104 On the road
Reach adjustm ent
.. Push the sw itch @ forward or backward
¢ fig. 118 . The steering whee l reach
changes for as long as yo u press the switch.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween you r chest and the center of the steer
ing wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steer ing wheel.
F or detai led informat ion on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 73.
The stee ring wheel can be adjusted even when
the ignition is turned
Off. For ve hicles with
seat memory, the individ ual positions for the
steering whee l can be stored along with the
seat posit ion.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust
ment and improper seating position can
cause se rious personal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l co lumn on ly
when the veh icle is not moving to pre
vent loss of veh icle cont ro l.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that the re is a min imum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel
¢ page 165, fig . 193. If
yo u cannot ma int ain this min imum d is
tan ce, the airbag system c annot pro tect
yo u properly.
- If phys ica l limitations prevent yo u from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with yo ur au
tho rized Audi dea le r to see if adaptive
equipment is availab le.
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supp lemental driver's airbag
cannot prov ide as much protect ion in an
acc ident. A lways make sure that the
steeri ng wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi- tions to reduce the risk of persona
l injury
if the dr iver's airbag dep loys .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv
er's airbag deploys.
Easy entry feature
The easy entry feature makes it easier to en
ter and exit the vehicle by automatically ad
justing the steering wheel.
Press the button @¢ page 103, fig. 118 to
turn the easy entry feature on or
off.
When the easy entry feature is turned on (but
ton depressed), the steering wheel moves up
to the parked pos ition when the ignit ion is
turned
off. After you enter the vehicle, the
stee ring wheel moves to the sto red pos it ion
as soon as you tu rn o n the ignition.
Easy ent ry feature on vehicles w ith
memory seat*
For t he stored steering wheel pos ition to be
re called, the dr iver's seat memory m ust be
swi tched on
(ION/OF F I swi tch in dep ressed po
s it ion).
If the easy ent ry feature is switched
off, the
stee ring wheel moves to the sto red pos ition
a s soon as you press the sea t memo ry bu tton.
Ignition lock and ignition switch
Ignition key positions
The engine con be started or turned off with
the ignition key.
Fig. 119 Igni tion switch pos it io n s
Position @
The ignition key can be inserted into the igni
tion switch in this position . This automatically
unlocks the steering column lock . When the
ignition key is removed, the steering column
lock is automatically locked
Q .&. .
Switching the ignition on/preheating (D
Turn the ignition key to this position and re
lease it. On vehicles with a d iesel engine*, the
system can preheat in this position .
Starting the engine@
The engine starts with the key in this position.
Major electrical loads are temporarily turned
off.
Ignition off@
Turn the ignition key to this position and re
lease it.
A WARNING ,~ ~
- Never remove the key from the ign ition
lock whi le the vehicle is moving. The
steering wheel will lock, causing loss of
control.
- If you have to leave your vehicle, even for
just a minute, always remove the ignition key and take it with you. This is especially
important if you are going to leave chil-
On the road 105
dren unattended in the vehicle. The chil
dren could start the engine or use other
vehicle controls. Unsupervised use of ve
hicle controls (for example, power win
dows) can cause ser ious personal inju
ries.
(D Note
- If the . symbol in the display blinks,
there is a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock . Follow the instruc
tions in
Q page 33, i Steering malfunc
tion .
-If the . symbol in the display blinks,
there is a malfunction in the electronic
ignition lock . Fol low the instructions in
Q page 34, .P. Ignition lock malfunction.
a) Tips
-If you release the ignition key in position
@, the key automatically returns to posi
tion (!).
- If you open the driver's door when the ig
nition is sw itched on, a buzzer sounds
and the message
Ignition is on appears
in the instrument cluster display. Please
switch the ignition off.
- T o prevent malfunctions in the ign ition
lock, remove any dirt or deposits from
the key bit so that they do not enter the
ignition lock.
Ignition key safety lock
The ignition key con only be removed when
the selector lever is in the P (Pork) position.
After turning off the ignition, the ignition key
can only be removed from the ignition lock
when the selector lever is in the P (Park) posi
tion. Afte r you have removed the key, these
lector lever is locked and cannot be moved.
110 On the road
The parking brake warning light. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates when the parking brake is
set and you switch on the ignition.
A WARNING
-
Always release the parking brake com
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef
fectiveness and cause excessive wear. This could lead to brake failure and an accident .
(D Note
Only after the vehicle has come to com
plete stop, should you firmly set the park
ing brake and
move the selector lever into
P.
Parking
• Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle .
• Apply the parking brake firmly
r=,> page 109,
fig. 123 @.
• Move the selector lever to P.
.. Turn the engine off~_& .
.. When on inclines or declines, turn the steer
ing wheel so that the vehicle will roll into
the curb if it begins to
move.
A WARNING
This is how you can reduce the risk of in
jury when leaving your vehicle.
- Never park the vehicle where it can come
in contact with dry grass, spilled fuel or
any other flammable materials.
- When parking on hills, always turn the
wheels so that the front wheels will first
roll into the curb, if the vehicle should
start to roll.
- Never allow anyone - especially small
children - to remain in the vehicle when
it is locked. Locked doors make it more
difficult for rescuers to access the pas
senger compartment in the event of an
emergency. Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Children could release the park
ing brake or
move the gearshift lever out
-
of gear. The vehicle could start to roll
away and cause an accident.
