
180 Intellige nt tec hno logy
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by veh ic le
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during normal vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stab ilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the vehicle back under control by selectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
J.i) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It will not always be able to help out
under a ll cond itions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not towing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattent ion. Instead, ESC improves the
possibility of keeping the vehicle under con
trol and on the road during extreme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.

Intelligent technology 183
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC /ASR on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stalbilization f unct ion T he fu ll stabilization f unc-
tion funct ions are lim ited is not available¢ .&,.. ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ .&,. .
and ASR are switched off . available agai n.
Operation Press the I~ OFF I button Press and ho ld the I~ OFFI Press t he I~ OF FI button
briefly. bu
tton lo nger than 3 sec-
again.
onds .
Indicator II turns on. II and 1/1 turn on. II tur ns off or fl and II
lights tur n off.
Driv er mes -Stab ilization control Stabilization control Stabilization control
sages (ESC ): Sport. Warning! (ESC ): off. Warning! Re- (ESC) : On
Restricted stability stricted stability
It is only possible to t urn off the ASR up to 30
mph (SO km/h) for vehicles with front whee l
d rive . At abou t
45 mph (70 km/h) it a utomat i
cally turns on aga in .
It is poss ible to turn off
the ASR a t any speed for veh icles with all
wheel drive.
_& WARNING
f--------- -
You should o nly sw itch sport mode on o r
switch ESC/ASR off if you r drivin g abili ties
and road conditions pe rm it .
- The s tabilization func tion is lim ited
w hen sport mode is sw itche d on. T he
dr iv ing whee ls co uld spin an d the vehicle
cou ld
swe rve, especially on slick or slip
pery road surfaces.
- The re is n o vehicle stabilization when
ESC/ASR a re switc hed off.
(D Tips
ES C/ASR cannot be sw itche d off or sport
mo de cannot be switc hed on when adap
t ive c ruise control * is switched on.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the firs t 250 miles (40 0 km), new
b ra ke pads do not possess their f ull braking
effect, they have to be "broke n in" first ¢.&,. .
You can compensate for th is slightly reduced
brak ing power by push ing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak
ing loads dur ing the
break -in period .
Operating conditions and driving habits
The bra kes o n today's a utomo biles a re still
s u bject to wear, depend ing largely on operat
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&,. . On
vehicles that are either driven m ost ly in stop
and-g o city traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should b e chec ked by your au tho r
iz ed Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure
to h ave yo ur bra ke pads insp ect ed ca n result
in reduced brake pe rfo rmance .
On steep slop es, you sho uld use the b raking
effe ct o f the e ngine. This way, you prevent un
ne ce ss ary wear on the br ake sys tem.
If you
mus t use your brakes, do not hold the b ra kes
down cont in uou sly. Pump the brakes at inter
vals.
Operating noise
N ois es m ay o ccur when br akin g depend ing on
th e speed, brak ing fo rce and o uts ide condi
ti ons such as tem pera ture and hum idity.
Effect of water and road salt
In certa in situa tions, for examp le afte r dr iv ing
t hr ough wa ter, in heavy rain, after overnight
c on den sat ion or after w ashin g your car , the
braking e ffec t ca n be reduce d by mois ture o r
ice on the b rake ro to rs and brake pads . The
brakes m ust be dr ied first with a few careful
brake ap plications .
•
•

overhea t red ucin g the e ffec tiveness of
t h e ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the bra king capability resulting in an in
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
wor kshop .
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed considera
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator light s and messages
• Steering defecti ve! Do not drive vehicle!
If th is ind icator light tu rns on and stays on
and th is message appears, t he power s teeri ng
may have f ailed.
Do
not co ntin u e d riving . See yo ur autho rized
Aud i dea ler o r a qua lifi ed r epai r fac ility for as
sis tance .
':rj Dynam ic steering: Sy stem fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light t urns on and the mes
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steer ing wheel may also be at an angle whe n
d riving st raight .
Drive s low ly to your au thor ized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
'y.ij Dynam ic steering : initializing
Int ellig ent technolog y 185
If this drive r message appea rs and the indica
tor lig ht is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steer ing * is being rein itia lized. After
starting the engine, the steering wheel will move s light ly. Re- initiali zation might be nec
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . Th e display goes out as soo n as ini ti
ali zation is comple te .
A WARNING
H ave the dy namic s tee ring * system mal
f u nction repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop - risk of acc ident !
(D Tips
- If the . or l;rj indic ator l ight only st ays
on fo r a short time, you may continue
dr iving.
- T he dynamic s teering* s tabilit y systems
are not availab le in the even t of a system
ma lfunction.
- F or ad ditiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer to ¢page 104 .
-
Driving with your
quattro
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en .
General informati on
With a ll-wheel d rive, power is distrib uted to
all four wheels. This happens automatically depending on your driving style and the road
cond it ions at the time. See also¢ page 180 .
A center d ifferential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear ax le. It
wor ks together with selective wheel torque
control, wh ich activates when dr iv ing t hrough
curves Qpage 181. With the sport differen
t ia l*, power d istr ibut io n to the rea r wheels is
var iable a nd can be adjusted w ith dr ive se lect
¢ page 10 4.
IJII>
•
•

