90 On the road
Startin g and automati cally r ele a s ing the
p ark ing b rake
.. When you start to drive as usua l, the park
ing brake is automatically re leased and your
vehicle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signa l or stopping
in city traffic on vehicles with an automatic
transmission, the park ing brake can be ap
plied. The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake. The park ing brake elimi
nates the tendency to creep with a drive range
engaged . As soon as you dr ive off as usual,
the park ing brake is released automatically
and the veh icle starts to move .
Starting on slopes
When starting on incline s, the start ing ass ist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll
ing back. The braking force of the parking
b rake is not released until sufficient dr iving
fo rce has been bu ilt up at the whee ls.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re
leased automatically only when the dr iv
er 's safety belt is engaged in the bu ck le.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
.. Keep the switch pulled and depress the ac
celerator. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from ro lling back
ward.
.. You can release the switch once you are sure
th at you are developing enough driving
force at the wheels by depressing the accel
erator.
Depending on the weight o f the rig (vehicle
and trai ler) and the severity of the incline , you
may roll backwards as you start . Yo u can pre
vent roll ing backwards by holding the parking
brake switch pulled out and acce lerat ing -just
as you would when starting on a h ill with a
conventional hand brake .
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys
tem fails or locks .
.. In an emergency, pull the switch and contin
ue to pull it t o slow your vehicle down with
the parking brake .
.. As soon as you release the switch or acceler-
ate, the b rak ing process stops .
If you pull the switch and ho ld it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen
cy brak ing f unct ion is init iated . T he veh icle is
braked at all fou r whee ls by activating the hy
draulic brake sys tem. The brake performance
is similar to making an emergency stop~&. .
In order not to act ivate the emergency brak
ing by mis take, an audib le warning tone (buz
zer) sounds whe n the switch is pulled. As soon
as the switch is re leased, or the accelerator
peda l is depressed, emergency braking stops.
A WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the norma l foot brake
has fa iled or the brake pedal is obstructed.
Using the park ing brake to perform emer
gency braking will s low your veh icle down
as if you had made a full brake application .
The laws of phys ics cannot be suspended
even with ESC and its asso ciated compo
nents (ABS, ASR, EDS). In corners and
when road or weather cond itions are bad,
a full brake application can ca use the vehi
cle to skid or the rear end to break away -
risking an accident .
Driver messages in the instrument
cluster
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
This message appears when the parking brake
is app lied on a n incline that exceeds about
30% .
In this case the braking power of the park ing
brake may
not b e adequate to prevent the ve-
hicle from ro lling un intent io na lly. ...
-Offroad mode and hill descent assist must
not be turned on
c::> page 198.
The combust ion eng ine tu rns on and inter
rupts
the enhanced electric d rive mode when
the vehicle is accelerated. The gray indicator
light
l:!I also turns on in the disp lay. The en
hanced electric drive mode resumes automati
cally once acceleration stops.
The enhanced e lectric drive mode is
deactivat
ed
if at least one of the following conditions is
met :
- Th e ign ition is turned off.
- Th e
1.:1"1 button is pressed again.
- The high voltage battery charge level is low .
- The veh icle speed is higher than approxi -
mately 62 mph (100 km/h).
- The
S selector lever position or tiptronic
mode is selected .
- Offroad mode or hill descent assist is
switched on .
T he
ld" I button must be pressed to reactivate
it .
Start-Stop function
The combustion engine is operated on ly as
needed. Generally, the combustion engine
turns off when the vehicle is stationary and
the high voltage battery powers the electrical
vehicle systems.
The purpose of automatica lly shutting the
combustion engine off in hybrid drive mode is
to save fuel. All of the important veh icle sys
tems, such as steering, brakes and the A/C
system, cont inue to remain active. In some
cases, systems may require the combustion
engine to cont inue running when the vehicle
is stationary. When dr iv ing in congested traf
fic for long per iods of time, the combustion
engine w ill cycle on when the vehicle is sta
tionary to keep the high voltage battery
charged.
