Table of Contents
About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Safety First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Proper sitting position for occupants . . . . . . . . . 10
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Why wear seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Side airbags* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Deactivating airbags* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Securing child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Operating instructions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
LPG system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Digital instrument panel display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Instrument panel menus* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Audio system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Radio navigation system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Radio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Anti-theft alarm system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Sliding/tilting sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Windscreen wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Rear vision mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
The importance of correct seat adjustment . . . . . 134
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Multi-purpose mobile storage compartment* . . 148 Ashtray*, cigarette lighter* and power sockets . 150
First-aid kit, warning triangle, fire extinguisher . 154
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
2C-Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Starting and stopping the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Start-Stop function* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox* . . . 183
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Parking aid acoustic system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Cruise speed* (Cruise control system) . . . . . . . . 193
Practical Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Anti-lock brake and traction control systems M-
ABS (ABS and ASR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)* . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Driving and the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Running-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Economical and environmentally friendly driving 206
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
3
Table of Contents
123
Lights and visibility
● The headlight flasher comes on for as long as you pull the lever – even if
no other lights are switched on. The warning lamp then comes on in the
instrument panel.
● When the parking lights are switched on, the headlight and the tail light
on the corresponding side of the vehicle light up. The parking lights will on-
ly work if the key is removed from the ignition. If the lights are switched on,
an audible warning will be emitted while the driver door is open.
● If the turn signal lever is left on after the key has been taken out of the
ignition lock, an acoustic signal sounds when the driver door is opened.
This is a reminder to switch off the turn signal, unless of course you wish to
leave the parking light on.
Interior lights
Front interior light type 1
Fig. 76 Interior roof trim:
front interior lighting
The switch ⇒ Fig. 76 A
is used to select the following positions: Courtesy light position
Rocker switch in flat position (not activated). The interior lighting is auto-
matically switched on when the vehicle is unlocked or the key removed from
the ignition. And turn off approx. 20 seconds after closing the doors. The
interior lights are switched off when the vehicle is locked or when the igni-
tion is switched on.
Interior light switched on
Push the switch to the position .
Interior light switched off O
Push the switch to position O ⇒ Fig. 76.
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the ignition key has been removed and
the courtesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from dis-
charging.
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications
124Lights and visibility
Front interior light type 2
Fig. 77 Interior roof trim:
front interior lighting
The switch ⇒ Fig. 77 A
is used to select the following positions:
Courtesy light position
Rocker switch in flat position (not activated). The interior lighting is auto-
matically switched on when the vehicle is unlocked or the key removed from
the ignition. And turn off approx. 20 seconds after closing the doors. The
interior lights are switched off when the vehicle is locked or when the igni-
tion is switched on.
Interior light switched on
Push the switch to the position .
Interior light switched off O
Push the switch to position O ⇒ Fig. 77.
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the ignition key has been removed and
the courtesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from dis-
charging.
125
Lights and visibility
Front reading lights
Fig. 78 Interior roof trim:
front reading lights, type
1
Fig. 79 Interior roof trim:
front reading lights, type
2
Switching on the reading light
Press the corresponding button ⇒ Fig. 78 B
and ⇒
Fig. 79 B to switch on
the reading light. Switching the reading lights off
Press the corresponding button to switch the reading light off.
Rear interior lights and reading lights*
Fig. 80 Interior roof trim:
rear interior lights and
reading lights.
The switch ⇒ Fig. 80 C
is used to select the following positions:
Interior light switched off 0
In switch position ⇒ Fig. 80 1
, the interior and reading lights are switched
off.
Switching on the reading light
Turn the switch to position 2
(left reading light) or to position 4 (right
reading light).
Courtesy light position
Turn the control to position 3
. The interior lighting is automatically switch-
ed on when the vehicle is unlocked or the key removed from the ignition.
The light turns off about 20 seconds after closing the doors. The interior
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications
126Lights and visibility
lights are switched off when the vehicle is locked or when the ignition is
switched on.
Interior lights or both reading lights switched on
Turn the control to position 5
.
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the ignition key has been removed and
the courtesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from dis-
charging.
Visibility Sun visors
Fig. 81 Sun visor on the
driver side The sun visors for the driver and the front passenger can be pulled out of
their mountings in the centre of the vehicle and turned towards the doors
⇒ Fig. 81
1
.
The vanity mirrors in the sun visors have covers. When you open the cover 2
, a lamp in the roof lights up.
The light* in the roof lining will go out when the vanity mirror cover is push-
ed back or the sun visor is pushed back up.
Note
The roof lamp will turn off about 10 minutes following the removal of the ig-
nition key. This prevents the battery from discharging.
