2015 AUDI Q3 Owners Manual

M N M N
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Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
Drive select provides the possibility to experi­
ence different types of vehicle sett ings in one
vehicle. For instance, using the three
Com­
fort , Auto
and Dynamic modes, t he driver can
switch from a sporty to a comfortab le driving
mode with the press of a button.
Description
Applies to vehicles : with Audi drive select
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the vehicle's features. However, the engine,
automatic transmission and steering are al­
ways involved .
Engine and automatic transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and the
automatic transmission respond quicker or in
a more balanced manner to accelerator pedal
movements. In the sporty dynamic mode, the
automatic transmission shifts at higher RPMs.
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering ef­
fort. Indirect steering that moves easily, like
the steering in comfort mode, is best suited
to long drives on a highway . In contrast, dy ­
namic mode provides sporty, direct steering .
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves.
The pivot ing action and the lighting are also
adapted to the mode .
@ Tips
Selecting the Dynamic mode results in
sporty shift ing characteristics. The S gear
position engages automatically.
Audi drive select 79
Selecting the driving mode
Applies to vehicles: with Aud i drive se lect
You can choose between Comfort, Auto and
Dynamic modes.
Fig. 84 Center console: Control for drive se lect
Fig . 85 MMI*: Aud i drive select
.,. To set the mode, press the t1ti button
9fig. 84 multiple times unti l the desired
mode is displayed in the instrument cluster.
.,. In the MMI*, select: ICARlfunction button>
Comfort, Auto or Dynamic.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or while driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the acce lerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is a lso activated for
the engine and transm ission.
Comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on high­
ways .
Auto -provides an overall comfo rtable yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
use.
Dynamic -gives the drive r a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style.

80 Audi drive select
A WARNING
Pay attention to traff ic when operating
drive se lect to prevent potential risk of an
accident .
-

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Automatic
transmission
tiptronic
Introduction
The automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down­
shifts automatically depending on which drive
program is selected.
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 econ­
omy.
The 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) o page 84.
In the tiptronic transmission, power is trans­
ferred by a torque converter .
Selector lever positions
Fig. 86 Disp lay in the instru men t clu ster: se lecto r lever
pos it io n
The selector lever posi tion engaged appears
next to the selector lever as well as in the in­
strument cluster display.
P- Park
In this selector lever posit ion the transmis­
sion is mechanically locked. Engage P only
Automatic transmission 81
when the vehicle is completely stopped q A
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 83.
T o shift in or out of position P, yo u must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the re lease button in the selector lever handle
wh ile moving the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition 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 83.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le of the selector
l ever
and the brake pedal at the same time .
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu­
minate when the selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position.
Shift to this position for standing with the
brakes applied
q A in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 83.
When the vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the footbrake before and whi le moving the
lever out of
N.
D/S -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be
operated either in the norma l mode D or in
the sport mode S. To select the sport mode S,
pull the selector lever back. Pulling the lever
back again will select the normal mode D. The
instrument cluster display shows the selected
driv ing 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 fu ll use of the engine's

