Driving
brake provides various convenience and safety
functions.
When starting from a stop
- The integral hill start assist helps you when
driving by automatically releasing the parking
brake
c:;, page 87, Starting from a stop.
- When starting on inclines, the hill start assist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll
ing back. The braking force of the parking brake
is not released until the wheels build up
enough driving force.
Emergency brake function
The emergency braking function ensures that the
vehicle can be slowed down even if the
standard
brakes fail c:;, page 87, Emergency braking
function.
A WARNING
- Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver
tently when the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running and a gear is selected.
Otherwise the vehicle will start to move im
mediately and could result in a crash.
- If the power supply fails, the released park
ing brake can no longer engage. In this
case, park the vehicle on level ground and
secure it by placing the selector lever in the
P position . See an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility for assis
tance.
(D Note
If the . or .. (USA models) /. (Canada
models) indicator light in the instrument
cluster blinks, there is a malfunction in the
brake system. Refer to the detailed descrip
tion of the indicator lights
c:;, page 18.
-If the - (USA models) /. (Cana-
da models) or
Ill indicator light turns on,
there is a malfunction in the parking brake
c;, page 19.
@ Tips
-If the parking brake is set while the ignition
is switched off, the
¢~jj indicator light in the
button and in the instrument cluster dis-
86
play - (USA models) /. (Canada mod
els) will turn off after a certain amount of
time.
- If driver's door is opened while the ignition
is switched on, the parking brake sets auto
matically. This prevents unintended rolling
of the vehicle.
- Occasional noises when the parking brake is
set and released are normal and are not a
cause for concern.
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at regu
lar intervals. Any noises associated with this
are normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking brake
will not set if it is released, and it will not release if it is set
c:;, I!:::,. . See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa cility for assistance.
· Parking
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
.,. Pull the switch @
c:;, page 85, fig. 80 to set the
parking brake.
.,. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.,. Turn the engine off
c:;, & -
.,. Turn the steering wheel when parking on in
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
A WARNING
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving the vehicle, even for a short period
of time . This applies particularly when chil
dren remain in the vehicle. Otherwise chil
dren could start the engine, release the
parking brake or operate electrical equip
ment such as power windows, which in
creases the risk of an accident.
- When the vehicle is locked, no one -particu
larly not children -should remain in the ve
hicle. Locked doors make it more difficult
for emergency workers to get into the vehi
cle, which puts lives at risk.
,....,
N
0 > co ,....,
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with S tronic transm ission
Your veh icle is equipped with an e lectron ically
controlled DSG transmiss ion called S tronic. Two
independent clutches transfer the power be
tween the engine and transmission . It allows the
vehicle to accelerate without a noticeable inter ruption in traction.
The transm ission upshifts or downsh ifts auto
matica lly. The driving sty le continuously influen
ces the selection of the driving program.
When a
moderate driving style is used , the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode. The transmission upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency.
The transm ission switches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down o r when the driver uses a
sporty
driving style
characterized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acce leration , frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) ¢ page 94, Shifting
manually (tiptronic mode) .
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tro nic t ra n sm issio n
Fig. 81 Instrument clus te r: selec tor leve r posi tions
-~ 0 > (X) a,
The instrument cluster display shows the current
selector lever position and current gear .
Automatic transmission
P -Park
The wheels are mechan ically locked in this posi
tion. You can only shi ft into Park when the vehi
cle is
stationary ¢&. .
To s hift in and out of the P selector lever posi
tion, press the interlock button in the selector
lever
while pressing the brake pedal.
R- Reverse
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed¢ ,&..
T o select the R selector lever position, press the
interlock button
while pressing the brake pedal.
T he back- up lights switch on in the R position if
the ignition is switched on.
N - Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this position .
D/S - Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S se lector lever position, the transmis
sion can be operated either in the normal D mode
or in the S sport mode. To select the S sport
mode, pull the selector lever back briefly . Pulling
the lever back again will select the normal D
mode . 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 driving
style .
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine's power .
Sh ifting may become noticeable when accelerat
ing.
To move from selector lever position N to D, you
must press the brake pedal and the vehicle must
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be sta
tionary ¢&. .
,&. WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
- The vehicle can roll even if the ignit ion is
switched off.
89
Automat ic t ra nsm iss io n
-Never select R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
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 increases the r isk
of an accident.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal when the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged. Otherwise the vehicle will start to
move immediately, even if the parking brake
is set. This cou ld result in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position wh ile
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running .