Applies to the model: ALTEA XL / ALTEA FREETRACK
Sun blind*
The windows on the rear doors are fitted with a sun blind
Fig. 82 Rear door sun vi-
sor
131
Lights and visibility
Note
● To ensure that the headlight washers work properly in winter, keep the
nozzle holders in the bumper free of snow and remove any ice with a de-icer
spray.
● To remove water, the windscreen wipers will be activated from time to
time, the headlight washers will be activated every three cycles.
Rear vision mirrors Interior rear vision mirror
It is dangerous to drive if you cannot see clearly through the
rear window.
Manual anti-dazzle function for interior rear vision mirror
In the basic mirror position, the lever at the bottom edge of the rear vision
mirror should be at the front. Pull the lever to the back to select the anti-
dazzle function. Automatic anti-dazzle interior rear vision mirror*
The automatic anti-dazzle function can be switched on and
off as desired.
Fig. 87 Automatic anti-
dazzle interior rear vision
mirror.
Switching off the anti-dazzle function
– Press button A
⇒ Fig. 87. Control lamp B goes off.
Switching on the anti-dazzle function
– Press button A
⇒ Fig. 87. Control lamp is lit.
Anti-dazzle function
The anti-dazzle function is activated every time the ignition is switched on.
The green warning lamp lights up in the rear vision mirror housing.
When the anti-dazzle function is enabled, the interior rear vision mirror will
darken automatically according to the amount of light it receives. The anti-
dazzle function is cancelled if reverse gear is engaged.
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications
132Lights and visibility
Note
● The automatic anti-dazzle function will only work properly if the sun
blind* for the rear window is retracted and there are no other objects pre-
venting light from reaching the interior rear vision mirror.
● If you have to stick any type of sticker on the windscreen, do not do so in
front of the sensors. Doing so could prevent the anti-dazzle function from
working well or even from working at all.
Exterior mirrors
The exterior mirrors can be adjusted using the rotary knob
in the centre console.
Fig. 88 Controls of exte-
rior mirrors
Basic setting of exterior mirrors
1. Turn knob ⇒
Fig. 88 to position L (left exterior mirror ).
2. Turn the rotary knob to position the exterior mirror so that you have a good view to the rear of the vehicle. 3. Turn knob to position R (right exterior mirror
).
4. Swivel the rotary knob to position the exterior mirror so that you have a good view to the rear of the vehicle ⇒
.
Heating the exterior mirrors*
– Turn the knob forwards so that the heated rear view mirrors
warm up and the heated windscreen* in the wiper blade rest
area is activated ⇒ page 127.
– The exterior mirror heating is not activated in temperatures
above approximately +20 °C (+68 °F).
Folding in exterior mirrors*
– Turn the control ⇒ Fig. 88 to position to fold in the exterior
mirrors. You should always fold in the exterior mirrors if you are
driving through an automatic car wash. This will help prevent
damage.
Folding exterior mirrors with convenience closing*
– The exterior mirror will fold back automatically with conven-
ience closing (with the remote or the key).
– To unfold it again, open the door and use the contact
Folding exterior mirrors back out to the extended position*
– Turn the knob to another position to fold the exterior mirrors
back out ⇒
.
Synchronised mirror adjustment
1. Turn the control to the position L (left exterior mirror).
165
Air conditioning
– The functions will be switched on when its buttons are pressed.
When these functions are activated, they are indicated on the
radio display. In addition, all these functions are lit with LEDs.
Press the button again to switch off the function.
The temperature can be adjusted separately for the left and right sides of
the vehicle interior. Button
– defrost function for the windscreen. The air drawn in from
outside the vehicle is directed at the windscreen. The air recirculation
mode, if switched on, will be switched off as soon as the defrost func-
tion is switched on. At temperatures over +3 °C (+37 °F), the air condi-
tioning system will be switched on automatically in order to dehumidify
the air. The button is lit in yellow and the symbol appears on the radio
or navigator display.
button – Upward air distribution
button – Central air distribution
button – Downward air distribution
button – Manual air recirculation mode
button – Heated rear window The heating will be switched off auto-
matically approximately 20 minutes after switching on. However, it may
be turned off by pushing the button. The button lights up yellow and
the symbol appears in the display.
AUTO
button – Automatic temperature, ventilation and air distribution
control ⇒ page 166
SYNC
button – Dual zone synchroniser
OFF button – Switches the 2C-Climatronic on and off ⇒ page 167
Blower control ⇒ page 167
AC
button – Switches heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system
on
1
23456
7
891011
WARNING
For road safety all windows must be clear of ice, snow, and condensation.
This is essential to ensure good visibility. Please familiarise yourself with
the correct operation of the heating and ventilation system, including the
anti-fog/defrost functions for the windscreens.
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications