Page 81 of 262

chimes can be adjusted through the menu disp lay ~
page 24 .
The range a t which the sensors start to meas
ure is
about :
To the side
Center rear
Activation
2 feet (0.60 m)
5 feet (1.60 m)
The parking assist is activated when
r ev erse
g ear
is engaged . A b rief tone confi rms that
the system is activated .
Bac king up
Distance warning when backing up starts
when an obstacle is detected in the range of
the park assist system . As the d istance de
creases, the time interva l between the audib le
tones becomes sho rter.
When the d istance is less than 1 foot (0 .30
m), the tone becomes cont inuous . At this
point you should stop backing up.
Please note that low objects already signalled
by a warning can disappear from the system's
detection range and w ill not continue to be
signalled.
Potential malfunction s
If a warning buzzer sounds for a few seconds
when the ignition is sw itched on, there is a
system malfunction w ith the aco ustic park as
sist . If the malfunction persists unti l the igni
tion is sw itched off , there will be no acoustic
warn ing at the next attemp t to activate the
system . Have the problem corrected.
Th ere is no confirmation tone when reverse
gear is engaged if there is a system ma lfun c
tion .
For the park ing ass ist to operate, the sensors
must be kept clean and free of ice .
.8, WARNING
- Senso rs have b lind spots in which obje cts
cannot be detec ted . Pay speci al atten tio n
to small c hildren and animals. They can-
On th e ro ad 79
not always be detected by the sensors -
danger of an accident!
- The parking assist cannot replace the
driver's attention. The driver alone is re
sponsib le for parking and similar driving
maneuvers. Always watch where you are
driving .
(D Note
Low obstacles already signa lled by a warn
i ng can d isappear from the system's detec
tion range as they are approached and w ill
not continue to be signalled . Objects such
as ba rrie r cha ins, trailer d raw bars, th in
painted vertica l poles, o r fences may not
be dete cted by the system -risk of dam
age.
(D Tips
F o r the pa rking assist to operate, the sen
sors m ust be kept clean and free of snow
a nd ice.
Page 82 of 262

80 Transmi ssion
Transmission
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the
way before you can start the engine.
The manual transmission in your Audi is
equipped with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal a ll the way.
• Start the engine with the gearshift lever in
Neutral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch peda l fully when
changing gears. Do not ho ld the vehicle on
a hill with the clutch pedal partially de
pressed. This may cause premature clutch
wear or damage.
@ Tips
- Resting your hand on the gearsh ift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transm ission.
- The back-up lights go on when you sh ift
i nto Reverse w ith the ignition on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with 6-speed manual transmission
Fig. 79 Gearshift pattern: 6 -speed manual transm is
sion
D rive in 6th gear for optim um fuel economy
when cruising . However, if more accelera tion
is required (when passing, for example), shift
down.
Eng aging rev erse gear (R )
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it forward.
E spec ia lly after driv ing forward, stop the vehi
cl e completely, shift into
Neutral and rest the
shift lever briefly in Neutral before shift ing in
to
Reverse .
S tronic transmission
· Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
Your vehicle is equipped with a S tron ic trans
mission, also called a double-clutch system/
t ransmission .
Power is transferred between the engine and
the transmission by means of two independ ent clutches. They replace the torque convert
er of conventiona l au tomatic transmissions
and allow the veh icle to accelerate wi thout a
noticeab le b reak i n the power flow.
With the aid of
tiptr onic , the gears can op
t ional ly be shifted
manually~ page 84.
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
All the selector lever positions are explained
in this section.
~-. -·~•-~ _ .. _....,-l
•+55 °F '
i} 340 mi
D
Fig . 80 Display: Selector lever pos it ion
T he instrument cluster display shows these
lector lever position.
P -Park lock
In this pos ition the gears are mechanically
locked.
Page 83 of 262

