always apply
the footbrake before and whi le mov ing the
lever o ut of
N .
D/S - Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S pos ition, the transmission can be
operated either in the no rma l mode D or in
the sport mode S. To select the sport mode S,
pull the selector lever back briefly. Pulling the
lever back again will se lect the normal mode
D. The instrument cluster disp lay shows the
selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto
matically selects the s uitable gear ratio. It de
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv
ing style.
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty dr iving .
The vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's

lever is left in N (Neutral) for more than ap
proximately 1 second, witho ut the brake ped
a l being pressed.
R elea se button
The release b utton on the selector lever pre
vents the lever from being accidentally shifted
into certain positions. Pressing this button de
activates the selector lever lock. Depending
on the direction of the shift, the selector lever
locks at different positions. The positions are
h ighlighted in the illustration¢ fig.
133.
Ign ition k ey safety int erlock
The key cannot be removed from the ignition
unless the se lector lever is in the P park posi
tion . When the ign ition key is removed, the
selector lever will be locked in the P pos ition.
Driving the automatic transmission
F ig . 134 Sh ift gate on th e center conso le: se lector lev
er with release button
Startin g the engine
... The selector lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
... Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
... Press and ho ld the release button in these
lector lever handle, se lect the desired se lec
tor lever pos ition such as D/S and release
the button.
... Wait briefly until the transmission has shift
ed (you will feel a slight movement) .
... Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
acce le rate.
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 125
Stopping temporarily
... Keep the veh icle stationa ry using the brak
ing pedal, for example at t raffic lights .
... Do not press the accelerator peda l when do
ing this .
... To prevent the vehicle from rolling when
you start driving, set the parking brake
when stopp ing on steep inclines¢_& .
The parking brake will re lease automatically
and the vehicle w ill start moving once you
press the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
cou ld rol l. The message
Transmi ssion: C ar
ma y roll ! Shift to pa rk !
appears .
... Press and hold the brake peda l until the ve
hicle has come to a complete stop .
... App ly the parking brake
¢ page 89, Park-
ing .
... Select the P selector lever posit ion ¢ _& .
Stopping on an inclin e
... Always press the brake pedal to ho ld the ve
hicle in place and prevent it from "rolling
back" ¢_& . Do
not try to prevent the vehi
cle from "rolling back" when a gear is en
gaged by increasing the engine speed ¢(D .
Sta rting on an inclin e
... Activate the parking brake .
... With the driving gear selected, press the ac
celerator peda l carefully . The parking brake
w ill release automatically if your seat belt is
fastened .
Under certa in circ umstances, such as driving
in the mounta ins, it may be usefu l to sw itch
temporarily to the manual sh ift program in or
der to adjust the gears to the driv ing cond i
tions by hand
¢ page 12 7 .
On s lopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
This prevents too much stress from being placed on the locking mechanism .
I),
![AUDI Q5 2013 Owners Manual 128 Automatic transmission
Transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission: Press brake pedal and se·
lect g ear again.
Press the brake pedal and se lect t he des ired
selecto r lever posit AUDI Q5 2013 Owners Manual 128 Automatic transmission
Transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission: Press brake pedal and se·
lect g ear again.
Press the brake pedal and se lect t he des ired
selecto r lever posit](/manual-img/6/57637/w960_57637-129.png)
128 Automatic transmission
Transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission: Press brake pedal and se·
lect g ear again.
Press the brake pedal and se lect t he des ired
selecto r lever posit io n again . Yo u can then
continue dr iving .
[O] Transmission overheating: Please drive
conservatively.
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly d ue to the sporty driving ma nner.
Drive in a less sporty manne r unt il the tem
pe rat ure retu rns to the norma l range a nd the
i ndicator light switch es of.
[O] Transmission malfunct ion: You can con
tinue driving
There is a system ma lf u nct ion 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: Limited driv
ing funct ionality
There is a sys tem ma lf u nction in t he transmis
sion. The transmission is sw itchi ng to emer
gency mode. Th is mode only sh ifts into cer
tain gea rs or will no lo nger shift at a ll. The en
g ine may stall . Drive to your auth orized A udi
deale r or qualified repair facility immed iately
to have the malf unction co rrec ted.
[O] T ransmission malfunction: Stop vehicle
and shift to park .
Do not continue d rivi ng . Select the P se lect or
l ever position and see yo ur authorized Aud i
dea ler or qualified repair facility for assis
tance .
(D Note
If the transmiss ion sw itches to emergency
mode, you sho uld take the vehicle to an
author ized Audi dealers hip as soon as p os
sibl e to have the cond ition co rrected.
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle 's power supply fails , th e selec
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
Fi g. 137 Fro nt center co nsole: Removing t he as htray
i nsert
Fig. 138 Selec tor lever e merg ency release
.. To access the emergency re lease mecha
nism, remove t he ashtray insert ® using the
release sw itch
® c> fig . 13 7 .
.. Loose n and remove the cap in the as htray
mou nt ¢
fig . 138 .
.. Yo u n ow have access to a p in. Using a s crew
d river or sim ilar obj ect , pre ss th e p in do wn
and hold i t in t hat p osition .
.. No w press t he re lease but to n and move the
selecto r lever to t he N posit io n.
T he sele ctor leve r ca n on ly be moved from the
P position i f the key is in the lock and the igni
t ion is switc hed on . If the power supply fails
(for example, the battery is discharged) and
the vehicle m ust be pushed or towed, move
t h e selecto r lever to the N posit ion first usi ng
t h e emerge ncy re lease.

