
CD 
@ 
® 
© 
® 
® 
(j) 
Door  handle 
Memory  buttons  (dr iver's  seat) 
Power locking  sw itch 
Button  for  side ass ist 
A ir outlets 
L ight  switch 
Control  lever for : 
- T urn  signal  and  high  beam 
@ Multifunction  steering  wheel 
with: 
- Horn 
- Driver's  airbag 
- Audio/video,  telephone,  navi-
gation  and vo ice recognition 
buttons 
- Rocker switches  for  tiptron ic 
opera tion  ........... ....  . 
® ISET I button  ...... ..... ....  . 
@ Instrument  cluster  .. ... .. ..  . 
@ Reset button  for  trip  odometer 
@ Sw itches  for: 
- Windsh ield wiper/washer 
- Trip  computer  ..... ... .. ..  . 
@ Ignition  lock  ............. . . 
(8) Adjustable  s teer ing  column 
@ Control  lever for : 
- Cruise contro l ......... ...  . 
- adaptive  cruise  contro l .... . . 
@ Ins trumen t lighting  .... .. ..  . 
@ Release lever for  the  engine 
hood  .. .. .. .. ........... ..  . 
@ Data  L ink Connector  for  On 
B oard  Diag nostics  (OBD II)  . .. . 
@ Sw itch  for  unlock ing the  trunk 
lid  .. .. .. .................  . 
@ Adjuster control  fo r outside  m ir-
r ors  .. .. .. .. ........... ..  . 
@ Power window  switches  ... ..  . 
@ Rad io-Display1l  or  MMI-Display 
62 
36 
109 
4 7 
48 
150 
96 
11 
10 
12 
53 
25 
80 
80 
89 
99 
so 
214 
30 
39 
50 
43 
l) T he  image  in t he  d is pl ay  will  app ear  e it h er  in mu lt iple 
c o lor s or  in a singl e co lor , de pen din g o n  th e vehicl e 
e q ui pment.  T he  m ulti  co lo r  im age w ill b e  used  i n this 
O w ner's  M anual becau se  bo th mu lt i co lo r and  si ng le 
c o lor  ver sio ns  are  almos t  ide ntic al. 
In strument s and  control s 9 
@) Depend ing on  options: 
- Rad io system 
- CD changer 
Emergency flashe r 
G love compartment  (lockab le) 
Front  passenger's  airbag  ..... 
Depend ing o n op tions,  sw itches 
f or: 
49 
65 
150 
- drive  select  .. .. ..........  . 
113 
- Electronic  Stabilization  Con-
trol  . ... .. .. .. . .. ... ....  . 
- Rear window  sun shade  .. .. .  186 
53 
@ Deluxe automat ic cl imate  con-
trol  ...... .. .... ..........  . 
@) Depending on  options,  selecto r 
lever  or  shift  lever for : 
- Manual  transmission  ......  . 
- Automatic  transmission  ....  . 
@ Asht ray with  ciga rette  lighter 
@ Depend ing on  options: 
- MMI  contro l console  or 
76 
91 
91 
63 
- drive  select  . .  . . . .  . . . . . . . . .  113 
- Electronic  Stabilizat ion Con-
trol  button  .  . . .  . .  . .  . . . . . .  .  186 
- Power switch  for  rear window  sun shade  . . . . .  .  . .  . .  . . . . .  .  53 
@ I STA RT  ENGI NE  STOPI button  83 
@) Electromec hanical  p arking 
brake  .  . . .  . . . .  . .  .  . .  . .  . . . . .  .  85 
(D Tips 
-Some of  the  equipment  o r fea tures 
show n in  the gener al illustration  m ay be 
standard  equ ipment  on your  vehicle  or 
may be optional  eq uipment  depending 
on your  model.  Always as k your  author
ized Aud i dea ler  if  you have a quest ion 
about  your  ve hicle. 
- Operat ion  of  the  Multi  Med ia Interface 
(MMI)  is described  in  a separate  manua l.  

34  Openin g and  clo sing 
keys.  Unguarded  access  to  the  keys  pro
vides  children  the  opportunity  to  start  the  engine  and/or  act ivate  vehicle  sys
tems  such  as  the  power  w indows  etc . Un
supervised  operation  of  any  veh icle  sys
tem  by ch ildren  can  res ult  in serious  in
Jury. 
- Do not  remove  the  key from  the  ignition 
lock  until  the  vehicle  has  come  to  a  com
plete  stop.  Otherwise  the  steering  col
um n loc k co uld  suddenly  e ngage  -caus
ing  the  risk of  an  accident. 
@ Tips 
- The  operation  of the  remote  contro l key 
c a n  be  tempo rarily  disrupted  by in terfer
ence  from  tran smi tters  in t he v ici nity  of 
the  veh icle work ing  in the  same  frequen
cy ra nge  (e.g . a ce ll phone,  radio  equip
ment). 
- Fo r security  reasons,  replacement  keys 
are  on ly available  from  author ized  Audi 
dealer. 
- For  Decla ration  of  Compliance  to  United 
States  FCC and  Industry  Canada  regu la
tions 
c:> page  2 78. 
Removing  the  mechanical  key 
F ig . 20 Remote  ma ster  key : remov ing the  mec hanic al 
key 
"  Press  the  release  button ® c:> fig. 20 . 
"Pull  the  mecha nica l key @out  of the  maste r 
key . 
Using  the  mechan ica l key , you  can : 
- lock and  unlock*  the  glove  compartment  on 
the  passenger's  side  ¢ 
page 65. 
-lock  and  unlock  the  lockable*  rear  bench 
seat  and  pass-through * 
c:> page 69. 
- activate  the  child  sa fe ty  locks  on  the  rear 
doors 
c:> page  42 . 
-lock  and  unlo ck the  vehicle  manu ally 
¢ 
page 38 if this  should  not  be  possible 
with  the  master  key. 
- use  the  ignition  key emergency  release 
¢ page  35. 
Check light  and  battery  in the  master 
key 
Fig . 2 1 Re mote  mas te r  ke y: r em ov ing th e batte ry hold
e r 
Check light  in the  master  key 
The  check  light@¢ fig. 21 in the  master  key 
provides  information  about  different  condi
t ions . 
" The  check  light  tu rns  on  br iefly  once  when  a 
button  is  pressed,  and  during  an  "inquiry" 
by the  convenience  key system . 
" If  the  check  light  does  not  come  on, the  bat 
tery  is  dead  a nd  has  to  be  replaced . In  addi
tion,  when  the  batte ry is dead 
the m indi
ca to r li ght  appears  in  the  instr ument  cluster 
disp lay as  well  as  the  message 
Plea se 
change  key battery . 
Master  key  battery  replacement 
"  Remove  the  mechan ica l key ¢ page  34 . 
" Press  the  release  button @ ¢fig. 21 on  the 
bat tery  ho lde r and  at  the  same  time  pull  the 
ba ttery  holde r o ut  o f the  maste r key  in the 
di rection  o f the  arrow. 
" Insta ll the  new  battery  CR 2032  with  the 
"+ " sign  facing  down . 
...  Push  the  battery  holder  carefu lly into  the 
master  key .  

~ Automatic  transmission: Step on the  brake 
peda l and move the  se lector  lever to  the  P 
or  N position . 
~ Press the  key c::> fig. 94 -the  eng ine will 
start. 
Sw itching  the  i gnition  on /off 
If  you wou ld like  to  switch  the  ignition  on 
without  sta rting  the  engine,  follow  t hese 
steps : 
~ Insert  the  key  into  the  ignition  lock . 
~ Press the  key briefly without pressing the 
clutch  peda l (for  manual  transmissions)  or 
the  brake peda l (for  automatic  transmis
s ions) . 
~ To switch  the  ignition  off,  press the  key 
again . 
When  starting  the  engine,  major  e lectr ica l 
loads are switched  off  temporarily . 
You can on ly remove  the  key with  the  ignition 
switched  off. 
If the  engine  sho uld  not  sta rt  immedia tely, 
the  starting  process  is automatically  stopped 
after  a short  time.  Repeat starting  proced ure . 
A WARNING 
-Never allow  the  engine  to  run  in confined 
spaces  -danger  of  asphyxiation. 
- Never remove  the  ign ition  key from  the 
ignition  look  while  the  vehicle  is moving. 
Otherw ise, the  steering  lock  could  sud
denly  engage and you would  not  be able 
to  steer  the  vehicle. 
- Always take  the  key with  you whenever 
you  leave your  vehicle . Otherwise,  the 
engine  could  be started  or  e lectr ical 
equipment  such as the  power w indows 
cou ld  be operated.  This ca n lead to  seri
o us inj ury. 
- Never leave ch ild ren or  persons requiring 
assistance unattended  in the  veh icle. The 
doors can be loc ked using  the remote 
transmitter,  preventing  people  from  es caping from  the  vehicle  on their  own  in 
the  event  of  an emergency.  Depend ing 
on the  time  of  year, people  inside the  ve-
On  th e ro ad  81 
hicle  can be exposed to  very  high  or very 
low temperatures. 
(D Note 
Avoid high  eng ine rpm,  fu ll throttle  and 
heavy engine  loads  unti l the  engine  has 
reached operating  tempe rat ure -other
wise you  r isk eng ine damage. 
@ For the  sake of  the  environment 
Do not  let  the  engine  run while  parked  to 
warm  up. Begin dr iv ing immediately.  This 
reduces unnecessary emissions. 
@ Tips 
- If  the  key cannot  be removed from  the 
ignition  lock, you  have to  pull  the  me
chanical  key out  of  the  master  key in  or
der to  be able  to  lock the  vehi-
cle <=:> 
page 35. 
-After  starting  a cold  engine,  there  may 
be a brief  period  of  increased no ise be
cause the  oil  pressure must  first  bu ild up 
in the  hydraulic  valve adjusters.  This  is 
normal  and  not  a cause for  concern. 
- If  you  leave the  veh icle with  the  ignition 
switched  on, the  ign it ion w ill  switch  off 
afte r a certa in per iod of  t ime . Please 
note  that  ele ctrical  equ ipment  such as 
exterior  ligh ts w ill  sw itch  off  as well 
when  that  happens .  

82  On  the  road 
Starting  the  vehicle  with  the  emergency 
key 
Applies to  vehicles:  with ig ni tion  lock 
You can use  the  emergency  key as  an ignition 
key  in on emergency. 
Fig. 95 G love  compar tment:  Adapter  for  emergency 
key 
Fig. 96 Insert  emergency  key  into  the  adapter 
.. Take the  adapter  for  the  emergency  key out 
of the  glove  compartment 
c!> fig.  95 . 
.. Push  the  emergency  key c::> fig.  96 fully  into 
the  adapter . Make sure  that  the  Audi  rings 
are  facing  up. 
..  Press  the  emergency  key  in the  adapter 
down  until  it  latches  audibly. 
..  Insert  the  adapter  with  the  emergency  key 
forward  into the  ignition  switch.  The  engine 
can  now  be  started  as  usual. 
Stopping  the  engine 
App lies  to  vehicles:  with  ig n ition  lock 
..  Bring  the  vehicle  to  a full  stop . 
.. Automatic  transmission: Move the  selector 
lever  to  the  P or  N position . 
..  Press  on  the  ignition  key. The  engine  is 
turned  off. 
..  You  can now  remove  the  key. 
Steering  lock 
The steering  locks when  you  remove  the  igni
tion  key.  The locked  steering  helps  prevent 
ve
hicle  theft. 
Emergency  off 
If  it is necessary  in  unusual  circumstances,  the 
engine  can  be  switched  off while  the  vehicle  is 
moving.  The  engine  will be  switched  off  if you 
press  on  the  key for  an  extended  period. 
A WARNING ~ 
- Never  turn  off  the  engine  before  the ve
hicle  has  come  to  a  complete  stop.  The 
full  function  of  the  brake  booster  and  the 
power  steering  is not  guaranteed.  You 
must  use  more  force  to  turn  or  brake  if 
necessary.  Because  you  cannot  steer  and 
brake  as you  usually  would,  this  could 
lead  to  crashes  and serious  injuries. 
- For safety  reasons,  you  should  always 
park  your  vehicle  with  the  selector  lever 
in  P. Otherwise,  the vehicle  could  inad
vertently  roll  away. 
- The  radiator  fan  can continue  to  run  for 
up  to 10  minutes 
even after  you have 
turned  off the  engine  and  removed  the 
ignition  key.  The radiator  fan  can  also 
turn  on  again  if the  engine  coolant  heats 
up  because  of  intense sunlight  or  heat 
build-up  in  the  engine  compartment. 
- Always  take  the  key with  you  whenever 
you  leave  your  vehicle.  Otherwise,  the 
engine  could  be  started  or  electrical 
equipment  such  as  the  power  windows 
could  be  operated.  This  can  lead  to  seri
ous  injury. 
- Never  leave children  or  persons  requiring 
assistance  unattended  in the  vehicle . The 
doors  can  be  locked using  the  remote 
transmitter,  preventing  people  from es
caping  from  the  vehicle  on  their  own  in 
the  event  of  an  emergency.  Depending 
on  the  time  of year,  people  inside  the 
ve
hicle  can  be  exposed  to very high  or very 
low temperatures  .  

84  On  th e road 
in the  hy dra ulic valve  adjusters.  This is 
norma l and not  a cause for  concern. 
- If  you  leave the  vehicle  with  the  ignition 
switched  on, the  ignition  will  switch 
off 
after  a certain  period  of  time . Please 
note  that  e lectrica l equipment  such as 
exter ior  lights  w ill  switch 
off as well 
when  that  happens. 
Switching  engine off 
Applies to  vehicles:  with  conven ience  key 
" Bring  your  vehicle  to  a complete  stop. 
"Automatic  transmiss ion:  Move the  selector 
lever to  the  P or  N pos it ion. 
" Press  the 
!START ENGINE STOPI button 
r::!;page83,  fig. 97. 
Steering  lock 
The stee ring  locks when  you turn  the  engine 
off us ing the I STAR T ENGINE STOP I button 
and open  the  dr iver's  door.  The locked  stee r
i ng  helps  preven t vehicle  theft. 
Emergency  off 
If  necessary, the  eng ine ca n be sw itched off 
with  the  selector  leve r in the  R or  D/S pos i
tions.  To do  so, step  on the  brake pedal  and 
p ress and  hold  the 
I START ENGINE STOP I but
ton  vehicle  speed  must  be less than  6  mph  (10  km/h). 
_& WARNING 
- Never turn off the  eng ine before  the  ve
hicle  has come  to  a complete  stop . The 
full  function  of  the  brake  booster  and the 
power  steering  is not  guaranteed.  You 
must  use more force  to  turn  or  brake if 
necessary . Because you cannot  steer  and 
brake as you  usua lly would,  this  could 
lead to  crashes and  se rious  injur ies. 
- For safety  reasons, you s hould  always 
par k your  vehicle  with  the  se lector  lever 
in  P. Ot herwise,  the  ve hicle co uld  inad
vertent ly roll  away. 
- T he radiator  fan  ca n continue  to  ru n for 
up to  10  mi nutes even after  yo u have 
tu rne d 
off the  eng ine and  remove d the  ignition  key. The radiator  fan  can a
lso 
turn  on again  if  the  engine  coo lant  heats 
up  because of  intense  sunlight  or  heat 
bu ild-up  in  the  engine  compartment. 
- Always take  the  key w ith  you whenever 
you  leave your  ve hicle. Otherw ise, the 
eng ine could  be sta rted  or  electrical 
equ ipme nt  such as the  power  windows 
could  be ope rated.  This can lead to  seri
ous  injury. 
(D Note 
If  the  engine  has bee n under  heavy load 
for  an extended  pe riod,  heat  bu ilds  up  in 
the  engine  compartment  after  the  engine 
i s sw itched 
off  -there i s a r is k  of  damag ing 
the  engine.  A llow  the  eng ine to  run  at  id le 
for  about  two  minutes  before  switching  it 
off. 
Driver  messages 
Ignition  i s on 
This message appears  and a warning  tone 
sounds  if you open  the  d river's door  when  the 
ignition  is sw itched  on. 
No key id entified 
This message appears when  the 
I S TART ENGINE STOPI button  is pressed  if 
there  is no master  key  ins ide the  veh icle or  if 
the  system  does not  recognize  it . Fo r exam
ple,  the  master  key cannot  be recognized  if  it 
is covered  by an object  (e.g. al uminum  b rief 
case) which 
screens the  radio  s ignal.  Elec tron
ic dev ices such as cell  phones can also  inter
fere  with  the  radio  s ignal. 
Pres s brak e pedal to  start  engine 
This message appears  if  you do  not  press the 
brake  pedal  to  start  the  eng ine  in a veh icle 
with  an automat ic transm iss ion. 
Press clutch pedal to  sta rt  engine 
T his  message appears  if  yo u do  not  press the 
clutch  pedal  to  start  the  engine  in a vehicle 
with  a manual  transmission.  .,.  

Audi  drive  select Driving  settings 
Introduction 
App lies to  vehicles: with  Audi  drive  select 
Drive select  provides  the  possibility  to  experi
ence diffe rent  types  of  vehicle  sett ings  in one 
vehicle.  For instance,  using  the three 
Com
fort,  Auto and Dynamic modes,  the  driver  can 
switch  from  a sporty  to  a comfortab le driving 
mode  with  the  press of  a button. 
Addit ionally,  in vehicles  with 
MM I*, the  vehi 
cle  setup  for 
Individual* mode  can be cus
tomized  by you.  This makes it  possib le to 
combine  settings  such as a sporty  engine  tun
ing with  comfortable  steering. 
A WARNING 
Improper  use of  the  Audi drive  select  can 
cause collisions,  other  acc idents  and seri
ous personal  injury. 
Description 
Applies to  vehicles: with  Audi  drive select 
The vehicle  setup  in  each mode  depends  on 
the  vehicle's  features . However, the  engine, 
automatic  t ransmission*  and steering  are al
ways involved. 
-
Engine  and  automatic  transmission* 
Depending  on the  mode,  the  engine  and the 
automatic  transmission  respond  quicker  or  in 
a more  ba lanced  manner  to  acce lerator  pedal 
movements.  In the  sporty  dynamic  mode,  the 
automatic  transmission  shifts at  higher  RPMs . 
Steering 
The steering  adapts  in terms  of  steering  effort 
and steering  ratios . Indirect  steer ing that 
moves  easily, like  the steering  in  comfort 
mode , is  best  su ited  to long  dr ives on  a  high
way.  In contrast,  dynamic mode  prov ides 
sporty,  di rect steering. 
The follow ing applies  to  vehicles  with  dynam ic 
steer ing*:  the steering  ratio  changes based  on 
vehicle  speed  in order  to  maintain  optimum 
Audi  drive  select 113 
steering  effort  for  the driver at  all  times.  This 
sets the  steering  to  be less sensitive  at  higher 
speeds  in order  to  provide  improved  vehicle 
control.  At  reduced  speeds, however,  steering 
is more  direct  in  order  to  keep the  steering  ef
fort  as minimal  as possible  when  the  driver  is 
maneuveri ng the  veh icle . At  low  and average 
speeds, dynamic  steering  addit iona lly pro
vides  more  responsive steering  performance. 
Adaptive  dampers* 
The adaptive  dampers*  use sensors to  record 
information  regarding  steering  movements, 
braking  and acceleration  operations  by  the 
driver , road  surface,  driving speed, and  load. 
T his  makes  it possible  to  adapt  damp ing  to 
the  d riving  situation  v irtually  i n rea l time. 
Drive select  also  makes it  possible  to satisfy 
the  desire  for  sporty  suspension  (Dynamic) 
and  comfortab le suspension  (Comfort)  with
out  giving  up  balanced  tuning  (Auto) . 
Sport  differential* 
As a component  of  the all whee l dr ive system 
(quattro) 
~ page  192, the  sport  differential* 
distributes  the  driving  power  to  the  rear axle 
depending  on  the  situation . The distribution 
of  power  varies  depending  on  the  mode  se lected.  The goal  is a high  level  of  agility  and 
ability  to  accelerate  on curves . The vehicle  is 
very  respons ive to  steering . 
Audi adaptive  cruise control* 
The behavior  when  accelerating  can  be adjust
ed from  comfortab le to  sporty,  depending  on 
the  drive  select  mode.  Adaptive  cruise  control 
also  responds  to  the  driving  behavior  of  the 
vehicle  ahead in a more  conservative  or  sporty 
manner . 
Engine  sound* 
The sound  of  the  engine  is adapted  to  the  se
lected  mode  and  ranges from  subtle  to  sporty. 
0) Tips 
-In  some  models,  the  maximum  vehicle 
speed can only  be reached  in the 
Auto 
and Dynamic modes.  

186  Intelligent  technology 
Intelligent  technology 
Notice  about  data 
recorded  by  vehicle 
control  modules 
Your veh icle  is not  equipped  with  an  Event  Da
ta  Recorde r (EDR), ins talled  by some  manu
facture rs fo r the  express p urpose  of  capturing 
data  for  retrieval  after  an accident  or  cras h 
event . EDR's are sometimes  ca lled "crash  re
corders". 
