Automatic transmission
tiptronic ®
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronically
controlled automatic transmission. Upshifting
and downshifting takes p lace
automatically.
The transmission is also equipped with tip
tronic ®. It allows the driver to shift gears
manually if desired ¢ page 140.
Driving the automatic transmission
Fig. 157 Shift gate o n the center console : se lector lev
er with release button
Starting the engine
.. The selector lever must be in Nor P.
Starting off
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Press and hold the release button in these
lector lever handle and move the selector
lever from
P or N to D and release the but
ton ¢.&,. .
.. Wait briefly until the transmission has shift
ed (you will feet a slight movement).
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
accelerate.
Rocking back and forth to become
unstuck
.. Shift only between D and R when the vehi
cle is at a full stop and the engine is running
at id le speed.
Autom atic transm ission 13 7
Stopping
.. Press and hold the brake pedal until 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
c> .&,. .
.. Once stopped,
do not depress the accelera
tor pedal to rev up the engine
c> .&, .
Parking
.. Press and hold the brake peda l until the ve
hicle has come to a comp lete stop.
.. Set the parking brake firmly
¢page 110,
Parking .
.. Press and hold the release button in these
lector lever handle, move the selector lever
into
P and then let go of the release button
¢ .&,.
The selector lever must be in Nor P. If one of
the driving positions is engaged a safety
switch will p revent the eng ine from being
started . See also
<=>page 106.
Before you move the selector lever from the P
position, you must always apply the brake
pedal before and while depressing the button
in the handle of the selector lever.
A WARNING
-Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury .
- When the se lector lever is in a driving
pos ition, the vehicle may creep, even at
i dle speed . Therefore do not release
the parking brake o r foot brake until
you are ready to move, because power
i s transmitted to the wheels as soon as
a driving position is engaged .
- Do not accelerate while selecting a
driving position. At this time the en
gine must be at idle speed so that un
due stress is not placed on the clutches
in the transmission .
- Remember: -even when stopped brief-
l y with the automatic transmission in
"D", "S" or "R", engine power is being
transmitted to the wheels. Your vehicle
~
138 Automatic transmi ssion
co uld "creep" forward or backward.
When stopped, keep the brake pedal
fully depressed and use the parking brake if necessary to keep the vehicle
from ro lling .
- If the selector lever is unintentionally
moved into N wh ile you are driving, take
yo ur foot off the accele rato r pedal and
wa it for the engine to return to idle
speed befo re selecting a d rivi ng position .
- Never shift into "R" or "P" when the vehi
cle is in mot ion.
- Never get out of the dr iver 's seat when
the engine is runn ing .
- If you must get out of the vehicle, move
the se lector lever securely into the P po
sit io n and apply the par king brake f irm ly.
- If the eng ine must remain ru nning, never
hav e any driv ing pos ition engaged when
c hec king under the hood . M ake sure t he
sele ctor lever has securely eng aged and
is locke d in "P" with the par king brake
firmly set ¢
page 255, Engine compart
ment .
Otherw ise, any increase in eng ine
speed may set the vehicle in m otion,
even w ith the par kin g brake applied.
Selector lever positions
This section describes the selector lever posi
tions and driving ranges.
F ig. 158 Display in t he in st rum en t cluste r: selecto r
lev er in po sit ion P
The inst rumen t cluste r display shows the c ur
rent selector lever position .
P - Park
In this selector lever posi tion the transm is
s ion is mechanica lly locked. Engage
P only
whe n the vehicle is
completely stopped¢&.
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 137.
T o shift in or out of posit ion P , you mus t first
press and ho ld the brake pedal and then press
the re lease button in the selector leve r hand le
whi le moving the selector lever to or from
P .
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition o n.
R • Reverse
The transm iss ion w ill automatically select the
lowest gear ratio when you shift into reverse .
Se lect
R o nly when t he vehi cle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed¢&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 137.
B efore you move the se lector lever to R , press
both the button in the hand le o f the se lecto r
lever and the brake pedal at the same t ime.
W hen the ignition is on, the bac kup light s illu
minate w hen t he selec to r l ever is
moved in to
R .
N -Neutral
The transm iss io n is in neut ral in this pos it ion .
S hi ft to t his position fo r standing with the
brakes app lied
¢ page 139.
When the vehicle is stat iona ry or at speeds
below 3 mph (5 km/h) , you must always app ly
t h e foo tbrake before and wh ile mov ing the
l ever o ut o f
N.
D - Normal position for driving forward
Position D is for no rma l city and highway driv
ing . It ranges from zero to top speed and all
gears shift automatically , depend ing on en
gine load, d riving speed and a utomat ically se
l ected shift p rog rams.
When the vehicle is stat iona ry or at speeds
below 3 mph (5 km/h), you must always app ly
IJ,,
To upshift
• Push the selec tor leve r forw ard to the pl us
pos ition
0 ¢ fig. 160 .
To downshift
• Push the lever to the m in us position
Q .
When acce lerating, the transm iss ion w ill au
tomatically sh ift into the next gear before the
e ngine reaches its maxim um RPM .
If you app ly a light throttle when accelerat
ing , tiptronic ® will automatically shift from
1st to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you apply a
h eavy thrott le, the transmission will stay in
1st gear unt il n ear maximum R PM is reached,
or until the d river sh ifts i nto 2nd gear .
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l
when dr iv ing down a steep incli ne , tiptronic ®
will downshift from th e se lected gear into the
n ex t lowe r gear until it reaches 1st gea r,
b ased on ro ad s peed and eng ine RPM . A uto
mat ic downshifting is in ter rupted as soon as
you apply t he thrott le again.
@ Tips
- Wh en you sh ift i nto the next lower ge ar,
t h e transmiss io n will dow nshift only
whe n there is no possibility of over-rev
v ing the engine.
- When the kick -down comes on, t he
transmission will s hift down to a lower
gear, depending on ve hicle and engine
speeds .
- tiptron ic® is inoperative w hen the trans
mission is in the fail-sa fe mode.
Autom atic transm ission 141
Steering wheel with tiptronic ®
Applies to vehicles: w ith t iptronic-steering wheel
T he shift buttons on the steering wheel allow
the driver to shift gears manually .
Fig. 162 Steering w hee l: S hift b utt ons
• To down shi ft, tou ch the bu tton on t he left
o .
• To upshift, touch the button on the right
0 .
The shift bu ttons are activ at ed when these
lector lever is in D, So r in the manual s hift
program (tiptronic) .
O f c ourse , you can c ontinue to use the manu al
s hift p rogram wi th the selecto r leve r on the
cente r co nsole.
Automatic transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission malfunction : You can con
tinue driving
T he re is a system mal function in the t ransmis
s io n. You may cont in u e dr iving . Drive to yo ur
a utho rized Aud i dea ler or qualified repa ir fa
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Trans mission malfunction : Lim ited driv
ing functionality
T he re is a system mal func tion i n the t ransm is
s io n. The transm ission is swi tching to emer
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer
ta in gears o r will no longer shift at all . The en
gine may sta ll. Drive to your a uthorized Audi
dealer or qualif ied repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction correcte d.
IJJ,,
Parking systems
General information
App lies to vehicles: with rea r park assis t/Audi park ing sys
tem plus w ith rearview camera/front -and rearview cam
era
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, vari
ous parking aids will help you when parking
and maneuvering.
The
rear park assist is an acoustic park assist
system that will give you a sound warning to let you know there is something
behind the
veh icle ¢page
144 .
The Audi parking system plus with rearview
camera
audibly and visually tells you there is
something
in front of and behind the vehicle .
A rearview camera also shows you what is be
hind the vehicle ¢ page
144 .
The Audi parking system plus with front- and
rearview camera
audibly and visually tells you
there is something
in front of and behind the
veh icle. A front and rearview camera also
shows you what is in front of and behind the
veh icle¢ page
148 .
& WARNING
-Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it di
rect ly as well. The parking system cannot
replace the driver's attention. The driver
is a lways responsible for safety during
park ing and for all other maneuvers.
- Please note that some surfaces, such as clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
wh ich people and objects cannot be de
tected. Be especially cautious of children
and animals.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody . The
park ing systems may become impaired
as a resu lt. Have your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop check their
function.
- Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstruc-
Parking systems 143
tions as it may impair the sensor func
tion. For informat ion on cleaning, refer
to¢ page
247.
([) Note
-Some objects are not detected by the
system under certain circumstances:
- Objects such as barrier chains, trailer
draw bars, vertical poles or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall
extensions
- Objects w ith specific surfaces or struc
tures such as chain link fences or pow
der snow.
- If you continue driving closer to a low-ly
ing object, it may disappear from the
sensor range. Note that you w ill no lon
ger be warned about this obstacle.
@ Tips
-The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cov
erage area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- externa l ultrasonic sources e .g . from
cleaning vehicles.
- heavy rain, snow or thick vehicle ex
haust.
- We recommend tha t you practice park
ing in a traff ic-free location or parking
lot to become familiar with the system.
When doing this, there should be good
light and weather cond itions.
- You can change the vo lume and pitch of
the s ignals as well as the disp lay
¢page
153.
- Please refer to the instructions for tow
ing a trailer ¢page
153.
-What appears in the MMI display is
somewhat time-delayed.
146 Parking systems
-The camera lens en larges and disto rts
the field of vision. The object appears
both altered and inaccurate on the
screen.
- In certain situations, people or objects in
the display appear closer or further
away:
- objects that do not touch the ground,
such as the bumper of a parked vehicle,
a trailer hitch or the rear of a truck. Do
not use the help lines in this case.
- If driven from a leve l surface onto an
incline, or a downward slope.
- If driven toward protruding objects.
- If the vehicle is carrying too much load
in the rear.
(D Note
-Always read and follow the applicable
warnings
¢ (D in General information on
page 143 .
-The orange colored orientation lines in
the MMI display show the vehicle path
depending on the steering wheel angle .
The front of the vehicle front swings out more than the rear of the vehicle. Main
tain plenty of distance so that your out
side mirror or a corner of your vehicle does not collide with any obstacles.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system p lus w ith
rearview camera
Fig. 168 Center co nsole: P"A button
Fig. 169 MMI display: Visual distance display
Switching on
.. Switch the MMI on .
.,. Shift into reverse, or
.,. Press t he[!;] button in the center console
¢ fig. 168. A short confirmation tone
sounds and the LED in the button lights up .
Switching between the rearview camera
and visual display
.,. Press the Graphic control button
¢ page 147, fig. 170 ® to see the visual
display.
.,. Press the
Rear view control button to see
the rearview camera image
c> fig. 169.
Switching off
.,. Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h), or
.,. Press the [!;] button, or
.,. Switch off the ignition.
Visual display
The red segments in front of and behind the
vehicle
c> fig. 169 help you to determine the
distance between you and an obstacle . As
your vehicle comes closer to the obstacle , the
segments move closer to the vehicle. The col
lision area has been reached when the next to
last segment is displayed . Do not continue
driving farther forward or in reverse
c> .&. in
General information on page 143,
c> @ in
General information on page 143.
(D Tips
-The visual display in the left part of the
display should help you detect the criti
cal vehicle areas .
-If the position or the installation angle
of a camera was changed, after a colli
sion for example, do not continue to use
the system for safety reasons . Have it
checked by your authorized Audi dealer
ship .
- Use the
Rear mode and the Corner view
(rear)
mode only when the rear lid is
completely closed, otherwise the image
in the display will be inaccurate.
- Objects and obstacles
above the camera
are not displayed.
- Camera lenses enlarge and distort the
field of vision. The objects appear both
altered and inaccurate on the screen.
(0 Note
- Always read and follow the applicable
warnings
o0 in General information on
page 143 .
-The MMI display shows the direction in
which the rear of the vehicle is traveling
based on the steering wheel angle. The
vehicle front swings out more than the
vehicle rear. Maintain plenty of distance
so that your outside mirror or a corner of
your vehicle does not collide with any ob
stacles .
@ Tips
If the rear lid is open, the image in the
rearview camera is displayed without ori
entation lines and without blue surfac es.
Switching on or off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus w ith
fro nt- and rearv iew ca mera
Fig. 175 Center console : P,•A but ton
Parking systems 149
Fig. 176 MMI display: Select mode
Switching on
.,. Switch the MMI on.
.,. Shift into reverse, or
.,. Press the~ button in the center console
o fig. 175. A short confirmation tone
sounds and the LED in the button lights up.
Selecting the mode
.,. Turn the control knob to the symbol for the
desired mode @through
® o fig. 176.
Switching off
.,. Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h), or
.,. Press the
IP>11 button, or
.,. Switch off the ignition.
You may select from the following modes:
@ Topview opage150
@ Corner view (front) ¢ page 150
© Front¢ page 150
@ Rear o page 150
® Corner view (rear) o page 150
(D Tips
The visual display in the left part of the
display should help you detect the critical
vehicle areas.
156 Adapti ve Air Susp en sion
possible to raise the suspension to a h igh level
above certain speeds .
When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is
exceeded for more than 30 seconds, the vehi
cle is automatically lowered to
low level when
in comfort and automatic mode. Ground
clearance is about 0.6 inch (15 mm) less,
compared to the
normal level .
When a speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h)
is exceeded for more than 20 seconds, the ve
h icle is automat ica lly lowered to
highway l ev
el
when in automatic and dynamic mode.
G round clearance is about 1.4 inches (35 mm)
less, compared to the
normal level. Road
hold ing is optimized as a result of the lower
center of gravity, and fuel consumption is re
duced as a result of reduced wind resistance .
I
Level adjustment
high level 2
high level 1
normal level
low level
highway level
Ground clearance
about 9.4 inches
(240 mm)
about
8 inches
(205 mm)
about 7 inches (180 mm)
about 6 .5 inches
(165 mm)
about 5 .7 inches
(145 mm)
The segment disp lay @ in the MMI Display
c:::> page 157 or in the instr ument cluste r dis
p lay
c:::> page 158 shows the current veh icle
level.
