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On the road
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
Applies to vehicles: with manu ally adjustable steering
w hee l
The height and reach of the steering wheel
can be adjusted.
Fig. 120 Lever under the steer ing column
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly .
.. Pull the lever
q fig. 120 -Arrow-q ,A.
.. Move the steering wheel to the desired posi
tion.
.. Push the lever against the steering column
until it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches
(25 cm) be
tween your chest and the center of the steer
ing wheel.
If you cannot sit more than 10 in
ches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if
adapt ive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering whee l.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 75 .
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only
when the veh icle is not moving to pre
vent loss of vehicle control.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel ¢
page 164, fig. 194. If
On the road 105
you cannot maintain this minimum dis
tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you properly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches
(25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is available.
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental dr iver's a irbag
cannot provide as much protection in an
accident. Always make sure that the
steering wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steer ing wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi
tions to reduce the risk of personal injury
if the driver's airbag dep loys .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv
er's airbag deploys.
Electrically adjustable steering wheel
App lies to vehicles: with electrically adjustable steering
w heel
The height and reach of the steering wheel
can be electrically adjusted to suit the driver.
Fig. 121 Switch for stee ring wheel adjustment
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly.
Height adjustment
.. Push the switch @ up or down <=> fig. 121 .
The steering wheel height changes for as
long as you press the sw itch.
112 On the road
The parking brake warning light. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates when the parking brake is
set and you switch on the ignition.
A WARNING
-
Always release the parking brake com
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce their ef
fectiveness and cause excessive wear . This
could lead to brake failure and an accident .
(D Note
Only after the vehicle has come to com
plete stop, should you firmly set the park
ing brake and move the selector lever into
P.
Parking
• Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle .
• Apply the parking brake firmly
r=,> page 111,
fig. 126 @.
• Move the selector lever to P.
.. Turn the engine off
r=,> _& .
.. When on inclines or declines, turn the steer
ing wheel so that the vehicle will roll into
the curb if it begins to move.
A WARNING
This is how you can reduce the risk of in
jury when leaving your vehicle.
- Never park the vehicle where it can come
in contact with dry grass, spilled fuel or
any other flammable materials.
- When parking on hills, always turn the
wheels so that the front wheels will first
roll into the curb, if the vehicle should
start to roll.
- Never allow anyone - especially small
children - to remain in the vehicle when
it is locked. Locked doors make it more
difficult for rescuers to access the pas
senger compartment in the event of an
emergency. Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Children could release the park
ing brake or move the gearshift lever out
-
of gear. The vehicle could start to roll
away and cause an accident.
- No matter what the season is, the tem
perature in a parked vehicle can reach
dangerous levels.
Q) Note
- Please exercise care when you park your
vehicle in parking areas with parking bar
riers or curbs. Parking barriers and curbs
vary in height and could damage your
bumper and related components as the
front of your vehicle moves over a barrier
or curb that is too high, as you park or as
you back out of a parking spot. In order
to be sure that no such damage can oc
cur, you may wish to stop short of having
the front tires of your car touch the park
ing barrier or curb.
- Please also exercise exceptional care
when you drive up or down steep ramps
or drive over curbs or other obstacles, for
which the vehicle is not designed, be
cause components of th@ vehicle close to
the ground, such as bumper covers,
spoilers and suspension and exhaust sys
tem components, may become dam
aged.
Starting on hills
Hill Hold makes it easier to start on hills.
The system is activated when the brake pedal
is depressed
for a few seconds . For this, the
vehicle must be standing in uphill driving di rection.
After releasing the brake pedal, the brake power is held for a
brief moment to prevent
the vehicle from rolling back when starting. At
this time, you can easily begin to move your
vehicle .
A WARNING
- If you did not begin moving immediately
after releasing the brake pedal, under
certain circumstances, the vehicle would
begin to roll backward. Depress the ..,.
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Adaptive Air Suspension
Air suspension and damping
Description
App lies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Air S uspe nsio n
Air suspension and damping con be adjusted
separately.
Adaptive A ir Suspension is an electronically
controlled springing and damping system.
This chassis system makes it easier on the
driver by adapt ing to the particular situation
through imperceptible control processes.
The
Adaptive Air Suspension component reg
ulates ground clearance depending on vehicle
speed and driver input. It functions independ
ently from the load condition . Accelerating to
a speed above a predetermined limit will make the vehicle lower itself. On the other
hand, driving more slowly results in the vehi
cle raising again at specific speeds.
The
damping component provides individual
control of the damping forces . For example,
w ith damping characterist ics set to provide
greater comfort, damping is set somewhat
harder for a br ief per iod only as required, for
example, when go ing aro und a curve or when
braking.
Settings
Adapt ive Air Suspension prov ides the driver
with the opportun ity to set the chassis charac
ter istics also to their individual preference.
