2014 AUDI Q7 Owner´s Manual

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.

136 Audi side a ssis t
Safety tips
App lies to vehicles: wit h side ass ist
The s ide ass ist detect ion may be lim ited when
d riving around narrow street corners , on hilly
streets, and under poor weathe r cond itions.
It is poss ible that the radar sensors may also
detect other objects , such as high or stag­
gered guardra ils .
Side assist does not measure actual lane
width . The system assumes a fixed lane w idth .
Detection in the left and r ight lanes is based
on this assumed lane width . When driving on
na rrow roads or when driving to the left or
right of the center of a travel lane , it is possi ­
b le that vehicles will be detected that are
not
in the lane next to the lane you are using.
A WARNING
- Improper reliance on the s ide assist sys­
tem can cause collisions and serious per­
sonal injury :
- Never rely only on side assist when
changing lanes .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side ass ist cannot detect a ll vehicles un­
der all cond itions- danger of accident!
- Side ass ist cannot detect vehicles in time
to alert you when they approach from beh ind at very h igh speeds or drop back
very quick ly .
- T he 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 a ll.
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 signa l 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 sim ilar
driving maneuvers. Always keep an eye
on the d irect ion you are traveling and the
re levant area around the vehicle.
(D Note
To ensure that side assist is not adversely
affected, you should not block the area on
the rear bumper where the radar sensors
are located with foreign objects (such as
with stickers or bi cycle racks).
(D Tips
If the pos itions of the radar sensors have
been changed as a result of a rear end-co l­
lision, for instance, have s ide assist
checked by an autho rized Aud i dealer for
safety reasons.

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.

Driving the automatic transmission
Fig. 159 Shift g ate on the center co nso le: se lector lev­
er wi th release butt on
Starting the engine
~ The selector lever must be in P or N .
Starting off
~ Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ Press and hold the release button in these­
lector lever handle , select the desired selec ­
tor lever pos ition such as D and release the
button .
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shift­
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
acce lerate .
Stopping temporarily
~ Keep the vehicle stationary us ing the brak­
ing pedal, for examp le at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerato r pedal when do -
ing this.
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
Transmi ssion : Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal unt il the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop.
~ Set the parking brake firmly 9 page 110,
Parking.
~ Se lect the P selector lever position 9 &.-
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the brake pedal to hold the ve­
hicle in place and prevent it from "rolling
back"
9 ,& . Do not try to prevent the vehi-
Autom atic transm ission 139
cle from "rolling back" when a gear is en­
gaged by increasing the engine speed
c::>(D.
Under certain circumstances, such as driving
in the mountains, it may be usefu l to switch
temporarily to the manual shift program in or­
der to adjust the gears to the driving condi­
tions by hand
c::> page 140 .
On slopes, 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.
A WARNING
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear.
If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
apply the park ing brake firmly and move
the selector lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "c reeping ", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D, Sor R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the bra ke
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hi ll. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases braking distance or causes complete fa il·
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake . .,..

140 Automatic transmission
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
[O] illu­
minates and a driver message appears
c!;> page 141 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake
firmly set¢
page 257. Otherwise, any
increase in engine speed may set the ve­
hicle in motion, even with the parking
brake applied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l while a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the transmis­
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the park ing brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in
N will damage the transmiss ion be­
cause it is not lubricated under those cir­
cumstances.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
H ill 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 suitab le for the incline. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical
and technical limitations . It may st ill be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de ­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator pedal. When the speed
is set in the cruise control
system
c!;>page 111, hill descent control is al­
so activated.
A WARNING
--
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the brakes.
· Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
Fig. 160 Center console: shift ing the gears manually
Fig. 161 Steering wheel: Sh ift buttons•
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.,. Push the selector lever to the right from D.
An
M appears in the instrument cluster dis­
play as soon as the transmission has shifted .
.,. To upshift, push the se lecto r lever forward
to the plus position
0 c!;> fig. 160 .
.,. To downshift, push the lever to the minus
position
Q . 1J>-

Gear selection with paddle levers*
The shift buttons are activated when these­
lector lever is in D, Sor the tiptronic manual
shift program .
.,. To upsh ift, touch the button on the right
0
¢fig. 161.
.,. To downshift, touch the button on the left
0-
... If you do not press a shift button within a
short time while in the Dor S position, the
transmission will return to automatic mode .
To keep shifting using the shift buttons, move the selector lever to the right out of
the D position.
The transmission automatically shifts up or
down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manua l shifting
when the engine speed is within the permit­
ted range.
(D Tips
- When you sh ift into the next lower gear,
the transmiss ion will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
ving the engine .
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- Tiptronic is inoperat ive when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­ pending on vehicle speed and engine speed.
The upshift into the next higher gear takes
p lace once the maximum spec ified eng ine
speed is reached.
Autom atic transm ission 141
A WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-dow n is used on a smooth slippery
road -there is a risk of skidding .
Transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con­
tinue driving
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving . Drive to your
authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Transmission malfunction: limited driv­
ing functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer­ gency mode . This mode only shifts into cer­
ta in gears or will no longer shift at all. The en­
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction cor rected.
(D Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you should take the vehicle to an
a utho rized Aud i dealership as soon as pos­
sible to have the condition corrected.
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec­
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
Fig. 162 Selector lever emergency release
The emergency release is located under a rub-
ber mat. ..,.

142 Automatic tran smi ssion
• Carefu lly lift the rubber mat with a screw­
driver or something similar ¢
fig . 162.
• You now have access to a rocker switch . Us ­
ing a screwdriver or similar object, press the
rocker sw itch down and hold it in that pos i­
t ion.
• Now press the release button and move the
selector lever to the N position .
The selector lever can only be moved from the P position if the key is in the lock and the igni ­
tion is sw itched on .
If the power supply fails
(for example, the battery is discharged) a nd
the vehicle must be p ushed or towed , move
the selector leve r to the N pos ition first using
the emergency release .