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.
146 Parking sy stems
- The came ra lens en larges and distorts
the field of vision. The object appears
both altered and inaccurate on the
screen.
- In certa in s ituations, people or objects in
the display appear closer or further
away:
- objects th at do no t touch the gro und,
such as the bumper o f a parked vehicle,
a trailer hitch o r the rea r of a truck. Do
not use the help lines in this case.
- If driven from a leve l su rface onto an
incline, or a downward slope .
- I f driven toward protr uding objec ts.
- I f the veh icle is ca rrying too much load
in t he rear.
(D Note
-Always read and fo llow the applicab le
warnings
¢ (D in General information on
page 143 .
-The o range colored orientation lines in
t h e M MI disp lay show t he ve hicl e path
depend ing o n the steering wheel angle .
The front of the vehicle fron t swings out
more than the rea r of the vehicle. Main
ta in p lenty of distance so that your o ut
s ide mirror or a corner of your veh icle
does not collide with any obstacles.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system p lus w ith
rearview camera
F ig . 167 Center co nsole: P"A button
F ig . 1 68 MMI display: Visual distance display
Switching on
.. Switch the MMI on .
.. Shift into reverse, or
.. Press the
l" •I button in the center console
c:;, fig. 167 . A short confirmation tone
sounds and the LED in the button lights up .
Switching between the rearv iew camera
and visual display
.. Press the Graphic control button
c:;, page 147, fig. 169 ® to see the vis ual
disp lay.
.. Press the
Rear vi ew control b utton to see
t he rearview c amera image
c:;, fig. 168 .
Switching off
.. Dr ive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) , or
.. Press the~ button, or
.. Switch off the ignition .
Visual displ ay
The red segments in front of and behind the
vehicle
c> fig. 168 help you to determ ine the
distance between you and an obstacle . As
your vehicle comes closer to the obstacle , the
segments move closer to t he veh icle. The col
lis ion are a has been rea ched when the next to
last segment is displayed . Do no t con tinue
driving farther forward or in reverse
c:;, .&. in
General information on page 143, c:;,@ in
General information on page 143.
(D Tips
-The visua l display in the left part of the
disp lay sho uld he lp you detect t he crit i
cal ve hicle areas .
-If the position or the installation angle
of a camera was changed, after a colli
sion for example, do not continue to use
the system for safety reasons . Have it
checked by your authorized Audi dealer
ship .
- Use the
Rear mode and the Corner view
(rear)
mode only when the rear lid is
completely closed, otherwise the image
in the display will be inaccurate.
- Objects and obstacles
above the camera
are not displayed.
- Camera lenses enlarge and distort the
field of vision. The objects appear both altered and inaccurate on the screen.
(0 Note
- Always read and follow the applicable
warnings ¢0
in General information on
page 143 .
-The MMI display shows the direction in
which the rear of the vehicle is traveling
based on the steering wheel angle. The
vehicle front swings out more than the
vehicle rear. Maintain plenty of distance
so that your outside mirror or a corner of
your vehicle does not collide with any ob
stacles .
@ Tips
If the rear lid is open, the image in the
rearview camera is displayed without ori
entation lines and without blue surfac es.
Switching on or off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus w ith
front- and rearview camera
Fig. 174 Center console : P,•A button
Parking systems 149
Fig. 175 MMI display: Select mode
Switching on
.,. Switch the MMI on.
.,. Shift into reverse, or
.,. Press the
IP.1! button in the center console
¢
fig. 174. A short confirmation tone
sounds and the LED in the button lights up.
Selecting the mode
.,. Turn the control knob to the symbol for the
desired mode @through @¢fig.175.
Switching off
.,. Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) , or
.,. Press the
l""'I button, or
.,. Switch off the ignition .
You may select from the following modes:
@ Topview ¢page150
@ Corner view (front) ¢ page 150
© Front¢ page 150
@ Rear o page 150
® Corner view (rear)¢ page 150
(D Tips
The visual display in the left part of the
display should help you detect the critical
vehicle areas.
156 Adapti ve Air Susp en sion
possible to raise the suspension to a h igh level
above certain speeds .
When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is
exceeded for more than 30 seconds, the vehi
cle is automatically lowered to
low level when
in comfort and automatic mode. Ground
clearance is about 0.6 inch (15 mm) less,
compared to the
normal level.
When a speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h)
is exceeded for more than 20 seconds, the ve
h icle is automat ica lly lowered to
highway lev
el
when in automatic and dynamic mode.
Ground clearance is about 1.4 inches (35 mm)
less, compared to the
normal level. Road
hold ing is optimized as a result of the lower
center of gravity, and fuel consumption is re
duced as a result of reduced wind resistance.