82 Autom atic tr an smi ssion
power . Shifting may become noticeable when
accelerat ing .
When the veh icle is stationary or at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while moving the lever to D/S out of N .
.&_ WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS c::> & in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 83.
([) Note
Coasting downhi ll with the transmission in
N and the engine not running wi ll result in
damage to the automatic transmiss ion
and possibly the catalytic converter.
(D Tips
- If you accidentally select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal i mmediately and wait for the engine to
s low down to idle before se lecting D/S.
- If there is a power failure, the selector
l ever will not move out of the P position.
The emergency release can be used if
this happens
c::> page 86 .
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
Fi g. 87 Shi ft gat e: selec tor lever lock posi tions and re­
l ease button hig h lig hted
The selector lever lock is released as follows: .,.
Turn the ignition on .
.,. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the re lease button on the
side of the gear selector knob
c::> fig . 87 with
your thumb until you have moved the selec­
tor lever to the desired position .
Automatic sele cto r leve r lo ck
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po­
sitions when the ignit ion is turned on . You
must press the brake pedal and the re lease
button to select another position . As a re­
minder to the driver, the following warni ng
appears in the instrument cluster display
when the selector is in P and N:
Pre ss brake to change gear while stationary.
The Automatic Shift Lock only functions when
the vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low
1 mph (2 km/h).
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the
Automat ic Shift Lock is automatically deact i­
vated in the N position .
A time delay elemen t prevents the selector
lever from locking when it is moved through
the N posit ion (going from R to D/S) . The lock­
i ng element w ill lock the selector lever if the
lever is left in N (Neutra l) for more than ap­
proximately 2 second, without the brake ped­
al be ing pressed.
Relea se button
T he release button on the se lector lever pre­
vents the lever from being acc identally shifted
into certain positions. Depending on the d irec­
t ion of t he sh ift, the selector lever locks at dif­
fere nt posit ions . The positions are highlig hted
in the illust rat ion
c::> fig . 87.
Driving the automatic transmission
Starting the engine
.,. The se lector lever must be in P or N .
Starting off
.,. Press and hold the brake peda l.
.,. Press and hold the re lease button i n these-
lector lever handle, select the desired ..,_

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
selector lever position such as D/S and re­
lease the button.
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shift­
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
accelerate.
St opp ing tem porar ily
~ Keep the vehicle stationary using the brak­
ing peda l, for examp le at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerator pedal when do­
ing this.
~ To prevent the veh icle from roll ing when you
start driving, set the parking brake when
stopp ing on steep inclines
c::, ,& .
~ The parking brake will re lease automatically
and the vehicle will s tart moving once you
press the accelerator peda l.
Stopping/p ar king
If the selecto r lever is not in the P position
when you ope n the dr iver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. The message
Shift to P and turn
off i gniti on, o therwi se vehicle ca n roll aw ay
appears.
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal unt il the ve-
hicle has come to a complete stop.
~ Apply the parking brake c::, page 71, Parking.
~ Se lect the P selector leve r position c::, ,& .
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the brake peda l to hold the ve­
hicle i n place and prevent it from " rolling
back "
c::> &_. Do not try to prevent the vehi­
cl e from "roll ing back" when a gea r is en ­
gaged by increasing the engine speed
c::> (D .
Starting on an incline
~ Activate the parking b rake .
~ With the d riving gea r se lected, press the ac­
c e lerator pedal ca refully. The parking brake
will release automat ica lly if yo ur seat belt is
f astened.
Unde r ce rtain circumstances, such as dr iv ing
in the moun tains, it may be useful to swi tch
tempo rari ly to the manua l shift prog ram in o r-
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 83
der to ad just the gears to the driving condi ­
tions by hand
c::, page 84.
On s lopes, activate the parki ng b rake first and
then move the selec to r l ever to the P posi tion.
T his 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
serio us injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
ru nning while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is still transm itted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the eng ine is ru nning and the se lector
leve r is in D/S o r R or "t ipt ron ic" mode is
selec ted .
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever posi tion
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running .
- Never sh ift into R or P wh ile driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lowe r
gear wi th "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the bra kes o r press the bra ke
pe dal too often or too long when d riving
down a hi ll. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases
brak ing distance or causes complete fa il­
ure of the brake system .
- To prevent the vehicle from ro lling back
when stopp ing o n inclines, always ho ld it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto­ matically when it becomes too hot from

