
198 Driving and en vironm ent
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not dr iving
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il
road crossings, or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red . Turning the engine
off fo r
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned s tarti ng the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . Howeve r, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights shou ld come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
... Have your vehicle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
authorized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affects
fuel
consumpt ion .
Check you r oil ea ch time you fill you r tank.
The amount o f oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It i s normal fo r the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been d riven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(S,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
T his also app lies to fue l consumption and en
gine o utput.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Main
t enance boo klet . Lack of p roper ma inte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer.
-Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat sh ie lds, switches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid dr iv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine .
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
operat ing temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and nox ious emis
s ions effectively .
Just after starting, a co ld eng ine in a mid-s ize
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 m iles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy cl imbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km), ll>

the engine is at its proper operating tempera
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that you should avoid
short trips whenever possib le.
The
outside temperature is also critical in this
regard. Your car consumes more fuel in the
winter than in the summer .
allroad: Driving offroad
General information
Applies to vehicles: atlroad
When driving offroad, the funct ions for the
e lectronic stab ilization control (ESC) are ex
panded. The ESC-Offroad-Mode can be activat
ed in driving situations in which a wheel lock
or a differentia l lock function is needed
c::> page 188. In addit ion, your Audi provides
continuous all wheel drive .
Your Audi is however , not an offroad vehicle.
Never drive the vehicle in terrain which is not
suitable for the vehicle, or which exceeds
your driving skills. Never take any unneces
sary risks!
After driving offroad
-After driving offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator grille, under
body, and wheels. Look especially for objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread .
- Clean the body and the vehicle underbody
and inspect the vehicle for possible damag
es.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and the license plate.
- Perform a brake test (especially after driving through water).
A WARNING
- Be espec ially aware and attentive when
dr iv ing under diff icult conditions . Dam
ages to the vehicle and injuries may oc
cur when driving at an excess ively high
speed or with incorrect driving maneu
vers.
Driving and environment 199
- Always adjust your speed and handling
to the roads, terrain, traff ic and weather
conditions. Drive especially slow if off road with low visibility.
- Please note that the wheels can spin and
the vehicle can break away when the ESC
Offroad Mode is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery .
- Driving stability is reduced in the ESC
Offroad mode .
® For the sake of the environment
Avoid harming the environment and take
nature into cons ideration.
(D Tips
Only drive where it is allowed and always
stay on the provided roads and paths.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles : a ll road
There is only one right way to drive in difficult
conditions: slowly and with caution!
When dr iving offroad, observe the following:
... Never drive the vehicle i n terrain which is
not suitab le for the vehicle, or which ex
ceeds your driv ing ski lls. Never take any un
necessary risks!
... Drive slow ly and cautiously!
... Pay attention to the
ground clearance of
your vehicle! This may vary depending on the load and composition of the ground and
the environment. The driver is therefore re
sponsible for deciding whether a veh icle can
handle a specific situation.
... Act ivate the
ESC -Offroad-Mode c::> page 188
as needed.
Difficult terrain
Never dr ive in areas that are not familiar to
you and drive slowly when offroad and be pre
pared and expect the unexpected (e.g. pot
holes, boulders, tree stumps, etc.)
To prevent the vehicle from bottoming and avo id damage to the underbody, you should
drive straight across severe bumps in the
IJII>
•
•

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 201
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trai ler has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 20 2.
Engine cooling system
Towing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

202 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "balanced" rig is easier
to operate and con
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
in the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
-

Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for you r vehicle is un
leaded premium
g rade gasolin e. A udi recom
mends us ing TO P TI ER D etergent Gaso line
w ith a m inim um octane ra ting of 91 A KI ( 95
RON ). Fo r more inform ation on TOP TIER De
tergent Gasoline, please go to the off ic ial
website (www.toptie rgas .com) .
The re commended gasoline octane rating for
your en gine can also be fo und o n a label loca t
ed on t he ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This ra t
ing may be specif ied as AKI or RO N.
Your veh icle may al so be operated using un
l e aded regular g asoline w ith a min imum o c
tane rating of 87 AK I/91 RO N. However, using
87 AK I/91 RON octa ne fue l w ill sli ghtly re
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded ga solin e only. Unleaded g aso
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Ca nada,
and i n most E uropean countries . We recom
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or co untries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat ion on refue ling your ve hi
cle, see
~ page 211.
Octane rating
Octane rati ng in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
r es is t engi ne da mag in g "knoc k" ca use d b y
p remature ign ition and detona tion. Therefore,
b uying the correct grade of gaso line is very
i mportant to he lp prevent possible engine
damage and a loss o f engine performance.
Gasoline mos t common ly used in the Unite d
States an d Canada has the following octane
ratings that ca n usua lly be fo und on the filler
pump:
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 209
- Premium Grade: 9 1 -96 AKI
- Regular Grade: 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abb reviations :
AKI = Anti Knock Index = (R+ M)/2 = (RO N
+M ON)/2
RON = Research Octane Num ber
M ON = M otor Octane Number.
@ Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w it h octane rat ings
lower than 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N oth erwise
ex pensive engi ne da mage w ill occu r.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne. The use of
leade d gasoline w ill severely damage
yo ur vehicle's cata ly tic co nve rter and i ts
a bili ty to con trol exh aust emi ssion s.
Blended gasoline
Use of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded gasoline blende d with
alcohol or MTBE (commonly referred to as
oxygenates) if the blended m ixture meets the
fo llow ing criter ia:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol )
-Anti -kno ck index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend mus t contain no more t han 3% me th-
a nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-sol-
vents.
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in more than 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicles w ith flex ible f uel e ngine : blend
m ust not contain more t han 85% ethanol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti-knoc k index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no t mo re tha n 15%
MTB E.
•
•

