Adaptive Air Suspension .. .. . .
Air suspension and damping
Homelink ® ... .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Universal remote control ... .. .. .. . .
S afet y fir st ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
155
155
161
16 1
165
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Gene ral notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 166
Ped al area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Safety bel t pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 182
Airbag system .......... ... ... .
Important things to know ......... .
Fr ont airbags ............ .... .. . .
M on itoring the A dvanced Airbag
System .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. . .
Side airbags .... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Side curtain airbags .... ... .. .. .. . .
Child Safety .. .. .... ... .. .. .. . .
Important things to know . ... .. .. . .
Ch ild safety seats ................ .
Instal ling a child safety seat .. .. .. . .
LATC H Lower anchorages and tethers
for chi ldren .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. . .
Addit ional Information
Vehicle operation ....... .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .... ... .
184
184
188
195
199
202
205
205
211
215
218
224
225
225
Not ice about data recorded by vehi cle
con trol mod ules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
E lect ronic S tabiliz ation Control ( ESC) . 225
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Servotronic ® -advanced power
steering system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Driving w ith your quattro ® . . . . . . . . . 231
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Table of contents 3
Driving and environment . . . . .
234
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwa rds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Diesel particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 236
Operate your vehicle eco nomically and
min imize poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Driving off road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Driving in d ifficult road conditions and
offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
D riving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
T rai le r tow ing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 245
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Care of exterior . ... .. .. .. .... ... .
Care of inte rior ... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Fuel supply ...... .. . .. .. ..... ... .
Diesel f uel .. .. .. .. .. ... ..... ... .
Fuel tank ....................... .
Se lective catalytic reduction ....... .
Checking and filling .......... .
Engine hood ... .. ............... .
E n gine oi l ... .... ..... .... ..... . .
Engine cooling system .. .. ..... ... .
B rake fluid ....... .............. .
B attery ... .. .. .. .. . ............ .
Windsh ie ld/headl ight washer
conta iner . .. .. .. .. ............. . 2
4 5
251
256
256
257
258
261
264
264
266
271
274
2 75
2 79
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
T ire pressure monitoring system 298
Do -it -yourself service . . . . . . . . . 301
What do I do now? ...... ... .. . 301
Jack , tools and inflatable spare tire . . 301
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
•
•
84 Seats and storage
can cause the roof rack or the items at
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the
road.
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury.
- Only mount the system between the
markings shown in~
page 84, fig. 95 .
-The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro
vided.
(D Note
- Your vehicle warranty does not cover any damages to the vehicle caused by using roof racks or mounting structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle . The
same applies to damage resulting from incorrect roof rack installation .
- Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each trip and dur
ing a trip to make sure everything is se
curely tightened . If necessary, retighten
the mountings and check the entire sys
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or
when you transport objects on the roof
of your vehicle, the height of the vehicle
is naturally increased. Be careful when
driving under low bridges or in parking
garages for example. This could cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle
itself.
Roof rack mounting locations
Roof racks must be installed only at the loca
tions marked on the roof rails .
i
-
Fig. 95 Roof rails: front and rea r mo unting locatio ns
Mount the front and rear cross bars between
the punched markings on the inside of the
roof railings ~
fig. 95. The markings are locat
ed on the inside of the railings.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down.
.,. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
evenly .
.,. Always attach items to the roof rack secure -
ly before you drive off .
The max imum permissible roof weight is
220
lb (100 kg).
The roof weight is made up of
the weight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object being transported .
When using a roof rack system wh ich has a
lower load carrying capacity, you must not use
up the total maximum permissible load carry
ing capacity specified above. Instead, you
should load the roof rack system only to the maximum capacity specified by the manufac
turer of the roof rack system .
.&_ WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a collision and
cause serious personal injury.
- Make sure the roof rack is installed exact
ly as specified above~
page 84.
-Always use suitable mounting straps for
securing items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from shifting or flying for
ward .
- Items on the roof rack must always be
securely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negatively af
fect the way a vehicle handles. Cargo that is large, heavy, bulky , long or flat
will have a greater negative influence on the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
gravity and overall handling. Always
drive slowly, avoid sudden braking and .,,.
Adaptive Air Suspension
Air suspension and damping
Description
App lies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Air S uspe nsio n
Air suspension and damping con be adjusted
separately.
Adaptive A ir Suspension is an electronically
controlled springing and damping system.
This chassis system makes it easier on the
driver by adapt ing to the particular situation
through imperceptible control processes.
The
Adaptive Air Suspension component reg
ulates ground clearance depending on vehicle
speed and driver input. It functions independ
ently from the load condition . Accelerating to
a speed above a predetermined limit will make the vehicle lower itself. On the other
hand, driving more slowly results in the vehi
cle raising again at specific speeds.
The
damping component provides individual
control of the damping forces . For example,
w ith damping characterist ics set to provide
greater comfort, damping is set somewhat
harder for a br ief per iod only as required, for
example, when go ing aro und a curve or when
braking.
Settings
Adapt ive Air Suspension prov ides the driver
with the opportun ity to set the chassis charac
ter istics also to their individual preference.
