M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
@ Tips
-Side assist is not active while you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap
pear in the instrument cluster display:
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
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
c>page97, fig.103.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched on temporarily
because 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 de
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off .
The sensors 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
factory-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.
Audi side assist 99
M N
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Error messages
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus/rear view
camera/per ipheral cameras
There is an e rror in the system if the LED in
the
p, qA button is blinking and you hear a con
tinuous alarm for a few seconds afte r switch
ing on the parking system or when the park
ing system is already activated. If the error is
not corrected before you switch off the igni
tion, the LED in the
Pw.6. button will blink the
next time you switch on the parking system by
shifting into reverse.
Parking system plus
If a sensor is faulty, the~ symbol will appear
in front of/behind the vehicle in the Infotain
ment display. If a rear sensor is fau lty, only
obstacles that are in areas @ and @ are
shown ¢
page 115, fig. 120. If a front sensor
i s faulty, only obstacles that are in areas ©
and @are shown .
Peripheral cameras*
There is also a system error if:
- the
'(:8:)• • symbol appears in the display and
the corresponding display area is shown in
blue. The camera is not working in this area.
- all segments around the vehicles are red or
if no segments are displayed.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler o r au
thorized repair fac ility immediately to have
the ma lfunction corrected.
Trailer hitch
Appl ies to vehicles: with parking system plus/rear view
camera/per ipheral cameras and trailer hitch
For vehicles using the tra iler socket, the park
ing system rear senso rs do not turn on when
you shift into reverse gear or when yo u press
the P
01A button. This results in the following re
strictions:
Parking system plus*
There is no distance wa rning for the rear. The
front sensors rema in activated. The visual dis
play switches to the traile r tow ing mode.
Parking systems 125
Parking system plus and rear view
camera* /Peripheral cameras*
There is no distance warning for the rear. The
front sensors remain activated. The visual dis
play sw itches to the trailer towing mode. The
rear view camera image will not show the ori
entation lines and the blue surfaces .
{D Tips
Trailer hitches that are not installed at the
factory may cause the park ing system to
malfunction or they may restr ict its func
tion.
132 Driving Safel y
obtain suitable floor mats from your
authorized Audi Dealer.
Fl oor mat fasteners a re installed in you r Audi .
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at
tached to these fasteners . Properly secur ing
the floo r mats will p revent them from s liding
i nto pos itions tha t could inte rfe re wi th t he
pedals or impair safe operation o f your vehi cle
in other ways.
A WARNING
Pedals t hat cannot move freely can resu lt
in a loss of veh icle contro l and increase the
r isk of serious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place o r insta ll floo r mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering w it h
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of a lready insta l
led floor mats . Additional floor mats and
other cove rings w ill reduce the si ze of
the pedal area and in terfere with the
peda ls.
- Always properly rei nstall and se cu re floor
mats that h ave been take n out for clean
ing.
- Always make su re th at ob je cts canno t
fa ll into the driver fo otwe ll wh ile the ve
hicle is moving . Objects can become
t rapped under t he b rake pedal and accel
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com
partment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
sh ift suddenly, changing veh icle hand ling characteristics. Loose items can a
lso inc rease
t h e risk of serious persona l injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuve r o r i n a co llision .
.. Dis trib ute the load even ly in the luggage
compa rtment .
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as fa r
forward as possible .
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs prov id
ed
¢ page 63, Luggage compartment .
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Imp roperly stored luggage or other items
can fly t hro ugh the vehi cle causing ser ious
personal injury in the event of hard brak
i ng or an accident . To help reduce the risk
of ser ious personal in ju ry:
- Always put o bjects, fo r example, luggage
or other heavy items in t he luggage com
pa rtment.
- Always secure o bjects in the luggage
compa rtment using the tie-down hoo ks
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
-
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur ve-
hi cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
l oss of cont ro l leading to serious personal
in Jury :
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects , tha t a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
poss ible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We igh t Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle We ight Ratin g
specif ied on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per miss ible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and hand le diffe rently.
- Please observe information on safe dr iv
ing
¢ page 126.
M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Aud i connect
features req uires wireless serv ices that are
provided by a third party wireless telecom
municat ions provider. For details regard
ing how information obtained through
Aud i connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contra ct w ith the wire less telecom
municat ions provider and the "About A udi
connect" tab in your vehicle's MMI:
!MENU !
button > Audi connect > About Audi con·
nect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects
certain difficult driv ing s ituations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of cont ro l and helps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively brak ing the
wheels, and/or red ucing engine powe r and
p roviding steering assistance to help hold the
ve hicle on the driver's intended course . The in
dicator light
m in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
phys ics. It will not a lways be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
h elp you master situat ions where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of fr iction of
the road surface. When there is a sect io n of
d ry road that is s udden ly cove red with water,
slush o r snow, ESC canno t perform the same
way it would on the dry su rface.
