Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the way
before you can start the engine .
The manual transmission in your Audi is equipped
with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal all the way.
• Start the engine with the gearshift lever in Neu
tral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears . Do not hold the vehicle on a
hill with the clutch pedal partially depressed.
This may cause premature clutch wear or damage.
@ Tips
- Resting your hand on the gearshift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission.
- The back-up lights go on when you sh ift into
Reverse with the ignit ion on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmission
Fig. 85 Gearshift pattern: 6-speed manual transmiss ion
Engaging reverse gear (R)
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it forward .
82
Especially after driving forward, stop the vehicle
completely, shift into
Neutral and rest the shift
lever briefly in Neutral before shifting into
Re
verse.
S tronic, tiptronic
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
The automatic transmission is controlled elec
tron ically. The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatica lly depending on which drive
program is selected .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical 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 acce lerator pedal
movements, heavy acce leration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed .
If desired, the driver can a lso select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) c::> page 86.
Various automatic transmissions may be instal
l ed, depending on the model :
S tronic transmission
The S tronic is a dual-clutch transmission . Power
i s transferred using two clutches that work inde
pendently from one another . They replace the
torque converter used in conventio nal automatic
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeable interruption in traction .
tiptronic transmission
In the tiptronic t ransm ission, power is transfer
red by a torque converter.
M N
0 loo
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
Fig. 86 Display in the instr um en t cluster : selecto r lever in
pos it ion P
The selector lever position engaged appears next
to the selector lever as well as in the instrument
cluster display.
P -Park
In th is selector lever pos ition the t ransmission is
mechanically locked. Engage P only when the ve
hicl e is
completely stopped q &. in Driving the
automatic transmission on page 85.
To shift in or out of position P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the release button in the selector lever handle
while 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 q &. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 85.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the release button in the handle of the se
l ector lever
and the brake pedal at the same
time .
When the ignit ion is on, the backup lights illumi
nate when the se lector lever is moved in to R .
N · Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position .
Shift to this posit ion for standing with the brakes
applied ~
A in Driving the automatic transmis
sion on page 85.
Automatic transmission
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below
1 mph (2 km/h), yo u must always apply the foot
brake before and while moving the lever out of N.
D/S · Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be oper
ated e ither in the normal mode Dor in the sport
mode S. To se lect the sport mode S, pull these
l ector lever back briefly. Pu lling the lever back
again will select the norma l mode D. The instru
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.
Se lect 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 always app ly the foot
brake before and while moving the lever to D/S
out of N.
_& WARNING
--
Read and follow all WARNINGS ca> A in Driv
ing the automatic transmission on
page 85.
(D Note
Coasting downhill with the transm ission in N
and the engine not running w ill result in dam
age to the automatic transmission and possi
bly the cata lytic converter.
¢j) Tips
-On vehicles with dr ive select*, you can ad
just the sporty shift character istics in the
Dynamic driving mode. Swill appear in the
instrument cluster display instead of D.
- If you acc identally select N whi le driving,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal im
mediately and wait for the engine to slow
down to idle before selecting D/S.
83
Automatic transmission
- If there is a powe r failure, the se lector lever
will not
move out of the P pos it ion . The
emergency re lease can be used i f thi s hap
pens
c:> page 88.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
App lies to veh icles: w ith S tro nic/t iptronic
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you against
accidentally shi~ing into a forward or the re
verse gear and causing the vehicle to move unin t entionally.
"' 0 ~ N ~ 00 a,
F ig. 8 7 Shift gate: selec to r lever loc k pos it io ns a nd release
butto n highlig hted
The se lector lever lock is released as follows:
.. Turn the ig nition on .
.. Step on the b rake peda l.
At the same time
press and ho ld the release button on the side of
the gear selector knob
c:> fig . 87 with your
thumb until you have
moved the se lector lever
to the des ired posit ion.
Automatic selector lever lock
T he se lector lever is locked in the P and N posi
tions when the ignition is turned on. You must
press the brake pedal and the re lease button t o
select anothe r pos ition . As a reminde r to the
driver, th e fo llow ing warning appea rs in the in
strumen t cluster display when the selector is in P
and N :
When stationary apply brake pedal while select
ing gear
The Automat ic Shift Lock on ly functions when the
ve hicle is stationary or at speeds below 1 mph
(2 km/ h).
