Stopping and starting on hills
If you stop on a hill with the vehicle in gear, you must depress the brake pedal or engage the
electronic parking brake to keep the vehicle from rolling. Do not release the brake pedal or the parking
brake until the vehicle has started to move forwards ⇒ .
Kick-down acceleration
The kick-down feature permits maximum acceleration when the selector lever is in the Drive (D), Sport
Drive (S) or Tiptronic mode.
If you push the accelerator all the way down, the vehicle will automatically downshift, depending on
vehicle speed and engine speed (rpm). This feature lets you take advantage of the full acceleration
capacity of the vehicle ⇒ .
With kick-down actuated, the transmission will stay in the current gear longer and not upshift until the
engine reaches maximum rpm.
.WARNING
Rapid acceleration can cause skidding and loss of traction, especially on slippery roads,
resulting in a loss of vehicle control, collisions, and serious personal injury.
x Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
.NOTICE
x When stopping on hills with the transmission in a drive gear, do not use the accelerator to
help prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards. This can cause the automatic transmission to
overheat and be damaged.
x Never let the vehicle coast or roll down a hill in Neutral (N), especially when the engine is
not running. The transmission will not be lubricated and will be damaged.
Automatic transmission malfunction
.
Driving
situations Requirements and conditions Vehicle behavior
– CAReful use of E-MODE button
⇒ fig. 251.
The high-voltage battery discharges quickly
with the E-MODE button switched on. This
can increase fuel consumption since driving
in electric mode is preferred in this case,
even though the combustion engine would
be more efficient.
Driving on
country roads
and highways.
– Conscious easing off of the
accelerator, to enable longer sailing
distance.
By easing off the accelerator, the
combustion engine is automatically
switched off and de-clutched. The vehicle
glides without engine power.
- Reducing speed by easing off the
accelerator early and not by
braking.
Sailing possible. Reduction of speed this
way is more fuel-efficient than through
braking.
- Avoid speeds of over about 160
km/h (99 mph).
Efficient sailing is possible with a speed of
about 160 km/h (99 mph) .
- CAReful selection of gear (S).
Sporty driving style with activated sport
programme increases fuel consumption.
Efficient sailing in sport programme with
combustion engine automatically switched
off is possible with a speed of about 70
km/h (43 mph).
Driving in cold
months.
- Do not warm up the combustion
engine by running it with the
vehicle stationary.
The temperature of the combustion engine
increases very slowly, but fuel consumption
increases considerably.
– CAReful use of heating for
windshield and the rear window,
outside mirror, seat and steering
wheel.
This prevents energy from being lost and
saves energy for the electric motor.
- Never leave the vehicle in a
garage over night.
This prevents the high-voltage battery and
the vehicle interior from cooling down too
much. The optimal temperature of the high-
voltage battery is reached quicker at the
beginning of the journey and the
combustion engine can be switched off
quicker when the vehicle interior is
sufficiently heated.
