
The Automatic Shift Lock only functions when
the vehicle 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 se lector
l eve r from locking when it is moved thro ugh
the N position (going from R to 0/5). The lock
ing e lement will lock the selector lever if the
lever is left in N (Neutral) for more than ap
prox imately 2 second, without the brake ped
al being pressed.
R elease button
The release button on the selector lever pre
vents the lever from being accidenta lly shifted
into certain positions. Depending on the direc
tion of the shift, the selector lever locks at d if
ferent positions. The positions are h ighlighted
in the illustration
¢ fig . 113 .
Driving the automatic transmission
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/S tronic/t iptronic
Fig . 114 Sh ift gate on the center conso le: selector lev
er w ith release button
Starting the engine
.., The selector lever must be in P or N .
Starting off
.., Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
.., Press and hold the release button in these
lector lever handle, se lect the desired selec
tor lever pos ition such as D/S and release
the button .
.., Wa it br iefly until the transmission has sh ift
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
Automatic Tra nsmi ssi on 109
.., Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
accelerate.
Stopping t emporarily
.., Keep the veh icle stationa ry using the brak
ing pedal , for example at traffic lights.
.., Do not press the accelerator peda l w hen do
ing this .
.., To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start dr iving, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines¢.&_ .
.., The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could roll. The message
Transm ission: Car
may roll! Shift to park !
appears.
.., Press and hold the brake peda l until the ve-
hicle has come to a complete stop .
.., Apply the parking brake¢
page 78, Parking.
.., Select the P selector lever posit ion c::> ,&. .
Stopping on a n incline
.., Always press the brake pedal to ho ld the ve
hicle in place and prevent it from "rolling
back"
c::> .&_ . Do not try to prevent the veh i
cle from "rolling back" when a gear is en
gaged by increas ing the engine speed
c:::, (D ,
Sta rting on an incline
.., Activate the parking brake .
.., With the driving gear selected, press the ac
celerator peda l carefully. The parking brake
w ill release automatically if your seat belt is
fastened .
Under certain circumstances, such as driving
in the mounta ins, it may be useful to switch
temporarily to the manual shift program in or
der to ad just the gears to the driv ing cond i
tions by han d
¢page 111.
On s lopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position .
This prevents too much stress from being placed on the locking mechanism. .,.

110 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
multitronic transmission : Your vehicle is
equipped with
hill hold assist allowing you to
start while on an incline. The system is acti
vated when the brake pedal is pressed down
and held
f o r a few s econds . The brake pres
sure will hold for
a moment after the brake
pedal loosens to prevent the veh icle from roll
ing backwards whi le starting up .
A WARNING
- The veh icle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended veh icle movement can cause
serious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gea r. If you must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running,
act ivate the park ing brake and move the
selector lever to P .
- Power is st ill transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle . To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat io nary and the
engine is running .
- Never shift into R or P wh ile driving .
- Before driv ing down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substant ially re
duces b raking performance, inc reases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail
ure of the brake system.
- T o prevent the veh icle from rolling back
when stoppi ng on incl ines, always hold it
in place with the brake peda l or parking
brake.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incl ine with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto
matically when it becomes too hot from the overload. An indicato
r lamp
[O] illu
minates and a driver message appears
¢ page 112 when the clutch is overload
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving posit io n engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P with the park ing brake set
¢ page 224. O therwise, any increase in
engine speed m ay se t the vehicle in mo
tion, even with the parking brake ap plied .
(D Note
-S tronic- and tiptronic transmission :
When stopping on an incl ine , do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This can cause the transmis
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti
vate the parking brake or press the brake
peda l to prevent the vehicle from roll ing.
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission : A l
lowing the vehicle to ro ll when the en
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be
cause it is not l ubricated unde r those cir
cumstances.
{!) Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
l eased automatically only when the d riv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with multitro nic/5 tronic/t iptronic
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines .
Hill descent control is activated when these
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is sui table fo r the incline. H ill de
scent contro l tries to ma inta in the speed ach-
ieved at the time of b raking, with in physica l .,.

128 Driving Safely
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section - for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in
structions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- safety belt pretensioners ,
- safety belt force limiters for the front seats,
- safety belt height adjustment systems for
the front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags ,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents .
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
before driving always:
.. Make sure that all lights and signals are op
erating correctly.
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and af
ford good visibility to the outside .
.. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
q page 63, q page 60 .
.. Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to their height . .,..