to prevent excessive discha rge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability .
Dynam ic energy man agement
W hile the vehicle is being driven , dynamic en
e rgy management distributes the energy gen
erated according to the needs of the individu
a l components . It regu lates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti mal state of charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi
cator light (•) appears
¢ page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capabili ty.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and d uring the co ld time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re
qu ired, but only a little is generated. It is also
cr itical if the engine is not run ning and electri
cal components are turned on . In th is in
stance energy is being consumed but none is
be ing generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat
i ng the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back o r switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer per iod .
Some of the conven ience fun ctions may not
ope rate, such as the in ter ior lig hts o r th e
power seat adj ustment. The conven ience
functions will be available again when you
switch on the ignitio n and start the engine .
Intellig ent technolog y 187
With the eng ine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
the engine turned off or use other MMI func
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capab il ity is jeopardized d ue to en
ergy consump tion, the following warning ap
pears in the MM I display:
Pl ea se start the en gin e s oon or the sy ste m
will be turn ed off .
The warning indicates that the system w ill be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the funct io ns, yo u
have to sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be
come d ischa rged . This happe ns mostly when
li ttle energy is being gene rated and a g reat
deal consumed and t he battery's state of
charge is not opt imal.
To b ring the energy ba lance back into equili
brium , consume rs which requ ire espec ially
la rge amounts of ene rgy are temporar ily cu t
ba ck or sw itched o ff. Hea ting systems in p ar
ticu lar require a great deal of energy . If yo u
notice, for examp le, that the heated seats * or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the ene rgy balance has been restored .
You wi ll also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . T hi s is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine id le
speed the additional energy required is gene r
ated and the battery is charged .
•
•

190 Driving and en vironm ent
- Have your vehicle main tained properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair
the function of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used.
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w it h lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wou ld like your veh icle to remain inop
e rat ive for a longer period of time, con tact an
Aud i or other specialized dealer. They can ad
vise you on necessary precautions e .g. corro
sion prevention, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to add itiona l information con
cerning the battery. Refer to
c:> page 217.
Operate your vehicle
economically and minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and t ires largely
depend on three factors:
- yo ur persona l dr iving style
- operating conditions
- tec hnic al lim itations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
d rive economically, you can eas ily cut your
f u el cons umption by 10 -15 pe rcen t. T his sec- t
ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
The cons umption estima tes as published
by ENVIRONME NTAL PROTEC TION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the road, which will va ry depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating .
.. Avo id u nnecessary accelerating and brak ing.
Vehicles use the most fue l when they are ac
ce lerat ing. If you ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you wi ll need to brake less and,
t h us, acce lerate less . Let the veh icle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next t raff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently red uces fue l cons ump
t ion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en
gine noise increase disproportionate ly at h igh
speeds. If you drive at approximately three quarters of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weathe r con
ditions pe rm it.

Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
11-Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
11-Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at rail road cross ings, or at traffic lights that have
long wa its on red. Turning the engine
off for
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned s tarting the eng ine again.
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel .
11-Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regular ly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects fuel
co nsumpt ion .
Ch eck you r oil each time you fill you r ta nk .
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 191
The amount of oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It i s normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(S,000 kilometers) before yo u can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
Th is also app lies to fue l consumption and en
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Ma in
t enance book let. Lack of p roper mainte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission cont ro l system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
11-Try to avoid driving short distances w ith a
cold engine.
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their optimal opera ting temp era ture to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and noxious em is
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 mi les
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). After about
2 .5 miles (4 km), liJI,
•
•

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 193
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trailer has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the lo ad in the traile r is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 19 4.
Engine cooling system
Towing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

194 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do no t tow a lo aded tra ile r when your car it
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly carefu l when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed lim its .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced" rig is easier to operate and con
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i
ble, transfer some ca rgo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rv ing
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
co nsiderations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rtic ularly
whe n goi ng downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
imm ediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try t o sto p th e swaying by a ccelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the b rakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air condi tioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roper ly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by A udi.
-