84 Automatic tr an smis sion
the overload. An indicator lamp mJ illu­
minates and a dr iver message appears
Q page 85 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving pos ition engaged whe n
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P with the parking brake set
c!:> page 179. Othe rwise, any inc rease in
eng ine speed m ay set the vehicle in mo­
t io n, even wi th the park ing brake ap ­
plied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an i ncl ine, do not try
to hol d the veh icle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l whi le a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the transmis­
s ion to overheat and can damage it. Acti ­
vate the park ing brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from ro lling .
- Allow ing t he vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is i n N will damage the transmiss ion be­
cause it is not lub ricated under those cir­
cumstances.
{DI Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re­
leased automatically only when the dr iv­
er 's safety belt is engaged in the buck le.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically se lects
a gea r that is suitable for the incline . Hill de­
scent control tries to maintai n the speed ach­
i eved at the time of bra king, within physical
an d techn ic al limita tio ns.
If may still be ne c­
ess ary to adjust the speed with the bra kes . Hill descent contro
l sw itches off once the de ­
cline leve ls out or yo u press the acce lerator
peda l.
On vehicles wi th the cru ise contro l system
Q page 73, hill descent control is also activat ­
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING
--
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintain a co nstant speed under a ll
conditions. A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes .
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears .
Fig. 88 Center co nsole: s hifti ng t he gears ma nually
Fig . 89 Stee ring w hee l: Shi ft padd les•
Gear selection w ith selector lever
T he t iptronic mode can be selected either w ith
the vehicle stat io nary or on the move .
.,. Push the selector lever to the right from 0/
S. An M appears in the instrument cluster
d isp lay as soon as the transm issio n has
shifted .

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
~ To upshift, push the selector lever fo rward
to the plus position
0 ~ fig. 88.
~ To downshift, push the lever to the minus
posit ion
Q .
Gea r se lection with shift paddl es*
The shift padd les are act ivated when these­
l ector lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual
shift program .
~ To upsh ift, touch the paddle on the right 0
~ fig. 89.
~ To downshift, touch the padd le on the left
Q .
~ If you do not press a shift paddle within a
short time while in the D/S position, the
transmission will return to automa tic mode .
To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move the selector lever to the right out of
the D/S position .
T he transmission automatically shifts up or
down before critical engine speed is reached .
The transmission only a llows manua l shifting
when the engine speed is within the permit­
ted range .
(D Tips
-When yo u sh ift into the next lower gear,
the transmiss ion will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine .
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- Tiptronic is inoperat ive when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance po int, the automat ic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­ pending on vehicle speed and engine speed .
The upshift into the next higher gear takes
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 85
place once the maximum specified engine
speed is reach ed.
A WARNING
P lease note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used on a smooth slippery
road -there is a risk of skidding.
Transmission malfunction
l'!J Tran smission overh eating! Please stop
ve hicl e!
The transmission temperature has increased
s ignificantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty ma nner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
@ Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you should take the vehicle to an
a uthorized Audi dea le rship as soon as pos­
sible to have the condition cor rected.

86 Automatic transmis sion
Selector lever emergency re lease
If the vehicle's power supply fails , the selec­
tor lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 90 Selector lever: remov ing the cove r
Fig. 9 1 Selecto r leve r: u sing th e em ergen cy release to
move out of the Pa rk pos iti on
T he emergency re lease mechanism is located
in the right area under the se lector lever shift
gate. Using the emergency release can be
complicated . We recommend contacting you r
author ized Audi dealer or qua lif ied repair fa­
cility fo r ass istance, if necessary.
The auxiliary tool located under the floor pan­
e l is needed for the eme rgency release . Use
the flat si de of the auxiliary tool.
Removing the selector lever cover
.,. Set the parking brake{®) 9 .&. to secure
your vehicle from ro lling .
.,. Insert the f lat s ide of the auxilia ry tool in
the slot nea r the sh ift cover a nd p ry the shift
cove r up
9 fig . 90 .
.,. Pull the frame with the cover upwards . You
c an fo ld the cove r upwa rds over the selec tor
l ever knob.
Releasing the selector lever manually
.,. Press and ho ld the yellow release b utton
9 fig . 91 .
.,. Press the b utton on the selector lever and
move the selector lever to position N .
.,. Clip the frame w ith the cover in again.
_& WARNING
-
If you re lease the parking lock manually,
apply the park ing brake to prevent the ve­
h icle from mov ing (o r use the brake peda l
i f the park ing brake is inoperationa l).
If
you do not apply t he b rake, the vehicle
may r oll aw ay and ca use a n accident .
-