84
At speeds a bove abo ut 1 mph ( 2 km /h) the Auto
matic Shift Loc k is automat ica lly deactivated in
the N pos ition .
A time de la y elemen t preven ts the selec tor leve r
from lockin g when i t is moved through the N po
s ition (goi ng from R to D/S) . The loc king element
will lock the selector leve r if the lever is left in N
(Neutral) for more than app rox imately 2 seconds,
without the brake pedal being pressed .
Release button
The release button on the se lec tor lever prevents
t h e lever from being accidentally s hifted into cer
ta in positions. Depending on the d irection of the
s h ift, t he se lecto r lever locks at different posi
tions . The positions are highlig hted in the illus
trat ion
c:> fig. 87.
Ignition key safety interlo ck
T he key can not be removed from the ign ition un
l ess the se lector lever is in the P park position.
When the ignition key is removed, t he se lector
l eve r w ill be locked in the P posit ion.
Driving the automatic transmission
App lies to vehicles: with S tron ic/tiptro nic
Fig. 88 Sh ift gate o n th e cente r conso le: se lecto r lever w ith
r e lease butto n
Starting the engine
.. Th e se lector lever must be in P or N.
Sta rting off
.. Press and hold the brake peda l.
.. Press and hold the re lease button i n the selec-
tor lever hand le, select the desired selector lev
er position s uch as D/S and release t he b utton .
ll>
M N
i? co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted (you will feel a slight movement) .
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and ac
celerate.
Stopp ing tempo raril y
~ Keep the vehicle stationary using the b raking
pedal, for examp le at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerator pedal when doing
this .
~ To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving , se t the parking brake when stop
ping on steep inclines¢&,. .
~ The parking brake will release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopp ing /p ar kin g
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver 's door, the veh icle could roll.
The message
Tr ansmi ssion : Car m ay roll ! Shift
t o park!
appears .
~ Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop .
~ Apply the parking brake¢ page 78, Parking.
~ Select the P selector lever pos ition ¢ .&_.
Stopp ing on an incline
~ Always press the brake pedal to hold the vehi
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢ &,. . Do
not try to prevent the vehicle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in
creasing the engine speed ¢0 .
Startin g on an incline
~ Activate the parking br ake.
~ With the driving gear selected, press the accel
erator pedal carefully . The parking brake will re
lease automat ically if you r seat belt is fastened.
Under certain circumstances, such as driv ing in
the mountains, it may be useful to switch tempo
rarily to the manual shift program in orde r to ad
just the gears to the d riving conditions by hand
¢ page 86.
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P posit ion.
Aut omatic transm issio n
This prevents too much stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism .
A WARNING ,-
-The vehicle can also roll when the engine is
stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se
rio us injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear . If you must leave your
veh icle when the engine is running, activate
the park ing brake and move the selector lev
er to P .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle . To pre
vent the vehicle from "creep ing", you must
keep your foot on the brake when the eng ine
is running and the se lector lever is in D/S or
R or "tiptronic" mode is selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the eng ine is
r u nning .
- Never sh ift into R or P while driving ,
- Before driving down a steep s lope, reduce
your speed and sh ift into a lower gear with
" t ipt ronic ".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake pedal too ofte n or too long whe n driving
down a hi ll. Constant brak ing causes the
b rakes to overhea t and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases brak ing distance or causes comp lete fai lure of
the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from ro lling back
when stopping on inclines, always ho ld it in
p lace with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An ind icator lamp@] illuminates
and a driver message appears¢
page 87
when the clutch is overloaded .
-If the engine must remain running, never
have any dr iving posit ion engaged when
checking under the hood . Make sure these
lecto r lever has secu rely engaged and is
locked in P with the parking brake set
85
Automatic transmission
¢ page 191. Otherwise, any increase in en
gine speed may set the veh icle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac
ce lerator pedal while a driving gear is se
lected. 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.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
i s stopped and the selector lever is in
N w ill
damage the transm ission because it is not
lubr icated under those circumstances.