Gliding
I f the gas pedal is not pressed and the D posi
tion is selected, the combustion engine re-
Hybrid 101
mains turned off up to speeds of approxi
mately 99 mph ( 160 km/h) . Driving conserva
tive ly like this can reduce fuel consumption .
Energy recovery (recuperation)
When braking, the elect ric motor will act as a
generator creating e lectric energy that is then
stored in the high voltage battery. This also
occurs when the ve hicle is coasting or driving
downhi ll. The combustion engine is automati
cally turned off in this case.
The vehicle is braked with the electric motor
by applying ear ly and even pressure to the
brakes and using short pedal movements
¢ page 98, fig. 107 @. By doing this, a large
amount of the kinetic energy is recovered and may be stored as electric energy in the high
voltage battery. During heavy braking, the
convent ional brakes are also act ivated
c::> page 98, fig. 107 @.
The energy recovery is shown in the MMI dis
play
c::> page 104 .
Automatic start of the combustion engine
Various operating conditions cause the com
bust ion engine to start automat ically :
- The high voltage battery charge leve l is low.
- The temperature of the comb ustion engine
is low.
- The temperature of the catalyt ic converter is
low .
- The power output needed for the A/C sys-
t em is high.
- The vehicle speed is hig h.
- The vehicle acceleration is high.
- The inclin e is steep.
- High charge level for the high voltage bat-
tery when coasting. In th is case, the h igh
voltage battery cannot absorb any mo re en
ergy and so the electric motor cannot slow
down the veh icle. The combustion engine
tu rns on (engine brake). In this situation the
h igh voltage battery will show a Ma x charge.
Homelink
Universal remote
control
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Home link
The HomeLink universal remote control can
be programmed with the remote control for
devices that are already present.
With Home Link, you can control devices such
as the garage door, security systems, house
lights , etc. comfortably from the inside of you
vehicle.
Homelink makes it possible for you to rep lace
three different remote controls from dev ices
in your home with one universal remote. This
feature works for most garage door and exte
rior door motor signals. Programming the in
dividual remote control for your remote con
trol takes place near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-time programming of the sensor must be performed before you are able to use sys
tems with Homelink. If the system does not activate after performing the one-time pro
gramming, check whether the system uses a rolling code¢
page 138 for vehicles without
the MMI*.
& WARNING
-
- Never use the Homelink transmitter
with any garage door opener that does
have not the safety stop and reverse fea
ture as requ ired by federa l safety stand
ards. This includes any garage door open
er model manufactured before April 1,
1982.
-A garage door opener which cannot de
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder
al safety standards . Using a garage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
Homelink 135
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the
Homelink remote control is being pro
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac
tivated, th is can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components - an
overheated mo to r i s a fire hazard!
- To avoid possib le injuries or property
damage, please always make abso lutely
certa in that no persons or objects are lo
cated in the range of motion of any
equipment being operated.
(0 Tips
- If you would like more information on
Homelink, where to purchase the Home
Link compat ible products, or would like
to purchase the Home Link Home Light
ing Package, please call toll-free :
1-800-355-3515.
-For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula
tions
¢ page 296.
-For security reasons, we recommend that
you clear the programmed buttons be
fore selling the vehicle.
Operation
App lies to vehicles : with Homeli nk
Fig. 148 Headl iner: controls
Req uirement: The buttons must be program-
med
<:!)page 136 or ¢page 137. ..,_
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com
partment.
Fig . 153 Safe load pos ition ing: place heavy objects as
low and as far forward as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the r isk of serious personal injury in a sudden
veh icle maneuver or in a collision .
~ Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
~ Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as poss ible
<=> fig. 153.
~ Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid
ed
¢ page 68.
~ Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak
ing or an acc ident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment us ing the tie-down eye lets
and suitable straps .
Drivin g Sa fely 145
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve
h icle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per
missible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv
ing<=>
page 139 .
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
-
those fitting comp letely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fu lly
closed.
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof *,
- Open all air outlets in the inst rument
panel,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh a ir fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the doo rs, all win
dows, the Pano ramic s liding sunroof* and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked
150 Safety belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
Fig. 155 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 156 Th e vehicle c rash es into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en
e rgy ."
T he higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this veh icle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 155, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, until something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 156 .
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher .
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was t ravell ing just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col
lisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 157 A d river not wea ring a safety b elt is viol en tly
thrown fo rwa rd
Fig . 158 A rear passe nge r not wearing a safety belt
w ill fl y forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of i mpac t by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems , the unrestrained
ll-
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what
ever else is in the way
r::;; fig. 157. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
veh icle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them
selves but also the driver and other passen
gers
r::;; fig. 158. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 159 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden brak
ing maneuver
Safety belts 151
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron
tal collision, safety belts can also su bsta ntia l
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
-Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat o ccupan ts.
F ig . 165 Location of driver airbag: in steer ing whee l
Fig. 166 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the in
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped w ith an "Advanced
Ai rbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (F MVSS) 208 as app licab le at the time your
ve hicle w as manufac tured. The system senses
the position of the front seats and controls
front airbag inflation with a va lve, depending
on the distance between the respect ive seat
and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
The safety belts for the seats have "preten
sioners" that he lp to take slack out of the belt
system . The pretensioners are also activated
by the electron ic contro l unit for the airbag
sys tem.
A irba g sy stem 161
The front sa fety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash .
T he airbag for the drive r is in the stee ring
whee l hub
q fig. 1 65 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
~fig. 166 . The general locat ion of the a irbags
is marked "AIRBAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the ai r
bags in your vehicle . We urge you to read t he
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety i n this and the other
chapters that make up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of yo ur passengers, especially in
fants and small children.
_&. WARNING
N ever rely on airbags alone for protec tion.
- E ven w hen they deploy, airbags provide
only s uppleme nta l pro tect ion .
- Airbag work most effective ly when used
wit h properly wor n safety belts.
- Therefore, always wea r you r safe ty belts
and make sure that eve rybody i n your ve
hicle is p rope rly res trained.
_&. WARNING
A pe rson on the fron t passe nger seat, es
pe cial ly infants and sma ll children, will re
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil l ed by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Altho ugh the Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to tur n off the
front passenge r airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
that deployment under these specia l
conditions is imposs ible in all conceiva
b le sit uat ions that may happen during
t he useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy
in acco rdance with t he "low risk" option
un der the U.S. Fede ral Standa rd if a child
that is he avie r than the typical one-year
-
..
Fo r exa mple, the airbag may depl oy if:
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of
the chi ld safety seats listed
¢ page 180),
-a ch ild who has outgrown child rest raints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off , the
PA SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light in the center
of the inst rument panel w il l come on and stay
on.
The front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upr ight w ith
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front
of the sea t is on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk " deployment criteria to help re
duce the risk of inj ury through in teraction
with the airbag . "Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de
celerations as defined in the electronic control unit.
¢ page 168
Alway s remember : Even though you r vehicle
is equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest
p lace for children is properly restrained on the
back seat . Please be sure to read the impor
tant information in the sect ions that follow
and be sure to heed all of the WARNINGS.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly .
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much highe r.
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in-
A irbag system 163
flates - even with an Advanced Ai rbag
¢page 157 .
_&. WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced A irbag System .
-Although the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle is designed to turn off the
front airbag when a rearward-facing child restraint has been instal led on the
front passenge r seat, nobody can abso
lutely guaran tee that dep loymen t is im
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen during the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door, or roof .
-Always install rearward -facing chi ld re
straints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately insta ll the rear-fa cing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-=
If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make s ure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up against or very near the instru-
ment panel.
~
•
•