Safety
risk of injury. The following list includes most
of the safety equipment in your SEAT:
● Three-point seat belts
● belt tension limiters for the front and rear
side seats,
● Belt tensioners for the front seats
● Belt height adjustment for the front seats
● Front airbags
● Side airbags in the front seat backrests
● Side airbags in the rear seat backrests*
● Head-protection airbags
● Active front head restraints*
● “ISOFIX” anchor points for child seats in
the rear side seats with the “ISOFIX” system,
● Height-adjustable front head restraints
● Rear head restraints with in-use position
and non-use position
● Adjustable steering column
The safety equipment mentioned above
works together to provide you and your pas-
sengers with the best possible protection in
the event of an accident. However, these
safety systems can only be effective if you
and your passengers are sitting in a correct
position and use this equipment properly.
Safety is everyone's business! Sitting position for vehicle
occupants
Correct sitting position for driver Fig. 1
The proper distance between driver
and steering wheel Fig. 2
Correct head restraint position for the
driver. For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom-mend the following adjustments for the driv-
er:
– Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 25 cm between the
steering wheel and the centre of your chest
››› Fig. 1 .
– Mo v
e the driver seat forwards or backwards
so that you are able to press the accelera-
tor, brake and clutch pedals to the floor
with your knees still slightly angled ››› .
– Ensure that you can reach the highest point
of the steering wheel.
– Adjust the head restraint so that its upper
edge is at the same level as the top of your
head, or as close as possible to the same
level as the top of your head ››› Fig. 2 .
– Mo v
e the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion so that your back rests completely
against it.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ››› page 11.
– Keep both feet in the footwell so that you
have the vehicle under control at all times.
Adjustment of the driver seat ››› page 72. WARNING
● An incorrect sitting position of the driver
can lead to severe injuries.
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is at
least 25 cm distance between the centre of 6
Safety
Correct adjustment of rear seat head
restraints Fig. 5
Head restraints in the correct position. Properly adjusted head restraints are an im-
portant part of passenger protection and can
reduce the risk of injuries in most accident
situations.
Rear outer seat head restraints
– The rear outer seat head restraints have 4
positions.
– Three positions for use
›
›› Fig. 5. In these
positions, the head restraints are used nor-
mally, and along with the rear seat belts,
protect passengers in the rear seats.
– And one position for non-use.
– T
o fit the head restraints in position for use,
pull on the edges with both hands in the
direction of the arrow. Centre rear head restraint*
– The centre head restraint only has two posi-
tions, in-use (head restraint up) and non-
u
se (head restraint down). WARNING
● Under no circumstances should the rear
passengers travel while the head restraints
are in the non-use position.
● Do not swap the centre rear head restraint
with either of the outer seat rear head re-
straints. Risk of injury in case of an accident! CAUTION
Note the instructions on the adjustment of
the head restraints ››› page 72. Pedal area
Pedals –
Ensure that you can always press the accel-
erator, brake and clutch pedals unimpaired
to the floor.
– Ensure that the pedals can return unim-
paired to their initial positions.
– Ensure that the floor mats are securely fas-
tened during the trip and do not obstruct
the pedals ››› .Only use floor mats which leave the pedals
clear and which are secured to prevent them
from slipping. You can obtain suitable floor
mats from a specialised dealership. Fasten-
ers* for floor mats are fitted in the footwells.
If a brake circuit fails, the brake pedal must
be pressed down thoroughly in order to stop
the vehicle.
Wearing suitable shoes
Always wear shoes which support your feet
properly and give you a good feeling for the
pedals.
WARNING
● If the pedals are obstructed, an accident
may occur. Risk of serious injuries.
● Never lay or fit floor mats or other floor cov-
erings over the original floor mats. This
would reduce the pedal area and could ob-
struct the pedals. Risk of accident.
● Never place objects in the driver footwell.
An object could move into the pedal area and
impair pedal operation. In the event of a sud-
den driving or braking manoeuvre, you will
not be able to operate the brake, clutch or ac-
celerator pedal. Risk of accident! 10
Information system
present. The first of the warnings given is dis-
played upon selecting this option. If there is
more than one message, the number of mes-
sages is displayed on the screen, i.e. 1/3.
