Automatic
transmission S tronic-transmission
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmiss ion
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronical
l y -controlled DSG transmission called S tronic.
T wo independent clutches transfer the power
between the engine and transmission. It al
lows the vehicle to accelerate without a no
ticeable interruption in traction .
T he transmission upshifts or downshifts auto
matically. The driving style continuously influ
ences the selection of the driving program .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most econom ica l
driving mode. The transmission upshifts at a
lower RPM and downshifts at a higher RPM to
improve fuel effic iency .
T he transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) r=> page 110,
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode) .
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tro nic transmission
Fig. 91 Instrument cluster: selector leve r positions
The instrument cluster display shows the cur
rent selector lever position and current gear .
Automatic transmission 105
P -Park
The wheels are mechanically locked in this po
sition. You can only shift into Park when the
vehicle is
stationary r=> &..
To shift in and out of the P selector lever posi
tion, press the interlock button in the selector
lever
while pressing the brake peda l.
R- Reverse
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed
r=> &. .
To select the R selector lever position, press
the interlock button
while press ing the brake
pedal. The back-up lights sw itch on in the R
pos ition if the ignition is switched on .
N -Neutral
The transm iss ion is in idle in this position .
DIS -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S selector lever position , the trans
mission can be operated either in the normal
D mode or in the S sport mode. To select the S
spor t mode, pull the selector lever back brief
ly. Pulling the lever back again will select the
normal D mode . The instrument cluster dis
play shows the selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto
matically selects the suitable gear ratio . It de
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv
ing style .
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving .
The vehicle makes full use of the eng ine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeable when
acce lerat ing.
To move from selector lever position N to D,
you must press the brake pedal and the vehi cle must be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/
h) or be stationary~ &.-
.&_ WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off. ...
.__ _____________ __J ....
•
108 Automatic transmi ssion
Stopp ing /p ar kin g
If the selec tor lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. In vehicles with a convenience key*,
the message:
Shift to P , other wise vehi cle
c a n roll away . Doo rs do not lo ck if le ver not
in
P appears. You will also hear a warning
tone .
"' Press and ho ld the brake pedal¢.&_ .
"' Set the parking brake.
"'Se lect the P selector lever pos ition.
St opp ing on an incline
• Always press the brake pedal to hold the ve
hicle in p lace and prevent it from "rolling
back" ¢ .&_ . Do
n ot try to prevent the vehi
cle from "roll ing back" when a gear is en
gaged by increasing the eng ine speed ¢(D.
Starting on an inclin e in vehicl es wi th out
Hill Hold*
"' Set the parking brake.
"' With the driving gear selected, press the ac
celerator pedal carefully . The parking brake
will release automat ically if your safety belt
is fastened.
St arting on an incl ine i n vehicle s with Hill
Hold*
"' With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the ac cele rato r pedal ¢
page 78, Hill hold.
Under certain circumstances, (such as driving
in the mountains or towing a tra iler), it may
be usefu l to sw itch temporarily to the manual
shift p rogram in o rder to adjust the gears to
the dr iving condit ions by ha nd
¢ page 110.
When parking on a level surface, simply place
the selector lever in the P pos ition. On in
clines , activate the parking bra ke first and
then move the selector lever to the P pos it ion
¢ page 76 . This prevents the locking mecha
nism from being loaded too heavi ly and will
make it easier to move the selector lever out
of the P position.
A WARNING
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
set the parking brake and move these
lector lever to the P position .
- Power is still transferred to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
p revent the vehicle from "c reeping", you
must keep you r foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector lever is in the D, So r R position or "tip
tronic" mode is selected .
- Do not inadvertently press the ac celera
tor peda l when the vehicle is stationary.
Otherwise the vehicle wi ll start to move
immediate ly, even if the parking brake is
set. Th is could result in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never engage the se lector level positions
R or P while dr iv ing. It could cause a
crash .
