Intelligent Technology
& WARNING
- Also, in vehicles with all wheel drive, adapt
your driv ing style to the curre nt road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety provided tempt you into tak ing risks,
because th is increases the r is k of an acci
dent.
- T he brak ing ability of your vehicle is limited
to the tra ction of the wheels. In this way, it
is not diffe rent from a two whee l dr ive ve hi
cl e. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippery this in
c reases the risk of an acc ident.
- Note that on wet stree ts, the front wheels
can "hyd roplane" if d riving at speeds that
are too high. Unlike front whee l drive
vehicles, the eng ine does not rev higher sud
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning.
For this reason, pay attention to the road
condit ions regardless o f you r sp eed to re
duce the r is k of an accident.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy managemen t system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a ve hicle wit h a co nven tional energy sys
tem is not driven for a long time, the batte ry is
d rained by equipment (for example t he immobi l
izer) . In certain circumstances, there could may
not be eno ugh energy to start the engine.
Your vehicle is equipped with a n intelligent ener
gy management system for distr ibuting e lectric i
ty. This s ignificantly improves the starting ability
and increases the b attery life.
The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagno sis , idling current management
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
T he batte ry d iagnosis de term ines t he b att ery
ch arge level. The senso rs detect the battery, the
battery current, and the battery temperature.
192
The c urren t cha rge level and the performance of
the battery are determined based on this .
Idling current management
The idling current manageme nt decreases the
energy used while parked. Wi th the engine
swi tched off , it m anages t he energy dis trib ution
to the d ifferent e lectrica l components. Date from
batte ry diagnosis is taken into acco unt for this.
De pend ing on the b atte ry charge level, ele ctrical
equipmen t is switched off one item a fter the o th
er, to preven t the bat tery from draining and to
retain the starting ability .
Dynamic energy management
While driv ing , dynam ic energy manageme nt dis
t ribu tes the appr opr iate amo unt of energy to the
e lectri ca l eq uipment. It contro ls the battery
charge level so that more energy is not used then
is being generated in order to maintain an opti
mal battery charge level.
(D Tips
- Ener gy management cannot overcome the
laws of p hysics . Note that the charge level
and length of the battery life are limited.
- Whe n the sta rting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light t urns on
~page 16.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority.
A lo t of st ress is placed on the b attery when dr iv
i ng sho rt distances, in t raff ic, and at cold times
of the year . A lot of energy is used but litt le is
generated. It is also critical when the engine is
not running but e lectr ica l equipment is sw itched
on. In th is case, energy is used but none is gener
ated.
In sit uat ions like th is, ene rgy management w ill
active ly regulated the dis trib ution of energy.
Long periods without use
I f you do not drive yo ur vehicle for sever al days o r
weeks, e lectrica l equipment is gradua lly sca le d
back or sw itched off. This reduces ene rgy use and ..,.
Driving and th e en vironm ent
content of the fuel be ing used. Using a differ
ent brand of fue l may he lp, or filling the tank
w ith lead-free super grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
The diesel particulate fi lter fi lters nearly all of
the soot particles out of the exhaust. The fi lter
cleans itself automatically under normal driving
conditions.
If the filter cannot clean itself (for ex
ample, because you are only driving short distan
ces), the filter becomes clogged w ith soot and
the
II symbo l for the diesel particulate filter il
lum inates ¢
page 20.
_& WARNING
-Do not park you r vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diese l particu
late fi lter could start a fire .
-
-Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Placing your vehicle out
of service
If you would like to take your vehicle out of serv
ice for a longer time, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repair facility. They will
adv ise you of important measures, such as corro
sion protection, maintenance and storage proce
dures. A lso follow the information about the bat
tery ¢
page 226 .
Economical and environ
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors :
-your personal driving style
- operating conditions
196
- technical limitations
If you ant icipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percent. This sect ion will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi
ronment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
'
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating.
.. Avoid unnecessary accelerat ing and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating. If you anticipate what is going to happen
next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel
erate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi
ble -for example when you see that the next traf
fic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im
proves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ
ment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionate ly at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather conditions permit.
Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair facility
check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear .
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
The original tires on your vehicle
have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high
"wear indicators"¢
fig. 194 run
ning across the tread. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) indicate
the positions of the tread wear in
dicators.
The tires have reached the mini
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢Ai..
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate wheels, in
stall the wheels from the rear
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
240
axle on the front axle and vice
versa. This will allow the tires to
have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord
ing to the running direction indi
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 258.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of
ten occur in locations that are
hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage .
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal
er or authorized repair facility to
have the vehicle inspected.
A WARNING ~
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega
tive effect on handling, on the
risk aquaplaning when driving .,.