If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a c ush ion of wate r in
stead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent technolog y 193
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast corner ing, particular ly on wind ing
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult dr iv ing s ituations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions . ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical lim its, in
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a veh icle
o n the road if road departu re is a result of
driver ina ttent io n. Instead , ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing the vehicle under con
trol and on the road during extreme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering i nputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing in the intended di
rect ion. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake ass ist sys
tem, ant i-slip regu lation (ASR), electron ic dif
ferential lock (EDL), dynam ic steer ing* and
El ectronic interax le differentia l lock* /selective
whee l to rque control*. ESC is switched on a ll
the time. In ce rtain sit uat io ns when yo u need
less traction, you can sw itch off ASR by press
ing the b utton
[fil ¢ page 195, fig. 178. Be
s u re to switch ASR on again when you no lon
ger need less traction .
Anti-lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locki ng up
when b raking. The vehicle can st ill be stee red
even during hard braking . App ly steady pres
su re to the brake peda l. Do not pump the ped
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake a ssis t sy ste m
The brake ass ist system can decrease braking
distance . It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal unti l the situation is over. In .,,.
•
•
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Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai le r, you must
ac tivate the trailer operation mode
c::> page 205, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weig ht-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trail er
hi tch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check wi th t he tra ile r hi tch man ufactur er to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
h itch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch.
The hitc h m ust be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfe re with the impac t-absorb
i ng bumper syst em. No mod ificat ions should
b e made to the vehi cle e xhaus t and br ake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check th at a ll hitc h
mo unt ing bo lts rem ain securely fas tened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra ile r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi
cle be str uck from behind~ .& .
Trailer towin g 205
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a bra king sys
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
regulations .
T he trailer hyd ra u lic bra ke sys tem mus t not be
d irec tly connec ted to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all reg ulations. Be
su re to c heck with your Audi dea ler for correct
wir ing, switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mir rors. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
_&. WARNING
-
Afte r removi ng the t railer hitch , do no t
stor e it in yo ur v ehicl e. In case of sudden
b raki ng, the hi tch co ul d fly forwar d and in
j ur e you o r yo ur pass enge rs.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehi cle is l imited to a typi cal
cla ss 1 o r class 2 tr ailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the tra ile r is held secure ly
in place to p revent it from shift ing fo rward,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c::> .& in Driving instructions on page 207 .
Eng ine cooling sy stem
Towing a t railer ma kes the engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
•
•
206 Trailer towing
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid .
Tire pressure
When towing a traile r, inflate the tir es of your
vehi cle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open) .
Inflate trailer t ires to trai ler and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level su rface be
fore
hitching up the traile r and before adjust
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
q page 100, q(D _
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info
tainment , se lect:
ICARI f unc tion button> Low
er
control button.
I f you must dr ive under poor road condit ions,
you can raise the vehicle
after coupling the
tra iler or
after adjusting the tongue weight
qpage 102.
-Changes in temperature or load can af
fect the height of the vehicle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the follow ing:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
veh icles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not dr ive at the max imum permissib le
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Mon itor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re
su lts in a highly unstable distribution of
we ight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to operate and con
t ro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be load ed to the extent possible and permissi
ble , while keeping the trailer as light as possi
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi
ble , transfer some cargo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
whe n going downhill.
Red uce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing tra ilers are lower than for
regular veh icles . .,.
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trai ler, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air
suspension trailer mode on when you are tow
ing a trailer. This will limit the regulation by
the air suspension while driving. Select in the
MMI:
! CARI function button> (C ar) * systems
control button > Vehicle settings > Air susp.:
towing > On .
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coolant tem
perature can increase if you drive on long in
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds . Re
duce your speed immed iately if the LEDs in
the top pa rt of the display turn on.
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to. ¢
page 16 .
A WARNING
Anyone no t properly restrained in a mov
ing veh icle is at a much greater ris k in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when tow ing
a trailer because of the addit ional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
M N turning, stopping and backing up in an area 0
~ away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
~ have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Trailer towing 207
your vehicle-trai ler combination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer generally req uires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trai ler.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer , you wi ll need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass . After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load ¢
page 292.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol lowing:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the trailer wheels.
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb.
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.
When re starting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Start the engine.
•
•
208 Trailer towing
• Se lect the D/S se lector lever posit ion .
• Re lease the par king b rake an d slow ly pull
o ut and away from the whee l chocks.
• Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
If you move the se lector lever of the a uto
mat ic transm ission to P before app lying
the park ing brake a nd befo re blocking the
w heels, you may have to use mo re force
la ter to move the lever out of the
P posi
tion.