162 Child Saf ety
- If the PASS ENGER AIR BAG O FF li ght
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
c:> page 141, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take 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.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child rest rained in ave
hicle is being used
c:> page 123, Safety
belts,
c:> page 131, Airbag sy st em and
c:> page 15 2, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
pas senger 's seat can be locked with the con
vertible locking retractor to properly secure
child safety seats.
The safe ty belts eme rgency lock ing re tractors
fo r the re ar seats safe ty belts and for the
fro nt passenger's seat safety belt have a con
vertible locking retracto r fo r child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that belt
webbing cannot unree l. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety be lt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
during normal driving . A child safety seat can
only be properly installed when the safety belt
i s locked so that the child and child safety
seat will stay in place.
A lways remember: Even thoug h your veh icle is
eq uipped w it h an Advanced A irbag system, all
ch ildren , espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and yo ung
e r, should always ride in the ba ck seat proper
l y res traine d for thei r age and weig ht.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly insta lled child sa fe ty seats in
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision. -
Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place dur ing no rma l dr iving o r in a
crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it .
A loose child safety seat can fly aroun d
du ring a s udden sto p or in a colli sion.
- I f the backrest is not securely la tched,
the child and the child restraint will be
throw n forward toge ther with t he ba ck
rest and will strike par ts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be se riously in
jured or killed.
- Never inst all rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr iers on the front pas
senger seat . A child will be serious ly in
jured and can be killed when the passen
ger airbag i nflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the back rest , center
armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe
ty seats or infa nt carriers on the rea r
seat .
- Forwa rd-facing child safety seats or in
fant car riers installed on the front pas
senger's seat may interfere with t he de
p loyment of t he a irbag and cause serious
i njur y to the child .
-It is safer to ins tall a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WAR NIN GS
whe neve r using a child restrai ned in ave
h icle i s being u sed
c:> page 152. Special
p reca utions apply when ins tal ling a child
safety seat on the fron t passenger seat
c:> page 132, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
_& WARNING
--
Always take specia l precautions if you
must install a forwa rd or rearward-facing
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
~ page 141, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
- Take 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.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
<;hild.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
_&. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re·
straint up, against or very near the in
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
Child Safety 163
backrest must be adjusted to 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 .
_&. WARNING
"' Rearward-facing child restraints:
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be seriously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
-Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception
al circumstances.
-A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and regis
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air bag System. The heavier weight regis
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- 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 PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi
ately install the rearward-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer. •
•
172 Intelligent technology
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the d rive powe r to the other wheels.
This f unct ion is available up to abo ut 60 mph
(100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from ove rheating. EDL wi ll switch on aga in a u
tomatically when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by
changing the steering to rque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steeri ng*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the stee ring in critical s itua
tions.
Select ive wheel torque control
Selective whee l torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows mo re prec ise d riving in curves. The
appl icable system may no t activate when d riv
i ng in wet or snowy condi tions.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems can
not overcome the laws of physics. This is especia
lly important on slippery o r wet
roads. If the systems begin acting to sta
bilize your veh icle, you should immedi
ately change your speed to match the
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to take risks. Do ing
so will in crease the r is k of a loss of vehi
cle control, collision and serious person al
in juries.
- Always adap t your speed to road, traffi c
and weather conditions . The risk of los
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. The ESC and its integrated sys
tems cannot a lways p revent collisions -
there is still a risk of acc idents!
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
T he drive w heels can spin even w ith
these assistance sys tems that cannot al
ways he lp to re duce the risk of loss of ve
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR o nly wo rk correctly when
a ll four wheels are equipped wi th iden ti
c al tires. D ifferen t tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine powe r.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are workin g.
-If the ind icator light DJ or Ea (USA
mode ls)/ lCOj
~ page 18,
<=>page 19.
"' N
a: LL co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Intelligent technology 173
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
ton
The ESC is designed to function in levels. De
pending on the level that is selected, the sta
b ili zat ion function of the ESC is limited or
switched off. The amount of stab ilizat ion con
trol will differ depend ing on the level.
The following situations are exceptions where
it may be useful to switch on sport mode to
allow the whee ls to spin:
-·-- ; .. _ j __ , ' j ----- -~~ ......... ----
Fig. 167 Version B: upper cente r console,~ OFF bu t
ton
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow o r on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASR on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization funct ion The full stabilization func-
tion funct ions are lim ited is not ava ilable
c::> .& . ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
c::> _& . and ASR are switched off. available again.
Operation Press the I.!> OF FI button Press and hold the I~ OF FI Press the I.!> OFF j button
briefly. button longer than 3 sec- again.
onds.
Indicator II turns on. fl and Ifill•];~ turn on. II turns off or II and
lights If il•lH turn off.
Driver mes- Stabilization control Stabilization control Stabilization control
sages (ESC): Sport. Warning! (ESC): off. Warning! Re- (ESC): On
Restricted stability stricted stability
_& WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on o r
switch ESC/ASR off if your driving abilities
and road conditions perm it.
-
- There is no vehicle stabilization when
ESC/ASR are switched off.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is sw itched on. The
driv ing whee ls cou ld spin and the vehicle
could swerve, especially on slick or slip
pery road surfaces.
@ Tips
ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or spo rt
mode cannot be switched on when cru ise
control or adaptive cruise control* is
switched on.
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Brake lining w ear sta tus
Brake lining we ar may be che cked by visual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces
sary, the wheel may be remove d for this in
spection
c> page 244, Changing a wheel.
.&_ WARNING
- New brake pads do n't have the best sto p
ping power and must be "broken-in" dur
ing the init ial 100 to 1 50 m iles (150 to
200 k ilometers) of normal city driving.
T he break-in period can be considerably
longer for veh icles with ceram ic br ake ro
tors*. You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly.
T his also applies later when new pads are
installed .
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system on ly if road condit ions permit.
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too ofte n. This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and d imin ish b raking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not inte nd
t o brake. Th is may cause the b rakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and inc reased
stopping distance .
- Under certa in climat ic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa
ter, driving in heavy rain or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing fo r an extended pe riod of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout using you r
Intellig ent technolog y 175
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler , be sure the air
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct
ed. Otherw ise the brake system could
overheat reducing t he effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one b rake circuit will impa ir
the braking capab ility result ing in an in
creased s topping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near
est a utho rized Audi dea le r or q ualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the b ra ke booste r is no t working, the
brake peda l must be p ressed considera
b ly harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
t he ve hicl e speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defect ive! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steer ing
may have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified repair facility for as
s istance.
E!'Y D ynamic stee ring: System fault! You can
continue dri ving
If the indica tor ligh t turns on and the mes-
sage appears, the stee ring may be more diffi
cu lt to move o r more sensit ive than usual. The ..,.
•
•
176 Intellig ent technolog y
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straig ht.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
l ;:r- ij Dyn am ic s te ering : initi alizing
If th is driver message appears and the ind ica
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel ,
dynam ic steering* is be ing reinitialized. After
start ing the engine, the steer ing whee l w ill
move slightly . Re-in itia lizat ion m igh t be nec
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right while the vehicle was not moving. The disp lay goes out as soon as i niti
alization is complete .
.&_ WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system mal
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop -risk of accident!
(D Tips
- If the . or@ indicator light only stays
on for a short t ime, you may continue
driving .
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction .
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
steering*, refer to
c::> page 102 .
Driving with your
quattro
-
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive , power is distributed to
a ll four w heels . This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See a lso
c::> page 171.
A center different ial d istr ibutes the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle.
It
wo rks together wi th se lective wheel torque control, which activates when driving thro
ugh
c u rves
c::> page 172. With the sport differen
t ia l*, power distr ibut ion to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted w ith drive se lect
c::> page 102.
The all-whee l drive concept is designed for
high eng ine power. Your veh icle is except ion
ally powerful and has excellent driving charac
teristics both under normal driv ing cond itions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety precaut ions
c::> ,& .
Winter tir es
When d riving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea
son tires) for improved dr iveability and brak
ing : these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
wh eels.
See also c::> page 236, Winter tires.
Tire ch ains
Where tire chains are mandatory on cer tain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive c::> page 23 7, Snow
chains .
Replacing whee ls / tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same s ize . A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page
c::> page 230, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road dr iving ?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid roug h tracks a nd un
even terra in as much as poss ib le . Also refer to
c::> page 179.
.&_ WARNING
A lways adj ust yo ur dr iv ing to road and t ra f
f ic conditions . Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the a ll-wheel d rive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in
crease in engine speed as with a front·
wheel drive vehicle . A lways d rive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availabili ty of electrical energy for s tarting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e .g . immobilizer) . In certain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine.
Intell igent energy management in your vehi
cle hand les the d istribution of electrical ener ·
gy. Starting ab il ity is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagno sis, idling current manag e
m ent
and dynamic en erg y manag ement.
B attery diagnosi s
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determ ines the current
state of charge and the powe r of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is s tand ing.
W ith the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various electr ica l compo·
Int ellig ent technolog y 177
nents . Data from batte ry diagnos is is cons id
ered.
Depend ing o n the ba ttery's state of cha rge ,
individ ua l cons umers are g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and t hus maintain sta rting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While t he vehi cle is being d riven, dynamic e n
ergy ma nagement dis trib utes the energy ge n
era ted accord ing to the needs of the individ u
al components. It regulates consumption, so
that more e lectrical energy is not bei ng used
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for t he battery.
(D Tips
- But even ene rgy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi
cator light (•) ::ippears
¢ page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
star ting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year. Ab undant electrica l energy is re
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engi ne is not running and electri
ca l components are turned on . In this in
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being ge nerated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management active ly regu lat ·
ing the d istribut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectr ica l compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in·
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience func tions may not .,.
•
•
178 Intelligent technology
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The convenience
functions will be ava ilable again when you
switch on the ignit ion and start the engine.
With th e engine turn ed off
If yo u listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off or use other MMI fu nc
tions, the battery is being discharged .
I f sta rting capabi lity is jeopa rdized due to en
e rgy consumpt ion, the fo llowing warning ap
pears in the MMI display:
Please start the eng ine soon or th e syste m
will be turned off .
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 m inutes. If
you wish to con tinue us ing t he functions, you
have to s tart the engi ne.
With the engine running
A lthough electrical energy is generated when
the veh icle is be ing dr iven, the battery can be
come discharged . T his happens most ly when
little energy is be ing generated a nd a great
deal consumed and the battery 's state o f
charge is no t optima l.
To br ing the energy balance back into equili
b rium, consumers which require especially
l arge amo unts of energy are tempo rari ly cut
back or switched off. Heating sys tems in par
ticular require a great dea l of energy . If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has been restored.
You will a lso notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly. This is norma l and not
a cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the add itiona l energy required is gener
ated and the batte ry is charged .