This means that the warning currently dis-
played is the first of a total of three.
Warning symbols The engine oil pressure is too
low›››
page 34
Automatic gearbox overheated
clutches›››
page 45
Engine oil level,
engine oil sensor faulty›››
page 34
Engine oil pressure fault›››
page 45 Automatic gearbox overheated clutches
If the symbol appears on the informative
display, the temperature of the automatic
gearbox clutches has reached an unaccepta-
ble level.
The informative display indicates:
Gearbox overheated. Stop! Instruction Man-
ual!
Stop the vehicle in this case, stop the engine
and wait until the symbol has switched off.
Danger of damage to the gearbox! You can
continue driving once the symbol is switched
off. Engine oil pressure fault
If the symbol appears on the informative
di s
play, the vehicle must be immediately tak-
en to a specialised service. Information re-
garding the maximum engine speed is dis-
played together with this symbol. WARNING
If the vehicle has to be stopped for technical
reasons, park it a safe distance away from
moving traffic, switch off the engine and turn
on the hazard warning lights ››› page 65. Note
● If a warning appears on the informative dis-
play it must be confirmed by pressing the
button, B
››› Fig. 29 ››› p
age 43 before pro-
ceeding to the main menu.
● The symbols are displayed again until the
fault is corrected. After the first time a sym-
bol is displayed, the symbols reappear, but
without a message for the driver. Maintenance interval display*
Service interval display Before reaching the service interval, when
the ignition is switched on the key symbol
appears on the screen for several seconds to-
gether with the indication of the number of kilometres (miles) remaining. The number of
days remaining until the service inspection is
indicated simultaneously.
The informative display indicates:
Service in … km (miles) or… days.
The indication of kilometres (miles) or time
remaining until the inspection reduces in in-
tervals of 100 km or 1 day.
If the service interval is reached, when the ig-
nition is switched on the key symbol ap-
pe ar
s flashing on the screen together with
the word Service.
The informative display indicates: Service now!
Indication of number of kilometres (miles) or
time remaining until the service inspection
The number of kilometres (miles) or time re-
maining until the service inspection can al-
ways be displayed when the ignition is
switched on by pressing the button 5 ›››
Fig. 24
›
›› p
age 30.
The key symbol and indication of the
number of kilometres (miles) remaining ap-
pear on the display for several seconds. The
number of days remaining until the service
inspection is indicated simultaneously.
In vehicles equipped with an informative dis-
play this information can be accessed from
the menu, Settings ››› page 44.
»
45
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Operation
clutch, brake or accelerator from being press-
ed.
●
Do not place any items on the front passen-
ger seat other than those allowed (e.g. child
seat). Risk of accident! Note
After a certain time, the backrest angle ad-
justment mechanism may gain a certain
amount of play. Manually adjusting the front seats
Fig. 58
Seat adjustment controls/Adjustment
controls for a sports seat Adjusting the seat forwards and backwards
– Lift the lever 1
››› Fig. 58 (the central part)
and mo v
e the seat forwards or backwards.
– Then release the lever 1 and move the
seat further until the catch engages. Adjusting seat height
– To raise, pump the lever 2
››› Fig. 58 (sev-
er al
times if required) upwards to the re-
quired seat position.
– To lower, pump the lever 2 (several times
if required) downwards to the required seat
position.
Adjusting the backrest angle
– Take your weight off the backrest and pull
the lever 3
››› Fig. 58 backwards, pressing
on the b ac
krest to the required angle.
– When the lever 3 is released, the backrest
will remain in the set position. Head restraints
Fig. 59
Head restraints: adjusting/removing
head restraints. Head restraints cannot be moved up or down
or removed on sports seats.
Adjusting height
– Take hold of the sides of the head restraint
and pull upwards.
72
Operation
Starting the engine
● Move the gearbox lever into neutral or
move the selector lever to position P
or N and
pull firmly on the handbrake.
● Press the clutch pedal all the way down 2›››
Fig. 89
›
›› p
age 97 and start the engine 3 ,
without pressing the accelerator. Keep the
clutch pedal pressed down until the engine
starts.
● Release the ignition key as soon as the en-
gine starts. The key returns to position 2 .
● If the engine does not start after 10 sec-
onds, turn the key back to position 1 . Re-
peat the action after 30 seconds.