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re
leased automatically only when the dr iver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith 5 tro nic/t iptronic
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec
tor lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission automatica lly selects a gear
that is suitable for the incline. Hill descent con
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
tim e of braking, within physical and technical
limitations. It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the acce lerator pedal.
On veh icles w ith the cruise control system*
¢ page 80, hill descent control is also act ivated
when the speed is set.
& WARNING
Hi ll descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be ab le to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
86
Manual sh ift program
App lies to vehicles: wit h S tron ic/tip tro nic
Using the manual shift program you can man
ually select gears.
'
Fig. 89 Center console: shifting the gears manually
Fig. 90 Steering wheel: sh ift padd les•
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either w ith
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
11> Push the se lector lever to the right from D/S.
An M appears in the instrument cluster display
as soon as the transmission has shifted .
"T o upshift, push the se lector lever forwa rd to
the plus position
G) ¢ fig. 89.
" To downshift, push the lever to the minus posi-
tion
0 .
Gear selection with shift paddles*
The shift paddles are activated when the selector
l ever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual sh ift pro
gram .
" To upshift, touch the shift padd le on the r ight
G) ¢fig. 90.
"To downshift, touch the shift paddle on the left
0 .
11o Ifyou do not press a shift p addle within a short
time while in the 0/5 position, the transmission .,.
M N
i? co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
will return to automatic mode. To keep shifting
using the shift paddles, move the s elector lever
to the right out of the 0/5 position.
The t ransmission automatically shifts up o r down
before critica l engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manua l shift ing
when the engine speed is within the permitted range .
@ Tips
-When you sh ift into the next lower gear, the
transmission will downshift only when there i s no poss ibility of over -revving the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the trans
mission will sh ift down to a lower gear, de
pending on vehicle and engine speeds .
- Tiptronic is inoperat ive when the transmis
s ion is in the fa il-safe mode .
Kick-down
Appl ies to vehicles: with S tro nic/t iptronic
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you depress the accelerato r pedal beyond
the resistance po int, the automatic transm iss ion
downshifts into a lower gear, depend ing o n ve hi
cle speed and engine speed. The upsh ift into the
nex t higher gear ta kes place once the maximum
specified engine speed is reached .
A WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin if
kick-down is used on a smooth slippery road -
there is a risk of sk idding.
Launch Control Program
App lies to vehicles: with S tro nic
Th e Launch Control Program provides the best
acceleration possible when starting from a stop .
Requirement: The engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turn ed .
.,. Press the
1.$ O FF I button ¢ page 171 while the
engine is running. The
II i ndicator light ill umi
nates i n the instrument cluster and
Stabiliza-
Aut omatic transm issio n
tion control (ESC): Sport. W arning! Re stri cted
s tability
appears in the driver information sys
tem display .
.,. Move the sele ctor leve r to the 0/5 position to
select spo rt mode (5) or se lect the
d y namic
driving mode in drive se lect* ¢ page 103 .
.,. Press the brake pedal strongly with your left
foot and ho ld it down fo r at least 1 second.
.,. At the same time, press the accelerator pedal
down comp lete ly with yo ur right foot u nti l th e
eng ine reaches and mainta ins a high R PM .
.,. Remove your foot from the brake pedal within 5
seconds ¢
,A.
A WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the traff ic flow.
- Onl y use the Launch Cont ro l Program when
road and traffic cond itions allow it and oth
er drivers will not be endangered or annoyed by your driving and the vehicle's acce lera
tion .
- Please note that the driving wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is s lippery .
- Once you have accelerated, you shou ld
sw itch sport mode off by pressing the
l.f3 OFF I button .
(D Tips
-The tra nsmission temperature may increase
signif icant ly after us ing the Launch Contro l
Program. If that happens , the program may
not be availab le for a few minutes.
It wi ll be
available again afte r a cool-down per iod.
- When acc elerating using the Launch Control
program, a ll vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads. Thi s can resu lt in in creased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
App lies to vehicles : wi th S tronic/tip tro nic
[cjJ Tran smi ssion: Pre ss brake pedal and select
gear again . ..,.
87
Automatic transmission
Press the brake pedal a nd se lect the desi red se
lector le ver positio n again. You can then continue
driving .
rm Transmi ssion overheating : Please drive con·
s ervatively .