- No matter what the season is, the tem
perature in a parked vehicle can reach
dangerous levels.
Q) Note
- Please exercise care when you park your
vehicle in parking areas with parking bar
riers or curbs. Parking barriers and curbs
vary in height and could damage your
bumper and related components as the
front of your vehicle
moves over a barrier
or curb that is too high, as you park or as
you back out of a parking spot. In order
to be sure that no such damage can oc
cur, you may wish to stop short of having
the front tires of your car touch the park
ing barrier or curb.
- Please also exercise exceptional care
when you drive up or down steep ramps
or drive
over curbs or other obstacles, for
which the vehicle is not designed, be
cause components of th@ vehicle close to
the ground, such as bumper covers,
spoilers and suspension and exhaust sys
tem components, may become dam
aged.
Starting on hills
Hill Hold makes it easier to start on hills.
The system is activated when the brake pedal
is depressed
for a few seconds . For this, the
vehicle must be standing in uphill driving di rection.
After releasing the brake pedal, the brake power is held for a
brief moment to prevent
the vehicle from rolling back when starting. At
this time, you can easily begin to
move your
vehicle.
A WARNING
- If you did not begin moving immediately
after releasing the brake pedal, under
certain circumstances, the vehicle would
begin to roll backward. Depress the ..,.
Adaptive cruise control Speed and distance
control system
Description
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise cont rol
The adaptive cruise control driver assistance
program is a combined speed and distance
control system .
Fig . 126 Front bu mper: Pos itio n of r adar sen sor (not
vi sibl e from out side)
Adapt ive cruise control can he lp ma ke driv ing
more relaxed and less tiring , particularly dur
i n g long trips on interstates or other hig hways
that are genera lly st raight. The system can al
so ass ist in stop and go traffic .
The adaptive cruise co ntrol works within a
speed range be tween 0 and 95 mph (150 km/
h). Set ACC to maintain a constant , legal trav
el speed between 20 and 95 mph (30 -150
km/h) that is appropriate for prevailing traffic
conditions. Select a following distance to the
veh icle ahead and ACC will adjust your speed
to maintain that d istance down to a stop . At a
speed below 20 mph (30 km/h), the min imum
speed setting of 20 mph (30 km/h) will be se l ected automati ca lly.
Adaptive cruise control has technical limita
tions that you must know, so p lease read th is
section carefully , understand how the system
wo rks and use it properly at a ll times.
How does it work?
You can operate the adaptive cruise control
using the lever on the steering wheel column
c::> page 116, How is the speed stored? and
Ad apti ve crui se control 11 3
c::> page 118, How is the distance (time inter
val) set? .
Driver information
Important information is brought up in the
speedomete r and in the instr ument clus ter
display as the vehicle is being driven
c::> page 120, Driver informat ion .
What is important for you to know
The adaptive cru ise contro l is set w ith system
spe cified lim its; that is, as a driver, you will
have to adjus t the speed and distance to the
vehicle ahead in some instances
c:> page 124,
Driver intervention prompt
and c::> page 125,
System limitations.
A WARNING
Imp roper use of the adaptive cruise con
trol can cause collisions, other accidents
and serious personal injury.
- Always remember that the adaptive cru ise contro l has limits -it will not slow
the vehicle down or ma inta in the set d is
tance when you dr ive towards an obsta
cle or someth ing o n or nea r the road that
is not movi ng, such as ve hicles stopped
in a tra ffic jam, a sta lled or d is ab led vehi
cle.
- Always remembe r that the adaptive
cru ise con tro l canno t detect a vehi cle
that is driving towards yo u in your traffic
lane and that it cannot detect narrow
vehicles s uch as motorcycles and bicy
cles.
- Never drive at speeds that are too fast
for traffic, road and weather conditions.
- Never follow a vehicle so closely that yo u
cannot stop your vehicle safely. The
adaptive cruise control cannot s low or
brake the vehicle safely when you follow
another vehicle too close ly. Always re
membe r that the adaptive cruise control
has a braking powe r th at is o nly about
30% of the veh icle 's maxim um braking
ab ility. The a uto mat ic bra kin g f unction
canno t bring the veh icle to a s udden or
emergency stop . Always be p repared to
-
126 Adaptive cruise control
Vehicles offset to one side
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise control
Fig. 141 Vehicle traveling a head o utside the detect ion
range of t he rada r se nsor
Vehicles mov ing up ahead but offset i n the
la ne cannot be detected by ACC until they are
in sensor range.
Lane changes by other vehicles
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise control
Fig. 142 A vehicle changes lanes
Vehicles that cut into your lane a sho rt dis
tance in front of you cannot be detected by
ACC until they are in senso r range.
Vehicles that are difficult to detect
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruis e contro l
Fig. 143 Two -wheeled vehicle driving ahead
Some vehicles moving up ahead in your lane
of trave l are difficult to detect, for examp le
two -wheeled veh icles, vehicles w ith high
ground clearance, loads sticking out the back .
Vehicles like this are often detected late or in
some situations not at all.
Stationary vehicles
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 144 Turning and stationary ve hicle
Fig. 145 Sheering out and stat ionary veh icle
If a vehicle that has been detected by ACC ex
its the highway or sheers out into the neigh
boring travel lane, and there is a stationary
vehicle ahead of that vehicle, ACC will not de·
tect or react to that stationary vehicle
<=> fig. 144 and c> fig. 145 .
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. ..,.