W ith the driving modes
Comfort, Automatic
and Dynamic the driver has three chassis set
tings available, ranging from comfort to spor
ty. The
Offrood mode can be selected for driv
ing on poor quality stretches of road. In addi
tion,
Lift provides a fifth mode, which can be
selected when exceptionally high ground
clearance is needed
c::;, page 157, Chassis con
trols .
The modes are set in MMI <::;,page 159.
Adaptive A ir Suspension 157
A WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can
change due to temperature fluctuations or
changes in load .
@ Note
-Whenever you park your vehicle, a lways
make sure there is adequate clearance
above and below the vehicle. The he ight
of the parked vehicle can change as the
result of temperature fluctuations,
changes in load condition and changes in
the driving mode (ground clearance).
- If the vehicle is be ing t ransported (e.g .
by tow truck, train, ship, etc.), mount the
tie-down chains/cables over the running
surface (circumference) o f the tires. Nev
er secure the vehicle by the axle, the sus
pension struts or the front or rear tow
line eye . For technica l reasons, the pres
sure in the suspens ion struts may change
dur ing the transport, which could result
in the vehicle no longer being secured
properly.
- If you are going to tow a trailer with a
trailer hitch that was
not installed ac
cording to factory specif ications, you
must activate the traile r operation mode
man ually
<::;,page 161.
(D Tips
-Before you can raise your vehicle using
the vehicle jack (for example, when
chang ing a flat tire) or a vehicle lift, yo u
must activate the jacking mode
c::;, page 161.
-On some models, the vehicle can reach
its maximum speed only in the
Automat
ic
and Dynamic modes.
Chassis controls
App lies to vehicles : wit h Adaptive A ir Suspensio n
Five different driving modes can be set by the
driver.
T he automatic control processes are speed
and time-dependent. For example, it is not
164 Driving Safel y
• Instr uct passenge rs to adjust the head re
straints according to their height.
• Make sure to use the right child restraint
correct ly to protect children<=>
page 203,
Child Safety .
• Sit properly i n your seat and make sure that
you r passenge rs do the same
<=> page 74,
General recomm endations .
• Fasten your safe ty be lt and wear it properly.
Also ins truc t you r passengers to f aste n t heir
sa fety belts properly <=>
page 173.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving i s directly rela ted to the condi
t ion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver 's abili ty to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsib le fo r the s afety o f the
ve hicl e an d all of i ts occupants . If you r ab ility
to d rive is impai red, safety r is k s for everybody
i n the vehicle increase and yo u also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road <=>
&_.
Therefore:
• Do not let yo ursel f be distracte d by passe n
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEVER dr ive when your dr iv ing ability is im
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol , drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS ad just yo ur speed to road, t raff ic
and weathe r con dit ions .
• Take frequent breaks o n long t rips. Do no t
dr ive for more than two hours a t a str etch .
• Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are st ressed .
A WARNING
Impai red driving safety increases the risk
of serious persona l injury and death when
ever a veh icle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver sea ting posi tion is imp or
t ant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fi g. 1 94 Correct seat ing posit ion
For yo ur own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust t he driver's seat to the
fo llow ing pos ition:
• Adj ust t he d river's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keepi ng your knee(s) slightly bent
¢ &_ .
• Ad just t he angle of the seatbac k so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full conta ct w ith it when you d rive.
• Adj ust t he steering wheel so t hat there is a
d is tance of at least 1 0 inches (2 5 cm) be
t ween the steer ing whee l and yo ur breast
bone ~
fig. 194. If not possible, see your a u
thorized A udi dealer about adaptive equip
ment.
• Adjust t he steering wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and airbag cover poi nts at your
ch est and not at your face .
• Grasp the top of the ste ering whee l w ith
your elb ow(s) slightly ben t.
• Adj ust t he head re st ra in t so the upper edge
is as even as possible wi th th e top of y our
head . If that is not poss ible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le .
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts correct ly
<=>page 177.
178 Safety belts
the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effectiveness and can cause serious per
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
belt itself when it moves from the stron
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re
tractor when you are securing a child safety seat in the vehicle
c:::> page 215.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 204 Safety be lt pos it ion
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Standard features on your vehicle help you ad
just the position of the safety belt to match
your body size.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats
and the outer seating positions in the sec
ond row seating,
- height-adjustable front seats.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci
dent.
-
- The shoulder belt should lie as close to
the center of the collar bone as possible
and should fit well on the body. Hold the
belt above the latch tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelvis and there is
no pressure on the abdomen. The belt should always fit snugly
¢
fig. 204. Pull
on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- The lap belt portion of the safety belt
must be positioned as low as possible
across pelvis and never over the abdo
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug¢
fig. 204 . Pull on the belt to ti9ht
en if necessary .
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri
ous injur ies by shifting its position on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious
injury.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c:::> page 176.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg
nancy.