The transmission temperature has increased sig
n ifi cant ly due to the s porty dr iv ing m anne r. D rive
i n a less sporty manner u ntil t he tempera ture re
tur ns to the normal range and the indica to r li ght
switches of .
rm Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the tra nsmis
sion . You may continue driving. Drive to your au
thor ized A udi de aler or qu alified repair f acility
soon to have the ma lfunct io n corrected.
[O] Transmission malfunction: Limited driv ing
functionality
There is a system ma lf u nction in the tra nsmis
sion . The transmission is sw itch ing to emergency
mo de . T his mode only shifts into certa in gears o r
w ill no longer s hift a t all. The engi ne may stall.
D rive t o your author ized Aud i de aler o r q ualified
re pai r facili ty immedia tely to have the m alfu n c
tion correcte d.
l'§J l:t Transmission malfunction : No reverse
You c an continue driving
S tron ic tr ansm ission : There is a sys tem ma lf u nc
tion in the transmiss io n. The transm iss ion is
sw itching to emergency mode . Thi s mode on ly
shi fts i nto ce rtain ge ars or w ill no longer shi ft at
a ll . T he engine may s tal l. You canno t engage the
reve rse gear . Dr ive to your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified repair faci lity immediately to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
s hift to park.
D o not cont inue d riving. Select the P se le ctor lev
er position and see yo ur auth orize d Aud i de aler
or qualified rep air f acili ty for assist ance.
(D Note
If the trans mission s witc hes to e mergen cy
m od e, y ou s hould ta ke the vehicle to an au-
88
thorized Audi dea lership as soon as possible
to have the condition correcte d.
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptro nic
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the sele ctor
lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 91 Fro nt ce nte r co nsole : Rem oving t he as htray i nse rt
Fig. 92 Selec to r leve r em erge ncy re lease
.,. To access the emergency re lease mechanism,
remove the ashtray insert @ using the release
sw itch
@ ¢fig. 91.
.,. Loosen a nd remove t he cap in t he as htray
mou nt.
.,. Yo u now have access to a p in. Using a sc rewdriv
er or sim ila r o bject, press t he pi n down and
hold it in that position
¢ fig. 92 .
.,. Now press the re lease button and move these -
lector lever to t he N posit ion.
The selector leve r ca n only be moved from the P
pos ition if the key is in the lock and the ignition is
switc hed on . If the power supply fails (for exam
ple, the battery is discharged) and the veh icle
must be pus hed or towed, move the selector lev
er to th e N position fi rst usi ng the emerg ency re
l ease .
Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Applies to veh icles: w ith Audi drive select
Drive select provides the possibility 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 possible to combine settings
such as a sporty engine tuning with comfortable
steering .
A WARNING
Improper use of the Audi drive select can
cause collisions, other acc idents and serious
personal injury.
Description
Applies to veh icles: w ith Audi dr ive select
-
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on the
veh icle's features . 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. Indirect steer ing that moves
easily, 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
h icle speed in order to maintain optimum steer
ing effort for the dr iver at all times. This sets the
s teer ing to be less sensitive at higher speeds in
102
order to provide improved vehicle control. At re
duced speeds, however, steering is more direct in
order to keep the steer ing effort as m inima l as
possib le when the driver is maneuver ing the vehi
cle. At low and average speeds, dynam ic steering
additionally provides more responsive steering
performance.
Adaptive dampers*
The adaptive dampers* use sensors to record in
formation regarding steering movements, brak ing and acceleration operations by the driver,
road surface, driving speed, and load. This makes
i t possible to adapt damp ing to the driving situa
tion virtually in real t ime . Drive select also makes
i t possible to sat isfy the desire fo r sporty suspen
s ion (Dynamic) and comfortable suspension
(Comfo rt) without giving up ba lanced tuning (Au
to).
Sport differential*
As a compone nt of the all whee l dr ive system
(quattro)
<> page 174, t he sport differential* dis
tributes the driving power to the rear axle de
pending on the situation. The distribution 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*
The behavior when accelerating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control a lso
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, se lecting the
Dynamic mode results in 1111-