Some state  laws restr ict  the  retr ieval or  down
loading  of  data  stored  by EDR's that  were  in
stalled  in a vehicle for  the  express purpose  of  retrieving  data  after  an accident  or  crash 
event  without  the  owner's  consent. 
A ltho ugh yo ur vehicle  is not  equ ipped wit h an 
EDR,  it is equipped  with  a number  of  electron
ic control  modules  for  various  vehicle  systems 
such as, for  examp le, eng ine f unction,  em is
sion  control,  as well  as for  the  airbags  and 
safety  belts. 
These electronic  contro l modules  also record 
vehicle-re lated  data  during  norma l vehicle  op
erat ion for  diagnostic  and repa ir purposes. 
The  recording  capacity  of  the  electronic  con
trol  modules  is limited  to  data  (no sound  is re
corded)  and only  a small  amount  of  data  is ac
tually  recorded ove r a ve ry limited  pe riod of 
time  and stored  when  a sys tem faul t or  o ther 
cond ition  is sensed by a cont ro l u nit.  Some of 
the  data  then  stored  may re late to  vehicle 
speed, direction,  braking  as we ll as restraint 
system  use and performance  in the  event  of  a 
crash or  other  condit ion. Stored  data  can only 
be read and downloaded  w ith  special  equip
ment. 
Electronic  Stabilization 
Control  (ESC) 
Description 
ESC helps  to  improve  road  holding  and vehicle 
dynamics  to  help  reduce the  probability  of 
skidd ing and  loss of ve hicle control.  It  works 
only  when  the  eng ine  is running.  ESC detects  certain  difficult  driving  situat
ions,  including 
when  the  vehicle  is beginning  to  spin  (yaw) 
o ut  of  control  and  he lps you to  get  the  veh icle 
back under  control  by se lectively  braking  the 
whee ls, and/or  reducing  eng ine power  and 
providing  steer ing ass istance  to  he lp hold  the 
vehicle  o n the  dr iver's  intended  course.  The in
dicator  light 
J.i) in the  instrument  cluster 
blinks  when  ESC is ta king action  to  help yo u 
control  the  veh icle. 
ESC has limitations. 
It is importa nt  to  remem
ber that  ESC cannot  overcome  the  laws  of 
physics. It  will  not  always be able to  help  out 
under  a ll cond it ions you  may come  up  aga inst. 
F or  example,  ESC may not  always be able to 
help  you master  situations  where  there  is a 
s u dden  change  in the  coefficient  of friction  of 
the  road surface.  When  there  is a section  of  dry  road that  is sudden ly covered w ith  water, 
s lush or  snow,  ESC cannot  perform  the  same 
way it  wou ld on the  dry  surface . If  the  ve hicle 
hydroplanes  (rides  on a cushion  of  water  in
stead  of  the  road surface),  ESC will  not  be 
able  to  help  you steer  the  vehicle  be cause con
tact  with  the  pavement  has been in terrupted 
and the  vehicle  cannot  be braked or  steered . 
D uring  fast  cornering,  particularly  on winding 
roads,  ESC cannot  always deal  as effectively 
with  difficult  driving  situations  than  at  lower 
speeds. When  towing  a trailer,  ESC is not  able 
to  help  you  regain  control  as it  would  if you 
were  not  tow ing a trailer. 
Always adjust  your  speed and driving  style  to  road,  traffic  and weather  condit ions.  ESC can
not  override  the  vehicle's  physical  limits,  in
crease the  availab le tract ion,  or  keep a ve hicle 
on the  road  if  road departure  is a  result  of 
driver  inattent io n. Instead,  ESC imp roves the 
poss ibil ity  of  keeping  the  vehi cle under  con 
trol  and on the  road during  extreme  maneu
vers by  using the  d river's  steering  inputs  to 
help  keep the  vehicle  going  in the  intended  di
rection . If  you  are traveling  at  a speed that 
ca uses you to  run  off  the  road  before  ESC can 
provide  any assistance, you  may not  experi
ence the  benefits  of  ESC.  

