2014 AUDI Q7 page 27

130 Audi side assist
-The radar sensor's vision can be reduced
or entirely blocked by rain, snow, and
heavy spray . This can result in side assist
not adequately detecting vehicles or, in
some cases, not detecting them at all.
Always keep an eye on the direction you
are traveling and the relevant area
around the vehicle.
- Please note that side assist indicates
there are approaching vehicles, or
vehicles in your blind spot, only after
your vehicle has reached a driving speed
of at least 19 mph (30 km/h).
- Side assist signal does not work around
tight corners (turning radius less than
328 feet, or 100 m).
- Side assist is no replacement for the driv­
er's full attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for lane changes and similar
driving maneuvers. Always keep an eye
on the direction you are traveling and the relevant area around the vehicle.
- To ensure that you do not adversely af­
fect side assist, do not block the area on
the rear bumper where the radar sensors
are located with foreign objects (such as
stickers or bicycle racks).
- Make sure that the signal light on the
outside mirror is not blocked by stickers
or other items.
(Di Tips
- Side assist automatically deactivates if it
detects that the radar sensors are
blocked ¢
page 135. The indicator light
on the button goes out .
- The area on the bumper where the radar
sensors are located must consistently re­
main free of snow, ice, and heavy soiling
so that side assist can function properly.
Follow the additional notes on
¢page 136.
-For vehicles with a factory installed tow­
ing hitch* or a trailer hitch* that was in­
stalled later according to factory specifi­
cations, side assist is automatically deac- tivated
as soon as the electrical connec­
tion to the trailer electrical socket is made
¢ page 135.
-For vehicles with a trailer hitch that was
not installed according to factory specifi­
cations, switch off the side assist when
towing a trailer .
- Additional tinting on the front side win­
dows can make it harder to see and cor­
rectly understand the signal light on the
outside mirror.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions¢
page 319.
Sensor detection area
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
-----··· .... ·--·--
@ / ,
--­
ill b''T -
Fig. 150 Sc hematic illustration: Sensor detectio n area
The detection ¢ fig. 150 of the radar sensor
detection area is made up of:
-
- the approach area (light red area) (D, about
230 feet (70 m) behind the vehicle, and
- the "blind spot" (dark red area) @.
The radar sensors cover the adjacent left and
right lanes. Other lanes are
not covered by the
radar sensors.
(D Tips
Side assist does not measure actual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane
width . Detection in the left and right lanes
is based on this assumed lane width.
When driving on narrow roads or when
driving to the left or right of the center of
a travel lane, it is possible that vehicles
will be detected that are
not in the lane

next to the lane you are using
¢page 135.
Operation
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assist compares the distance and differ­
ence in speed of detected vehicles with the
speed of your vehicle . Whenever the differ­
ence in speed and d istance is registered as no­
table if you were to change lanes, a signal l ight appea rs on the respective mirror.
The signal can light up if you are passed by a
vehicle or if you are pass ing another vehicle.
If you pass another vehicle s lowly (difference
in speed less than 9 mph, or 15 km/h), the
signal light will come on as soon as the other
vehicle is in your blind spot and is detected by
side assist . When the difference in speed is
g reater, the signal light will not come on.
Informational and alert stage signals
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assist has two signal stages:
- the informational stage signal, and
- the alert stage signal.
Side assist he lps you by using the appropriate
signal stage, depending on whether or not
you have activated the turn signal, and thus have indicated that you are or are not chang­
in g lanes .
Informational stage signal
As long as you have not activated the turn sig­
nal, side assist informs you of detected
vehicles that are registered as being in a nota­
b le location if you were to change lanes.
Whenever the detected vehicle's difference in speed and distance is registered by side assist
as notable, the signal light on the respective
mirror produces muted illuminat ion.
The br ightness of the informat ional stage sig ­
nal is designed not to be as intense, so that it
does not interfere with your view of the road
when yo u are driving and have no intention of
changing lanes. When you look i n the outside
Aud i side assist 131
mirror, you can clearly see the informational
stage signal.
Alert stage signal
When you activate the turn signal, and s ide
ass ist has detected a vehicle in a notable loca­
t ion on that part icular s ide, the signa l light on
this side mirror flashes brightly. The repeated
brief and bright flashing of the alert stage
signal reminds you to carefully check traffic to
the rear in the outside mirror and over your
shoulder, so that you can safely complete the lane change
¢ A in Safety tips on page 136 .
@ Tips
The brightness of the signal light on the
outside mirrors can be adjusted with the
MMI ¢page 134.
Driving situation: Fast approaching
vehicles
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Fig. 151 Side assist : Fast app roaching vehicles
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
No vehicle was detected by the sensors. The
signal on the outside mirror does not light up
¢ A in Safety tips on page 136. IJJ,,