.. Make sure to use the right child rest raint
correct ly to protect children
Q page 173,
Child Safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 52,
General recommendations .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 138.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver 's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the
veh icle and all of its occupants.
If your ability
to drive is impai red, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
A.
Therefore:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc .).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traff ic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 129
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 144 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢.&_ .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that th ere is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone
Q fig. 144. If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive
equipment .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face.
.,. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. App lies to veh icles with adjustable head re
s tra ints: Ad just the head restraint so the up
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this pos it ion as possible. Move the
head restra int so that it is as close to the
back of the head as poss ible. .,.

130 Driving Safely
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
9 page 141.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
t imes.
Fo r detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<=>page 53.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds . To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your breast
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock
positions to help reduce the risk of per
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in
flates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop
erly restrained. -
Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect
edly and you could lose control of the ve
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
<=> page 173. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c:> page 147.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position:
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact w ith it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
<=> page 132. Move
the head restraint so that it is as close to the
back of the head as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
th e front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
<=> page 141.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
9 page 52.
WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag

can be seriously injured or killed by the air
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po
sition or too close to the airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds with great force in the blink of an eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas
senger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and head restraint prop
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop
erly and can even increase the risk of in
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
r::, page 173. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 147.
Driving Safely 131
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident , your pas
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
.,.. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible , try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
¢ page 132 .
.,.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
.,.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢ page 141 .
.,.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro
priate for their size and ager::,
page 173.
_& WARNING
..-
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that seat .
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec
tion when the safety belts are properly
positioned on the body and securely
latched . By not sitting upright, a rear
seat passenger increases the risk of per
sonal injury from improperly positioned
safety belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection.
•
•

132 Driving Safel y
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations.
Fig . 145 H ead restraint: viewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
i,.. For adjustable head restraints: adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re
stra int so that it is as close to this position
as possible ¢
fig. 145. Move the head re
stra int so that it is as close to the back of
the head as possible .
i,.. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seat ing pos ition, slide the center head re
stra int upward at least to the next notch.
Adjust ing head restraints¢
page 55.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re
straints. Dr iv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints tha t are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser io us or fa
tal neck injury dramatically. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and proper ly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the vehicle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Always make su re each pe rson in the ve
hicle proper ly adjusts the ir head re
straint . Ad just the head restraint so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with the top of yo
ur head. If that is not possi
ble, t ry to ad just the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos
sible. Move the head rest raint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and m ust adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be
fore at tempting to a djust the head re
straint.
- Ch ild ren mus t always be prope rly re
s trained in a child rest rain t that is appro
p ria te fo r their age and size ¢
page 173.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle o ccupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions ca n cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only wo rk
whe n they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the p roper s eating position. A dr iver is
r esponsible fo r the safety of all veh icle occu
pants and espe cially for child ren. The re fore:
i,.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢& .
The following bullet ins list o nly some sample
pos itions that will increase the r isk of serious
injury and death. Our hope is that t hese exam
ples will make yo u more aware o f seat ing po
s it ions tha t are dangerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stand u p in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats

138 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safe ty bel ts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts are nec
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci
dents . For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving .
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns m ust also use safety
belts . Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions: two in the front and three in the rear. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wea ring safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases the risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe
ty belt or child restra int.
t Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod
els only) to remind you abou t the impor tance
of buckling-up .
Fi g. 146 Safety bel t warni ng lig ht in the inst rum ent
cl uster -en lar ged
Before driv ing off, alway s:
.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make su re you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure th at your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect childre n w ith a child restraint sys-
tem app ropriate for the s ize and age .
The warn ing light . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up when the ignit ion is on as a rem inder
to fasten the safety belts . In addit ion, you will
hear a wa rning tone for a ce rtain per iod of
t ime .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your pass eng ers also properly put on the ir
s afety belt s.
A WARNING .....=-
-Safety b elts are the s ingle most eff ect ive
means availa ble to reduce t he ri sk of se
rio us inju ry and de ath in au tomobile acci
dents. Fo r yo ur protection and that of
your passengers , a lways cor rectly wear
safety belts when t he vehicle is moving .