Fig. 20S Safety belt position during pre gnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
¢ page 178.
"Adju st the front seat and head restraint cor
rectly
c:> page 74, General recommenda
tions .
"Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt.
"Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even
ly across the chest and pelvis ¢
fig. 205 ,
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.. Inse rt the tongue into the correct b uckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
e:> page 177 , fig . 203 .
.. Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is se
curely latched in the buckle .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci
de nt.
- Expectant mothers must a lways wear the
lap po rtion of the safety belt as low as
poss ible across the pe lv is and be low the
ro unding of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other impor tant information
e:> .&. in Fas
tening safe ty belts on page 177.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
F ig . 2 06 Relea sing the to ngu e fr om th e buc kle
.. Push the red re lease button on the buck le
e:> fig . 206 . The belt tongue wi ll spring out
of the bu ckle
c:> _& .
.. Let the bel t wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed posit ion.
On vehicles with
third ro w seat* : an unfas
t ened safety belt can be secured in the retain
ing clip in t he luggage compartment s ide
tr im . In this way, the luggage compartment
cover can be removed without obst ruct io n. Al
so, the belt tongue height can be adjusted so
that luggage compartment can be loaded
without obst ruction wit h the backrest folded
:5: forward.
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Safety belts 179
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt whi le the vehi
cle is mov ing . Do ing so will increase your
risk of being injured o r killed.
Adjusting safety belt height
Wi th the aid of the safety belt heigh t adjust
ment, the three point safety belt strap rout
ing can be fitted to the shoulder area , accord
ing to body size .
Fig. 207 Safety belt heig ht adj ustm en t - loop-a round
fi ttings
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body
e:> .&. in Safety belt
position on page 178 .
.. Push
the loop-around fittings up c:> fig. 207
@ , or
.. squeeze together the (D button, and push
the loop-around fittings d own @.
.. Pull the belt to make sure that the upper a t
t achment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
-
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> page 176 .
(0 Tips
With the front seats, the he igh t adj ust
ment of the sea t can also be used to ad just
the position of the sa fety belts.
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to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad
just or remove the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to inst all the
child seat with the head restraint in place
¢ page 80. Install the head restraint
again immediately once the child seat is
removed. Driving without head restraints
or with head restraints that are not prop
erly adjusted increases the risk of serious
or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢page 173, Safety
belts,¢ page 182, Airbag system
and
¢ page 203, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safe
ty and well-being require that the follow
ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in
structions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in
to the rearmost position of the passen
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi
ble before installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks¢
page 193, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
-
Child Safety 211
- Ta ke the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in . (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
In .... N 0 ±
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Fig. 220 Rear seat: c hild properly res trained in a boos
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies
and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re
strain a child on a booster seat.
... The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomac h or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug . Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
.,. If you must transport an older child in a
booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you can use the safety belt height adjust
ment to help adjust the shoulder portion
properly.
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Weight Rating will also change the per
formance and handling characteristics of
your vehicle, which could cause a crash result ing in serious injury or death .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing for your
vehicle would be exceeded if your vehicle is simultaneously equipped with Panor
amic sliding sunroof; th ird-row seating;
trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dea ler-installed) . UNDER NO CIRCUM
STANCES MAY ALL SUCH ITEMS BE IN
STALLED ON THE SAME VEHICLE.
Operating instructions
MAX 6.9"
MAX175mm
E
1/1 E 1/1 ... a)
m
Fig. 232 Perm itted ba ll posit ion of t he tra iler hitch
Trailer towing weights
W ith a factory-installed tra iler hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer we ight is 6,600
l bs (3,000 kg). The maximum permissible un
braked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
With an
aftermarket trailer hitch, the maxi
mum permissible t railer we ight is 5,500 lbs
(2,500 kg). These specifications apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these
changed cond itions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al
l owable or slightly lower. You can get an ap
prox imation of the tongue load with a bath
room scale or you can measure the load at a
trucking company or weighing station .
With a
factory-installed tra iler hitch, the
maximum permissible load on the ball hitch
Trailer towing 239
may not exceed 660 lbs (300 kg). With an af
termarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permis
s ib le load on the ba ll hitch may not exceed
550 lbs (250 kg).
It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢.& in Driving instructions on page 240.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used w ith suita
ble ball mount and ball ¢
fig. 232. Installa
t ion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac
cordance with the manufacturer's instruc
tions. At the height dimension of 1.5 in
(38.5 mm) a tolerance of+/- 0.5 in (12 . 7 mm)
is perm issib le.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid .
Tire pressure
When towing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
" Full load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B
pillar . Inf late trailer tires to trai ler and t ire
manufacturers' spec ificat ions .
Lights
The headlight settings sho uld be checked with
the trailer attached before driving
off . Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains 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
Ill-
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