132 Audi side assist
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A fast approaching veh icle - in the left-hand
l ane for examp le - was detected by the sen­
sors . Although this vehicle is sti ll far away, it
should be taken into account if you were to
change lanes, due to the considerable differ ­
ence in speed. The informational stage signal
on the outside m irror lights up
c::;, page 131.
@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signal briefly f lashes repeated­
ly. Side ass ist is alerting you to a veh icle that
you may not have noticed.
@ Tips
- The faster a vehicle approaches from the
rear, the sooner the signal on the outside
mirror lights up. Side assist will signa l,
at the latest, when a detected vehicle en­
ters your "blind spot" .
- When vehicles approach very quickly,
changing lanes can be dangerous even if
the signal on the outside mirror does not
light up.
Driving situation: Slowly approaching
vehicles
Applies to vehicles : wi th side assist
@
Fig. 152 Side assist: S low ly approac hing veh icles and
veh icles in yo ur blind spot
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
A vehicle approaching slowly -in the left-hand
lane for example - was detec ted by the sen­
sors. Because of the small d ifference in speed
and the considerable distance from your vehi ­
cle, the signal on the outside mirror will not
light up
c::;, &. in Safety tips on page 136.
@ Informational stage signal lights up
The distance between your vehicle and that of
the slow ly approaching vehicle has narrowed .
The informationa l stage signal on the outside
mirror lights up.
As soon as the differe nce in speed and dis­
tance is registered as notable if you were to
change lanes, a signa l on the mirror lights up.
Side assist will signal at the latest when a de-
tected vehicle enters your "b lind spot". .,,.

@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signa l light briefly flashes re­
peatedly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehi­
cle that you may not have noticed .
@ Tips
-The faster a vehicle approaches from the
rear, the sooner the signa l on the outside
mirror lights up. Side assist will signa l,
at the latest, when a detected vehicle en­
ters your "blind spot".
- When vehicles approach very quickly,
changing lanes can be dangerous even if
the signal on the outside mirror does not
light up.
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping
back slowly
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
Fig . 153 Side assist: Vehicles dropp ing back s lowly
CD Signal on outs ide mirror does not light
up
The vehicle that you passed has not yet been
detected by side assist . The signal on the out­
side mirror does not light up
q .& in Safety
tips on page 136.
Audi side assist 133
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A vehicle dropping back slowly on the r ight
(difference in speed of less than 9 mph, or lS
km/h) has been detected by side assist. The
informational stage signa l on the outside mir­
ror lights up.
@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate yo ur turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signal briefly flashes repeated­
ly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehicle that
you may not have noticed.
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping
back quickly
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
Fig. 154 Side assist: Veh icles dropp ing back quickly
CD Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
T he vehicle just passed has not yet been de­
tected by side ass ist. The sign al on the out­
side mirror does not light up
q .& in Safety
tips on page 136 .
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
The vehicle dropping back quickly on the right
( difference in speed of more than 9 mph, or
lS km/h) has been detected by side assist,
1J1>

