
Driving
Starting from a stop
The start assist function ensures that the park
ing brake is released automatically upon start
ing.
Stopp ing and appl ying parking br ake
.,. Pu ll the switch @q page 78, fig. 71 to set the
parking brake.
Starting and aut omatically rel ea sing the
pa rking br ake
Requirement: The driver 's door must be closed.
.,. When you press the accelerato r pedal, the park
ing brake is automatically released and your ve
hicle begins to move.
When stopp ing at a traffic signa l o r stopp ing in
city traffic, the parking brake can be applied . The
vehicle does not have to be held with the brake
pedal. The parking brake e liminates the tendency
to creep when a selector lever position is engag
ed. As soon as you press the accelerator pedal,
the park ing brake releases automatically and the
veh icle starts to move.
St arting on slope s
When starting on inclines, the h ill start ass ist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally rolling
back . The braking force of the parking brake is
not released unt il sufficient d riving force has
been b uilt up at the whee ls .
(0 Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake only re
leases automat ica lly when the driver's door is
closed .
Emergency braking function
In the event that the conventional brake system
fails or locks .
.,. To brake your vehicle in an emergency, pull the
@ switch
q page 78, fig. 71 and hold it pulled.
.,. As soon as you release the @switch or acceler
ate, the braking process stops.
Pulling and holding the@switch while driving at
a speed of about 2 mph (3 km/h) or h igher in i-
80
tiates the emergency b rak ing function . The veh i
cle is braked at all four whee ls by activating the
hydraulic brake system . The brake performance is
s imilar to heavy brak ing.
q &
To he lp prevent activating the emergency braking
by mistake, an audib le wa rning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the @switch is pu lled . Emergency
braking stops as soon as the @switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
A WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used in an
emergency, when the norma l brake pedal has
failed or the bra ke pedal is obstructed. During
emergen cy bra king, your ve hicl e will bra ke
similar to he avy braking. ESC and the asso ci
ated components (ABS, ASR, EDL) canno t
overcome the laws of physics. In corners and
when road o r weathe r cond itions are bad, a
fu ll brake applicat ion can cause the veh icle to
skid or the rear end to break away, which in
creases the risk of an accident.
Hill hold
App lies to vehicles: wit h Hill Hold
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills.
Req uirement: The driver door must be closed and
the engine must be running.
The system is activa ted when the brake peda l is
pressed whi le the vehicle is statio nary .
To prevent the vehicle from roll ing ba ck when
st art ing, the brake power is held fo r a b rief mo
ment afte r releas ing the b rake pedal. During this
time, you can easily begin to move your vehicle.
A WARNING
-The inte lligent technology of Hill Hold can
not overcome the limitations imposed by
natura l physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by Hill Hold shou ld not cause you to
take safety r isks.
- Hill Hold cannot hold the vehicle in all hill
start sit uat ions (for example, if the ground
is s lippery or icy).

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-If you do not begin moving immediately af
ter releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle
could begin to roll backward under certain
circumstances . Press the brake pedal or set
the parking brake immediately .
- If the engine "stalls", press the brake pedal
or set the parking brake immediately.
- Starting on inclines in stop-and-go traffic:
To help prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when starting, press and hold the brake pedal for several seconds when the vehicle
is stationary .
(D Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is equipped
with Hill Hold by checking at an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili
ty.
Driving
81

....,
N
0 > co
rl I.O
"'
"'
"'
rl
-Never select R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is stil l transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To pre
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
running . Otherwise, this inc reases the r isk
of an accident.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
peda l when the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged . Otherwise the vehicle will start to
move immediately, even if the pa rking brake
is set . This could res ult in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running whi le in gear . If you must leave your
vehicle when the engine is running, set the parking brake and move the selector lever to
the P position.
- Before opening the hood and working on a
running engine, select the P position with
the se lector lever and activate the parking
brake. Always read and fo llow the applicable
warnings
¢ page 198, Working in the en
gine compartment.
(D Note
Never let the veh icle roll downhill with engine
off and the selector lever in the N pos ition,
because this could damage the automatic
transmiss ion and catalyt ic converte r.
(D Tips
- Audi drive select: Sporty shifting character
i stics can be selected us ing the
Dynam ic
driving mode.Sw ill appear in the instru
ment clust er disp lay ins tead of D.
- If you accidentally select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce le rator pedal im
mediately and wa it for the engine to slow
down to idle before select ing Dor S .
-If there is a power failure, the se lector lever
will not move out of the P posit ion. The
Au tom atic t ra nsm iss io n
emergency release can be used if this hap
pens
¢page 89.
Selector lever lock
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tronic tra nsm iss io n
The selector lever lock prevents you from select
ing o gear occidentally, causing the vehicle to
roll.
Fig. 73 Selecto r lever lock
To release the selector lever lock:
.,. Switch on the ignition.
•
m 0
0
>
~
.,. Press the brake pedal while pressing the inter-
lock button.
Automat ic shift loc k (AS L)
The selector lever is locked in the P and N posi
tions when the ignition is switched on. You must press the brake peda l to select another position .
You must also press the interlock button if you
are moving from the P pos ition . The fol low ing
message appears in the d isplay when the selector
lever is in the P or N posit ion to remind the dr iv
er:
When stationar y appl y footbrake whil e selec t
ing g ear
The automatic sh ift lock only functions when the
vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds below 1 mph
(2 km/h). At h igher speeds, the lock is automati
cally deactivated in the N pos ition .
The selector lever is not locked when shift ing
quickly through N, for example from R to D. This
makes it poss ible to free the vehicle when it is
stuck by "rock ing" it . The selector lever lock en-
gages if the leve r stays in the N pos ition longer
liJ,,
83

