
M N
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Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
Drive select provides the possibi lity to experience
d ifferent types of vehicle settings in one vehicle.
F or instance, using the three
Comfort, Auto and
Dynamic modes, the driver can switch from a
sporty to a comfortable driving mode with the
press of a button.
Addit ionally, in vehicles with
MM I*, the vehicle
setup for
Individual* mode can be customized by
you. This makes it possib le to combine settings
such as a sporty engine tuning with comfortab le
steering .
A WARNING
-
Improper use of the Audi drive select can
cause collisions, other acc idents and serious
personal injury.
Description
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on the
veh icle's featu res . However, the engine, automat
ic transmission and steering are always involved.
Engine and automatic transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and the au
tomatic transmission respond quicker or in a
more balanced manner to accelerator pedal
movements. In the sporty dynamic mode, the au
tomatic transmission shifts at higher RPMs .
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering effort
and steering ratios. Ind irect steer ing that moves
eas ily, like the steering in comfort mode, is best
suited to long drives on a highway. In contrast,
dynamic mode provides sporty, direct stee ring.
The follow ing applies to vehicles with dynam ic
steer ing*: the steering ratio changes based on ve
hicle speed in order to maintain optimum steer
ing effort for the dr iver at all times. This sets the
steer ing to be less sensitive at higher speeds in
Audi drive select
order to provide improved vehicle control. At re
duced speeds, however, steering is more direct in
order to keep the steering effort as m inima l as
possib le when the driver is maneuvering the vehi
cle. At low and average speeds, dynamic steering
additionally provides more responsive steering performance.
Adaptive dampers*
The adaptive dampers* use sensors to record in
formation regarding steering movements, braking and acceleration operations by the driver,
road surface, driving speed, and load. This makes
i t possible to adapt damping to the driving situa
t ion virtually in real t ime . Drive select also makes
it possible to sat isfy the desire for sporty suspen
s ion (Dynamic) and comfortab le suspension
(Comfort) without giving up ba lanced tuning (Au
to) .
Sport differential*
As a component of the all whee l dr ive system
(quattro)
~ page 174, the sport differential* dis
tributes the driving power to the rear axle de
pending on the situation. The dist ribution of
power varies depending on the mode selected.
The goal is a high level of agility and ability to ac
ce lerate on curves. The vehicle is very responsive
to steering.
Audi adaptive cruise control*
T he behavior when accelerating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control also
responds to the driving behavior of the vehicle
ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner.
Engine sound*
The sound of the engine is adapted to the select
ed mode and ranges from subtle to sporty.
(D Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto and
Dynamic modes.
- For vehicles with an automatic transmis-
sion, selecting the
Dynamic mode results in ..,.
103

Airb ag syst em
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension
ers m ight be classified as Perchlorate Mater ia l
-special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re
straint system including a irbag modules safe
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
app licab le laws and regu lations must be ob
served. Your authori zed A udi dealer is fami lia r
w ith these requirements and we recommend
that you have yo ur dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle 's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using t ire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicl e, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the spr ings, suspension s truts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in c rashes in which it wo uld not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preve nt the airbag from deploy
i n g when i t should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's s uspension including
use of unapproved ti re -rim comb inations can
change Advanced A irbag pe rformance and in
crease t he risk of serious persona l injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac
teristics as the components or iginally insta l
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
146
A WARNING
Items stored between t he safety be lt b uckle
and the center console can cause the sensors i n the buckle to send the wrong informat ion
to the electronic control module a nd prevent
the Adva nced Airbag System from wor king
properly.
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can interfere
w it h the safe ty belt bu ckles an d that they
are no t obstr ucted.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
F ig. 151 Driver"s kn ee airbag
The driver knee airbag is i n the instrument panel
u nderneath the steer ing whee l~
fig. 151, the
k nee a irbag for the passenger is at abou t the
same height in the instrument pane l unde rneath
the g love compartment.
The knee air bag offers addi tional protec tion to
t h e d river 's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas and supplements the protec
tion provided by the safety belts.
If t he front airbags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fro ntal c ollisions when the dep loyment
th reshold stored in the control un it is me t
~ page 140, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In add it ion to their normal sa fe ty f unct io n, safe-
ty be lts he lp keep the driver or front passenger in ..,.

M N
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N 1.1"1 ,....,
Driving and the
environment
Breaking in
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the first 600 miles (1,000 kilometers ):
"' Do not use full throttle .
"' Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than
2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1,000 to 1,500
kilometers):
"' Speeds can gradually be increased to the maxi
mum perm issible road or engine speed.
During and after break-in period
"'Do not rev the engine up to high speeds when it
is cold. This applies whether the transmission is
in N (Neutral) or in gear .
After the break-in period
"'Do not exceed maximum engine speed under
any circumstances.
"'U pshift into the next higher gear
before reach
ing the red area at the end of the tachometer
scale
c=> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the engine's
internal friction is higher than later when all the
moving parts have been broken in. How well this
break-in process is done depends to a considera
ble extent on the way the vehicle is driven during
the first 1,000 miles (1,500 kilometers).
(D Note
Extremely high engine speeds are automati
cally reduced. However, these rpm limits are
p rog rammed for an engine wel l run- in, not a
new engine.
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not dr ive with unnecessarily high eng ine
speeds -upshifting early saves fuel, reduces
noise and protects the environment.
Driving and the environment
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive very
carefully for the fi rst 350 m iles (500 kilometers)
after fitting .
New tires tend to be slippery and must also
be "broken-in". Be sure to remember this dur
ing the first
350 miles (500 kilometers).
Brake gently. Avoid following closely behind
other vehicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard brak ing .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are d riving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., ma ke certain that low
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged.
T his is espec ially true for veh icles with low-s lung
chassis (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Driving through water on
roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage when
driving through water, for example on f looded
roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot
tom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than walking speed.
A WARNING
= -
After driving through water, mud, slush, etc.,
the brakes may be s low to take effect because
of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry the brakes
first by braking carefully to restore the full braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical system
can be severely damaged by driving through
water . ""
177