134 Audi side assist
but is not considered notable in the event of a
lane change, because it is dropping back so
quickly. The signal on the outside mirror does
not light up¢.&.
in Safe ty tips on page 136.
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signal still does not light up on
the outside mirror¢.&.
in Safe ty tips on
page 136 .
MMI settings
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
The basic brightness se tting of the signal on
t he ou tside mirror can be adjusted via the
MMI .
.. Select : I CARI function button> Systems*
control button > Audi side assist. Or
.. Select :
I CAR ! function button > Car systems*
control button > Driver assist > Audi side
assist.
The brightne ss of the sign al light for both the
informational and alert stages is automatical ­
ly adjusted to ambient light conditions. In ad­
dition, you can adjust the
basic brightness
separately, via the brightness function.
While making the adjustment, the new
brightness setting is displayed briefly . The
brightness displayed is that of the informa­
tional stage signal. The alert stage signal
brightness is linked to the informational stage
signal brightness.
The informational stage signal brightness
should be adjusted so that you notice the sig­
nal illumination when you look in the outside
mirror, but not when you look forward
through the windshield.
In very dark or light surroundings , the auto­
matic brightness setting adjusts signal light
brightness to maximum or minimum intensi­
ty, as needed. In circumstances such as these,
you may not notice any change in the bright­
ness on the outside mirror when adjusting the
basic brightness .
You may not notice the change until lighting
conditions are normal again.
(D Tips
- Side assist is not active when the basic
brightness is adjusted. The signal light
comes on briefly to help you make the
adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
· General information '
Applies to vehicles : with side assist
Side assist has limits and canno t detect
vehicles under all road and weather condi­
tions . Please remember system limitations
and never rely on the system, especially when:
- driving through curves¢
page 134,
-lanes are of different widths¢ page 135.
' When driving through curves
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assist cannot detect vehicles in curves
with a turning radius of less than 328 feet
(100 m).
When driving through a curve, it is possible
that side assi st may register a vehicle two
lanes over, and the signal on the outside mir­
ror will light up.

Lane width
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
-· Fig. 155 Lan es o f a norma l wid th a re in detect ion area
Fig . 156 Narrow lanes: Side ass ist may detect vehicles
two la nes away
Side assist's detection area is designed to cov­
e r l anes of standard w idth to the left and
r ight of your travel lane, depending on wheth­
er you dr ive in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge.
I f you drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de­
tec tion a rea may a lso incl ude other lanes -es­
pec ia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane
c:::> fig. 156 . Under these cond it ions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
lanes away, and side assist then could switch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
signals.
When driving in very wide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be ­
cause they are not inside the detection area.
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If s ide ass ist t urns off automa tically, the ind i­
cator l igh t on the button wi ll go ou t and you
Aud i side assist 135
will see a message in the instrument cluster
display:
Audi side assist not available: sensors
bloc ked
The side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and r ight (not visible on
the outside)
c:::> page 129, fig . 147. To ensure
that you do not adversely affect the way side
ass ist functions, foreign objects (such as stick­
ers or bicycle racks) should not be attached to
the area on the rear bumper where the sen­
sors a re located . If side ass ist functions are
adverse ly affec ted, you w ill see th is message
in the instrument cluster disp lay . Remove any­
th ing t hat may be blocking the sensors.
If no vehicle is detected for a longer per iod of
t ime wh ile dr iv ing, s ide ass ist w ill also switch
off automatically.
Audi s ide as sist cu rrentl y not available
If there is a temporary problem (such as the
vehicle 's battery charge be ing low), side assist
cannot be act ivated temporar ily .
Audi side assis t: sy stem fault
Have the system checked by an author ized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Audi side assist not availabl e when
towing
The radar sensor's view is limited when tow­
ing a tra iler. For vehicles with a factory instal­
led tow ing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later according to facto ry specifica­
tions, s ide ass ist is automatically deact ivated
as soon as the ele ctrical connection to the
trailer's e lectrical socke t is made, and this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus­
ter display. Deactivation cannot be guaran ­
teed when using a retrofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed according to factory
specifications.