- Never leave yo ur vehicle with the engine
running whi le in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, set
the parking brake and move the selector lev
er to the P position.
- To decrease the risk of an accident, these
lector lever must be in the P position and
the parking brake must be set before open ing the hood and working on a running en
gine . Always read and follow the applicable
warnings
q page 236, 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 position,
because this could damage the automatic
transmission and catalytic converter .
(D Tips
-Audi drive select: Sporty shifting character
i stics can be selected us ing the
D ynami c
driving mode.Swill appear in the instru
ment cluster disp lay instead of D.
- Plug-in hybrid drive*: the transm iss ion
switc hes automatically to the normal D
mode if the
l a ' I butto n ¢ page 104 is p ress
ed while in spo rt mode 5 .
90
-If you accidentally select N whi le dr iving,
take your foot off the accelerator peda l im
mediately and wait for the eng ine to slow
down to idle before selecting Dor
5.
- If there is a power failure, the selector lever
will not move out of the P position. The
emergency release can be used if this hap
pens ¢
page 96.
Selector lever lock
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmiss ion
The sele ctor lever lock prevents you from select
ing a gear accidentally, causing the vehicle to
roll .
Fig. 82 Selecto r lever lock
To release the se lector lever lock :
.,. Sw itch on the ignition .
12 0
0
> Q) a)
.,. Press the brake pedal while pressing the in ter-
lock button.
Automat ic shift lock (ASL )
The selector lever is locked in the P and N posi
tions when the ign it ion is switched on. You must
press the brake peda l to select another position .
You must also press the in terlock button if you
are moving from the P posi tion . The follow ing
message appears in the d isp lay when the se lector
lever is in the P or N posit ion to rem ind the driv
er:
When stati onar y ap pl y fo otbrake while select
ing ge ar
The automatic sh ift lock only functions when the
vehicle is stationa ry or at speeds be low 1 mph
(2 km/h) . At highe r speeds, the lo ck is automati-
ca lly deactiva ted in the N pos ition . ..,.
Automatic transmission
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission/ shift paddles
The tiptronic allow the driver to shift the gears
manually .
Fig. 84 Center conso le : manual shift in g with the selector
l ever
Fig . 85 Steer ing wheel: manual shi ftin g with the shi ft pad
dles•
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing.
• To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the right in the
tiptronic shift gate. Once the transmission has
switched modes, the selector lever position
M
is shown in the instrument cluster display
¢ page 89, fig. 81. For example M4 , means the
fourth gear is engaged .
• To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for
ward
0 ¢ fig. 84.
• To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever to
back Q.
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
(tiptronic shift gate) selector lever positions.
94
.,. To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig. 85 .
.,. To shift down one gear, tap the shift paddle Q.
If the shift paddles are tapped wh ile in the D/S
selector lever position, automatic mode switches
off briefly. To switch from manually shifting back
to automatic shifting immediately, tap the sh ift
paddle
0 ¢ fig. 85 for 1 second.
To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move
the selector lever to the right out of the D/S posi
tion into the tiptronic shift gate.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down
before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is with in the permitted
range.
(j) Tips
- If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission will only shift if the engine will
not be over-revved.
- With kick-down, the transmission shifts to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle speed and
engine speed.
- ti ptronic does not work if the transmission
is running in emergency mode.
. Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be
yond the res istance point, the automatic trans
mission downshifts into a lower gear, depending
on veh icle speed and engine RPM. It shifts up in
to the next higher gear once the maximum speci
fied engine RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the whee ls cou ld spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac
tive.
-
,....,
N
0 > co ,....,
Applies to vehicles: with launch control
The Launch Control Program enables maximum
acceleration .
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
.. With the engine running, press the
l~OFF ! but
ton briefly one time
ll .
.. Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi
tion briefly to select the S position, or press it
toward the right into the tiptronic pos ition or
select the
D ynami c driving mode in drive se
lect*
~page 148.
.. Press the b rake peda l firmly wi th you r 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.
A WARNING
-Always adapt yo ur driv ing to the traffic flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic cond itions allow it and other dr ivers will
not be endangered or impacted by you r d riv
ing and the vehicle's accele ration.
- Please note that the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is swit ched o n, especia lly when the
road is s lippery.