210 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving. During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stations where the sea
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
CD Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only be used in vehicles with flexible fuel en
gines. Using high ethanol fuel in vehicles not equipped with flexible fuel engines
can cause severe engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter .
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob
lems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio -ethanol)
App lies to vehicles: with flexible fuel e ngi ne
You con recognize vehicles with a flexible fuel
engine by looking at the label on the inside of the fuel filler flap.
Vehicles with flexible fuel engines may be op
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85 (8S% ethanol and
15% gasoline) or with un
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95). The vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption will increase when us
ing bio-ethanol fuels due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha
nol.
Warming up the flexible fuel engine in low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of bio-etha
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in very
low temperatures . This fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru
ment cluster display, drive with a warm en
gine to reduce the oil level.
CD Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of bio-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A higher percentage of bio-etha
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
engine or to the fuel system.
- If you use only E85, it is recommended
to fill the fuel tank completely with un
leaded premium grade gasoline every
5,000 miles.
- If you experience starting, rough idle or
hesitation driveability problems, fill the
fuel tank completely with unleaded pre mium grade gasoline and drive it nor
mally until the gasoline is used. See your
authorized Audi dealer if the problem
persists.
- Inform your authorized Audi dealer that
you are operating or have operated the
vehicle with E85.
- Read and follow the information and tips
about gasoline
c::> page 209. .,.

@ Tips
It may take longer to start the engine
when the outside temperature is very cold.
If possible, use winterized fuel if tempera
tures are below freezing.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build-up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline
brands include additives to keep engine and
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more information on TOP TIE R
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the officia l
website (www.toptiergas .com) .
Afte r an extended pe riod of using inadequate
fuels, built-up carbon deposits can rob your
engine of peak performance.
CD Note
- Damage or malfunction due to poor fuel
quality is not covered by the Audi New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- Do not add aftermarket fuel additive
products to your fuel tank.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the r ight rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can sti ll open the flap manually - for detailed
instructions see
c:> page 213.
You can find the fue l tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
c:> page273.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 211
The label on the inside of the fuel fi lier f lap
te lls you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
c:> page 209.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on -board refue l
ling vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you
refuel your vehicle. In order to fill the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please follow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con
tainers, fu ll or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 - 86).
CD Note
Never drive your veh icle until the fuel tank
i s completely empty. The irregu la r supply
of fue l can cause misfiring. Gasoline cou ld
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.
•
•

212 Fuel su ppl y and filli ng your fu el t ank
Refuelling
Fig. 176 R ig ht rear veh icle s ide: Open ing t he fuel fille r
fl ap
F ig. 177 F uel fi ller flap w ith atta ched fuel c ap
When activating the central lock ing, the fuel
fi ller flap is automatically un locked or loc ked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ig nition turned
off .
Tak ing th e fuel cap off
~ Turnoff the ignition .
~ Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it
c::> fig. 176 -arrow- .
~ Unscrew fuel cap counter-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel filler flap
~ fig . 177.
Refu elling proc edure
~ Insert the fuel no zzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler nec k as far as it will
go .
~ Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off a utomatica lly when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
~ After filling your tank , tw ist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it w ill go .
~ Close the fuel fille r flap. T
o avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from th e
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
completely .
A WARNING
-Im proper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injur ies.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump no zzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over
flow . Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re
fueling . The electromagnet ic rad iat io n
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va
pors a nd cause a fire .
- Never get back into your vehicle whi le re
fue ling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehi cle while
ref ueling, make ce rtain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again . Static e lectricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors re leased during refueling .
- Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your veh icle when refu
eling or filling a portable fuel conta iner .
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fue l conta iner in your vehicle . The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash .
- If, u nder exceptional c ircumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel conta iner,
p lease observe the following:
- Never f ill a portable f uel container
whi le it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici
ty can build up while filling and can ig
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fue l conta iner
on the ground before fi lling.