Automatic
transmission
tiptronic
Introduction
The automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down­
shifts automatically depend ing on which drive
program is selected. The power is transferred
by a torque converter .
When a
mode rate d riv in g s ty le is used, the
transmission selects the most econom ica l
driving mode. It w ill then change up early and
delay the downshifts to g ive better fuel econ­
omy.
T he transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a k ick-down or when the driver uses a
spo rty driving sty le characterized by quick ac­
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera­
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can a lso select the gears
manually ( tiptronic mode ) c:> page 140.
Selector lever positions
Fig. 157 D isp lay in t he i nst ru m en t cluster: selecto r
l ever in pos it ion P
The selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selecto r lever as well as in the in­
strument clus ter disp lay.
P- P ark
In th is selector lever pos ition the transmis­
sion is mechan ically locked . Engage P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped c:> 11::..
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 13 7
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 139.
T o shift in or out of posit io n P , yo u m ust first
press and ho ld the brake pedal and then press
the re lease button in the selector leve r handle
whi le moving the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition on.
R -Reverse
Se lect R on ly when the vehicle is at a
full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed c:> 11::.. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 139.
Before you move the se lector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le o f the selector
lever
and the brake pedal at the same t ime.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu­
minate when the selecto r lever is moved into
R .
N -Neutral
T he t ransm iss ion is in neut ral in this pos ition.
S hi ft to t his position fo r standing with the
brakes appl ied
c:> 11::.. in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 139 .
The vehicle can
also roll when the engine is stopped .
When the vehicle is stat iona ry or at speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), yo u m ust always apply
the footbrake before and whi le mov ing the
lever o ut of
N .
D - Normal position for driving forward
In the no rma l mode D, the t ransmission auto­
matically selects the s uitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv ­
i ng sty le.
S -Sport posit ion
Se lect the sport mode S for spo rty dr iv ing .
T he vehicle makes fu ll use of the eng ine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeable when
acce lerat ing.
When the vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always app ly ...,

138 Automatic tr an smis sion
the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to Dor S out of N.
.&_ WARNING
Read and follow a ll WARNINGS
c::> & in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 139.
(D Note
Coasting downhi ll with the transmission in
N and the engine not running wi ll result in
damage to the automatic transmiss ion
and possibly t he catalytic converter.
(D Tips
- If you accidenta lly select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal
i mmediately and wait fo r the engine to
s low down to idle before se lecting D.
- If there is a power failure, the selector
l eve r will not move out of t he P position.
The emergency release can be used if
th is happens
c::> page 1 41.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or the reverse gear and causing the vehicl e to
move unintentionally.
Fi g. 1 58 Sh ift gate: selector lever lock positions and
release button high lighted
The selector lever loc k is released as follows:
.. Turn the ignition on .
.. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on t he
s ide of the gear se lecto r knob
c::> fig . 158
with your thumb until yo u have moved the
selector lever to the desired position .
Automatic selector lever lock
T he selector leve r is lo cked in the P and N po­
s it ions w hen the ig nition is tu rned on . Yo u
mus t press the br ake pedal and t he re lease
button to select another position. As a re ­
minder to the driver, the following warning
appears in the instrument cluster display
whe n the selector is in P and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while se­
lecting gear
T he Au tomatic Shift Loc k only f unct io ns when
the ve hicl e is stationa ry o r at spee ds be low
1 mph (2 km/h).
At speeds ab ove abo ut 1 mph (2 km/h) the
A ut omat ic Shift Lock is a utomatic ally deac ti­
vated in the N position.
A time delay el ement p reven ts the selector
lever from loc king when i t is moved through
the N pos itio n (go ing from R to D). The lo ck­
i ng eleme nt w ill lock the selecto r leve r if the
lever is left in N (Neutra l) for more than ap­
proximate ly 1 second, without the brake ped ­
al be ing pressed .
Release button
T he re le ase bu tton on the se lec tor lever pre­
ven ts the lever from being acc iden tally shifted
into certa in positions . Press ing this button de ­
activates the se lector lever loc k. Depending
on the direction of the shift, the se lector lever
locks at differe nt posit ions. The positions are
highlighted in the illustration
<=:> fig . 158.
Ignition key safety interlock
T he key cannot be remove d from the ignition
u nless the selector lever is in t he P park posi­
tion. When the ignition key is removed, the
selector lever will be loc ked in the P position.