Level adjustment Ground clearance
high level 2 about 9.4 inches
(2 40 mm)
high level 1 about 8 inches
(205 mm)
normal leve l about 7 inches
(180 mm)
low level about 6.5 inches
(165 mm)
highway level about 5 .7 inches
(145 mm)
The segment disp lay @ in the MMI Display
c:::> page 157 or in the instr ument cluster dis
p lay
c:::> page 158 shows the current veh icle
level.
Automatic
Select the automatic mode if you prefer a bal
anced, comfortable suspension setting . The
damping characteristics are adjusted accord ingly.
- Autom atic lowe rin g: When a speed of
about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is auto
matically lowered by about 0.6 inch (15
mm) to the
low level, wh ich is more suitable
for highway speeds. Road hold ing is opti
mized as a result of the lower ce nter of grav- ity and fuel consumption is reduced as a re
sult of reduced wind resistance . When a
speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h) is ex
ceeded for more than 20 seconds, the veh i
cle is automatically lowered by an addit ional
0.8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automat ic raising: When the vehicle is at
highway level and the speed falls below
about 80 mph (130 km/h) for more than 20
seconds, the vehicle is automatically raised
to
low level. Th e vehicle is automatically
raised aga in to
normal level if the speed
fa lls below about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a
pe riod of 2 minutes . The vehicle is raised im
mediately when speed fa lls below about 22
mph (35 km/h).
Dynamic
Se lect the dynam ic mode if yo u pre fer a spor
ty suspension se tti ng. In t his mode, the veh i
cle is lowered to
low level while it is still sta
t ionary and sporty damping characteristics
are selected . The warning light
Ill in the in
strument cluster will come on for a few sec
onds just to rem ind you of the reduced ground
clearance.
If you switch off the engine whi le the vehicle
is in the dynamic mode and then switch on the
ignition once aga in, the
Ill warn ing light will
also come on again for a few seconds as a re minder .
-Automat ic lowe ring: When a speed of
about 100 mph (160 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 20 seconds, the veh icle is auto
mat ically lowered by 0.8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automa tic raising: The vehicle is automati
cally ra ised to
low level again, if the speed
fa lls below about 80 mph (130 km/h) for a
pe riod of 20 seconds. The ve hicle i s raised
immed iate ly when speed falls be low about
22 mph (35 km/h).
Comfort
Select the comfort mode if you desire a s us
pension setti ng w ith a special emp hasis on
comfort. Damp ing cha racte ris tics w ith a clear .,.
162 Homelink
• To open the garage door, press the p rogram
med button . The LED @will light up or
flash.
• To close the garage door, pre ss the button
again.
@ Tips
To open the garage door, press the button,
but do not press it for longer ten seconds
or the Homelink module will switch to
programming mode.
Programming the transmitter
Applies to vehicles: with Home link
F ig . 192 Dis ta n ce between t he b umper an d th e hand
t ransm itter
Programming: phase 1 on th e control unit
1. Sw itch on the ignit ion (do not start the
engine) .
2. Pr ess and hold both of the outer Home
L ink bu ttons
~ page 161, fig. 191 unt il
the L ED @ turns off comple tely (abo ut
20
seconds). Th is procedure clears the stand
ard codes that were set at the facto ry a nd
does
not need to be repeated again to
program the other buttons .
3. Briefly press the Homelink bu tton th at
you would like to program .
4. Wait unti l the LED @beg ins to blink
q ui ck ly. The Homelink modu le w ill now
r emai n in learning mode for
5 minu tes.
5 . Now s tand in fron t of yo ur vehicle wi th
the orig inal hand t ransmit ter for the ga
r age door opener or for the device that
you would l ike to allocate to the Home
Link button.
Programming: phase 2 on the bumper
6. Hold t he or iginal hand transm itter to
war ds the left headlight and the radiator
gr ille ~
fig. 192 .
7. Now activate (press) the hand transmit
ter.
8. Pay attention to the turn signa ls for your
vehicle when activating the hand trans mitter . If the eme rgency flashers blink
three t imes, the programmi ng was suc
cessf ul. If the e mergency flashe r on ly
b links one time, the
5 m in ute time lim it
f or the adap tation has expired or the pro
gramming was unsuccessful. Repeat the
programming from step
3 on the controls
o r select another distance from the
bumpe r.
9. If the garage door or other dev ices st ill
fail to be activated w it h the Home Link
control buttons after prog ramming is
comple ted, it is possib le that these sys
tems might be wor king wi th a rolling code
i ns tead of the n ormal fixed code.
A Roll
ing code programming m ust be per
f ormed
~ page 163 .
Progra m the remaining two buttons ac cord ing
to t he inst ructions ment io ned a bove. Beg in
s imilarly w ith the 3rd step if the program
ming connec tion was successful for the firs t
button.
Remote con tro l units for garage do or ope ners
in Canada are set to stop transmi tting radio
frequency signa ls after two seconds. This time
may not be suffic ie nt for the Homelink sys
tem to learn the radio frequency signa l. Per
form all other steps as desc ribed above.