Automatic
Select the automatic mode if you prefer a bal
anced, comfortable suspension setting . The
damping characteristics are adjusted accord ingly.
- Automatic lowe rin g: When a speed of
about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is auto
matically lowered by about 0.6 inch (15
mm) to the
low level, wh ich is more suitable
for highway speeds . Road hold ing is opti
mized as a result of the lower ce nter of grav- ity and fuel consumption is reduced as a re
sult of r educed wind resistance . When a
speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h) is ex
ceeded for more than 20 seconds, the veh i
cle is automa tically lowered by an addi tional
0 .8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automat ic raising: When the vehicle is at
highway level and the speed falls below
about 80 mph (130 km/h) for more than 20
seconds , the vehicle is automatically raised
to
low level. Th e vehicle is automatica lly
raised aga in to
normal level if the speed
fa lls below about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a
pe riod of 2 minutes . The vehicle is raised im
mediately when speed fa lls below about 22
mph (35 km/h) .
Dynamic
Select the dynam ic mode if yo u pre fer a spor
ty suspension se tti ng. In t his mode , the veh i
cle is lowered to
low level while it is still sta
t ionary and sporty damping characteristics
are selected . The warning light
Ill in the in
strument cluster will come on for a few sec
onds just to rem ind you of the reduced ground
clearance .
If you switch off the engine whi le the vehicle
is in the dynamic mode and then switch on the
igni tion once aga in, the
Ill warn ing light will
also come on again for a few seconds as a re minder .
-Automat ic lowe ring: When a speed of
about 100 mph (160 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 20 seconds , the veh icle is auto
mat ically lowered by 0 .8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automa tic raising: The vehicle is automati
cally ra ised to
low level again , if the speed
fa lls below about 80 mph (130 km/h) for a
pe riod of 20 seconds. The ve hicle i s raised
immed iate ly when speed falls be low about
22 mph (35 km/h).
Comfort
Select the comfort mode if you desire a s us
pension setti ng w ith a special emp hasis on
comfort . Damp ing cha racte ris tics w ith a clear .,.
160 Adapti ve Air Su spen sion
this mode. If the suspension is switched from
this mode to another mode, dynamic mode
cannot be re-selected .
(D Tips
-For vehicles with a factory installed tow
ing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in
stalled later accord ing to factory specifi
cations, the system recognizes "Trailer
tow ing mode" and activates this specia l
mode automatically, as soon as the elec
trical connection on the trailer socket is
connected. The mode ceases a utomat i
ca lly when the elect rical connection to
t h e trai ler socket is d isconnected.
- If the tra iler towing mode has been acti
vated, the vehicle will not drop to the
l ow or highway level.
Cargo mode
Applies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Air Suspe nsio n
The rear of the vehicle can be lowered to
make it easier to load.
Fig. 191 Luggage compa rtment detail: Cargo mode
sw itch
Using switch for activating c argo mode
.. Close all vehicle doors .
.. Open the trunk lid.
.,. Press the lower part of the sw itch ®
~ fig. 191. The rea r of the vehicle is low
ered.
.. Press the uppe r part o f the sw itch
(D . The
rear of the vehicle is raised again.
Activating cargo mode in the MMI*
.. Se lect: ICARI funct ion button> I SE TUP I
func tion button > Lower for loading .
In cargo mode, the rear ax le is lowered by 2 .2
inches (55 mm), compared to the normal lev
el.
While the veh icle is in ca rgo mode, the seg
ments do not appear as filled in the segment
display.
Cargo mode i s automatic ally c an ce le d again
when a different mode is selected in the MM I
Display, or when a speed of about 3 mph (5
km/ h) has been exceeded.
If the system is tempora rily unavailable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed air
tank, the
Lower for loading * function appears
greyed out in the MMI Display. As soon as the
system is available again, the funct ion can
once more be selected in the disp lay.
While the vehicle is being lowered, the indica
tor light @~
fig. 191 on the switch in the
l uggage compartment flashes. When the car
go leve l has been reached, the indicator light
comes on and remains on as long as the vehi
cle is in cargo mode. When the vehicle is
r aised agai n, the indicator light flashes again.
(D Note
M ake sure before canceling cargo mode
that there is sufficient clearance above the
vehicle and a round the trunk lid, if open.
(D Tips
- The vehicle w ill not be lowered if one of
the vehicle doors is open, or if the com
pressed air tank is empty. The indicator
light on the switch flashes three times.
- Whe n the compressed air tank is empty,
it will refill when you drive at speeds
over 25 mph (40 km/ h). The vehicle can
be lowered to cargo level whe n the com
pres sed air tan k is a dequately filled.
- If the vehicle is i n lift or off road mode
when you act ivate cargo mode, the vehi
cle will fi rst drop down to no rma l level.