Page 81 of 286

This message appears if the master key is re
moved from the vehicle with the engine run
n ing.
If the master key is no longer in the ve
hicle, you cannot switch on the ignition after
stopping the engine and you also cannot start
the engine again . Moreover, you cannot lock
the vehicle from the outside w ith the key.
Shift to P otherwise vehicle can roll away.
Doors do not lock if lever is not in P.
This message appears for safety reasons
along w ith a warning signa l. It appears if the
selector lever for the automat ic transm ission
is not in the P position when switch ing off the
ignition. Move the selector lever to the P posi
tion, otherw ise the veh icle is not secured
against rolling away . You also cannot lock the
veh icle using the locking button* on the door
handle or using the remote key.
Convenience key defective! Use ignition lock
This message appears if the engine must be
started or stopped using the ignition key and
not the
I STAR T ENGIN E STOP ! button .
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake.
F ig. 92 Cen ter console: Pa rk ing brake
.. Pull on the switch @c> fig . 92 to apply the
parking brake. The indicator light in the
switch illum inates .
.. Step on the brake pedal or the acce le rator
pedal and press the switch at the same time
On the road 79
to release the parking brake. The indicator
light in the switch goes out .
Your vehicle is equipped wi th an electrome
chanical parking brake. The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
unintentionally and replaces the hand brake.
In addition to the normal functions of a tradi
tiona l hand brake, the electromec hanical
parking brake provides various convenience
and safety funct ions .
When starting from rest
-The integral start ing ass ist helps you when
driving by automatically releasi ng the park
ing brake
¢ page 80, Starting from rest.
-When starting on inclines, the starting as
sist prevents the vehicle from unintentiona l
ly rolling back. The braking force of the
parking brake is not re leased until sufficient
driving force has been bui lt up at the
wheels.
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the veh icle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail
c> page Bl, Emergency braking.
Indicator lights
- If the parking brake is closed with the ign i
t ion
switched on the . (USA models) /
• (Canada models) indicator lights come
on in the instrument cluster and the switch.
- If the parking brake is closed with the igni
tion
switched off the. (USA models) /
• (Canada models) indicator lights come
on in the instrument cluster and the switch
for about 20 seconds.
A WARNING
If a drive range is engaged with the vehicle
stationary and the engine runn ing, you
must in no instance accelerate carelessly .
Othe rwise the vehicle w ill start to move
imm ediately- risk of an accident.
Page 82 of 286

80 On the road
(0 Note
If the . symbol i n the display or the
1111 (USA models) ;II (Canada mo dels)
ind icator light in the instr ument cluster
flashes, there is a malfunction in the brake
system. By press ing the
ISETI button, you
can br ing up a driver message which ex
p lains the malfunction in more detail. If
the dr ive r message
Parking brake! ap
pears, there is an operating malfunction in
t he par king brake which you should have
repaired immediately by an a uthorized
Aud i dea le r or other q ualified workshop
¢page 15.
@ Tips
-You can apply the pa rking brake at any
time - even with the ignition switched
off. The ignit ion must be t urned on in or
der to release the parking brake.
- Occas iona l noises when the parking
brake is applied and re leased are norma l
and are not a cause for concern.
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a se lf-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any assoc iated noises
are normal.
Parking
Parking
> Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle .
> Pull the button @¢page 79, fig . 92 to set
t h e pa rking brake.
> Move t he selec to r lever to P.
> Turn the eng ine off¢ A.
In addition on inclines and grad es
> Turn the steer ing whee l so that your vehicle
will ro ll against the curb in case it should
sta rt to move .
.&_ WARNING
-Whe n you leave your veh icle -even if on
ly briefly - a lways remove the ign ition
key . This applies part icu larly when chil
dren remain in t he vehicle . Otherwise the children could start the eng
ine, release
the park ing brake or operate electrical
equ ipment (e.g. power windows). There
is the risk of an acc ident.
- When the veh icle is locked, no one - par
ticularly not children should rema in in
the vehicle . Locked doors make it more
difficul t for emergency wo rke rs to get in
to the vehicle - putting lives at r isk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon starting.
Stopping and applying par king brake
> Pull the switch @¢ page 79, fig. 92 to ap-
ply the parking brake.
Sta rting and automatically relea sing the
parking b rake
> When you sta rt to dr ive as usual, the park
ing brake is automat ically released and your
veh icle beg ins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in city traffic on vehicles with an a utomatic
transmission, the parking brake can be ap
plied . The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake . T he parking brake elimi
nates the tende ncy to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged. As soo n as yo u drive
off as usu a l,
the parking bra ke is re leased automatically
and the vehicle starts to move .
Starting on slopes
When starting on inclines, the sta rting assist
preve nts t he veh icle from u nintent ionally roll
i ng back. The br aking for ce of the park ing
brake is no t re leased unt il suff icien t driving
f orce has been built up at the w heels.
(D Tips
Fo r saf ety reaso ns, the pa rking br ake is re
l eased a utom atically on ly when t he d riv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Page 83 of 286

Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake system fails or locks .
11-In an emergency, pull the switch @
r:::;, page 79, fig. 92 and cont inue to p ull it to
slow your veh icle down with the park ing
brake.
11-As soon as you release the sw itch @ or ac-
c e le rate, the braking p rocess stops.
If you pull t he sw itch @and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen
cy braking fu nction is in itiated. The vehicle is
b raked at a ll four wheels by activating the hy
d ra ulic brake system. The b rake performance
is simi lar to making an emergency stop
r:::;, &. .
In o rder not to activate the emergency brak
i ng by m istake, an a udible warning tone (b uz
zer) sounds when the switc h @ is pu lled . As
soon as the switch @is released, or the accel
erator pedal is depressed, emergency brak ing
stops.
A WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used i n
an emergency, when the normal foot brake
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
Using the parking bra ke to perform emer
gency braking will slow you r vehicle down
as if you had made a fu ll brake applicat ion.
The laws o f physics cannot be s uspended
even w ith ESC and its associated compo
nents (ABS, ASR, EDS). In corne rs and
when road or weather conditions a re bad,
a full brake application can cause the vehi
cle to skid or the rear end to break away -
r isking an accident.
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep
your driving speed below a set speed limit.
The speed warning system warns if the driver
exceeds a prev iously stored maximum speed .
A wa rning tone wi ll sound as soon as the vehi-
On th e ro ad 81
cle speed exceeds the set speed by about
3 mph (3 km/h). At the same time, a warning
symbol appears in the display. The symbo l's
appearance might be different in some mod
els.
The speed warning system has two warning
th resholds that funct ion independent ly of
each other and that have somewhat different purposes:
Speed warning 1
You can use speed warning 1 to set the maxi
mum speed while you are driving. This setting
will remain in effect unti l yo u turn off the ign i
tion, assuming that you have not changed or reset the setting.
The . (USA mode ls)
I. (Canada mode ls)
speed warning symbo l in the warning 1 dis
play appears when you exceed the maximum
speed . It goes out when the speed falls be low
the sto red maximum speed .
The speed warn ing symbol will also go out if
the speed
exceeds the stored maximum speed
by more than about 25 mph (40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds . The stored max imum speed
is deleted.
Speed w arning 2
Storing warning 2 is recommended if yo u al
ways
want to be reminded of a certain speed,
for example whe n you are trave ling in a coun
try that has a general maximum speed limit,
o r i f you do not want to exceed a specified
speed for w inte r tir es.
The . (USA models) /. (Canada models)
speed warning 2 symbol appears in the dis
play when yo u exceed the stored speed limit.
Unlik e warning 1, it will not go out unt il the
vehicle speed dro ps below the s to red speed
li mi t.
Setting speed warn ing 2
¢ page 82.
(!) Tips
Even though your vehicle is equ ipped w ith
a speed war ning system, you sho uld still
Page 84 of 286

