2015 AUDI Q7 engine

142 Automatic tr an smis sion
- Never hold the veh icle on an incl ine with
a slipp ing clutch . The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp@] illu­
minates and a dr iver message appears
c!;> page 143 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
hav e any driving pos ition engaged when
che cking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has secure ly engaged and
is locked in P with the parking bra ke
firmly set¢
page 256. Otherwise, any
increase in engine speed may set the ve­
hicle 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 accelerator peda l while a driving gear
is selected. Th is can cause the transm is­
s io n to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the park ing brake or p ress the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from ro lling .
- Allow ing the vehicle to roll when the en ­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is i n
N w ill damage the transmiss ion be­
cause it is no t lub rica ted under those c ir­
cumst ances.
Hill descent control
The hill d escent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
H ill desce nt co ntrol is activated when these­
lecto r lever is in D/S a nd you press the b rake
pedal. The tra nsmission a utomatically se lects
a gea r that is suitab le for the incline. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
i eved at the t ime of brak ing, within physical
a nd techn ica l limitations . It may st ill be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
H ill descent co ntrol sw it ches off once the de ­
cline levels out or you press t he accelerator
pedal. When the speed is set in the cruise con
trol
system
c!;> page 113, hill descent contro l is al­
so act ivated.
A WARNING
--
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintai n a co nstant speed under all
conditions . A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes .
· Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
Fig. 1 63 Center conso le: sh ift in g the gears m an ually
Fig . 1 64 St ee rin g whee l: S h ift paddle s•
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be sel ected either w ith
the vehicle stat io na ry or on t he move.
.,. Push the se lector lever to the right from D.
An
M appears in the instrument cluster dis ­
play as soon as the transmission has shifted .
.,. To upshift, push the se lecto r lever forwa rd
t o the plu s position
0 c!;> fig. 163 .
.,. To downsh ift, pus h the lever to the min us
position
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Gear selection with shift paddles*
The shift paddles are activated when these­
lector lever is in D, Sor the tiptronic manual
shift program .
.,. To upsh ift, touch the button on the right
0
¢fig. 164.
.,. To downshift, touch the button on the left
0-
... If you do not press a shift paddle within a
short time while in the Dor S position, the
transmission will return to automatic mode .
T o keep shifting using the shift paddles,
move the selector lever to the right out of
the D position .
The transmission automatically shifts up or
down before critical engine speed is reached.
T he transmission only allows manua l shifting
when the engine speed is within the permit­
ted range.
(D Tips
- When you sh ift into the next lower gear,
the transmiss ion will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev­
ving 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 point, the automatic
t ransmission downshifts in to a lower gear, de­
pending on vehicle speed and engine speed.
The upshift into the next higher gear takes
p lace once the maximum spec ified eng ine
speed is reached.
Autom atic transm ission 143
A WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-dow n is used on a smooth slippery
road -there is a risk of skidding .
Transmission malfunction
[i] Transmission malfunction : You can con­
tinue driving
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving . Drive to your
authorized Aud i dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[il Transmission malfunction: Limited driv­
ing functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer­ gency mode . This mode on ly shifts into cer­
tain gears or will no longer shift at all. The en­
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction cor rected.
(D Note
If the transmission switches to emergency
mode, you should take the vehi cle to an
a ut horized Aud i dealership as soon as pos­
sible to have the condition corrected.
Selector lever emergency release
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selec­
tor lever can be released in an emergency.
Fig. 165 Selecto r lever emer gency release
The emergency release is located under a rub-
ber mat. ..,.

158 Adapti ve Air Susp en sion
possible to raise the suspension to a h igh level
above certain speeds .
When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is
exceeded for more than 30 seconds, the vehi­
cle is automatically lowered to
low level when
in comfort and automatic mode. Ground
clearance is about 0.6 inch (15 mm) less,
compared to the
normal level.
When a speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h)
is exceeded for more than 20 seconds, the ve­
h icle is automat ica lly lowered to
highway lev­
el
when in automatic and dynamic mode.
Ground clearance is about 1.4 inches (35 mm)
less, compared to the
normal level. Road
hold ing is optimized as a result of the lower
center of gravity, and fuel consumption is re­
duced as a result of reduced wind resistance.
Level adjustment Ground clearance
high level 2 about 9.4 inches
(2 40 mm)
high level 1 about 8 inches
(205 mm)
normal leve l about 7 inches
(180 mm)
low level about 6.5 inches
(165 mm)
highway level about 5 .7 inches
(145 mm)
The segment disp lay @ in the MMI Display
c:::> page 159 or in the instr ument cluster dis­
p lay
c:::> page 160 shows the current veh icle
level.
Automatic
Select the automatic mode if you prefer a bal­
anced, comfortable suspension setting . The
damping characteristics are adjusted accord­ ingly.
- Autom atic lowe rin g: When a speed of
about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is auto­
matically lowered by about 0.6 inch (15
mm) to the
low level, wh ich is more suitable
for highway speeds. Road hold ing is opti­
mized as a result of the lower ce nter of grav- ity and fuel consumption is reduced as a re
­
sult of reduced wind resistance . When a
speed of about 100 mph (160 km/h) is ex ­
ceeded for more than 20 seconds, the veh i­
cle is automatically lowered by an addit ional
0.8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automat ic raising: When the vehicle is at
highway level and the speed falls below
about 80 mph (130 km/h) for more than 20
seconds, the vehicle is automatically raised
to
low level. Th e vehicle is automatically
raised aga in to
normal level if the speed
fa lls below about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a
pe riod of 2 minutes . The vehicle is raised im ­
mediately when speed fa lls below about 22
mph (35 km/h).
Dynamic
Se lect the dynam ic mode if yo u pre fer a spor­
ty suspension se tti ng. In t his mode, the veh i­
cle is lowered to
low level while it is still sta­
t ionary and sporty damping characteristics
are selected . The warning light. in the in­
strument cluster will come on for a few sec­
onds just to rem ind you of the reduced ground
clearance .
If you switch off the engine whi le the vehicle
is in the dynamic mode and then switch on the
ignition once aga in, the . warn ing light will
also come on again for a few seconds as a re­ minder .
-Automat ic lowe ring: When a speed of
about 100 mph (160 km/h) is exceeded for
more than 20 seconds, the veh icle is auto­
mat ically lowered by 0.8 inch (20 mm) to
highway level .
-Automa tic raising: The vehicle is automati­
cally ra ised to
low level aga in, if the speed
fa lls below about 80 mph (130 km/h) for a
pe riod of 20 seconds. The ve hicle is raised
immed iate ly w hen speed falls be low about
22 mph (35 km/h).
Comfort
Select the comfort mode if you desire a sus­
pension setti ng with a specia l emp hasis on
comfort. Damp ing cha racteris tics w ith a clear .,.

160 Adapti ve Air Su spen sion
filled out, the vehicle is at high level 2 and has
the greatest amount of ground clearance pos­
sib le.
While the vehicle is being raised or lowered,
the target level is indicated by an arrow@
c::> fig. 189 or a white border @ c::> fig. 190 . The
arrow/border disappears aga in when the vehi­
cle is at the target level.
Limitations to MMI setting s
Please note that not eve ry dr iving mode can
be selected in every driving situation . For ex­
ample, it is not possible to switch to "lift"
mode at speeds above 12 mph (20 km/h) .
This mode is then shown
greyed out in the
MMI Display .
The vehicle can only be lowered when
a ll of
the vehicle's doors are closed. If one door is
open, all driving modes whose level sett ing is
belo w the current vehicle level appear
greyed
out
i n the MMI Display . If a door is opened
while the vehicle is being lowered, the lower­ ing process is interrupted until all doors are
closed again .
If the system is temporar ily unava ilable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed air
tank, the driving modes that cannot be set ap­ pear
greyed out in the MM I Disp lay. As soon
as the system is available again, the driv ing
modes can once more be selected in the dis­
p lay .
(D} Tips
- Fo r addition al in format ion on the driv ing
modes
c::> page 157, Chassis controls.
- When the compressed air tank is empty,
the compressor can be switched on by
starting the engine . The Adaptive Air
Suspension is once again available, after
waiting a few minutes.
- To prevent over load, the system switches
off tempera rily if several adj ustments
are made in a row. The Adaptive Air Sus­
pension is once again available, after
waiting a few minutes. Appearance in the instrument cluster
display
Applies to veh
icles: w ith Adapt ive A ir Suspens ion
You can view th e current vehicle l evel in the
instrument cluster display.
Fi g. 1 91 Display: Adapt ive Air Suspensio n
Fig . 1 92 Disp lay: Adapt ive A ir Susp ensio n
Repeated, brief tapping of the I RESET ! button
on the windshield wiper lever allows you to
se lect whether information concerning the
trip computer, digital tachometer, nav igat ion*
or "Adapt ive Air Suspension" is to appear in
the instrument cluster d isp lay .
Display of the Adaptive Air Suspension is auto­
matic when the offroad or lift mode is select­
ed, or when the vehicle is automatically low­
ered in lift mode .
Rai sing and lowe ring
If arrow
(J) is white c::> fig. 191 or c::> fig . 192,
the vehicle is raised.
If arrow @is
white, the vehicle is lowered .
The respective arrow stays on until the level c hange is complete. The time requ ired for a
level change can vary, depending on the cur-
ren t drivi ng conditions . ..,_

17 4 S afet y belt s
_&. WARNING
-Sa fety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury .
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
Fig. 198 Unbe lted occupants in a ve hicle h ead ing for a
wall
Fig. 199 Th e ve hicle c ras hes into the w all
The physical principles are simple . Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies with veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en ­
ergy.''
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the g reater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" i n the crash. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor
. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle a re not
us ing sa fety belts ~
fig. 198, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until someth ing
stops them -here , the wall~
fig . 199.
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs. o r 1,000 kg) or
more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher .
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle . In a frontal colli­
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was t ravell ing just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of acc idents and col­
lis ions .

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What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 200 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown forward
Fig. 201 A r ear p assen ger n ot wearin g a safety belt
will fly forwar d an d st rike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or brac ing themselves. W ithout the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc­
cupant will slam vio lent ly into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield , or what­
ever else is in the way ¢
fig. 200. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­ posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini ­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
Safety belts 175
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted
occupants can a lso be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur .
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly . Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen ­
gers ¢
fig. 201. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 202 D river is correctly rest ra in ed in a sud den brak­
ing maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradua lly reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
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Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDRs are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDRs that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
The Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) rein­
forces driver safety. It reduces the risk of slip ­
ping and improves driving stability. ESC de­
tects critical s ituations such as the vehicle
Intelligent technology 223
oversteering and understeering or the whee ls
spinning . The vehicle is stabilized by applying
the brakes or reducing eng ine torque . Once
the ESC is active, the indicator light
GI blinks
in the instrument cluster.
The following systems are integrated in the
ESC:
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when brak ing. The vehicle can sti ll be steered
even during hard braking. Apply steady pres­
sure 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 assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance.
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and dr ive up hi lls.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other wheels.
This function is not available at higher speeds .
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL will switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems can­
not overcome the laws of physics. This is
especially important on slippery or wet
~
•
•

224 Intellig ent technol ogy
roads . If the systems begin acting to sta­
bilize your vehicle, you should immedi­
ately change your speed to match the
road and traff ic conditions. Do not let
the inc reased safety prov ided by these
systems tempt you to take r isks. Doing
so w ill increase the risk of a loss of vehi­
cl e con tro l, coll is ion and serio us personal
injuries.
- Always adapt you r speed to road, traff ic
and weather condit ions. The risk of los­
ing contro l of the veh icle increases when
driv ing too fast, especia lly t hrough
c u rves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. The ESC and its integrated sys­
tems cannot always prevent collisions -
there is still a r isk of accidents!
- Always acce lerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
Switching on/off
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways help to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D ifferent tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the ind icator light
DJ or fil (USA
mode ls)/ ti] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
<:;> page 16,
<:;>page 18.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
,.-------------.,
------------------
Fig. 231 Upper cente r console: f'J OFF button
The follow ing s ituations are exceptions where
it may be useful to switch on offroad mode to
a llow the whee ls to spin:
Offroad mode on
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
- Dr iving on rough terrain when much of the
car's weight is lifted off the whee ls (axle ar­
ticulation)
- Dr iving downh ill wh ile brak ing on loose
ground
Offroad mode off
Beha vior
The ESC and ASR stabilization funct ions The fu ll stab ilization funct ion of the ESC
are limited <:;>,&..
and ASR is availab le agai n.
Operat ion Press the I~ O FFI button . Press the I~ OFFI button again.
Indi ca to r IJ tu rnson. II turns off.
li g ht s
D riv er m es- Stabil izat ion cont rol (ES C): O ffroad. S tabil ization contro l (ESC) : On
sa ges Warning! R estricted st ab ility