
96 Audi drive select
Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
Audi drive select makes it possible to experi
ence different types of vehicle settings in one
vehicle. The driver can select three
Comfort ,
Auto and Dynamic modes in the MMI to
switch between a sporty and a comfortable
driving mode.
You can also adjust the setting according to
your preferences in the
Individual mode . For
example, you can combine settings such as a
sporty engine tuning with comfortable steer
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the Audi drive select can
cause collisions, other accidents and seri
ous personal injury.
Description
The following systems are affected by drive
select:
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and the
transmission respond quicker or in a more bal
anced manner to accelerator pedal move
ments. In the sporty dynamic mode, the
transmission shifts at higher RPMs.
Air suspension*
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air sus pension sport*
(Air suspension in the MMI) is
an electronically controlled air suspension and
damping system. They are adjusted depend
ing on the selected driving mode, the driver's
steering, braking and acceleration input and
the road surface, vehicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used in vehicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*.
The vehicle clearance varies depending on the
selected mode and the speed . The
highway setting is activated automatically
when you drive above 75 mph (120 km/h) for
more than
30 seconds in the Auto or Dynamic
mode. The ground clearance is increased auto
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds .
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering effort
and steering ratios. Indirect steering that
moves easily, like the steering in comfort
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides sporty, direct steering .
The following applies to vehicles with dynamic
steering* : the steering ratio changes based on
vehicle speed in order to maintain optimum
steering effort for the driver at all times . This
sets the steering to be less sensitive at higher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicle
control. At reduced speeds, however, steering
is more direct in order to keep the steering ef
fort as minimal as possible when the driver is
maneuvering the vehicle. At low and average
speeds, dynamic steering additionally pro
vides more responsive steering performance.
Adaptive dampers*
The adaptive dampers* use sensors to record
information regarding steering movements,
braking and acceleration operations by the
driver, road surface, driving speed, and load.
This makes it possible to adapt damping to
the driving situation virtually in real time.
Drive select also makes it possible to satisfy
the desire for sporty suspension (Dynamic)
and comfortable suspension (Comfort) with
out giving up balanced tuning (Auto) .
Sport differential*
As a component of the all wheel drive system
(quattro)
c::;; page 193, the Sport differential*
distributes the driving power to the rear axle
depending on the situation. The distribution
of power varies depending on the selected
mode, from balanced (comfort) to agile (dy
namic). The goal is a high level of agility and
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Automatic Transmission
tiptronic
Introduction
The automatic transmission is controlled elec
tronically. The transmiss ion upsh ifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive
program is selected.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most econom ical
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) ¢ page 107.
In the tiptronic transmission, power is trans
ferred by a torque converter .
Selector lever positions
Fig. 117 Disp lay in the instrument cluster: selector
lever posit ion
The selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selector lever as well as in the in
strument cluster display.
P - Park
In this selector lever position the transmis
sion is mechanically locked. Engage P only
Automatic Transmission 103
when the vehicle is completely stopped ¢ &
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 105.
To shift in or out of position P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the re lease button in the selector lever handle
whi le moving the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of this position only with the
ignition on.
R- Reverse
Select R on ly when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed¢.&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 105.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le of the selector
lever
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 w ith the
brakes applied ¢
& in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 105 .
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the footbrake before and whi le mov ing 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 briefly. Pulling the
lever back again will se lect the norma l mode
D. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driving 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 driv ing.
The vehicle makes full use of the engine's

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Parking systems
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus/rear view
camera/peripheral cameras
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, vari
ous parking aids w ill help you when parking
and maneuvering.
The
pa rking syste m plus assists you when
parking by audibly and visually indicating ob
jects detected
in front of and behind the vehi
cle
¢ page 110.
The rea r view c amera shows the area behind
the vehicle in the Infotainment disp lay . This
display assists you when you are cross or par
allel parking
¢ page 111 . In addit ion, you are
assisted by the functions from the parking
system plus¢
page 110.
The periph era l ca mera s assist you with park
i ng and maneuvering. You are aided by var ious
cameras depending on the vehicle equipment l eve l¢
page 114. In addition, you are assist
e d by the func tion s from th e parking sy stem
plus ¢page 110.
A WARNING
- Always look for traff ic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it di
rectly as well. The parking system cannot
replace the driver's attent ion. The dr iver
is always responsible for safety during
park ing and for all other maneuvers .
- Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
wh ich peop le and objects cannot be de
tected. Be especially cautious of children and animals.
- T he sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the radiator grille, bumper ,
wheel housing and the underbody. The parking systems may become impaired
as a result. Have your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop check their
function.
Par king system s 109
-Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstruc
tions as it may impair the sensor func
tion . For information on cleaning, refer
to ¢
page 201 .
(D Note
- Some objects are not detected by the
system under certain c ircumstances :
- Objects such as ba rrie r chains, trailer
draw bars, vertical po les or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall
extensions
- Objects w ith specific surfaces or st ruc
tures such as chain link fences or pow
der snow.
- If you continue driving closer to a low-ly
ing object, it may disappea r from the
sensor range. Note that you w ill no lon
ger be warned about this obstacle.
@ Tips
- T he system may provide a warning even
tho ugh there are no obstacles in the cov
erage area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- externa l ultrasonic sources e.g. from
clean ing vehicles.
- heavy rain, snow or thick vehicle ex
ha ust.
- We recommend that you practice park
ing in a traff ic-free location or park ing
lot to become familiar w ith the system.
When doing this, there should be good light and weather cond itions .
- You can change the vo lume and pitch of
the s ignals as well as the display
¢ page 119 .
-What appears in the infotainment dis
play is somewhat time-delayed .

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sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re
cl ined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca
pacitive sensor in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that the seat is occupied
by a person whe n it in fact is not, o r that
the person on the sea t is heavier than he
o r she actually is. The change in electric
capacitance beca use of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenger seat that will
cause the capacitive passenge r detection
system in the seat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that t he seat is occupied by a
pers on when it is not, or to sign al tha t it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the pe rson actually sitting on the
seat . The presence of an object co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
wor ked w ithout the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when a irbags dep loy
c an cause b reathing problems for peop le
w ith a his to ry o f asthma o r other brea th
ing condi tion s.
- T o reduce the r is k of brea thing prob lems,
those w it h a sthma or o ther resp iratory
condit ions should ge t fresh a ir right
away by getting out of the vehicle o r
opening windows or doo rs .
- If you are in a coll is ion in which a irb ags
deploy, wash yo ur hands and face with
mild soap and water befo re eating.
A irbag system 15 1
-Be ca reful not to get the d ust into your
eyes, or into any c uts o r scratches.
- If the resi due should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two seporate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Ai rbag System (incl uding the
electronic control unit, sensor circu its and sys
tem wir ing) is mo nitored continuously to
make sure that it is funct io ni ng properly
whenever the ignition is on. Each time you
switch on the ignition, the airbag monitor ing
i ndica to r li ght
fl will come on for a few sec
onds (self diagnos tics).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
ffl:
- does not come on when the ignition is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have sw itched on the ignit io n, or
- comes on whil e driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flash ing to
catch the driver's attent io n and then stay on
continuously to serve as a co nstant rem inder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front
airbag on the passenger s ide off, the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay
o n wheneve r th e ignit io n is on.
A WARNING
An ai rbag system t hat is not functioning
p roperly cannot p rovi de sup plemental pro-
-
tec tion in a frontal c rash . .,..
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154 Airbag sys te m
system to miscalcu late electrical capac i
tance .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
.8_ WARNING
-If the s tatus of the Adv a need A irbag Sys
tem has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGE R AI R BAG OFF
light blinks for about 5 seconds to catch
the driver's attent ion. If this happens, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the steps described above.
- If the
PASSEN GER AI R BAG OFF light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passen ger seat after taking the steps descr ibed
above, make sure the adult is properly
sea ted and rest rained at one of the rear
sea ting pos it ions. Have the a irbag sys
tem inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat.
.8_ WARNING
An air bag system that is not funct io ning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢
page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your authorized Aud i dea ler. It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not i nflate
w hen it should.
.8_ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a c hild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearw ard-fa cing
child sa fe ty seat, or in a forward- facing
child restrain t that has not been properly
installed will be serious ly inj ured and can
be killed.
- Even though your vehi cle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12 years and younger, always
ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing
child seats on the rear seat -even with
an Advanced A irbag System .
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and stay on, immediate ly install the rear-facing child seat in a
rea r seat ing pos ition and h ave the airb ag
sys tem inspec ted by yo ur Audi dealer.
- If , in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust ins tall a forwar d-fac ing ch ild re
s t raint on the front passenger seat, al
ways move the seat into its rearmost po
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust
ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when
eve r the ignit ion is switched on .
.8_ WARNING
-
- I f the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an ad ult is sit ting
on the front passenger se at aft er taking
the steps described above, make sure the
a dul t is prope rly seate d and restrained at
one of the rea r seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dea le r before t ransporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capac itive passenger detec tion sys
tem determines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the fronta l airbag on the
passenger side will be t urned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on.

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-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in ave
h icle
¢ page 130, Safety belts,
¢ page 139, Airbag system and
¢ page 165, Important things to
know.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam
age to a child rest raint that is not vis ible
could cause it to fail in another collis ion
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is eq uipped with a front "Ad
vanced Airbag System" in compliance w ith
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your veh icle was manufactured .
T he Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re
qu irements for 3-and 6-year old ch ildren on
the passenger s ide and small adults o n the
driver side. The low risk deployment criter ia
a re i ntended to reduce the risk of inju ry
through interaction with the a irbag that can
oc cu r, fo r example , by be ing too close to the
steering whee l and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup
press ion" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restra ined on the front
passenger seat in ch ild restraints that are list
ed i n the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all chi ldren, espe
cially those 12 years and younger, shou ld al
ways ride in t he back seat properly rest ra ined
fo r the ir age and s ize. Th e a irbag on t he pas
senger side makes the fro nt seat a poten tially
d a ngerous pla ce for a child to ride. The front
seat is not the safest place fo r a child in a fo r
ward-facing child safety seat . It can be a very
Child Sa fet y 167
dange rous place fo r an infant o r a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
T he veh icle's Advan ced Ai rb ag Sys tem has a
capacit ive passenger detec tion system in the
front passenger seat cush ion that can detect
the presence of a baby or a c hild in a child re
stra int system on this seat .
T he capaci tive passenge r detection system
r egisters the changes that result in an electri
ca l fie ld when a chi ld, a ch ild restraint, and a
baby blanket are on the front passenger seat .
The change in the measured capac itance due
to the presence of a child, a child restraint,
and a baby blanket on the front passenger
seat is related to the ch ild restraint system
rest ing on the seat . The meas ured capacitance
of a child res traint system va ries depend ing
o n the type of sys tem and specific m ake and
model.
T he elect rical capac itance of the va rious
types, ma kes, a nd models of child restra ints
spe cified by the U.S. Nationa l Highway Traff ic
Safety Administra tion (N HTSA) in the re levant
sa fety standard are stored in the Advanced
Airbag System contro l unit together with the
capacitances typical of infants and a 1-year
o ld child. W hen a child restraint is used on t he
front passenger seat with a typica l 1 year-old
infant, t he Advanced Airbag System compares
the capacitance measu red by the capacitive
passenger detection system with the data
s tored in the ele ctronic co ntrol unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system
Rega rdless of the c hild restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
U nited States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu
facturer for use with an airbag. A lways be sure
that the c hild restra int is properly installed at
o ne of the rear seating positions. If in excep
t iona l circumsta nces yo u must use it on the
fron t passenger sea t, ca re fully read all of the
i nformation on child sa fe ty and Advanced Air -
bags and heed all of the applicable ..,.
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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 187
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.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather condit ions. 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
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing the vehicle unde r con
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering inp uts to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection . 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 is switc hed on all the time . In certain sit
uat ions when you need less traction, yo u can
switch off ASR by pressing the button
[&I
c::> page 189, fig. 180. Be sure to switch ASR
o n again when you no longer need less t rac
t ion.
The following systems are integrated in the
ESC:
Anti-lock bra king sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking up
whe n brak ing. The vehicle can sti ll be stee red
even dur ing hard braking. App ly steady pres
s u re to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake as sist sy stem
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance. It increases brak ing power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adapt ive c ruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
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-Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE.
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
espec ially we ll for winter or summer driving.
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time .
(D Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo
nents in the fuel system .
- Do not use fue ls that fail to meet the
specified criter ia in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fue l blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supp lier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identified.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the responsibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the Emission Control System Warranties.
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveability and performance prob l ems due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon deposit build- up caused by
the type of gasoline you use.
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another , they have certain
things in common. All gasoline grades contain
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fuel injectors
and intake valves. Although most gasoline brands include additives to keep engine and
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 207
fuel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive .
A udi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. For more info rmation on TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, please go to the official
website (www.toptiergas.com).
After an extended period of using inadeq uate
fuels, carbon deposit build-ups can rob your
engine of peak performance.
Q) Note
Damage or malf unct ion due to poor fue l
quality is not covered by the Aud i New Ve
hicle Limited Warranty.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel fille r flap.
If the power locking system should fail, you
can still open the flap manually -for deta iled
instruct ions see
¢ page 209 .
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve
hicle in
¢ page 280 .
The label on the inside of the fuel fi ller flap
tells you the correct fue l for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see
¢ page 206.
Your vehicle fue l tank has an on board refuel
li ng vapor recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fuel vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle . In order to fill the tank
properly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful
ly.
_&. WARNING
Under normal operating conditions, never
carry additional fuel containers in your car.
Gas canisters and other containers used to
transport f uel can be dangero us. Such con
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision. If you must ..,.
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