The park lock must only be engaged with the
vehicle
stationary c::> &.
To engage P and to remove the lever from th is
position, you must depress the release b utton
(button in the selector lever handle)
and si
multaneously you must step on the brake
pedal.
R · re verse
I n th is position, reverse is engaged.
Reverse gear must only be engaged with the
veh icle
stationary and the eng ine runn ing at
id le speed
c::> ,&. .
To engage R, you have to depress the release
button
and s imultaneously step on the brake
pedal. In the R position, the back-up lights il
lum inate with the ign ition on.
N • N eutra l
The transmission is in neutral in this position .
D -Norm al p osi tion f or d riving forwa rd
In this position, the forward gears are auto matica lly shifted up and down, depending on
engine load and vehicle speed.
To engage D from N, the brake peda l must be
depressed at speeds be low 5 km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
In certain circumstances (driving in the moun
tains for examp le) it can be beneficial to
switch temporarily to the manua l shift pro
gram
c::> page 84 in order to adjust the gear
ratios to driving cond itions
manually.
S -Sport setting
The 5 se tt ing shou ld be selected for spor ty
d riving . The power reserves of the engine can
be fu lly exp loited through later upshifts.
To engage S from N, the brake pedal must be depressed at speeds be low 5 km/h or when
the vehicle is stationary
c::> & .
Tra n sm iss io n 81
A WARNING
- Never p lace the selector lever in the R or
P posit ion while the veh icle is moving -
risk of an accident!
- With the engine running, it is necessary
to hold the vehicle with the foot brake in all selector lever positions (except P and N), because even at idle speed the trans
fe r of power is never completely inter
rupted -the vehicle " creeps". If the vehi
cle is stationary and the transmission is
engaged, the engine should never be
speeded up unintentionally (e .g. manual
ly from under the hood). Otherwise the
veh icle w ill immediately start to move -
sometimes even if the park ing brake is
firmly applied - risk of an accident!
- Before you or other persons open the
hood and work on a running engine, the
selecto r lever must be moved to P and
the park ing brake applied f irmly - risk of
an accident! Follow the wa rning sticke rs
c::> page 174, Engine compartment.
(D Tips
If yo u have inadvertently shifted into N
while the vehicle is moving, you shou ld re
move you r foot from the accelerator and
wait unt il the engine speed has dropped to
idle before shifting back to Dor 5 .
Selector lever lock
Applies to veh icl es: w ith S tronic
The selector lever lock prevents a gear from
being engaged accidentally and unintention
ally setting the vehicle in mo tion.
F ig. 81 Selector lever locks
Page 84 of 262

82 Transmi ssion
The selector lever lock is released as fo llows:
,. Switch the ignition on.
,. Step on the brake peda l
and simultaneously
hold down the re lease button .
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po
sitions when the ignition is on . To move the
l eve r from these positions the d river must de
press the brake pedal. As a reminde r to the
d river, the fol low ing wa rning appears in the
instr ument cluster d isplay when the s electo r
is in P and N :
To start en g in e or sel ect gear ap ply fo ot
br ake when sta tionary
The selector lever lock is effective only when
the vehicle is stationary and at speeds be low
5 km/h. A t higher speeds, the lock in the N
position is automatically switched off.
The selector lever is not locked when rapid
shifts a re made th rough t he N pos it ion (e.g .
from R to D). This allows you to " rock" the ve
hicle if it becomes stuc k. If the lever is in the
N position for more than 1 second with the
brake peda l not depressed, the se lector lock
engages automatica lly.
Rele ase button
The release b utton in t he se lector lever ha n
d le prevents accidental shifts into certa in se
lecto r lever positions. When you press the re
lease button, the selector lever lock is cancel
l ed. In the illustration, the pos it ions in which
the release but ton has to be pressed are high
lighted in color
c> fig. 81.
Ignition key remo val lock
The ign it ion key can on ly be removed after the
ignition is switched off if the selector lever is
in P. As long as the ignit ion key is removed,
the selector lever is locked in P .
@ Tips
If the selector lever does not engage ,
there is a malfunction. The eng ine is disa
bled to p revent the vehicle from driving off
unintent iona lly. To allow the selector lever to engage again, proceed as follows:
Press
and release the brake peda l.
Driving Notes
Applies to vehicles: w ith S tronic
The forward gears are shifted up or down au
tomatically.
-
------F ig . 82 Section fro m cente r co nso le : Se lecto r leve r
w it h re lea se but ton
Starting the engine
,. The se lecto r lever must be in the P or the N
po sit ion. At low temperatures (below -10
° C), the eng ine can only be started when the
selector lever is in the P position.
Starting from stop
,. Step on and hold the b rake pedal.
,. Hold the release button (bu tton in sele ctor
lever) down , move the selecto r lever to the
desired position, for example D
c> page 80,
and re lease the button .
,. Release the brake peda l and accelerate
Q _A .
Stopping t emporarily
,. Bring the veh icle to a full s top wi th the
brake, e.g . at traffic signals .
,. Do not acce lerate .
Parking
,. Step on and hold the b rake peda l¢ & .
,. App ly the parki ng b rake firmly .
,. Ho ld the release button down, move these
lector lever to P and release the button .
Stopping on an incline
,. Always hold the vehicle with the footb rake
or park ing brake in orde r to prevent
IIIJJ,
Page 85 of 262