82 On the road
watch the speedometer to make sure you
are not driving faster than the speed limit.
Speed warning 1: setting a speed limit
Warning threshold 1 is set by the ISE T! but
ton.
Fig. 93 SE T butto n in the instrument cluste r
Storing the maximum speed
.. Drive at the desired maximum speed .
.. Press the ISET ! button in the instrument
panel display ¢
fig. 93 for 1 second.
Resetting the maximum speed
.. Drive the vehicle at a speed of at least
3 mph (5 km/h)
.. Press the ISET ! button for more than 2 sec-
onds.
The . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
speed warning symbol will appear briefly in
the display when you release the !SET! button
to indicate that the maximum speed has been
stored successfully .
The maximum speed remains stored until it is
changed by pressing the !SE T! button again
briefly or until it is de leted by a lengthy push
on the button .
Speed warning 2: setting a speed limit
The radio or MMI* control unit is used to set,
change or delete warning threshold 2.
.. Se lect : ICAR ! function button> Instrument
cluster > Speed warning.
Or
.. Select : ICAR !function button> Car systems *
control button > Driver assist > Speed warn
ing .
Warning threshold 2 can be set in the speed
range starting from 20 mph to 150 mph (30
km/h to 240 km/h). Settings can each be ad
justed in intervals of 6 mph (10 km/h).
Cruise control
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at
20 mph
(30kmlh).
0
f
~
0
Fig. 94 Co ntro l leve r wit h pus h-butto n
Fig. 95 Display : Se lected speed
.. Pull the lever to position (D ¢ fig. 94 to
switch the system on.
.. Drive at the speed to be controlled.
.. Press button @ to set that speed .
T he stored speed and t he green symbol
ci!;\l)~i~ (US mode l)/ i'I (Canadian mode l) are
shown in the display ¢
fig. 95 . The display
may vary , depending on the type of display in
your vehicle.
The speed is kept constant by modifying en
gine power or through an active brake inter
vention.
...
Page 85 of 286

A WARNING ,~
- Always pay attention to the traffic
around you whe n the cruise contr ol is in
o peration . You are always responsi ble for
your s peed and the distance between
yo ur vehicle and other vehicles.
- For reasons of safety, cruise contro l
should not be used in the city, in stop
and-go traff ic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (su ch as
ice, fog, grave l, heavy rain and hydro
planing) -risk of accident.
- T urn off the cru ise control tempo rar ily
when entering turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertent ly "rest ing"
yo ur foot on the accelerator peda l causes
the cruise control not to brake. Th is is
because the cr uise control is overridden
by the driver's acce lerat ion.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheat ing occurs when the cruise con
tro l system is sw itched on, the braking
function in the system may be switched
off. The other cruise control f unctions re
main active as long as the i nd icator light
lij jUJ~i4 (US models) lli,'I (Canad ian mod
els) is on.
(D Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the
bra kes apply automat ica lly.
Changing speed
.,. To increase/dec rea se the speed in incre
ments, tap the lever in the
0 10 d irection
~ page 82, fig. 94.
.,. To increase/dec rease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 direction unti l the de
s ired speed is displayed.
You can also press the accelerato r peda l down
to increase your speed, e .g. if yo u want to
pass someone. The speed yo u saved earlier
will resume as soon as you let off of the accel
erator pedal.
On th e ro ad 83
If, however, you exceed yo ur saved speed by
6 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cr uise contro l wi ll be t urned off tempora
rily. The green symbol in the disp lay t urns
white. The saved speed remains the same.
Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving.
.,. Switch on the ignition.
.,. Pull lever into position
(D ¢ page 82,
fig . 94.
.,. Press the lever in the 0 or O direction to
increase or decrease your speed .
.,. Release the lever to save that speed .
This function makes it possib le, for examp le,
to save the speed you want before dr iving on
the highway. Once on the highway, act ivate
the cr uise control by pulling the leve r toward
(D .
Switching off
Temporary deactivat ion
.,. Press the b rake pedal, or
.,. Press the lever in to posi tion @(n ot clicked
into place)
¢ page 82, fig . 94, or
.,. Drive fo r longer than 5 min utes at more
than 6 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
Switching off completely
.,. Press lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
.,. Switch the ignit ion off .
T he speed you saved will be retai ned if the
c ruise control has been swi tched off tempora
rily. To resume the saved speed, let up on the
brake and p ull the lever to position
(D .
Swi tc hi ng the igni tion off e rases the saved
speed.
Page 86 of 286
84 On the road
A WARNING
You should only return to the saved speed if it is not too fast for the current traffic
conditions - risk of an accident!
Page 87 of 286