W ith the driving modes
Comfort, Automatic
and Dynamic the driver has three chassis set
tings available, ranging from comfort to spor
ty. The
Offrood mode can be selected for driv
ing on poor quality stretches of road. In addi
tion,
Lift provides a fifth mode, which can be
selected when exceptionally high ground
clearance is needed
c::;, page 155, Chassis con
trols .
The modes are set in MMI <::;,page 157.
Adaptive A ir Suspension 155
A WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can
change due to temperature fluctuations or
changes in load .
@ Note
- Whenever you park your vehicle, a lways
make sure there is adequate clearance
above and below the vehicle. The he ight
of the parked vehicle can change as the
result of temperature fluctuations,
changes in load condition and changes in
the driving mode (ground clearance).
- If the vehicle is being transported (e.g .
by tow truck, train, ship, etc.), mount the
tie-down chains/cables over the running
surface (circumference) o f the tires. Nev
er secure the vehicle by the axle, the sus
pension struts or the front or rear tow
line eye . For technica l reasons, the pres
sure in the suspens ion struts may change
during the transport, which could result
in the vehicle no longer being secured
properly .
- If you are going to tow a trailer with a
trailer hitch that was
not installed ac
cording to factory specif ications, you
must activate the traile r operation mode
man ually
<::;,page 159.
(D Tips
-Before you can raise your vehicle using
the vehicle jack (for example, when
chang ing a flat tire) or a vehicle lift, yo u
must activate the jacking mode
c::;, page 159.
- On some models, the vehicle can reach
its maximum speed only in the
Automat
ic
and Dynamic modes.
Chassis controls
App lies to vehicles : wit h Adaptive A ir Suspensio n
Five different driving modes can be set by the
driver.
T he automatic control processes are speed
and t ime-dependent. For example, it is not
Displaying the vehicle level
The current vehicle leve l is shown with seg
ments fi lled out in the segment disp lay @. If
on ly the bottom segment is filled out, the ve
hicle is at highway leve l. If all segments are
fi lled out, the vehicle is at high level 2 and has
the greatest amount of ground clearance pos
sible.
While the vehicle is being raised or lowered,
the target level is indicated by an arrow @
¢
fig. 189 or a white border @¢ fig. 190. The
arrow/border disappears aga in when the vehi
cle is at the target level.
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Air Suspension
This mode must be activated in the MMI be
fore raising the vehicle with a jack or on a ve
hicle lift.
.,. Select: ICARI funct ion button> ! SETUP I
function button > Jacking mode . Or
.,. Select:
I CARI funct ion button > Car sys
tems *
control button > Servicing & checks >
Air susp.: tire change .
The vehicle jack mode must be activated be
fore changing a wheel so that the automatic
control processes fo r the a ir suspension do
not make lift ing with the vehicle jack more dif
ficult.
The check lamp
II in the instrument cluster
d isplay illuminates in vehicle jack mode.
0) Tips
The vehicle jack mode is switched off auto
mat ically at speeds above 9 mph (15 km/
h).
Towing a trailer
Appl ies to vehicles: with towing hitch and Adaptive Air
Suspension
Automatic lowering is not desirable when
towing a trailer.
.,. Se lect: ICARI function button > !SETUP I
function button > Towing mode. Or
Adaptive A ir Suspension 159
.,. Select: I CAR I function button > Car sys
tems*
control button > Vehicle settings >
Air susp.: towing.
As long as towing mode is activated, a vehicle
with a trai ler appears in the
adaptive air sus
pens ion
main menu.
Level Adjustment when towing a trailer
- Before hit ching up the trailer and before ad
jus ting the tongue weight at the trailer, the
automatic or comfort mode
must be se lect
ed so that the ve hicle can be at normal level
¢ page 157, MMI settings.
-If driving in dynamic mode is desired, this
mode
must be selected before hitching up
the trailer and before adjusting the tongue
weight. However, note that your vehicle is lowered and ground clearance is reduced.
- If you have to dr ive under difficult road con
ditions, you can select offroad or lift mode,
after hitch ing up the trailer or after adjust
ing the tongue weight .
- If the veh icle is at
normal level, and you se
lect offroad mode wh ile traveling at speeds
higher than 22 mph (35 km/h), the veh icle
w ill not be ra ised. Offroad mode will appear
as the active mode in the MMI Display.
- If the veh icle is in offroad mode at
high level
1 ,
it automatically lowers to normal level
when the vehicl e is t ravel ing at speeds ex
ceeding approximately 31 mph (SO km/h).
The vehicle is automatical ly raised to
high
level 1
again when the traveling speed falls
be low approx imately 25 mph (40 km/h).
Restrictions when operating with a trailer
When operating w ith a trailer, the lift mode
can only be selected up to about 12 mph (20
km/h) . Lift mode is automatically cance led
again when a speed of about 25 mph (40 km/
h) is exceeded.
If t he vehicle is in automatic, comfort, offroad
or lift mode before the trai ler towing mode is
activated, the dynamic mode cannot be acti
vated .
If t he vehicle is in dynamic mode before tow-
ing operation is activated, it can be driven in
IJI,-
172 Driving Safel y
to reduce the risk of inj ury when the vehi
cle is not be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open . A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out . Be ing trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious persona l injury.