Automatic transmission
than approximately 2 seconds when the brake
pedal is not pressed.
Interlock button
The interlock butto n in the selector lever handle
p revents you from moving the selector lever in
advertently while in some selector lever posi
t ions . The positions that require the interlock
button to be pressed are marked in co lor in the il
lustration
c::> fig. 73.
Ignition key safety interlock*
You can only remove the key from the ignition af
ter sw itching the ign ition off if the selector lever
is in the P position. The selector lever will be
locked in the P posit ion as long as the key is not
in the ignition .
A WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::> & in Se
lector lever positions on page 82.
@ Tips
- If the selector lever does not engage, there
is a malfunction. The engine is disabled to
prevent the vehicle from driving off uninten
tionally. Press the brake pedal br iefly to al
low the selector lever lock to engage again.
- If the vehicle does not move forward or in
reverse even though a drive position is se
lected, proceed as follows:
- >If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direct ion, the system may not have engaged
the drive pos ition correctly. Press the brake
pedal and select the drive position again.
- >If the veh icle still does not move in the de
sired direct ion, there is a system malfunc
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility for ass istance
to have the system checked.
84
Driving tips
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmissio n
The transmission shifts up and down automati
cally when in the driving gears .
Fig. 74 Sec tion of t he ce nter conso le: se le ct or lever with
interloc k button
The engine will only be able start when the selec
tor lever is in the P or N positions . At low temper
atures (be low 14 °F (-10 °C)), the engine can only
be started when the selector lever is in the P po
sition.
Starting from a stop
"' Press and hold the brake pedal.
"' Press and hold the interlock button in the selec
tor lever hand le, select the desired selector lev
er position such as D
c::> page 82 and release the
lock button.
"' Wait a moment until the transmission shifts .
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages .
"' Release the brake peda l and press the accelera
tor pedal
c::> ,&. .
Stopping temporarily
"'Keep the veh icle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traff ic lights .
"' Do not press the accelerator peda l when doing
this.
"' To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop
ping on steep incl ines
c::> ,&. .
"'The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the acce lerator pedal. Requirement: The door
must be closed.

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Stopp ing /p ark in g
If the se lector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
In vehicles with a convenience key*, the message:
Shift t o P, o ther wis e vehi cle c an roll away .
D oo rs do not lo ck if l ever i s not i n P
appears . You
will also hear a warning tone.
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal c:> A
~ Set the parking brake.
~ Se lect the P selector lever pos ition.
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the b rake pedal to hold the vehi
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
c:> A -Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in
creasing the engine speed
c:> @ .
Starting on an incline in vehicl es without H ill
H old *
~ Set the parking brake.
~ With the driving gear se lected, press the accel
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake releas
es automatically . Requ irement: The door must
be closed .
Starting o n an incline in veh icles with Hill
Hol d*
~ With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the accel
erator pedal
c:> page 80, Hill hold.
Under certain circumstances, (such as driving in
the mountains or towing a tra iler), it may be use
ful to sw itch temporarily to the manual sh ift pro
gram in order to adjust the gears to the driving
conditions by hand~
page 87.
When parking on a level surface, simply place the
selector lever in the P position. On inclines, acti
vate the parking brake first and then move the
selecto r lever to the P position~
page 78. This
prevents the locking me chanism from being load
ed too heavi ly and wi ll make it easier to move the
selector lever out of the P posit ion .
Aut omatic transm issio n
A WARNING
-The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
sw itched off.
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serious injuries.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine running while in gear. If you must leave your
veh icle when the engine is running, set the
parking brake and move the selector lever to
the P position.
- Power is still transferred to the wheels when
the eng ine is running at idle. To prevent the
veh icle from "creeping", you must keep your
foot on the brake when the engine is run
n ing and the selec to r l ever is in the D, Sor R
position or "tiptronic" mode is selected .
- Do not inadvertently press the accelera tor
pedal when the vehicle is stationa ry. Other
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could res ult in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the eng ine is
running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level pos i
tions while dr iv ing.
It could cause a crash.
- Before driving down a steep s lope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"t iptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases brak
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake system.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place with the foot brake or pa rking brake to prevent it from ro lling
back.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a slipping clut ch. The cl utch opens au tomati
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
mJ indicator light turns on
and a message appears
c:> page 88 when
the clutch is overloaded .
85

Automatic transmission
-If the engine must run while you are work
ing in the engine compartment with the
hood open, make sure a gear is not engag
ed . The selector lever must be firmly in the
P position and locked in place and the park
ing brake must be set ¢
page 198. Other
wise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed is high, even with the
parking brake set.
0 Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se
lected. This can cause the automatic trans
mission to overheat and can damage it. Ac
tivate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped and the selector lever is in the N
position will damage the automatic trans
mission because it is not lubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmission can overheat and be dam
aged under certain driving and traffic condi
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic . When the
5] or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool¢
page 88.
-Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the S tronic trans
mission because it is not lubricated
¢ page 2 54, Towing with a tow truck.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake only re
leases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tron ic transm ission
The hill descent control system assists the driv
ing when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec
tor lever is in the Dor S position and you press
86
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill
descent control tries to maintain the speed ach
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brakes. Because hill de
scent control cannot shift down farther than 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas . In this case, shift into
1st or 2nd gear in tiptronic mode to use the en
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢
page 94, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set .
&_ WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.

Automatic transmission
Launch Control-Program
Applie s to v ehi cles: w ith launch control
The Launch Control Program enables maximum
acceleration .
Requirement: The engine must be at operating
temperature and t he steering wheel must not be
turned.
.,. With the engine running, press the
!~OFFI but
ton briefly one time
l) .
.,. Pull the selector lever back out of the O/S posi
tion briefly to select the S position, or press it
toward the right into the tiptronic position or
select the
Dynamic driving mode in drive se
lect*
~page 112.
.,. Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least 1 sec
ond.
.,. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.,. Remove your left foot from the brake.
_.&. WARNING
- Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic conditions allow it and other drivers will
not be endangered or impacted by your driv
ing and the vehicle's acceleration.
- Please note that the drive wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
l .1'3 OFF ! button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmission temperature may increase
significantly after using the launch control program. If that happens, the program may
1l In vehicles w ith a d rive r infor matio n syste m, a n ESC light
in t he instrument clus ter s tays o n co ntinuo usly and t he
message
Stabilization control (ESC): sport. Warning! Re·
stricted stability
appears temporarily.
88
not be available for a few minutes. It will be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch control
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased wear.
Emergency mode
App lies to vehicles : wi th S t ro ni c t ra nsmi ssio n
In the event of a system malfunction, there is an
emergency program .
If all of the selector lever positions are highlight
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster display, there is a system malfunction and
the S tronic transmission is running in the emer
gency program. The vehicle can still be driven in
emergency mode, but only with reduced speed
and not in all gears. In some cases, the vehicle
cannot drive in reverse .
(D Note
If the transmission runs in emergency mode,
drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Transmission malfunction! Please stop the
vehicle and select P
There is a malfunction in the transmission. Park
the vehicle securely and do not continue driving.
See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
• Transmission overheating! Please stop the
vehicle!
The transmission is too hot and can become dam
aged. Stop and let the transmission cool with the
engine running (at idle) in the P selector lever po
sition. Then the indicator light and the message
turn off, drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have.,.

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Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be
come completely fami liar with the way your ve hi
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is d iff icu lt and requires practice . Back
i ng up w ith a trailer generally req uires steering
action oppos ite to that when backing up yo ur ve
hi cle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your vehicle
and the one in front of yo u. You w ill need more
room to stop. To compensate for the tra iler, you
will need a larger than norma l turning radius.
When passing, remember that yo u cannot acce l
erate as fast as yo u normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky sta rts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
@ Tips
- Do not tow a tra ile r during the break-in peri
od of yo ur vehicle.
- If yo u tow a t railer, you r A udi may require
more frequent ma intenance due to the ex
tra load
~ page 262.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.. Apply the foo t brake .
.. Have someone pla ce chocks under bo th t he ve
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.. With c hocks i n place, s lowly re lease the brakes
u nti l the whee l chocks absorb the load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the c urb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Se lect the P selector lever pos ition.
When restarting after parking :
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Start the eng ine.
.. Se lect the D/S selector lever posit ion.
Trailer mode
.. Release the pa rking brake and s lowly pull out
an d away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the automat
i c transm iss ion to P before app ly ing the park
i ng brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use mo re force later to move the
l ever out of the P posit ion.
93