Homelink®
Universal remote
control
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Home link
The HomeLink universal remote control con
be programmed with the remo te control for
devices that ore already present.
With Home Link, you can control devices such
as the garage door, secu rity systems, ho use
lights , etc. comfortably from the inside of you
veh icle .
H omelink makes it poss ible for you to rep lace
t hree different remote controls from dev ices
in your home with one un ive rsal remo te. Th is
featu re works for most garage door and exte
rior door motor signals. Programming the in
d ividual remote control for your remote con
trol takes p lace near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-t ime programm ing of the sensor must
be performed before you are able to use sys
tems with Homelink. If the system does not activate after performing the one-t ime pro
gramming, check whether the system uses a rolling code ¢
page 138 for vehicles without
the MMI*.
& WARNING
-
- Never use the Homelink ® transmi tter
with any garage door opener that does have not the sa fety stop and reverse fea
ture as requ ired by federa l safety stand
ards. Th is includes any garage door open
er mode l manufactured before April 1,
1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder
al safety standards . Us ing
a garage door
opener without these features increases
r isk of serious inj ury or death.
Homelink ® 135
-For safety reasons never re lease the
parking brake or start the eng ine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the
Homelink ® remote control is being pro
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac
tivated, th is can overstrain motor and
damage its e lectrical compon ents -an
overheated mo to r i s
a fire hazard!
- To avo id possib le injuries or property
damage, please always make abso lutely
certa in that no person s or objects are lo
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated .
(0 Tips
-If you would like more information on
Homelink ®, where to purchase the
Home link ® compatib le products, or
would like to purchase the Homelink ®
Home Lighting Package, please ca ll toll
free: l-800-355-3515.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada reg ula
tions
¢ page 298.
- For security reasons, we recommend that
you clear the programmed b uttons be
fore selling the veh icle.
Operation
App lies to vehicles : with Homeli nk
Fig . 14 9 Head li ner: controls
Req uirement : The buttons must be program-
med
<:!)page 136 or ¢page 137. ..,_

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict 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.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair 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 over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
The Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) rein
forces driver safety. It reduces the risk of slip
ping and improves driving stability. ESC de
tects critical s ituations such as the vehicle
Intelligent technology 197
oversteering and understeering or the whee ls
spinning . The vehicle is stabilized by applying
the brakes or reducing eng ine torque . Once
the ESC is active, the indicator light
G1 blinks
in the instrument cluster.
ESC includes the anti-lock brake system (ABS),
brake assist system, anti-slip regulation
(ASR), electronic differential lock (EDL), dy
namic steering*, hill descent assist and selec
tive wheel torque control.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking up
when braking . The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard braking. App ly steady pres
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer
gency situations . You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over . In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels beg in to sp in and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hill s.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the othe r whee ls .
T his function is available up to about 78 mph
(125 km/h) .
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheat ing. EDL will switch on again au
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
•
•

198 Intelligent technology
Dynamic ste ering *
On vehicles with dynamic stee ring* , ES C helps
stabilize the st eering in critical s ituations .
Selective wh eel torque c ontrol
The selective whee l torque control operates
when dr iv ing through curves . T he front wheel
on the inside of the curve or both wheels on
the inside of the curv e are braked selective ly
as needed. This m inimizes sliding in the front
wheels and allows for more pr ecise driving
through curves . T he system may not act ivate
when driving in wet or snowy cond itions .
A WARNING
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL dynamic steering"
and the se lective wheel torque control
cannot overcome the laws of physics .
Th is is especially important on slippery
or wet roads.
If the systems begin act ing
to stabilize yo ur vehicle , you sho uld im
med iately change your speed to ma tch
the road and traffic condit ions. Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing so wi ll increase the risk of a loss of
vehicle control, collision and serious per
sonal injuries .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traff ic
and weather condit ions. The risk of Los-
-
ing cont ro l of the veh icle increases when
dr iv ing too fast, especially th rough
c u rves and on slippery o r wet roads, and
when d riving too close to vehi cles up
ahead. ESC, A BS, the brake assis t sys
tem, AS R, EDL, dynamic steering* and
the se lective wheel torque control can
not prevent collis ions.
-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 ass istance systems that cannot al
ways help to reduce the risk of loss of ve
hicle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi
cal tires. Different tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power .
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the ind icator light
DJ or E (USA
mode ls)/ m] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
q page 15 ,
q page 17.
-When i nstalling a factory -supplied roof
rack system on the roof railing, the ESC
will adapt itse lf to a different center of
gravity .
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine.
F ig. 1 86 Vers ion A: l owe r ce nte r con so le, butto n YJ
OFF
Fig. 1 87 Version B: upper cente r console, button YJ
OFF
ESC Offroad mode
The ESC Off road mode was developed espe
c ia lly for offroad driving . In o rder to maintain
max imum trac tion and optimal b raking when
driv ing offroad, the cond it ions for the ESC to
IJII,