ESC includes  and/or  works  together  with  the 
anti-lock  brake  system  (ABS), brake assist  sys 
tem,  anti -slip  regulation  (ASR) , e lectronic  dif
ferential  lock  (EDL), dynamic  steering*  and  electronic  i nteraxle  differential  lock* /selective 
wheel  torque  control* . ESC  is switched  on  all 
the  t ime.  I n certain  s ituations  when  you  need 
less traction,  you can switch 
off ASR by press
i ng the  button~~ 
page 188, fig. 174 or 
~ page 188, fig. 175. Be sure to  sw itch  ASR 
on  again when  you  no longer  need  less trac
tion. 
Anti-lock  b ra king  s ystem  (ABS) 
ABS prevents  the  wheels  from  locking  up 
when  braking.  The vehicle  can still  be steered 
even d uring  hard  brak ing . Apply  ste ady  p res
sure to  the  brake  pedal.  Do not  pump  the  ped
a l.  A pulsing  in the  brake peda l indicates  t hat 
the  system  is he lping  you to  brake the  vehicle . 
Brake assist system 
The brake assist  system  can decrease bra king 
d istance.  It  increases braking  power  when  the 
d river  presses  the brake  pedal  quick ly in  eme r
gency situations . You must  press and  hold  the 
brake peda l until  the  situation  is over. In 
veh icles w ith  adaptive  cru ise contro l*,  the 
brake assist  system  is more  sensit ive if  the 
d istance  detected  to  the  veh icle ahead  is too 
small. 
Anti- slip  regulati on  (ASR) 
ASR reduces  engine power  when  the  drive 
wheels  begin  to  spin  and adapts  the  force  to 
the  road  condit ions. This  makes it  eas ier to 
start,  accelerate  and drive  up  hills. 
Elect ronic diffe renti al  lo ck  (EDL ) 
The ED L brakes wheels  that  are spinning  and 
transfers  the  drive  power  to  the  other  drive 
wheel  or wheels  if  the  vehicle  is equipped  with 
all-wheel  drive*.  This function  is available  up 
to  about  60  mph  (100  km/h) . 
In  extreme  cases,  EDL automatica lly switches 
off to  help  keep the  brake on  the  braked whee l 
from  overheating.  EDL w ill  switch  on again  au-
Intellig ent  technolog y 187 
tomat ica lly when  conditions  have returned  to 
norma l. 
Dynamic  steering* 
On vehicles  with  dynam ic steering*,  ESC helps 
stab il ize the  s teer ing  in crit ica l sit uat io ns. 
Electronic  interaxle  differential  lock* / 
selective wheel  torque  control* 
T he electronic  i nteraxle  differential  lock  (front 
whee l dr ive) or the  se lective  whee l to rque 
control  (all-whee l dr ive) opera tes when  dr iv
ing thro ugh  curves.  The front  wheel  on  the  in
side of  the  c urve or  both  whee ls on the  inside 
of  the  curve are braked selectively  as needed . 
This min imizes  sliding  in the  front  wheels  and 
allows  for  more  precise driving  through 
cu rves . The applicable  system  may not  acti
vate  when  dr iv ing  in wet  or  snowy conditions. 
A WARNING 
- ESC, ABS , ASR,  EDL dynam ic steering* 
a nd the  elect ronic  interaxle  differential 
loc k* /se lective  wheel  torque  control* 
cannot  overcome  the  laws of  physics . 
This  is especially  important  on slippery 
or wet  roads.  If  the  systems  begin  acting 
to  stabilize  your  veh icle, yo u should  im
mediately  change your  speed to  match 
the  road  and traff ic conditions.  Do not 
let  the  increased safety  provided  by 
these  systems  tempt  you to  take  r isks. 
Doing  so will  increase the  risk  of  a loss of 
veh icle contro l, col lision  and ser ious per
sonal  injuries. 
- Always  adapt  your  speed to  road,  traffi c 
and wea ther conditions.  The risk  of  los
ing con tro l of  the  vehicle  increases when 
driving  too  fast,  espec ially  through 
curves and on  slippery  or wet  roads, and 
when  dr iv ing too  close to  vehicles  up 
ahead.  ESC, ABS, the  brake ass ist  sys
tem,  ASR, EDL dynam ic steering*  and the 
electronic  interaxle  differentia l lock*/se
lective  whee l torque  control*  cannot  p re-
vent  co llisions .  ..,. 
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