Operation
The hill driving assistant helps the driver to
move off and upward on a hill when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
The system maintains brake pressure for ap-
proximately two seconds after the driver
takes his foot off the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from lurching backward when it is
started. During these 2 seconds, the driver
has enough time to release the clutch pedal
and accelerate without the vehicle moving
and without having to use the handbrake,
making start-up easier, more comfortable
and safer.
These are the basic operation conditions:
● being on a ramp or hill/slope,
● doors closed,
● vehicle completely stationary,
● engine running and foot on the brake,
● besides having a gear engaged or being in
neutral for manual gear change and with the
selector lever at position S,
D or R for an au-
tomatic gearbox.
This system is also active when reversing up-
hill. WARNING
● If you do not start the vehicle immediately
after taking your foot off the brake pedal, the
vehicle may start to roll back under certain conditions. Depress the brake pedal or use
the hand brake immediately.
●
If the engine stalls, depress the brake ped-
al or use the hand brake immediately.
● When following a line of traffic uphill, if you
want to prevent the vehicle from rolling back
accidentally when starting off, hold the brake
pedal down for a few seconds before starting
off. Note
The Official Service or a specialist workshop
can tell you if your vehicle is equipped with
this system. Manual gearbox
Driving with a manual gearbox Read the additional information carefully
››› page 19
Certain versions of the model may include a
6-speed manual gearbox, and its diagram is
shown on the gearbox lever.
The reverse gear can only be engaged when
the car is stationary. When the engine is run-
ning and before engaging this gear, wait
about 6 seconds with the clutch pressed
down thoroughly in order to protect the gear-
box. The reverse lights switch on when the reverse
gear is selected and the ignition is on. WARNING
● When the engine is running, the vehicle
will start to move as soon as a gear is engag-
ed and the clutch released.
● Never select the reverse gear when the ve-
hicle is in motion. Risk of accident. Note
● Do not rest your hand on the gear lever
while driving. The pressure of your hand
could cause premature wear on the selector
forks in the gearbox.
● When changing gear, you should always
depress the clutch fully to avoid unnecessary
wear and damage.
● Do not “slip” the clutch to hold the vehicle
on a hill. This causes premature wear and
damage to the clutch.
● Do not leave your foot on the clutch pedal;
although the pressure may seem insignifi-
cant, it can cause the premature wear of the
clutch plate. Use the foot rest when you do
not need to change gear. 128
Driving
Automatic gearbox* Gearbox programmes Read the additional information carefully
››› page 20
The automatic gearbox has got two gearbox
programmes.
Selecting the normal programme
– Put the selector lever into position D.
Selecting the sport programme – Put the selector lever into position S.
If you select the normal programme, D
, you
w i
ll drive in the economy mode, i.e. the pro-
gramme is designed to reduce fuel consump-
tion. The gearbox changes up into a higher
gear as soon as possible and down into a
lower gear as late as possible.
If you select the sport programme, S, you will
drive in a s
porty mode, i.e. a programme in
which shifts into high gears are postponed in
order to use the full power of the engine. Selector lever lock
Fig. 133
Automatic gearbox Fig. 134
Automatic gearbox: instrument pan-
el display. The selector lever lock in position P or N pre-
vents gears from being engaged inadvertent-
ly, which would cause the vehicle to move.
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
– Switch the ignition on. –
Hold the brake pedal pressed down and at
the same time, hold the selector lever lock
on the left of the selector lever also press-
ed down.
The warning lamp
on the instrument panel
lights
up when the brake pedal should be ap-
plied. This is essential when the selector lev-
er is taken from the P or N positions.
Level lock only engages with the vehicle sta-
tionary at a speed of up to 5 km/h (3 mph).
At speeds of over 5 km/h (3 mph) the selec-
tor lever lock is automatically deactivated in
position
N.
The selector lever lock is not engaged if the
selector lever is moved quickly through posi-
tion
N (e.g. when shifting from R to D). This
makes it possible, for instance, to “rock” the
vehicle backwards and forwards if it is stuck
in snow or mud. The selector lever lock en-
gages automatically if the brake pedal is not
depressed and the lever is in position N for
more th
an about 1second.
129
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials
Operation
– Press the left paddle lever - towards the
steering wheel to change down ››› Fig. 137.
Using the paddle levers on the steering
wheel, you can access manual driving mode
regardless of the pre-selected driving mode.
General information about driving in
tiptronic mode
When accelerating, the automatic gearbox /
DSG automatic gearbox goes into a higher
gear a little before the engine reaches its
maximum permitted revolutions.
If a lower gear is selected, the automatic
gearbox / DSG automatic gearbox will only
change down when the engine cannot go
over its maximum permitted revolutions.
If “tiptronic” is selected whilst the vehicle is
in motion and the automatic gearbox / DSG
automatic gearbox is in third gear and selec-
tor lever position D
, “tiptronic” mode will
then al
so be in third gear.
Changing gears in the normal or sport
programme using the steering wheel paddle
levers
If the paddle levers ››› Fig. 137 are used in
the normal
or sport programme, the system
switches temporarily to “tiptronic” mode. To
exit “Tiptronic” mode again, press the right
paddle lever + towards the steering wheel
for approximately one second. You will also leave “tiptronic” mode if the paddle levers
are not moved for a certain time. Note
● The gear paddle levers on the steering
wheel can be operated with the selector lever
in any position and with the vehicle in mo-
tion. Selector lever positions
Fig. 138
Automatic gearbox: instrument pan-
el display. Selector lever positions
The selected gear is displayed on the side of
the selector lever and on the instrument pan-
el display. The currently selected gear for the
automatic gearbox will also be shown on the
display.Tiptronic gear indicator
If the automatic gearbox is shifted manually,
the selected gears are shown on the screen.
P - parking lock
When the selector lever is in this position,
the driven wheels are locked mechanically.
Position P on the lever must only be selected
if the vehicle is stationary.
To move selector lever from position P, the
locking button on the selector lever handle
must be pressed and the brake pedal de-
pressed at the same time while the ignition is
switched on.
To put the selector lever in position
P, simply
pr e
ss the lock button down and, if necessary,
depress the brake pedal down.
R - Reverse gear
The reverse gear is engaged in this position.
Reverse gear must be engaged only when the
vehicle is stationary and the engine is idling.
To move the selector lever to position R,
press the lock button down and, at the same
time, press the brake pedal down, with the
ignition switched on.
With the selector lever in position R and the
ignition sw
itched on the following occurs:
● Reverse lights light up.
132
Driving
Some tips on how to help you reduce pollu-
tion while saving money are listed below.
Active cylinder management (ACT ®
)
Depending on the equipment, the vehicle
may have active cylinder management
(ACT ®
).
The active cylinder management (ACT ®
) may
automatically deactivate some of the engine
cylinders if the driving situation does not re-
quire too much power. When it is switched
off, no fuel is injected into these cylinders,
hence total fuel consumption may be re-
duced.
Drive anticipating the traffic situation
A vehicle uses most fuel when accelerating.
When you anticipate situations, you have to
brake less often and, thus, accelerate less. If
it is possible, let the vehicle roll with a gear
engaged , for example, if you see a red light
ahe a
d. The braking effect achieved in this
way helps to reduce the wear of brakes and
tyres; emissions and fuel consumption are
reduced to zero (disconnection due to iner-
tia).
Change gear early to save energy
An effective way of saving fuel is to change
up
quickly through the gears. Running the
engine at high rpm in the lower gears uses
an unnecessary amount of fuel. Manual gearbox:
shift up from first to second
gear as soon as possible. We recommend
that, whenever possible, you change to a
higher gear upon reaching 2000 rpm. Follow
the “recommended gear” indication that ap-
pears on the instrument panel ››› page 64.
Avoid driving at high speed
We advise you not to drive at the top speed
permitted by the vehicle. Fuel consumption,
exhaust emissions and noise levels all in-
crease very rapidly at higher speeds. Driving
at moderate speeds will help to save fuel.
Avoid idling
It is worthwhile switching off the engine
when waiting in a traffic jam, at level cross-
ings or at traffic lights with a long red phase.
The fuel saved after only 30 - 40 seconds is
greater than the amount of fuel needed to re-
start the engine.
The engine takes a long time to warm up
when it is idling. Mechanical wear and pollu-
tant emissions are also especially high dur-
ing this initial warm-up phase. It is therefore
best to drive off immediately after starting
the engine. Avoid running the engine at high
speed.
Periodic maintenance
Periodic maintenance work guarantees that,
before beginning a journey, you will not con- sume more than the required amount of fuel.
A well-serviced engine gives you the benefit
of
improved fuel efficiency as well as maxi-
mum reliability and an enhanced resale val-
ue.
A badly serviced engine can consume up to
10% more fuel than necessary.
Avoid short journeys
To reduce the consumption and emission of
polluting exhaust gases, the engine and the
exhaust gas filtration systems should reach
the optimum operating temperature.
With the en
gine cold, fuel consumption is
proportionally higher. The engine does not
warm up and fuel consumption does not nor-
malise until having driven approximately four
kilometres (2.5 miles). This is why we recom-
mend avoiding short trips whenever possi-
ble.
Maintain the correct tyre pressures
Bear in mind that keeping the tyres at an ad-
equate pressure saves fuel. If the tyre pres-
sure is just one bar (14.5 psi/100 kPa) too
low, fuel consumption can increase by as
much as 5%. Due to the greater rolling resist-
ance, under-inflation also increases tyre wear
wear and impairs handling.
The tyre pressures should always be checked
when the tyres are cold.
»
137
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials
Operation
Do not use winter tyres all year round as they
increase fuel consumption by up to 10%.
Avoid unnecessary weight
Given that every kilo of extra weight will in-
c r
ease the fuel consumption, it is advisable
to always check the luggage compartment to
make sure that no unnecessary loads are be-
ing transported.
A roof rack is often left in place for the sake
of convenience, even when it is no longer
needed. At a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph)
and 120 km/h (75 mph) your vehicle will use
about 12% more fuel as a result of the extra
wind resistance caused by the roof rack even
when it is not in use.
Save electricity
The engine activates the alternator, which
produces electricity. With the need for elec-
tricity, fuel consumption also increases. Be-
cause of this, always turn off electrical devi-
ces when you do not need them. Examples of
devices that use a lot of electricity are: the
blower at high speeds, the rear window heat-
ing or the seat heaters*. Note
● If your vehicle has Start-Stop, it is not rec-
ommended th at
you switch this function off. ●
It is recommended that you close the win-
dows when driving at more than 60 km/h
(37 mph)
● Do not driv
e with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal
, as the pressure can make the
plate spin, more fuel will be used and it can
burn the clutch plate lining, causing a serious
fault.
● Do not hold the car on a hill with the clutch,
use the foot brake or hand brake, using the
latter to start. The fuel consumption will be
lower and you will prevent the clutch plate
from being damaged.
● On descents, use the engine brake, chang-
ing to the gear that is more suitable for the
slope. Fuel consumption will be “zero” and
the brakes will not suffer. Driving abroad
To drive abroad, the following must be taken
into consideration:
●
For vehicles fitted with a catalytic converter
ensure that unleaded petrol is available for
the journey. See the chapter “Refuelling”. Au-
tomobile organisations will have information
about service station networks selling unlea-
ded fuel.
● In some countries, it is possible that your
car model is not sold, and therefore some
spare parts are not available or the technical services may only be able to carry out limited
repairs.
SEAT importers and distributors will gladly
provide information about the technical prep-
aration that your vehicle requires and also
about necessary maintenance and repair
possibilities.
Adhesive strips for headlights
In countries where vehicles drive on the other
side of the road to your home country, the
asymmetric dipped beam may dazzle drivers
of oncoming vehicles.
To prevent dazzling, you must apply stickers
to certain parts of the headlight lenses. Fur-
ther information is available at any Technical
Service.
In vehicles with adaptive headlights, the ro-
tation system must previously be disconnec-
ted. To do this, please go to a specialised
workshop.
138
Driver assistance systems
Rear parking aid The parking aid system will use an audible
warning to indicate of the approach of any
object towards the rear of the vehicle.
Description
The acoustic parking aid system will measure
the distance between the rear of the vehicle
and any possible obstacle using four ultra-
sonic sensors located on the rear bumper.
The measuring range of the sensors starts
approximately and depending on the nature
of the obstacle
at a distance of:
● side of the rear bumper: 0.6 m
● middle of the rear bumper: 1.6 m
Activation
The system is activated by engagement of
the reverse gear. A brief audible warning con-
firms the activation and correct function of
the system.
Reverse gear
The distance warning will begin as soon as
an obstacle is detected by the system. The
frequency of the bleeps emitted by the sys-
tem will increase rapidly as the vehicle ap-
proaches the obstacle. After a distance lower
than approximately 30 cm, a continuous sig-
nal sounds (stop signal). The driver should
not reverse any further. Models with a factory-fitted towing bracket:
when the vehicle is less than 0.35 m away
the warning tone will sound continuously.
The driver should then not reverse any fur-
ther.
The warning tone volume decreases by 30%
3 seconds after it the system is triggered
if
the detected obstacle stays at a constant dis-
tance from the vehicle .
Provided that it is not in continuous mode,
the tone on the parking aid system stops
when it detects a wall parallel to the vehicle.
Trailer towing
For vehicles factory-fitted with a towing bar,
the parking aid system will not be activated
by the engagement of the reverse gear when
pulling a trailer, as the trailer's electric con-
nector will be plugged into the vehicle.
Possible faults
If a continuous beep sounds for some sec-
onds when the reverse gear is engaged, this
indicates that there is a fault in the parking
aid system. If the fault continues until the ig-
nition is turned off, the audible warning of
the fault will not be emitted every time the
system is reactivated (by engaging the re-
verse gear). Thus, the system ready indica-
tion will not sound either. Have the fault re-
paired by technical services as soon as possi-
ble. If there is no ready signal or no acoustic
warning signal, then the parking aid loud-
speaker is faulty and may not warn of obsta-
cles. To ensure that the system works proper-
ly, the sensors must be kept clean and free of
ice and snow.
CAUTION
● Please note that low obstacles detected by
the system may no longer be registered by
the sensors as the car moves closer, so the
system will not give any further warning. Cer-
tain kinds of obstacles, such as wire fences,
chains, thin posts or trailer draw bars, high
kerbs or painted railings, etc., may not al-
ways be detected by the system, so there is a
risk of damaging the vehicle in such cases.
● In some case, obstacles with edges and
bumps may not be detected immediately by
the system due to their geometry. Take spe-
cial care with this type of obstacle (corners,
rectangular objects, etc.), as they can cause
damage to the vehicle.
● Be especially careful when manoeuvring in-
to a corner between two perpendicular walls.
Pay special attention to the side distance
from the wall using the mirrors.
● The parking aid system does not replace
use of the mirrors for manoeuvres.
● External ultra-sonic sources (pneumatic
drills, construction machinery, other vehicles
with PDC) may interfere with the operation of
the system. » 147Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials
Driver assistance systems
The driver should then not reverse any fur-
ther.
The warning tone volume decreases by 30%
3 seconds after it is triggered if the detected
obstacle stays at a constant distance from
the vehicle.
Provided that it is not in continuous mode,
the tone on the parking aid system stops
when it detects a wall parallel to the vehicle.
Trailer towing
For vehicles factory-fitted with a towing bar,
the parking aid system will not be activated
by the engagement of the reverse gear when
pulling a trailer, as the trailer's electric con-
nector will be plugged into the vehicle.
Possible faults
If a continuous, sharp beep sounds for a few
seconds, there is a fault in the parking aid
system.
If the fault continues until the ignition is
turned off, the audible warning of the fault
will not be emitted every time the system is
reactivated (by engaging the reverse gear or
pressing the button). Thus, the system
ready indication will not sound either. Have
the fault repaired by technical services as
soon as possible.
If there is no ready signal or no acoustic
warning signal, then the parking aid loud- speaker is faulty and may not warn of obsta-
cles. To ensure that the system works proper-
ly, the sensors must be kept clean and free of
ice and snow.
CAUTION
● Please note that low obstacles detected by
the system may no longer be registered by
the sensors as the car moves closer, so the
system will not give any further warning. Cer-
tain kinds of obstacles, such as wire fences,
chains, thin posts or trailer draw bars, high
kerbs or painted railings, etc., may not al-
ways be detected by the system, so there is a
risk of damaging the vehicle in such cases.
● In some cases, obstacles with uniform
edges and bumps may not be detected imme-
diately by the system due to their geometry.
Take special care with this type of obstacle
(corners, rectangular objects, etc.), as they
can cause damage to the vehicle.
● Be especially careful when manoeuvring in-
to a corner between two perpendicular walls.
Pay special attention to the side distance
from the wall using the mirrors.
● The parking aid system does not replace
use of the mirrors for manoeuvres.
● External ultra-sonic sources (e.g. pneumat-
ic drills, construction machinery or other ve-
hicles equipped with PND) may interfere with
the operation of the system.
● Periodic cleaning of the sensors, take care
not to damage or scratch them. When clean-
ing with high pressure washers or steam cleaners, the sensors should be sprayed for
only a very short period and from a distance
of more than 10 cm.
●
If the licence plate (especially the front
one) is bent in such a way that it noticeably
juts out from the bumper, false alarms may
sound for the area in front of the vehicle. Front parking aid with navigator view
Fig. 146
Parking aid view on the navigation
screen. When the parking aid system has been acti-
vated, the navigation view screen is also si-
multaneously activated (if one of the doors or
the rear lid is open, it must be closed before
the on-screen information can be viewed).
The distance of separation from the obstacle
can be estimated
››› Fig. 146 with the help of
the segments around the vehicle. At the
front, the white segments indicate obstacles
located between 30 cm and 120 cm from the »
149Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials
Operation
Towing bracket device
Trailer towing What do you need to bear in mind
when towing a trailer? Your vehicle may be used to tow a trailer
when fitted with the correct equipment.
If the car is supplied with a
factory-fitted tow-
in g br
acket it will already have the necessary
technical modifications and meet the statuto-
ry requirements for towing a trailer. If you
wish to retrofit a towing bracket, consult
›
›› page 153.
Connect
ors
Your vehicle is fitted with a 12-pin connector
for the electrical connection between the
trailer and the vehicle.
If the trailer has a 7-pin plug you will need to
use an a
dapter cable. It is available at any
Technical Service.
Trailer weight/drawbar load
Never exceed the authorised trailer weight. If
you do not load the trailer up to the maxi-
mum permitted trailer weight, you can then
climb correspondingly steeper slopes.
The maximum trailer weights listed are only applicable for
altitudes up to 1000 m above sea level. With increasing altitude the engine
power and therefore the vehicle climbing
ability are impaired because of the reduced
air density. The maximum trailer weight has
to be reduced accordingly. The weight of the
vehicle and trailer combination must be re-
duced by 10% for every further 1000 m (or
part thereof). The gross combination weight
is the actual weight of the laden vehicle plus
the actual weight of the laden trailer. When
possible, operate the trailer with the maxi-
mum permitted drawbar load on the ball joint
of the t
owing bracket, but do not exceed the
specified limit.
The figures for trailer weights
and drawbar
loads that are given on the data plate of the
towing bracket are for certification purposes
only. The correct figures for your specific
model, which may be lower than these fig-
ures for the towing bracket, are given in the
vehicle documentation or in ››› chapter Tech-
nical Data .
Distributing the load
Distribute loads in the trailer so that heavy
objects are as near to the axle as possible.
Loads carried in the trailer must be secured
to prevent them moving.
Tyre pressure
Set tyre pressure to the maximum permissi-
ble pressure shown on the sticker on the in-
side of the fuel tank flap. Set the tyre pres- sure of the trailer tyres in accordance with the
trailer manufacturer's recommendations.
Exterior mirrors
Check whether you can see enough of the
road behind the trailer with the standard rear
vision mirrors. If this is not the case, you
should have additional exterior mirrors fitted.
Both exterior mirrors should be mounted on
hinged extension brackets. Adjust the mirrors
to give sufficient vision to the rear.
WARNING
Never transport people in a trailer. This could
result in fatal accidents. Note
● Towing a trailer places additional demands
on the vehicle. We recommend additional
services between the normal inspection inter-
vals if the vehicle is used frequently for tow-
ing a trailer.
● Find out whether special regulations apply
to towing a trailer in your country. Ball coupling of towing bracket*
The ball coupling is provided with instruc-
tions on fitting and removing the ball cou-
pling of the towing bracket.
152