● Release the handbrake before moving off.
Switching off the engine Stop the engine by turning the ignition key to
position
1
›››
Fig. 89 ›
›
›
page 97. Brakes and brake servo
systems
Introduction WARNING
● The brake servo only works when the en-
gine is running. Braking when the engine is
switched off requires applying more strength
to the brake pedal. Risk of accident!
● Press down on the clutch pedal when stop-
ping and braking with a manual gearbox, pet-
rol engine vehicle at low speed. Otherwise,
the brake servo might not work properly. Risk
of accident!
● In the event of damage to the standard
front spoiler or where a different front spoil-
er, wheel trims, etc. are subsequently fitted,
make sure the air vent to the brakes on the
front wheels is not blocked. Otherwise, brak-
ing operations may be impaired. Risk of acci-
dent!
● Always fully release the handbrake. If it is
only partially released, this will cause over-
heating of the rear brakes, which can impair
the function of the brake system. Risk of acci-
dent!
● Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could release the handbrake or
move the gear lever. The vehicle could start
moving. Risk of accident! ●
Insufficient fuel can cause the engine to run
irregularly or to switch off. Brake assist sys-
tems could be impaired. Risk of accident!
● Always adjust your driving style to suit visi-
bility, the weather and road and traffic condi-
tions. The best vehicle safety offered by
brake assist systems must never encourage
you to run greater risks. Risk of accident! CAUTION
● Observe the information concerning new
brake pads ››› page 104
.
● Wher e br
aking is not necessary, do not
wear down the brake pads by pressing down
gently on the brake pedal. This causes the
brakes to overheat, increasing their wear and
increasing braking distances.
● To ensure the brake assist systems work
properly, all wheels must be fitted with tyres
approved by the manufacturer. Note
● If you brake suddenly and the brake system
control unit regards the situation as hazard-
ous for the drivers behind you, the brake
lights will begin to flash automatically. After
reducing speed to approximately 10 km/h (6
mph) or stopping the vehicle, the brake lights
will stop flashing and the hazard warning
lights will switch on. The hazard warning
lights are automatically switched off when
you accelerate or restart the vehicle. 98
Operation
Manual gearbox Changing gears Fig. 91
Gear shift diagram of a 5- or 6-speed
manual gearbox When changing gear, always depress the
clutch pedal fully and keep it pressed down
to avoid excessive clutch wear.
In order to drive at an optimum RPM, follow
the gear change indications
››› page 32.
Engage reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped. On engaging reverse gear while the
engine is running, first wait a moment with
the clutch pedal pressed down fully to limit
gear shift noise.
The reverse lights switch on when the reverse
gear is selected and the ignition is on. WARNING
Never engage reverse gear when moving for-
ward. Risk of accident! Note
Do not rest your hand on the gear lever while
driving. The pressure of your hand could lead
to premature wear of the gear system. Automatic gearbox
Basic information The gearbox changes up and down automati-
cally. The gearbox can be set to
Tiptronic
mode. The gears can be changed manually in
this mode ›››
page 102 .
The en gine c
an only be started
in positions P
or N. If, on engaging the steering lock,
switching the ignition on/off or starting the
engine, the selector lever is not in these posi-
tions, the informative display will show Move
the selector lever to position P/N! , or P/N
is
shown on the general dash panel display.
At temperatures below -10 °C (14 °F), the en-
gine can only be started in position P.
Mov
e the selector lever to position P when
parking the vehicle on a flat surface. On a
slope, the handbrake should be firmly ap-
plied before moving the selector lever to the park position. This reduces the load on the
lock mechanism while making it easier to
move the selector lever from position P.
If, while the vehicle is moving, the selector
lever is accidentally moved to position
N, re-
le
ase the accelerator and wait for the engine
to idle before moving it back into position. WARNING
● Never press the accelerator when selecting
the automatic gearbox operating mode when
the vehicle is stationary. Risk of accident!
● Never move the selector lever to positions
R or P when driving. Risk of accident!
● If the vehicle is to be stopped with a gear
selected and the engine idling (e.g. waiting
or moving slowly at traffic lights), press down
on the brake pedal because the transmission
is not entirely interrupted when the engine is
idling and the vehicle will tend to start mov-
ing.