- Never let children p lay in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupan ts must
always be proper ly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging . Sta le air escapes to the o utside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The t ire pr essure is shown on the
tire p ressu re label. The tire pressure la
bel is loc ate d on the driver's s ide B-pi lla r.
The tire pressure label lists the recom
men ded cold t ire inflat ion pressu res for
the veh icle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufact ured.
For recommended t ire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
Q page284.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly ¢ page 171 , Loading the luggage com
partment .
In a coll is ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause se
rious injury. Items in t he vehi cle possess en
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of t he item . Vehicle speed is the most
s ignificant factor.
F or example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10 -lb (5 kg) object a re abo ut 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would sudden ly be
about 200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imag ine the
injur ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing
fr ee ly t hro ugh the passenger compa rtment
cou ld cause in a col lision like this.
_& WARNING
We ak, damaged or imprope r straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur
i ng hard braking or in a collision and cause
se rious pe rsonal injury.
-Always use s uita ble mo unt ing straps an d
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp pre
vent items from shift ing or fly ing fo r
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rea r seat backrest is folded
down, a lways use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to hel p prevent items from fly ing for
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas
senger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat t ether
s trap to a t ie-down .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u b eli eve that your vehi cle
has a def ect whi ch could cau se
a crash or could cau se injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safet y Administration ""
-If the ve hicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per chlorate . When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety bel ts w ith pretens ioners are
scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regula
tions must be observed . Your authorized
Aud i dea le r i s familiar w it h these require
ments and we recommend that you have
your dea le r perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire -r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
l owering the vehicle , changing the stiffness o f
the s uspension, incl uding the springs, s uspen
sion struts, shoc k absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in wh ich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made. Ot he r kinds of
changes may redu ce the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and prevent the a irbag
from deploying when it sho uld .
The senso rs in the safety belt buckle fo r th e
dr iver and front passenger sea t tell the elec
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tched o r not.
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par
ticular collision, it is poss ible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seati ng position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
A irba g sy stem 199
position where t he safety be lt is not be ing
u sed. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety be lt b uckles so that the sen
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control un it.
A WARNING
C hanging the vehicle's suspension includ
ing use of unapprove d tire-r im combina
tions can cha nge Advanc ed Airbag per
fo rman ce an d in crease the r isk of se rious
person al injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
tha t do no t have the same pe rforman ce
characteris tics a s the co m ponen ts origi
na lly installed on yo ur vehicle.
- N ever use tire-rim combin ations tha t
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety be lt
b uckle and the cente r console can cause
the sensors in t he b uckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air bag System from working properly.
-A lways make su re that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 2 13 Side a irbag locat io n in t he driver's seat
242 Trailer towing
Weight Rating will also change the per
formance and handling characterist ics of
your vehicle, which could cause a crash result ing in serious injury or death .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing for your
vehicle would be exceeded if your vehicle
is simultaneously equipped with Panor
am ic sliding sunroof; th ird-row seating;
t railer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed) , and running boards
(deale r-installed) . UNDER NO CIRCUM
STANCES MAY ALL SUCH ITEMS BE IN
STALLED ON THE SAME VEHICLE.
Operating instructions
MAX 6.9"
MAX175mm
E
Ill E Ill ... Q) m
Fig. 233 Permi tted ba ll pos it ion of t he t ra iler h itc h
Trailer towing weights
With a factory-installed trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer weight is 6,615
l bs (3,000 kg) . Th e maximum permissible un
braked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
With an
aftermarket trailer hitch, the maxi
m um permissible trailer weight is 5,512 lbs
(2,500 kg) . These specifications apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Permissible tongue load
F or best vehicle handling under these
changed condit ions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al
lowable or slightly lower . You can get an ap
prox imation of the tongue load w ith a bath
room scale or you can measure the load at a
trucking company or weighing station .
With a
factory-installed trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible load on the ball h itch may not exceed 662 lbs
(300 kg). With an
af
termarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permis
s ib le load on the ba ll hitch may not exceed
551 lbs (250 kg). It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢&. in Driving instructions on page 243.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used w ith suita
ble ball mount and ball¢
fig. 233. In stalla
tion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac
cordance with the manufac turer's instruc
tions. At the height dimension of 1.5 in
(38.5 mm) a tolerance of +/- 0.5 in (12. 7 mm)
is permissib le.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work ha rd
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid .
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, infla te the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressu re listed under
" Full l oad" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B
pillar . Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire
manufacturers' spec ificat ions .
Lights
The headlight settings shou ld be checked with
the trai ler attached before driving
off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con
nected from the trai ler to the h itch on the ve
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
IJ,,
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have bee n dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automati c transmission, power steering,
power br akes, power wi ndows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire that is made of
s teel wires, wrapped or re inforced by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold t ir e infl ation pr essure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 281
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the weight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment includ ing t he maximum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i
tion ing a nd addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
respondi ng s tanda rd tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", o r
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carrying capacity of a single
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groo ve
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the load r ating for a tire at the maxi
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re .
•
•
...