"rollback" 9 &,. Do not try to prevent the
vehicle from ro lling back by revving the en
gine wh ile it is in gear .
Starting on a h ill
.,. Apply the hand brake firm ly .
.,. With the eng ine in gear, gradua lly acce ler-
ate and release the hand b rake.
The engine can only be
s ta rt e d with the selec
tor lever in P o r N
9 page 72 . At low ambient
temperatures (14 °F / -10 °C), it is only poss i
b le to start the engine with the selector lever
in
P.
When parking on level gro und, it is sufficient
to p lace the selector lever in
P. On a steeply
sloping road, yo u should first app ly the park
ing b rake firm ly and then place the selector
l ever in
P. This way, yo u do not overload the
pawl mechanism and it is eas ier to move the
selector lever out of
P .
A WARNING
- Never leave you r vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gear . If you must leave
yo ur vehicle with the engine running, set
the parking bra ke and engage the pa rk
lock.
- Whe n the engine is running and the
t ransmission is in gear (D,
5 or R) or in
"tiptronic" mode, it is essentia l that you
stop the vehicle with the footbrake .
When idling, the t ransmission of power
does not stop completely- the vehicle
"creeps" .
- Do not accelerate when you change the
selector lever position with the vehicle
stationary and the engine r unning -risk
of an accident!
- Never place the selector lever in the R or
N position while the vehicle is moving -
risk of a n accide nt!
- If you have to bring your vehicle to a stop
wh ile on an incl ine, keep the foot brake
depressed all the way down so tha t the
vehicle does not start to roll backward .
You should never hold the vehicle using
the clu tch if you are going to be stopped
Tran sm iss ion 83
on an incl ine. If you do, the cl utch w ill
start to slip when it ove rheats ca used by
the constant overload. This is dangerous because if the vehicle starts to roll back
ward, you co uld cause an acc iden t. If the
clutch should start to s lip, you w ill feel
the vehicle "jerk" and the se le ctor lever
disp lay w ill st art bl ink ing .
- Before driving down a steep slope, re
duce your speed and shift i nto a lowe r
gea r with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the bra kes o r apply the bra ke
pe dal too often or too long. Const ant
brak ing c auses the brakes to overheat
and substantially reduces b raking per
formance, increases braking d istance or
causes complete fa il ur e of the brake sys
tem.
Hill Descent Assist
App lies to vehicles : wit h S t ronic
Hill Descent Assist helps the driver when driv
ing down inclines .
Hill Descent Assis t is activ ate d by pressing the
brake while descending when the se lec tor lev
er is in D/S. The
5 tronic transmission auto
matically shifts down to a gea r su itable for
the incline. H ill Descent Ass ist attempts to
maintai n the current veh icle speed w hen the
braking occurs, as far as physical and techn i
ca l limits allow. It may be necessary to adjust
the speed using the brakes .
Hill Descent Assist sw itches off when the in
cli ne leve ls out o r when the gas peda l is p ress
ed.
On vehicles with cruise control *
9 page 76,
Hill Descent Assist is also act ivated when the
speed is set .
A WARNING
Hill Descent Ass ist cannot overcome physi
cal limitations, so it may not be poss ible to
maint ain a constant vehicle speed under
all ci rcumst ances. A lways be re ady to ap
p ly the brakes.
Page 86 of 262

84 Transmission
tiptronic operation
Applies to vehicles: with S tron ic
Tiptronic allows the driver to shift gears man
ually.
--
-
Fig. 83 Center conso le : Manual shift in g (tiptronic)
Fig . 84 Display : Manual sh ift ing (tipt ron ic)
Switching to manual
.,. Move the selector lever to the right out of
the D position. The disp lay changes once the
transmission has switched to manual mode.
For example,
M4 indicates that 4th gear is
engaged.
Upshifting
.,. Tap the selecto r lever forward (in the tip
tron ic setting)
¢ fig. 83 G).
Downshifting
.,. Tap the selector lever backward (in the t ip-
tron ic sett ing)
0-
Switching to manual can be carried out with
the vehicle stationary as well as moving.
When accelerat ing, the transmission shifts in
to the next gear in gears 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
shortly before the maximum permissible en
gine speed is reached. If
you have selected a lower gear than the cur
rent one, the transmission will only shift down
when the eng ine cannot be overspeeded.
If kick-down is act uated, the transmission
shifts into a lower gear independently of
speed and engine rpm.
Steering wheel with Tiptronic ® controls
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
The selector paddles allow the driver to keep
both hands on the steering wheel when shift
ing gears.
Fig . 85 Sport steering wheel with selecto r padd les
Shifting up
.,. Pull the right paddle, marked 0 ¢ fig. 85
briefly towards you .
Shifting down
.,. Pull the left padd le, marked 0 ~ fig. 85
briefly towards you.
T he selector paddles on the steering wheel
are activated when the se lecto r lever on the
center co nsole is in D, Sor in the manua l posi
tion (Tiptronic mode).
You can also shift gears in the Tiptronic mode
using the selector lever on the center console .
@ Tips
With the gear selector lever in either Dor
S the transmission will switch back to the
automatic mode if you do not use the pad
dles within approx. 30 seconds.
Page 87 of 262