work are reduced to such a degree , that the
vehicle wheels could start to spin. The stab i
liz ing effects start to work later which results
in lim ited vehicle stability.
The ESC Offroad mode should then be used
under the fo llowing situat ions:
- rock ing the veh icle when it is stuck
- driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
- dr iv ing on uneven roads w ith the wheel
heavily loaded (axle limitation)
- driv ing with snow chains
- driv ing downh ill wh ile braking on loose
ground
F or your safety, switch off the ESC offroad
mode in advance .
Switching on th e ESC Offroad mode
Press the I~ O FF I bu tton ¢ fig. 186 or
¢ fig . 187 . The indicator light fl illuminates
and
Stabil iz ation cont rol (ESC ): Off road.
W arning! Re stri cted stability
appears in the
driver information system display .
Switching off the ESC Offroad mode
Press 1-~ O FF I button again to switch the ESC
back on. The indicator light
fl goes out and
Stabilization control (ESC ): On appears in
the driver information system display.
A WARNING
- You should switch on the ESC Offroad
mode only when you are driving offroad
o r when driving w ith snow chains .
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can swerve when
ESC Offroad mode is switched on .
- Driv ing stability is reduced in the ESC
Offroad mode .
-
Intelligent technolog y 199
Hill descent assist
The hill descent assist makes it possible to
drive down an incline at a constant speed .
Fig . 1 88 Top of t he center conso le : h ill desce nt ass ist
button
F ig . 1 89 Disp lay: h ill des cent ass ist
.. Press the [el button in the center conso le
¢ fig. 188 or on the shift gate . The button
w ill illuminate .
.. Press the button again to sw itch it off . The
diode in the button wi ll go out .
Hill descent assist brakes all four wheels auto
matically in order to limit speed when driving
either forwa rd or reverse on h il ls with a grade
up to approximate ly 50% .
When the hill descent assist is on, the current
driv ing speed, when your veh icle entered the
i ncl ine is maintained .
It is only possible to
switch on the ass ist when driving slower tha n
37 mp h (60 km/h). The assist wo rks between
approximately 2 and 19 mp h (4 and 30 km/
h). The driver can inc rease or dec rease the ve
hicle speed within these limits by dep ressing
the accelerator or brake pedal In add ition, ve
hicle steerability is increased due to the brak
i ng distribution when driving in reverse .
The re m ust be however s ufficient ground ad
hesion. The h ill descent assist can
not do its "'"

Fa u lts in th e brake sy stem
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake peda l travel, then one of the two brake
circuits may have failed~.&. .
Low brak e flu id level
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fl uid leve l is too low . T he b rake fluid
l eve l is monito red electronically .
Brake booster
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate w ith the brake pedal.
It only op
e rates while the eng ine is running or with the
i gnit ion sw itched on (hybr id dr ive*) ~.&, .
Brake lining wear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces
sa ry, the wheel may be removed for this in
spection
~ page 2 74, Changing a wheel.
.&_ WARNING
=
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of clean ing the brake
system on ly if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range . Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . This could cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish b raking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . Th is may cause the b rakes to
overheat, premat ure wear and increased
stopping distance .
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa
ter , driving in heavy rain or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums . Carefully apply brakes
Int ellig ent technolog y 201
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat
ings w ill be cleaned off after a few care
ful brake applicat ions.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you install a different spoiler, be sure the air
f low to the front brakes is not obst ruct
ed. Otherw ise the brake system could
overhea t reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system .
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in
creased stopping distance . Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near
est a uthori zed Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
examp le 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 .
Electromechanical
power assist, Dynamic
steering
The electromechanical power assist helps the
driver when s teering.
Power ste ering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights an d m ess age s
• Steeri ng defe ctive ! D o n ot dr ive vehi cle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steer ing
may have failed .
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as poss ible . Do
no t continue driving . See your ..,.
•
•