Erasing the buttons
• Switch on the ignition (do not s tart the en
gine).
• Press and hold both of the outer buttons un
til the LED @turns off completely (abo ut
20 seconds) to erase a ll of the buttons si
mu lt aneously .
• Prog rammed buttons ca nnot be erased ind i
vidually . Reprogram the buttons if necessa-
ry .
II>
Reprogramming the buttons
"' Switch on the ignition (do not start the en
gine).
"'To reprogram an individual button, press
and hold the button until the LED@starts
to flash quickly (after about ten seconds).
Release the button immediately. The Home
Link module will now remain in learning
mode for 5 minutes.
"'Continue with step 5 .
@ Tips
- The required distance between the hand
transmitter and the Homelink module in
the bumper ¢
fig. 192 depends on the
system that you are programming .
- Depending on the model of the garage
door opener, you may need to release the
button on the remote and press it again
when programming. When program
ming a new device, keep the button
pressed for at least 15 seconds before
trying again with the transmitter in a dif
ferent position. Watch out for the emer
gency flasher during that time.
Programming the rolling code
App lies to vehicles: with Home link
Additionally, a rolling code programming for
the Homelink universal remo te control is re
quired for some systems.
Identifying the rolling code
"'Press the previously programmed Homelink
button again and hold it down .
"' Look at the LE D @ ¢
page 161, fig. 191 . If
the LED blinks quickly, the features, such as
the garage door opener, are equipped wi th
the rolling code .
"'Program the rolling code as follows:
Activating the garage door opener motor
unit "'Locate the setting button on the garage
door opener motor unit . The exact location
and color of the button may vary depending
on the garage door opener manufacturer .
Homelink 163
"' Press the setting button on the garage door
opener motor unit (usually this will activate
a "setting light display" on the motor unit).
Now you will have about 30 seconds time to
perform the Homelink button programming
on the controls .
Programming on the controls
"'Press the Home link button that was already
programmed and hold for two seconds.
"'To end rolling code programming, press and
hold the Homelink button for two seconds
again.
"'The Homelink button may need to be press
ed a third time to end the adjustment proce
dure for some garage door openers .
After the controls have been programmed, the
garage door opener should recognize the HomeLink signal and operate when the Home
Link button is pressed. Now you may program
the other buttons as needed.
@ Tips
- Programming the rolling code can be
performed quicker and more easily with
the help of a second person.
- If difficulties should arise when pro
gramming the rolling code, consult the
operating instructions for the garage
door opener or other devices for possible
solutions.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.. Be sure to read the important informat ion
and heed the WARNINGS for important de
tai ls about chi ldren and Advanced Airbags
c> page 204.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
a ll chi ldren, especially those 12 years and
younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly
restra ined for their age and size. The airbag
on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to r ide .
The front seat is not the safest place fo r a
chi ld in a fo rward-facing chi ld safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infan t or
a child in a rea rward -facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle
h as been cert ified to comp ly with the require
men ts of Uni ted States Federa l Mo to r Veh icle
Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your ve hicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the fron t air bag on the
passenger side to be turne d off ("sup
p ressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear -facing or for
ward -facing infant restraints listed i n Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed o n the front
passenger seat. For a listing of the child re
straints that we re used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Sta ndard
c> page 206.
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in
strument panel te lls you when the front Ad
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control u nit.
Each t ime you tur n on the ignition, the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight w ill come on for a
few seconds a nd:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied
- will stay on if there is a small child or child
restraint on the front passenger seat
A irbag sys tem 185
- will go off if the front passenger seat is oc
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight -sensing mat
c> page 194, Monitor
ing the Advanced Airbag System.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n the contro l unit detects a tota l weight
on the front passenger seat that req uires the
front a irbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenge r
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-o ld
c h ild but less than the weight of a small
adult, the front airbag on the passenger side
can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front a irbag on t he passeng er side has not
been turned off by the elec troni c con trol unit
and can deploy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the cond it ions stored i n its
memory .
For example, th e airb ag may deploy if :
-a small ch ild that is heav ie r than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is o n the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of
the ch ild safety seats listed
c> page 206), or
- a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is
on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in
the instr ument cluster and stays on .
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not illum inate and stay lit) even if a
small ad ult o r teenager, or a passenger who is
not sitti ng uprig ht w ith their back against a
non -recli ned back rest w it h thei r feet on t he
vehicle floor i n front of the sea t is on t he front
passenger seat
c> page 165, Proper seating
position for the driver.
If the fron t passenger ai rbag dep loy s, the
Feder al Standard req uires the airbag to meet
the "low risk" dep loyment criteria to reduce
the ris k of injury t hro ugh interact ion w ith the
airbag. "Low risk" dep loyment occ urs in those
crashes that take place at lower dece lerat ions ..,_ •
•