Kick-down feature
Applies to vehicles: with S tron ic
The kick-down feature allows maximum ac
celeration .
If you depress the accelerator pedal fully be
yond the full-throttle position, the transmis sion automatically downshifts one gear, de
pending on vehicle speed and engine rpm . The
upsh ift into the next higher gear takes place
as soon as the max imum specified engine
speed is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if the kick-down is used on a smooth s lip
pery road - risk of skidding!
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tron ic
The Launch Control Program permits maxi
mum acceleration .
In o rder to u se La unch Control, the ASR (An ti
Slip Reg ulation) mus t be d is a b led. When ASR
is disab led, the ESC wa rning/ind icator light
IJ
in the inst rument cluster illuminates . So that
L aunch Cont ro l can be used, the engine must
be at operating temperature and the steer ing
wheel must not be turned.
~ With the eng ine running , brief ly press the
ESC button . The message "Stabilization pro
gram off" or "Sport control Warning! Re
stricted stability" in the driver information
system d isplay.
~ Sh ift the gear lever to "S" or the tiptronic ®
pos it ion .
~ Step on the b ra ke peda l w ith your left foot
and keep the bra ke peda l fully depressed for
at leas t one second .
~ With your right foot, step on the acce lera
tor to the w ide-open throttle position o r
K ickdown . The engine speed settles at about
3,200 rpm.
~ Take your left foot off the brake .
Transm iss ion 85
A WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the traffic
f low.
- Onl y use Launch Control when road and
traffic cond itions allow it and other dr iv
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and th e acce le rat ion of the
veh icle.
- Ma ke sure that ESC remains enab led.
With the ESC disab led, th e vehicle could
b ra ke away, part icularly on a s lick and
slippe ry ro ad - ris k of skid ding!
- Once acceleration is fi nished, switch AS R
on agai n by br iefly pushing t he ESC bu t
ton.
Back-up program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
In the event of a system malfunction, there is
a back-up program.
In the event of system ma lfunction, the auto
matic transmission switches to the fai l-safe
mode. All of t he se lector lever position d is
plays for the au tomatic tra nsmission a re hi gh
li gh ted wi th a light b ackgro und in t he i nstr u
ment cluster d isp lay . In some cases you can
not use reverse gea r any more.
If the t ransmission swi tches to fail-safe
mode, yo u should t ake the ve hicle to an au
t horized Audi dea le rship as soon as possib le
to have the condition corrected.
Clutch is overheating
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
• Clutch is overheating ! Please stop veh i
cle!
If the symbols a re i lluminated, the clutch is
ove rheating a nd could be damaged if you con
tin ue to drive. Stop the vehicle and a llow the
transmission to cool with the se lector lever in
the P posit ion while the engine runs at idle. If
the warn ing does not turn off, do not continue
dr iv ing . See your author ized A udi dealer or
i,..
Page 88 of 262

86 Transmis sion
qualified repair facility for assistance. Other
wise serious transmission damage could re
sult . Once the indicator light has turned off,
drive to your authori zed Audi dealer or quali
fied repair facility immediately to have the malfunction corrected .
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to vehicles: with S tro nic
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
-----Fig. 86 Se lector lever : Remov ing th e selector lever
boot
Fig. 87 Se lector lever: Using the eme rgency re lease to
move out of the Park pos ition
The emergency release mechanism is located
in the right front area under the selector lever
shift gate. Using the emergency release can
be comp licated. We recommend contacting
your authorized Audi dealer for assistance, if
necessary.
Removing the selector lever boot
.,. Activate the parking brake .
.,. Carefully pry the selector lever boot out of
the trim @using a small screwdriver .
.,. Pull both sides of the selector lever boot
upward in the direction of the arrow @ .
.,. Fold the selector lever boot upward.
Selector lever emergency release
.,. Press the release lever down and hold it in
p lace
¢ fig. 87.
.,. Press the release button in the selector lev
er © and move the lever into the N position.
.,. Clip the selector lever boot back into the
shift gate after using the emergency re
lease .
If the vehicle must be pushed or towed due to
a power failure (for example, the battery is
discharged), the selector lever must first be
moved to the N position using the emergency
release mechanism .
A WARNING
-Only move the selector lever out of the P
position when the park ing brake is activat
ed. Otherwise, the veh icle could start to
move unintentionally when the selector
lever is moved out of the P position.