Transmission S tronic ®
Introduction
The automat ic transm iss ion is controlled elec
tronically. The transmiss ion ups hifts or down
shifts automatically depend ing on which drive
program is se lected.
When a
modera te driving sty le is used, the
tra nsmission se lec ts the most econom ica l
driving mode.
It w ill then change up early and
de lay the downshifts to g ive better f uel econ
omy .
The transmis sion swit ches to a sporty mode
after a k ick-down o r when the driver uses a
s porty dri ving sty le characterized by quick ac
celerator peda l movements, heavy accelera
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
I f desired, the drive r can a lso se lect the gears
manually ( tiptronic mode ) ~ page 89.
The S tronic ® is a dual-clutch transmission.
P owe r is transfe rred using two clutches that
work independently from one anothe r. They
rep lace the torq ue converter used in conven
tional automatic transmiss ions and allow the
vehicle to accelerate without a noticeable in
terruption in traction.
Selector lever positions
F ig. 96 Display in the instrument cluster: se lector lever
in pos itio n P
The selector lever position engaged appears
n ext to the selector leve r as well as in the in
strument cluster display.
Tran sm iss ion 85
P -Park
In this se lector lever posi tion the transm is
s ion is mechanica lly locked. Engage P on ly
when the vehicle is
completely stopped~&.
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 87.
T o shift in or out of pos it ion P, yo u must 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 this position only with the ignition o n.
R - Reverse
Se lect R on ly when the veh icle is at a full stop
and t he engine is running at idle speed~.&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 87.
Before you move the se lector lever to R, press
both the re lease button in the hand le o f the
selector lever
and the brake pedal at the same
time.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu
minate when the selecto r lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmiss ion is in neu tral in this pos ition .
S hift to t his position fo r standing with the
brakes app lied
~ .&. in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 87.
When the vehicle is stat iona ry or a t speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), yo u must always app ly
the footbrake before and whi le mov ing the
l ever o ut of
N.
D/S - Normal posit ion for driving forward
In the D/S pos it ion, t he tr ansmission c an be
operated either in the norma l mode D or in
the sport mode S . To select the sport mode S,
pull the selector lever back briefly. P ulling the
l ever back again will se lect the norma l mode
D. The instr ument cluster disp lay shows the
selected driving mode. ..,_
Page 88 of 286

86 Transmis sion
In the norm al mode D, the transmission auto
matically selects the suitable gear ratio. It de
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv
ing style.
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes full use of the eng ine 's
power. Shifting may become noticeable when
accelerating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds
below 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 c> .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 87.
(D Note
-
Coasting downhill with the transmission in
N and the engine not running will result in
damage to the automatic transmission
and possibly the catalytic converter .
(D Tips
-On vehicles with drive select*, you can
adjust the sporty shift characteristics in
the
Dynamic driving mode.Swill appear
in the instrument cluster display instead
ofD.
- If you accidentally select N while 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 failure, the selector
lever will not move out of the P position.
The emergency release can be used if
this happensc>poge
91.
Automatic Shift Lock {ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or
the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
Fig. 97 Shift ga te : selecto r le ver lock positio ns and re
lease bu tto n highlighted
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 release button on the
side of the gear selector knob <=>
fig. 97 with
your thumb until you have moved the selec
tor lever to the desired position.
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po
sitions when the ignition is turned on . You
must press the brake pedal and the release
button to select another position . As a re
minder to the driver , the following warning
appears in the instrument cluster display
when the selector is in P and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while se
lecting gear
The Automatic Shift Lock only functions when
the veh icle is stationary or at speeds below
1 mph (2 km/h) .
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the
Automatic Shift Lock is automatically deacti
vated in the N position .
A time delay element prevents the selector lever from locking when it is moved through
the N position (going from R to D/S) . The lock
ing element w ill lock the selector lever if the
Ill>