- Once t he vehicle has sta rted moving, press
the
I $? OFF ! button briefly to t urn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmiss ion temperature may increase
s ignificantly after using the lau nch cont rol
program.
If that happe ns, the program m ay
l) In vehicles w ith a d river information system, an ESC light
in the instrument cluster stays o n continuous ly and the
message
Stabili za tion contro l (E SC ): sport . Warning! Re·
stricted st abi lity
appears temporar ily.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
not be ava ilab le for a few minutes. It will be
avai lab le again after a cool-down period.
- Whe n accelerating using the launch contro l
program, all vehicle parts a re su bject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear.
Emergency mode
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic transmiss ion
In the event of o system mo/function, there is on
emergency program.
If all of the selector lever positions are hig hlight
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster disp lay, 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 rever se .
(D Note
If the transm ission runs in emergency mode,
drive to an authorized A udi dealer or author
iz ed Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunc tion corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Tran smi ssion malfunction ! Pl ea se stop the
vehicle and select P
The re is a ma lfunction in the transmission. Park
the vehi cle secure ly and do not cont in u e driv ing.
See a n author ized Audi dealer or au thori zed A udi
Service Facility for assis tance.
• Tran smission overheating! Plea se stop the
vehicle!
The transmiss ion is too hot and can become dam
aged. Stop and let the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engi ne r unning (at idle) in the P se lector lever po
s it ion. Then the ind icator lig ht and the message .,.
95
,....,
N
0 > co ,....,
mode, the status message
e-"'1 o I r.-.Al"'Y ap
pears briefly in the instrument cluster display
and the needle in the power meter points to
READY ¢page 101.
-Make sure that the selector lever is in the P
position and the ignition is switched off
when leaving the vehicle.
([) Note
-The high-voltage system can be damaged if
the vehicle underbody comes into contact
with the ground. Immediately drive your ve
hicle to an authorized repair facility and
have it inspected.
- The electric drive motor can become very
hot during operation . Do not stop the vehi
cle if there is oil, fuel residue or other flam
mable substances under or next to the vehi
cle.
Special considerations for the high-voltage
battery
Please first read and note the introductory infor
mation and heed the warnings
¢page 98.
All batteries age with use and over time. There
are things you should know about the care of the
high-voltage battery that will help it keep giving
you good service and reliability over time. Please
read and keep the following information in mind
while you enjoy the performance and economy of
your vehicle.
- Be sure to charge the high-voltage battery be
fore leaving the vehicle parked and unused for a
longer period of time. Ideally the high-voltage
battery should have a charge level between
40% and 60% when parked for a long time.
- If the battery charge level is below 3%, never
park the vehicle for more than 21 days without
charging the high-voltage battery. Should you
have to park the vehicle for a long time, make
sure that the charge level is sufficient to help
prevent the battery from aging prematurely.
- Frequent and consecutive charging of the high
voltage battery when the charge level is above
98% can also decrease the capacity of the high-
e-tron
voltage battery. Make sure the charge level is
below 98% when you start the charging proc
ess.
- Should the vehicle be parked for longer than
2 days at temperatures below -13 °F (-25 °(),
the high-voltage battery could freeze and not
be able to provide energy to the electric motor.
The battery will start working again, once it
warms up . The battery can be warmed up when
the outside temperature rises or when the vehi
cle is garaged appropriately. The battery will al
so warm up when being used (switching on the
air conditioner, the heater or by driving the ve
hicle). Should you have to park your vehicle at
very low temperatures for longer than 1 day,
make sure that the high-voltage battery does
not freeze by parking the vehicle in a garage
that is heated or protected from the outside
temperature.
- The high-voltage battery can be damaged and
the capacity can be decreased when the vehicle
is parked for longer than 24 hours when the
ambient temperature is higher than 118 °F
(48 °C). Always make sure that the high-volt
age battery is not exposed to temperatures
above 118 °F (48 °C) for a long time.
- Never park the vehicle in areas that are likely to
be flooded, such as beaches or river banks, and
never drive the vehicle in WATER, on flooded
roads or through water that is higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body. The high-voltage
battery, along with other vehicle components,
can be damaged severely if the high-voltage
battery is exposed to open water especially for
a longer time. However, you can drive through
water on roads under certain conditions
¢ page 77, Driving through water on roads .
Failure to heed any of these requirements can
age the battery prematurely and lead to a perma
nent decrease of the high-voltage battery's ca
pacity.
(D Tips
Always make sure that the high-voltage bat
tery is not exposed to extremely low and high
temperatures as well as to water especially
for a longer time. Failure to protect and care
for the high-voltage battery can lead to
99
e-tron
serious damage and/or a decrease of the ca
pacity void coverage under the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
Applies to veh icles: w ith plug-in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
I START S TOP I button. Also note the informa
tion here ¢
page 82.
Establishing drive ready mode
See¢.& in Introduction on page 98.
Requ irement: a charging cable must not be con
nected to the vehicle ¢
page 121 and the selec
tor lever must be in the P or
N position.
- Press the brake pedal.
- Press the
I START STOPI button .
When the vehicle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the power meter points to
READY r:::;, page 101 .
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electric motor after
establishing the drive ready mode and if the con
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
¢page 103.
The conditions to drive are essentially the same
for the automatic transmission : ¢
page 89
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acce leration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ignition off with the
le!> START STOPI
button.
Vehicle sound
The vehicle generates electronic vehicle sound at
speeds up to approximately 2S mph (40 km/h) so
that your vehicle can be heard from the outside
when in electric drive mode. The veh icle sound
automatically fades out at higher speeds when
the sounds from the tires and wind start increas
ing .
100
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignit ion on without establish
ing drive ready mode.
- Press the
I START STOP ! button to switch the
ign ition on and off. Do not press the brake ped
al while doing this.
The needle stays pointing to
OFF@ r:::;, page 101,
fig. 88 when the ignit ion is switched on.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni
tion is switched off .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the battery from draining, the ignition
will switch off automatically under the following conditions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The vehicle must be stationary.
- The gaso line engine must not be runn ing .
- The driver 's door must be open .
- The driver's safety belt must be unbuckled.
- The brake pedal must not be pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights automatically shut off in 30 minutes. See
owner's manual
appears in the instrument clus
ter display . The parking lights w ill switch off af
ter approximately 30 minutes or when you lock
the vehicle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo
tor continues running and the ignition does not
automat ically switch off
r:::;, ,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
The vehicle cannot start when outside tem
peratures are below-18
°F (-28 °()
r:::;,page 101.
-
.... N
0 > CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
.... I.Cl ....
e-tron
Power meter overview
Applies to vehicles: with plug-in hybrid drive
The power meter shows the status of the plug-in hybrid drive and the availability of the plug-in hybrid
system .
Fig. 88 Power m ete r overview
When opening the driver's door, the charge level
is shown in the inst rument cl uster when the igni
tion is sw itched on, or the cha rge level and the
rema ining charge time for the high-vo ltage bat
tery is displayed when charg ing .
The power mete r is located in the instrument
cluster in place of the tachomete r. A d igital tach
omete r can be d isplayed in the driver info rmation
sys tem
¢ page 29 .
The power mete r gives feedback about the part ic
u lar accelerator pedal position and shows the
current demand
(%) for electricity or fue l regard
less of which engine is active.
An economical dr iv ing and recupe ration range is
shown in g reen
¢ page 104, Energy recovery (re
cuperation) .
A driving range that is not economi
cal is shown i n orange . In add ition, the batte ry
status provides information about the high -vo lt
age battery charge status.
(D Vehi cle no t drive ready (OFF)
@ Recuperation (CHARGE)
® Veh icle dr ive ready (READY)
@ E ff ic ient driving w ith electric moto r
and/or gasoline engine (E FFIC IEN
CY)
® E conom ic driving wh ile the electric
moto r or gaso line engine is in the
partia l powe r range
® Driving in fu ll power range
(J) 100% output
@ Boos ting -the e lec tric mo tor as
sists the gaso line engine (BOOS T)
® High-voltage battery charge level
@ T he EV mode is ac tive o r EV mode is
current ly not ava ilable
@ Speed limit for electric driving in EV
mode (80 mph/ 130 km/h)
Indicator lights and messages
Applies to vehicles: wit h plug-in hybrid drive
Also note the ind icator lights in ¢ page 13.
The gasoline engine is act ive when the Ill indica
tor light t urns on.
• Drive system : sy stem fault! Safely park vehi
cle
T he re is a ma lfunction in the plug- in hybrid sys
tem. The br ake booster and the power steer ing
may stop working . Stop the vehi cle immed iate ly
or as soon as possible. Park the ve hicle in a sa fe
place outdoors that is not near bu ildings, roof ..,_
101