- Before driving down a steep slope, re
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill . Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking pe rformance, increases
b rak ing distan ce or c auses complete fa il
ure of the brake system.
- I f you must stop on an in cl ine, always
hold the vehicle i n place with the foot
brake or park ing brake to p revent it from
rolling back .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto
matica lly when it becomes too hot from
the overload. The ml indicator light
turns on and a message appears
Q page 111 when the clutch is overload
ed .
-If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake set
Q page 210. Otherwise, any increase in
engine speed may set the vehicle in mo
tion, even with the parking brake set.
(y Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat and can dam
age it. Set the parking brake or press the
brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from
rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the en
gine is stopped and th@ selector lever is
in the N position will damage the auto
matic transmission because it is not lu
bricated under those circumstances .
- The transmission can overheat and be
damaged under certain driving and traf
fic conditions such as frequent starts,
creeping for a long time , or stop-and-go
traffic. When the
ml or . indicator
light turns on, stop the vehicle at the
next opportunity and let the transmis
sion cool
r::!> page 111.
-Allowing the vehicle to roll when the en
gine is stopped will damage the S tronic
transmission because it is not lubricated
<=> page 261, Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck .
For safety reasons, the parking brake re
leases automatically only when the driver's
door is closed and driver's safety belt is
fastened.
Automatic transmission 109
Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles : wi th S tronic tra nsmi ssio n
Hill descent control assists the driver when
driving down inclines .
Hill descent control is activated when these
lector lever is in the D or S position and you
press the brake pedal. The transmission auto
matically selects a gear that is suitable for the
incline. Hill descent control tries to maintain
the speed achieved at the time of braking,
within physical and technical limitations. If
may still be necessary to adjust the speed
with the brakes . Because hill descent control
cannot sh ift down farther than 3rd gear, it
may be necessary to shift into tiptronic mode
in very steep areas. In this case, shift into 1st
or 2nd gear in tiptronic mode to use the en gine's braking force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the in
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
Q page 79, hill descent control is also activat
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING
-
-
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the brakes .
•
No. Equ ipment Ampere
F49 Starter, clutch sensor
5
FS3 Rear window defogger 30
The power seats* are protected v ia
circ uit
br ea ker s
that automatically sw itch on after a
few seconds after the overload has been re
d uced.
(D Tips
Note that the following table was accurate
at the time of pr int ing and is subject to
change.
Left engine compartment fuse
assignment
F ig. 177 Eng ine compartment: fuse assignment
M ,.._
-0
!
No. Equ ipment Ampere
Fl ESC control module 40
F2 ESC control module
40
F3 Eng
ine control module (gas-
15/30
oline)
Engine cooling, engine com-
F 4 ponents, auxiliary heater
5/10
coil relay (1 +2), secondary
a ir injection pump relay
FS Eng
ine components, tank
7,5/10/
system 15
Fuse s and bulb s 257
No. Equipment Ampere
F6 Brake light sensor
5
F7 Engine components, water 7,5/10/
pumps
15
F8 Lambda sensor 10/15
Engine components, ex-
F9 haust door, glow time con-
5/10/20
tro l module, SU LEV valve
FlO Fuel
injectors, fuel control
15/20
module
Fl l Auxiliary heater heating ele
-
40
ment 2
F12 Auxilia
ry heater heat ing ele-
40
ment 3
F13 Automatic transmiss
ion con-
15/30
trol module
FIS Horn 15
F16 Ignit ion coil 20/7.5
F17 ESC contro
l modu le, engine
7.5
control module
F18 T
ermina l 30 (reference volt-
5
age)
F19 Windshield wipers
30
F20 Horn 10
F22 Termina
l SO diagnosis
5
F23 Starter 30
F24 Auxiliary heater heating ele-
ment 1 40
F31 Vacuum pump 15
F32 L ED head lights
5
(i} Tips
Note that the follow ing tab le was accurate
at the time of printing and is subject to
change.