● Apply the handbrake firmly and put the se-
lector lever in position P before opening the
bonnet and working on the vehicle with the
engine running. Risk of accident! Strictly fol-
low the safety instructions ››› page 132, En-
gine compartment.
● When s t
opping on a slope (hill), try not to
stop the vehicle from moving by pressing the
“accelerator” with a gear selected. This could
overheat the clutch. If the clutch risks being
burnt due to this force, it would switch off 100
Driving
and the vehicle could move backwards. Risk
of accident!
●
If you have to stop on a hill, press down on
the brake pedal to stop the vehicle from mov-
ing.
● The drive wheels could lose traction on a
slippery road surface when the kick-down
function is activated. Risk of sliding! CAUTION
● In DSG automatic gearboxes, the double
clutch is protected from overloads. If the hill
hold control is used, the clutches are subjec-
ted to greater force if the vehicle is at a
standstill on a slope or suddenly accelerating
on a slope.
● Should the clutches overheat, the sym-
bol is shown on the informative display with
a warning message Gear overheated. Stop! In-
struction Manual! An audible warning is also heard. Stop the vehicle in this case, stop the
engine and wait until the symbol has
switched off. Danger of damage to the gear-
box! You can continue driving once the sym-
bol is switched off. Starting and driving
Starting
– Press and hold the brake pedal.
– Press and hold the interlock button on the
selector lever knob and move the selector lever to position
››› page 101 before releas-
ing the interlock button.
– Release the brake and press the accelera-
tor.
Stopping
– The selector lever does not have to be
moved to position N
if the vehicle is stop-
ped f
or a short period, e.g. at intersections.
Applying the brake is enough. However, the
engine must remain idling.
Parking
– Press the brake pedal.
– Apply the handbrake.
– Press the interlock button, move the selec-
tor lever to position P and release the but-
ton.
Kick-down feature
The kick-down feature allows maximum ac-
celeration to be reached.
In any gear programme, press down fully on
the accelerator for the automatic gearbox to
activate the kick-down feature. This function
takes priority over the gear programmes with-
out taking into account the position of the se-
lector lever (
D, S or Tiptronic) and is used to
reach maximum acceleration, using full en-
gine power. Depending on the road speed
and engine speed, the automatic gearbox shifts down and the vehicle accelerates. It
only shifts up after the maximum engine
speed has been reached.
Selector lever positions Fig. 92
Selector lever/Informative display: se-
lector lever positions. The current position of the selector lever is
shown on the general instrument panel dis-
play
1
››› Fig. 92 .
»
101
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Driving
The tyre pressures should always be checked
when the tyres are cold.
Do not u
se 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-
crease 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
fan at high speeds, the rear window heating
and the seat heaters*. Note
● If you vehicle has Start-Stop, it is not rec-
ommended t o sw
itch this function off. ●
It is recommended to close the windows
when driving at more than 60 km/h (40 mph)
● Do not drive with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal, as the pressure can make the
p l
ate spin, more fuel will be used and it can
burn the clutch plate lining, causing a serious
fault.
● Do not hold the vehicle on a hill with the
clutch, use the foot brake or hand brake, us-
ing 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. Wading and driving off-road
Driving through water Fig. 94
Driving through water. To prevent the vehicle from being damaged
when driving through water (i.e. flooded
roads), please observe the following:
● Determine the depth of the water before
entering. Water can reach a maximum height
of below the door sill ››› Fig. 94 .
● Driv e at
a maximum pace of walking speed.
Driving at a higher speed can cause a wave
in front of the vehicle, which can cause water
to enter the engine air intake system or other
parts of the vehicle.
● Never stop in the water, never reverse and
never stop the engine.
● Before driving through water deactivate the
Start-Stop system ››› page 112. WARNING
● Driving through water, dirt and mud can re-
duce braking capability and prolong the brak-
ing distance – Risk of accident!
● Do not carry out any sudden or strong brak-
ing manoeuvres after driving through water.
● Clean and dry the brakes as soon as possi-
ble after driving through water by breaking
intermittently. Carry out braking in order to
dry the brakes and clean the brake discs only
if traffic so permits. Do not put other drivers
at risk. » 107Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety