Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
Applies to vehicles: with manual transmiss ion
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the way
before you can start the engine .
The manua l transmission in your Audi is equip
ped with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal a ll the way.
• Start the engine wit h the gearshift lever in Neu
tral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutc h pedal fu lly when
chang ing gears. Do not ho ld the vehicle on a
hill with the clutch pedal partially depressed.
This may cause premature clutch wear or damage.
@ Tips
- Resting your hand o n the gearshift leve r
k nob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmiss io n.
- The back-up lights go on when you shift into
Reverse w ith the ignition o n.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with man ual transmission
F ig. 84 Gea rshift pattern: 6 -speed manual transmiss io n
Engaging reverse gear (R)
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it forward.
82
Espec ia lly after driving forward, stop the vehicle
completely, shift into
Neutral and rest the shift
l ever br iefly in Neutra l before s hift ing into
Re
verse.
S tronic., tiptronic
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tip tronic
The au toma tic transmission is con trolled ele c
tronically . The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive program is se lected.
When a
moderate driving sty le is used, t he
transm ission selects the most economica l driv ing
mode. It will the n change up early and delay the
downshifts to give better fuel economy.
The tra nsmission sw itches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
s porty
dri ving style
characterized by quick accelerato r
pedal movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the max imum
speed .
If desired, the d river can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode ) ~ page 86.
Various automat ic tr ansmissio ns may be insta l
l ed, depending on the model :
S tronic transmission
The S tronic is a dual-clutch transmission . Power
i s transfer red using two clu tches that wor k inde
pendently from one another. They rep lace the
torque conve rter used in conven tiona l automatic
transm iss ions and allow the ve hicle to accelerate
without a noticeable interruption in traction.
tiptronic transmission
In the tiptroni c transmission, power is t ransfe r
r ed by a torq ue conve rter.
Automatic transmission
¢ page 191. Otherwise, any increase in en
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se lected . This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it. Activate the
parking brake or press the brake pedal to
prevent the vehicle from rolling .
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the eng ine
i s stopped and the selector lever is in N w ill
damage the transmission because it is not
l ub ricated under those circumstances .
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the dr iver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Applies to veh icles: w ith S tronic/tiptron ic
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
Hill descent contro l is activated when the selec
tor lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transm ission automatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the incline. Hill descent con
trol tries to mainta in the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physical and technical
limitations.
It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the accelerator peda l.
On veh icles w ith the cruise contro l system*
¢ page 80, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physica l
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all condit ions . Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
86
Manual sh ift program
App lies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
Using the manual shift program you can man
ually select gears.
'
Fig. 88 Center console: shift ing the gears manua lly
Fig. 89 Steering whee l: sh ift paddles•
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either w ith
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.,. Push the se lector lever to the right from D/5.
An M appea rs in the instrument clus ter disp lay
as soon as the transmission has shifted.
.. To upshift, push the selector lever forward to
the plus position
G) ~ fig. 88.
.. To downshift, push the lever to the minus posi-
tion
0 .
Gear selection with shift paddles*
The shift paddles are activated when the selector
lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual shift pro
gram.
.,. To upshift, touch the shift paddle on the right
G)¢fig. 89.
.. To downsh ift, touch the shift paddle on the left
0 .
.. If you do not press a shift paddle within a short
time while in the 0/5 position, the transmission
II>
.... N
0 Ico ....
using the shift paddles, move the selector lever
to the right out of the 0/5 position.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before critical engine speed is reached .
The transm ission only a llows manual sh ift ing
when the engine speed is within the permitted range.
@ Tips
- When you sh ift into the next lower gear, the
transm ission w ill downsh ift only when there
i s no poss ibility of over -rew ing the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the t rans
mission will sh ift down to a lowe r gear, de
pending on vehicle and engine speeds .
- Tiptron ic is inoperative when the transmis
s ion is in the fa il-safe mode .
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the resistance point, the automatic transm ission
downshifts into a lower gea r, depend ing on veh i
cle speed and engine speed. The upshift in to the
nex t higher gear ta kes place once the maximum
specified engine speed is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the drive whee ls can spin if
kick-down is used on a smooth s lippery road -
there is a risk of skidding.
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
The Launch Control Program provides the best
acceleration possible when starting from a stop .
Requirement: The engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering whee l must not be
turned .
.,. Press the
I~ OFF ! button¢ page 171 wh ile the
engine is running. The
II indicator light illumi
nates in the instrument cluster and
Stabiliza-
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
tion control (ESC ): Sport . Warning! R estricted
s tabilit y
appears in the driver information sys
tem disp lay .
.,. Move the selector lever to the 0/5 posit ion to
select sport mode (5) or select the
dynamic
driving mode in drive select*¢ page 103 .
.,. Press the brake pedal strongly w ith your left
foot and hold it down fo r at least 1 second.
.,. At the same time, p ress the accelerator pedal
down comp lete ly with yo ur right foo t unti l th e
eng ine reaches and ma intains a h igh RPM .
.,. Remove your foot from the brake peda l w ithin
5 seconds
¢ ,&. .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traff ic flow.
- On ly use t he Launch Control Program when
road and traffic condit ions allow it and oth
er d rivers will not be endangered or an
noyed by your dr iving and the vehicle's ac
celerat io n.
- Please note that the d riving wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- O nce you have acce lerated, you should
sw itch sport mode off by pressing the
I~ OFF ! button.
(D Tips
-The transmission temperature may increase
signif icant ly after using the Launch Contro l
Prog ram . If that happens, the program may
not be ava ilable for a few minutes. It will be
availab le aga in afte r a cool-down period.
- Whe n accelerating using the Launch Cont rol
prog ram, all vehicle parts a re subject to
heavy loads. This can res ult in increased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tip tron ic
[i] Transmi ss ion: Pre ss brake pedal and select
gear again . .,.
87
Audi adapt ive crui se con trol a nd b rakin g guar d
-For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise control when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condition and/or in bad weather (such
as ice, fog, gravel, heavy ra in and hydroplan
ing). Using the system under these condi·
tions co uld result in a collision.
- Switch adaptive cruise control off tempora
rily when driving in turn ing lanes, on ex
pressway exits or in construction zones. Th is
prevents the vehicle from accelerating to
the set speed when in these situat ions .
- The adapt ive cr uise control system will not
brake by itself if you put your foot on the ac
celerator peda l. Doing so can override the
speed and distance regu lation.
- When approaching stat ionary objects such
as stopped traffic, adaptive cruise control
will not respond and braking guard will have limited function.
- The adaptive cruise control system and
braking guard do not react to people, ani
mals, objects crossing the road or oncom ing
objects.
- The function of the radar sensor can be af
fected by reflective objects such as guard
rails, the entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain or
ice.
- Never follow a vehicle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safely. The adap·
t ive cruise control cannot slow or brake the
vehicle safely when you fo llow another veh i
cle too close ly. Always remember that the
automatic braking function ca nnot br ing the
vehicle to a sudden o r emergency stop un
der these conditions .
- To prevent unintended operation, always
switch ACC off when it is not be ing used .
(D Note
The sensor can be disp laced by impacts or
damage to the bumpe r, whee l housing and
unde rbody. That co uld affect the adaptive
cruise control system and braking guard .
Have your authorized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility check their function.
90
In curves
Applies to vehicles: with A udi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 93 Exa mple : dr iving into a curve
When driving into a curve c:::> fig. 93 and out of a
curve, the adapt ive cruise control may react to a
vehicle in the next lane and apply the brakes . You
can override or prevent the braking by pressing
the accelerator pedal b rief ly.
Stationary objects
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 94 Example: object chang ing lanes and stat ionary ob ·
jec t
The adaptive cruise control system only reacts to
objects that are moving or that the system has
already detected as moving . For example, if ave
hicle @, which has already been detected by the
adaptive cruise control, turns or changes lanes
and another stationary vehicle @ is located in
front of that vehicle, the system will not react to
the sta tionary veh icle.
Vehicles with manual transmission
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
The adaptive cru ise control is availab le from the
2nd gear through the 6th gea r in the customary
RPM. ....
.... N
0 Ico ....
E ngine sp eed!
This drive r message appea rs in vehicles w it h
manual transm iss ion if the drive r had not up
shifted or downshifted in t ime wh ile using adap
tive cruise control braking or acce lerating, caus
ing the vehicle to exceed or not reach the permit
ted limit speed. The adapt ive cru ise control turns
off. A chime sounds as a reminder .
Shift l ever po siti on!
Veh icles with an automatic transmission : the
d river message appea rs if the selector leve r is
shifted to the N position . T he adapt ive cru ise
control is not available while in this position.
Veh icles with manual transmission : th e d river
message appea rs fo r vehicles wit h manual trans
miss ion if there is no forward gea r engaged,
meaning if the reverse gear or the 1st gear is en
gaged or if the selector lever is in the neutra l po
sition . The adaptive cru ise control is not avai lab le
while in this posit ion.
Stabilization control (ESC )
This message appea rs if the electronic stab iliza
tion contro l (E SC) is tak ing action to stab il ize the
ve hicl e. The adap tive cruise contro l tu rns off. A
chime sounds as a reminder .
Sp eed too low
T his message appears if the current speed is too
low to set or to maintain the desired speed.
The speed being saved must be at least 20 mph (30 km/h). The cru ise control is turned off for
speeds lower than 12 mph (20 km/h) . The adap
tive cruise control remains turned on for speeds
above 95 mph (150 km/h) (override) . It will sta
b ili ze again at 95 mph (150 km/h) when the d riv
e r takes his foot off of the gas pedal.
P a rking brake!
The driver message appears when the park ing
brake is activated . Adaptive cruise contro l is
turned off . A chime sounds as a reminder .
97
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles different ly when tow ing a
trailer because of the additional weight and d if
ferent weight distr ibution. Safety, perfo rmance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig .
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 familiar with the way your vehi
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires pract ice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You will need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When pass ing, remember that you cannot accel
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trai ler before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex
tra load
c::> page 244.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only ofter doing the following:
When parking:
;::; .. Apply the foot brake.
0 ~ .. Have someone place chocks under both the ve-
~ hicle and the trailer wheels. Lil ,...., v:, ,....,
Trailer mode
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake.
.. Place an automatic transmission* in P, respec
tively a manual transmission in first or reverse
gear .
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine .
.. Move the selector lever to D/S, respectively a
manual transmission in first gear .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the automat
ic transmission* to P before applying the
parking brake and before blocking the wheels,
you may have to use more force later to move
the lever out of the P position.
183
,-1 N
0 1-CX)
,-1 I.Cl U"I
,-1 I.Cl ......
Checking and Filling Hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehi
cle.
Fig. 158 Driver's side footwell: engine hood re lea se lever
Fig. 159 Release lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure that
the windshield wipers are flat against the wind
shield. Otherwise, they could damage the paint
on the hood.
.. With the driver's door open, pull the lever un
der the instrument panel in the direction of the
arrow
¢ fig. 158.
.. Raise the hood slightly¢&.
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
¢fig . 159. This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be
Checking and Filling
seen or heard before carefully opening the
hood.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from the
struts is reduced .
.,. Le t the hood
drop down and latch in place. Do
not try to push it shut;
it may fail to engage
¢&, .
A WARNING
A hood that is not completely latched could
fly up and block your view while driving.
- When you close the engine hood, check it to
make sure the safety catch has properly en
gaged. The hood should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driving that the hood is
not secured properly, stop at once and close
it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engine compartment.
-
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking and
filling different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent personal injury
always observe the following WARNINGS. The
engine compartment of any vehicle is a hazard
ous area
¢ .&. .
A WARNING
-~
To help avoid injury, before you check any
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic transmis-
sion to "P" (Park); put manual transmission
in Neutral.
-Always let the engine cool down. Hot com
ponents will burn skin on contact.
191
Checking and Filling
-To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm. The coolant system is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme
diately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
while the engine is running or being started,
never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system .
- If you must perform a check or repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of automatic transmission
192
to "P" (Park); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or
other moving parts, or from contacting hot parts . Tie back hair before starting,
and do not wear clothing that will hang or
droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi
cal hazards
c::> /.1. .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm . In addition, certain flu
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly . If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer.