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Automatic transmission
multitronic, S tronic,
tiptronic
Introduction
Appl ies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
The automatic transmission is controlled elec
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive
program is se lected.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economica l driving
mode. It will then change up early and delay the
downshifts to give better fuel economy .
The transmission switches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driv
ing style
characterized by quick accelerator pedal
movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed .
If desired, the driver can also se lect the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) q page 83.
Various automatic transmissions may be instal
led, depending on the model:
multitronic transmission
The multitronic transmission is a continuously
variable transmission. Power is transferred using
a mu ltidisk clutch. In contrast to conventional
automatic transmissions using shifting opera
tions, the transmission ratio in the continuously
variable transmission is changed continuous ly.
This optimi zes the comfort level and conserves
fuel.
S tronic transmission
The 5 tronic is a dual-clutch transmission. Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde
pendently from one another. They replace the
torque converter used in conventional automatic
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeable interruption in traction .
tiptronic transmission
In the tiptronic transmission, power is transfer
red by a torque converter.
Automatic transmission
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/S tronic/tiptronic
Fig. 96 Disp lay in the instrument cluster: selec tor lever in
position P
T he selector lever position engaged appears next
to the se lector lever as well as in the instrument
cluster display.
P -Park
In this se lector lever position the transmission is
mechanically locked . Engage P only when the ve
hicle is
completely stopped~.&. in Driving the
automatic transmission on page 86.
To shift in or out of posit ion P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the release button in the selector leve r handle
whi le moving the selector lever to or from P. You
can shift out of this position only with the igni
tion on.
R - Reverse
Select R only when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed~ .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 86 .
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the release button in the hand le of these
lector lever
and the brake pedal at the same
time .
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illumi
nate when the selector lever is moved into R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position .
Sh ift to this position for standing with the brakes
applied
~ .&. in Driving the automatic transmis-
sion on page 86. .,.
83
Automatic transmission
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below
1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply the foot
brake before and while moving the lever out of N.
DIS -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be oper
ated either in the normal mode Dor in the sport
mode S . To select the sport mode S, pull these
lector lever back brief ly. Pulling the lever back
again will se lect the normal mode D . The inst ru
ment cluster display 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 driving
style.
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine 's power .
Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat
ing.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must a lways apply the foot
brake before and while moving the lever to D/S
out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS¢.&. in Driv
ing the automatic transmission on
page 86.
(D Note
Coast ing downh ill with the transmission in N
and the engine not running will result in dam
age to the automatic transmission and possi
bly the catalytic converter.
@ Tips
- On vehicles with drive select* , you can ad
just the sporty sh ift characteristics in the
Dynamic driving mode .Swill appear in the
instrument cluster display instead of D.
-If you accidentally select N while driving,
take you r foot off the accelerator pedal im
mediately and wait for the engine to slow
down to idle before selecting D/S.
84
-If there is a power fai lure, the selector lever
wi ll not move out of the P position. The
emergency release can be used if this hap
pens ¢
page 89.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Applies to vehicles: with mult itronic/5 tronic/tiptron ic
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you against
occidentally shifting into a forward or the re
verse gear and causing the vehicle to move unin
tentionally.
Fig. 97 Sh ift gate: se lector lever lock pos it ions and re lease
button high lig hted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
.,. Turn the ignition on.
.,. Step on the brake pedal.
At the some time
press and hold the release button on the side of
the gear selector knob¢
fig. 97 with your
thumb until you have moved the selector lever
to the desired position .
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N posi
tions when the ignition is turned on . You must
press the brake pedal and the release button to
select another posit ion. As a reminder to the
driver, the following warning appears in the in
strument cluster display when the selector is in P
and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while select
ing gear
The Automatic Shift Lock only functions when the
vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds below 1 mph
(2 km/h).
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At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the Auto
matic Shift Lock is automatically deactivated in
the N position.
A time delay element prevents the selector lever
from locking when it is moved through the N po
sition (going from R to D/S). The locking element
will lock the se lector lever if the lever is left in N
(Neutral) for more than approximate ly 2 seconds,
without the brake pedal being pressed.
Release button
The release button on the selector lever prevents
the lever from being accidentally shifted into cer
tain positions. Depending on the direction of the
shift, the selector lever locks at different posi
tions. The positions are highlighted in the illus
tration
c> fig . 97.
Ignition key safety interlock
The key cannot be removed from the ignition un
l ess the se lector lever is in the P park posit ion.
When the ignit ion key is removed, the selector
lever will be locked in the P position.
Driving the automatic transmission
Applies to vehicles: with m ultit ron ic/S tronic/t iptronic
F ig . 98 S hift gate on t he center conso le: selector lever w ith
re lease button
Starting the engine
~ The selector lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
~ Press and hold the release button in the selec
tor lever handle, select the des ired selector lev
er posit ion such as D/S and release the button.
Automatic transmission
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted
(you will fee l a slight movement).
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and ac
celerate.
Stopping temporarily
~ Keep the vehicle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerator peda l when doing
this.
~ To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop
p in g on steep inclines
c> .&_.
~ The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you press
t he acce lerator pedal.
Stopping/parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the dr iver's door, the vehicle could roll.
The message
Transmission: Car may roll! Shift
to park!
appea rs.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop .
~ Apply the parking brake c:;. page 78, Parking .
~ Select the P selector lever posit ion c> .&_ .
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the brake pedal to hold the vehi
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
c:;. .&_ . Do not try to prevent the veh icle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in
creasing the engine speed
c> 0 .
Starting on an incline
~ Activate the parking brake.
~ With the driving gear selected, press the accel
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake w ill re
lease automat ically if your seat belt is fastened .
Under certain circumstances, such as driving in
the mounta ins, it may be useful to sw itch tempo
r ar ily to the manual shift program in order to ad
just the gears to the dr iv ing conditions by hand
c>page 87.
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position .
85
Automatic transmission
This prevents too much stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism.
Vehicles with multitronic transmission: Your vehi
cle is equipped with
hill hold assist allowing you
to start while on an incline. The system is activat
ed when the brake pedal is pressed down and
held
for a few seconds. The brake pressure will
hold for
a momen t after the brake pedal loosens
t o preven t the vehicle from rolling backwards
while starting up .
A WARNING
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine is
stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se rious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear.
If you must leave your
vehicle when the engine is running, activate
the parking brake and move the selector lev
er to
P.
-Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake when the engine
is running and the selector lever is in 0/5 or
R or "tiptronic" mode is selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
running .
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
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
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases brak
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system .
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati-
86
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An indicator lamo
[ O ] illuminates
and a driver message appears
¢ page 88
when the clutch is overloaded.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure these
lector lever has securely engaged and is
locked in P with the parking brake set
¢ page 195. Otherwise, any increase in en
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- 5 tronic- and tiptronic transmission: When
stopping on an incline, do not try to hold
the vehicle in place by pressing the accelera
tor pedal while a driving gear is selected.
This can cause the transmission to overheat
and can damage it. Activate the parking
brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- 5 tronic- and tiptronic transmission: Allow
ing the vehicle to roll when the engine is
stopped and the selector lever is in N will
damage the transmission because it is not
lubricated under those circumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle .
· Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles: wit h mult itronic/S tronic/tiptronic
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec
tor lever is in 0/5 and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission automatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the incline. Hill descent con
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physical and technical
limitations.
It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes. .,.
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"' N
"' rl
will no longer shift at a ll. The engine may stall.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
repair facility immediately to have the malfunc
tion corrected.
rm l;j Transmission malfunction: No reverse
You can continue driving
S tronic transmission: There is a system malfunc
tion in the transmission. The transmission is
switching to emergency mode. This mode only
shifts into certain gears or will no longer shift at
all. The engine may stall. You cannot engage the
reverse gear. Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified repair facility immediately to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to park.
Do not continue driving. Select the P se lector lev
er position and see your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified repair facility for assistance.
([) Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you shou ld take the vehicle to an au
thorized Audi dealersh ip as soon as possible
to have the condit ion corrected.
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
If the vehicle's power supply foils, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency.
Fig . 101 Front center console: Removing the ashtray insert
Automatic transmission
Fig. 102 Selector lever emergency release
"'To access the emergency release mechanism,
remove the ashtray insert @ using the release
sw itch @ c:::>fig.
101.
"' Loosen and remove the cap in the ashtray
mount.
"' You now have access to a pin. Using a screwdriv
er or similar object, press the pin down and
hold it in that position
c:::>fig . 102.
"' Now press the re lease button and move these-
lector lever to the N position .
The selector lever can only be moved from the P
position if the key is in the lock and the ignition is
switched on . If the power supply fails (for exam
ple, the battery is discharged) and the vehicle
must be pushed or towed, move the selector lev
er to the N position first using the emergency re
lease.
89
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Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
promptly detected or may not be detected
at all.
- Reflective surfaces including crash barriers
or tunnel entrances may impair the function
of the radar sensor.
(D Tips
- You can cancel the braking that is initiated by the system by braking yourself, by accel
erating noticeably or by swerving.
- Braking guard error messages
Q page 97.
- Keep in mind that braking guard can brake
unexpectedly. Always secure any cargo or
objects that you are transporting to reduce
the risk of damage or injury.
Settings in the radio /MMI
App lies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise co ntrol
... Select : I CARI function button > Car systems*
control button > Driver assist> Audi braking
guard .
Or
... Select :
~I C-A-R~I function button > Audi braking
guard.
System -
Switch Audi braking guard On and Off.
When you switch the ignition on, the message
Audi braking guard off appears if the system is
switched off.
Early warning -The distance and approach warn
ings in the display can be switched
On/Off.
(D Tips
-Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used at the times the settings are made.
- If you restrict or switch off the ESC, the
braking guard also switches itself off
¢ page 171.
- Switch braking guard off when you are load
ing the vehicle onto a vehicle carrier, train,
ship or other type of transportation . This
can prevent undesired warnings from the
braking guard system.
Messages
Applies to vehicles: wi th Aud i adap tive c ruise control
Braking guard: Off
This driver message appears if the system is
turned off via the radio/MMI*. Otherwise, if the
system is turned off, the information appears ev
ery time shortly after the start of the trip.
The driver message also appears if the system is
not available due to a malfunction or if the ESC is
not switched on
¢ page 171. If this is the case,
the system will not provide warnings about a possible collision.
Braking guard: Activated
This driver message appears if sharp brake pres
sure was applied due to an acute warning .
•••
Three white dots appear if a setting cannot be se
lected with the operating lever. For example, this
happens if you want to raise/lower the speed
even though there was no previously saved
speed .
ACC: Sensor blocked
This message appears if the sensor view is ob
structed, for example by leaves, snow, heavy
spray or dirt. Clean the sensor~
page 90,
fig. 103.
ACC: not available
The driver message appears if there is a malfunc
tion. The adaptive cruise control turns off. A
chime sounds as a reminder. Have the system
checked by an authorized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility.
ACC: unavailable
The driver message appears if, for example, the
brake temperature is too high. The adaptive
cruise control is temporarily unavailable . A chime
sounds as a reminder.
Shift lever position!
The driver message appears if the selector lever
is shifted to the N position. The adaptive cruise
control is not available while in this position. .,..
97
Audi side assist
(D Tips
-Side assist is not active while you are mak
ing the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Driver messages
Applies to veh icles: w ith Aud i side ass ist
If side assist switches off by itself, the LED in the
button turns
off and a message will appear in the
instrument cluster display:
Audi side assist unavailable: Sensors blocked
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with bike wheels,
stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if necessary ¢
page 100,
fig. 117.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched on temporarily be
cause there is a malfunction (for example, the
battery charge level may be too low).
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will detect
vehicles correctly and it is switched off . The sen
sors have been displaced or are faulty. Have the
system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing
Side assist switches off automatically when a fac
tory-installed trailer hitch is connected to the
electrical connector on the trailer. There is no
guarantee the system will switch off when using
a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use side assist
when towing a trailer.
102
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-Dampen the lens with a househo ld alcoho l
based glass cleaner, and clean the lens with a
dry cloth
¢ 0 .
- Remove snow with a hand brush and ice pref
erably with a de-icing spray
¢0 .
A WARNING
- The parking aid cannot replace the driver's
attent ion. The driver alone is responsible for
park ing and s imilar driving maneuvers .
-Always keep your eyes on the veh icle's sur
roundings, using the rear view m irror as
well.
- Do not allow yourself to be distracted from
traffic by the rear view camera pictures.
- If the posit ion and the installation ang le of
the camera has c hanged, for example, after
a rear end collision, do not continue to use
the system for safety reasons. Have it
checked by a qualified deale rship .
@ Note
-Low obstacles already signaled by a warning
can d isappear from the system's detection
range as they are approached and will not
continue to be signa led. Objects such as
barrier chains, tra ile r draw bars, thin paint
ed vertical po les or fences may not be de
tec ted by the sys tem, posing r isk of dam
age.
- Never use warm or hot w ater to remove
snow or ice from the rear view camera lens -
danger of crack formation on the lens!
- When cleaning the lens, never use products
that are abrasive .
Switching on/off
Applies to vehicles: with parking system (rear, with rear view
camera)
The rear view camera switches on automatically
together with the acoustic park assist when you
put the vehicle in reverse.
Sw itching on
.,. Put the vehicle in reverse gear, the acoustic
parking system w ith rear view camera is act ivat
ed automat ica lly. Act ivat ion of the acoust ic
Parking Syste m
pa rking system is confirmed by a brief acknow l
edgement so und.
Switching off
.,. Dr ive faste r than 9 mph (15 km/h) , or
.,. take the vehicle out o f reverse gea r. The aco us
tic parking sys tem is immed iate ly deactivated,
and the rear view camera picture is deactivated
automatically after a period of about 15 sec
onds, or
.,. sw itch
off the ignition.
The de lay in deact ivating the camera provides an
u ninterrupted view be hind the vehicle especia lly
when maneuvering in t ight parking spaces and
prevents the p icture from turning
off the every
time you shift out of reverse.
If the warning message appears in the display
but not the rear view camera p icture, read and
confirm the warning message . The acoustic d is
tance signal is always active .
If you press a function button on the MMI contro l
console, the rear view camera picture disappears.
The rear v iew camera p icture reappears the next
time you park .
Furthe r information on the warning message and
the MMI contro l conso le can be found in the MMI
instruct ion booklet.
A WARNING
--
- On ly use the rearview camera to assist you if
it shows a good, clea r picture . For example,
the image may be affected by the su n shi n
ing into the le ns, dirt on the lens o r if the re
is a defec t.
- Use the rea rv iew camera only with the rear
lid comple tely closed . Make sure any objects
you m ay have moun ted on the rea r lid do
not block the rearv iew camera .
(D Tips
-The rear view camera picture is available as
soo n as the MMI Di splay o r th e MMI is
switched on, or the s tart- up pha se is com
ple ted.
- The sensors m ust be ke pt clean and free of
snow and ice fo r the park ass ist to opera te.
109