2016 AUDI A7 engine

Automatic transmi ssion
DYNAMIC driving mode in drive select
¢page 102 .
• Press the brake pedal firmly with your left food
and hold it all the way down for at le ast 1 sec­
ond.
• At the same time, press the gas peda l all the
way down w ith your r ight foot u ntil the engine
reaches and stays at a high R PM level.
• Remove your foot from t he b rake pedal w it hi n 5
seconds ¢,& .
A WARNING
-Always adapt you r driving to the traffic f low.
- Only use the La unch control program when
road and t raff ic condi tions a llow i t and oth­
er drivers wi ll not be endangered or both ­
ered by yo ur driving and t he ve hicle's acce l­
eration.
- Please note that the dr ive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can brea k away w hen spo rt
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I .$ O FF l button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The t ransmission tempe ratu re may inc rease
significantly after using the launch control
program. If that happens, the program may
not be available for a few minutes. It will be
ava ilable again after a coo l-down period .
- When accelerat ing using the launch contro l
program, all vehicle pa rts a re subject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased wear .
Transmission malfunction
DD Transmission : Please press brake pedal and
s el ect gear again .
Press the brake pedal and se lect the desired se ­
lecto r leve r posit io n aga in . Yo u can then continue
d riving.
[O] Transmiss ion overhe ating: Please drive con­
servativ ely.
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The transm ission temperat ure has inc reased s ig ­
nificantly d ue to the sporty driving manner. Drive
i n a less sporty manne r until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light
switches of.
DD Transmission malfunction: you can continue
driving
The re is a system mal func tion in the t ransm is ­
s ion . You may contin ue driving . Drive to yo ur au­
thorized Audi dea ler or a uthorized Audi Se rvice
Fac ility soon to have the ma lfunction corrected.
DD Trans mission malfun ction : You can continue
driving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunct ion in the t ransm is­
s io n. The t ransm ission is swi tching to eme rgency
mode. This mode on ly shifts in to cer tain gears or
will no longer shift at al l. The engine may stall.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer o r authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
DD m Trans mission malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
S tronic tra nsmission: The re is a system malfunc­
tion in the tr ansmission . Th e transmission is
swi tching to emergency mode. This mode on ly
shifts into certain gears or will no longer shift at
a ll. The eng ine may stall. Yo u cannot engage the
r everse gea r. Drive to an aut hori zed Aud i dea ler
or a uthori zed Audi Service Facility immedia tely to
have the malfunct ion corrected .
DD Transmission malfunction: Stop veh icle and
shift to park.
Do not con tinue driving . Se lect the P selector lev­
e r position and see an authorized A udi dealer or
a utho riz ed Aud i service facility for assistance .
([) Note
If the transmission has switched to eme rgen ­
cy mode, drive to you r aut ho rize d Aud i dea le r
i mmediately to have the ma lf u nction co rrect­
ed.

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shared, p le a se see yo ur contract with the
wireless telecomm unications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Audi connect > About
Audi connect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of sk id­
d ing and loss of veh icle control.
It works only
when the engine is runn ing. ESC detects certa in
d ifficult d riving situations, including when the ve­
h icle is beginn ing to sp in (yaw) o ut of control and
he lps you to ge t the veh icle back u nder cont ro l b y
selec tively braking the whee ls, and/or reduc ing
engine power and providing steering assistance
to help hold the vehicle on the driver's i ntended
course. The indicator light
DJ in the instrument
cluster blinks when ESC is taking action to help
you control t he veh icle.
ESC has lim itations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not a lways be ab le to he lp out under all con­
d itions you may come up against. For example,
ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coefficient of friction of the road surface. Whe n
there is a section of d ry road tha t is s udden ly cov ­
ere d wi th wa ter, s lush or snow, ESC ca nnot per­
form the same way it wou ld on the d ry s urface . If
the vehicle hydroplanes ( rides on a cushion of wa ­
ter instead of t he road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been i nterrupted and the
ve hicle cannot be b raked or steered. Dur ing fast
cor ne ring, particula rly o n w inding roads, ESC
cannot a lways deal as eff ect ively wi th d iff icu lt
d riving situat ions than at lowe r speeds.
Always ad just your speed and dr iv ing style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC ca nnot
over ride the vehicle's physical limi ts, increase t he
ava ilab le tract io n, or keep a vehi cle on t he road if
roa d de pa rture is a res ult o f driver in att enti on.
I nstead, ESC improves the poss ibility of keeping
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the veh icle unde r control and on the road dur ing
extreme maneuve rs by using the dr iver's stee ring
i nputs to help keep the vehicle going in the in ­
tended direction. If yo u are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can p rov ide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switc hed on all the time. In certain s itua­
tions when you need less tracti on, you can switch
off ASR by press ing the button
[ru c:> page 189,
fig . 178. Be sure to sw itch ASR on aga in when
you no longer need l ess traction.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locki ng when brak ­
i ng . T he veh icle can st ill be stee red even during
hard braking. App ly steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stab ilize the veh icle.
Brake assist sy stem
The bra ke ass ist system can decrease braking dis­
tance. It increases bra king power when the driver
presses the brake peda l quickly in emergency sit­
uat ions. You must press and hold the b rake peda l
u nt il the dange rous situat io n is over . In vehicles
with adaptive cruise co ntro l*, the brake ass ist
system is more sensitive if t he d ista nce detected
to t he veh icle a head is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin spin ning and adapts the force to the road
cond it ions . Th is makes it eas ier to sta rt, acce ler­
ate a nd dr ive up incl ines.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
EDL applies t he brakes to a whee l that starts
sp inning a nd tra nsfe rs the d rive power to the
othe r drivi ng whee ls. This function is not ava ila­
ble at hig he r speeds.
In extreme cases, EDL automatically sw itches off
to keep the brake o n the braked whee l from over­
hea ting. The vehicle is st ill work ing cor rect ly. EDL ..,.

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will switch on again automatically when
conditions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC also
he lps to stabilize the steering in critical situa­
tions.
Selective wheel to rque control
Selective wheel torque control is used when driv­
ing on curves . The front wheel on the inside of
the curve or both wheels on the i nside of the
curv e are braked selectively as needed . This al­
lows more precise dr iving in curves.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-collision braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of other
collis ions after an accident. If the airbag control
module detects a coll is ion above a ce rtain veh icle
speed, the vehicle is braked by the ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the acce lerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri­
ca l system are not functioning.
Switching on/off
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A WARNING ,-
-The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural phys i­
cal laws. This is especially important on slip­
pe ry or wet roads. If the systems begin act­
ing to stabilize your vehicle, you should im­
mediately alter your speed to match the
road and traffic conditions. Do not let the in­
creased safety provided tempt you into tak­
ing risks. This could increase your risk of a
collis ion.
- Please note the r isk of a collision increases
when driving fast, especially thro ugh curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when driv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent collisions· there is still a risk of acc i­
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
even when these control systems are instal­
led and this can affect driving stability and
i n crease the r isk of a coll ision .
(j) Tips
-ABS and ASR only function correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identical
tires. Different tire s izes can lead to a reduc­
tion in engine power .
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 178 Center console: !J, OFF butto n
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in orde r to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
189

Intelligent Technology
ESC lev els
Sport mode on Sport mode off
Beha vior
The ESC and ASR stabilization f unctions are The full stabilization function of t he ESC
limited
c> ,& . and ASR is avai lab le again .
Operation Press the 1.$ OFF I button. Press the 1.$ OFF I button agai n.
In dicato r II turns on. II turns off.
light s
Driv er m es- S ta bi liz at ion contr ol (ESC ): sport. Warn -Stabiliz ati on c ontr ol (ESC ): on
s age s ing! Res tricted stabilit y
A WARNING
Only switch sport mode on when yo ur driving
abilities and the traffic situation permit, be­
cause there is a risk of sliding.
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is switched on. The dr iv ing
wheels could spin and the vehicle could
swerve, especially on slick or slippery road
s u rfaces .
(D Tips
-Sport mode cannot be switched on if the
cruise control system* or adaptive cruise
control* is switched on.
- If the rear spoiler system malfunctions,
sport mode may not switch on or it may
switch off again automat ically.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the f irst 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first
c> ,& . You can com­
pensate for this sl ightly reduced brak ing power
by pushing ha rder on the brake pedal. Avoid
heavy brak ing loads dur ing the b reak-in per iod.
Operat ing condit ions and d riving hab its
The brakes on today's automobi les are st ill sub­
ject to wear, depending largely on operating con ­
d itions and dr iving habits
c> ,& . On veh icles that
are either driven mostly in stop-and-go c ity t raf­
fic or are dr iven hard, the b rake pads should be
checked by your author ized Audi dea ler mo re of -
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ten than specified in the Warrant y & Mainte­
nan ce b ookl et.
F ail ure to have your brake pads
inspected can resu lt in reduced brake perform ­
ance.
On steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking ef­
f ect of the engine. This way, you prevent unnec ­
essary wear on the brake system. If yo u must use
you r brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin ­
u ously. Pump the brakes at intervals .
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depend ing on the
speed, braking force and ou tside cond itions su ch
as temperature and hum idity .
Effect of wat er and road salt
In certa in situations, for examp le after driv ing
t hr ough water, in heavy rain, after overnight con­
densa tion or after washing yo ur ca r, the bra king
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads . The brakes must be
dried fi rst with a few careful brake applications .
At higher speeds and with the winds hield wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake rotors for a short amount of time . This occurs at
r egular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better brake response time under
wet cond itions .
The effect iveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is d riven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes are not used. Likewise, you clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake discs
and pads wi th a few caut ious applications of the
brake
c> ,& . IJI>

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Corro sion
There may be a tendency fo r dirt to bui ld up on
the brake pads and corrosion to fo rm on the discs
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
trips with little use of the brakes.
If the b rakes are not used frequently, or if corro­
sion has formed on the discs, it is advisab le to
clean
off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few times from a moderately high speed
c=> .&, .
Faults in the brake sy stem
If you should not ice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake circuits
may have fai led
c=> .&, .
Low brake flu id level
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if the
brake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id leve l is
monitored e lectronically.
Br ake boo ste r
The brake booster works w ith vacuum pressure
which is created only when the engine is running
~ ,& .
Brake lining wear sta tu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
c=> page 2 55, Replacing wheels.
.8, WARNING -
- New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken-in" during
the initial 250 mi les ( 400 km) . You can com­
pensate for this by pressing the brake peda l
more firmly. This a lso applies later when
new pads are installed.
- You should perform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of clean ing the brake system
only if road conditions perm it. Other road
users must not be put at risk -you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
In te llig ent T echnolog y
brakes or hold the peda l down too long o r
too often. This could cause the brakes to get
hot and dimin ish braking effic iency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over­
heat, premature wear and increased stop­
ping distance .
- Under certain cl imatic and operat ing condi­
tions such as passing through water , dr iv ing
in heavy rain or afte r washing the veh icle,
the effect iveness of the brakes can be re ­
duced. In winter, ice c an accumulate on the
b rake pads, lin ings, discs and drums. Care­
fu lly apply brakes for a test . Brakes will dry
and ice coatings will be cleaned
off after a
few ca reful brake app lications.
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in­
stall a different spoiler, be su re the air f low
to the front brakes is not obstructed . Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­ ing the effect iveness of the entire brake sys­
tem.
- Fai lure of one brake circuit will impa ir th e
b rak ing capability res ulting in an increased
s topping distance. Avoid driving the vehicle
a nd have it towed to the nearest Aud i dea ler
or qualified workshop .
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a s top with the
engine shut
off .
- If the b rake booste r is no t working, the
b rake peda l must be pressed cons iderably
harder to make up for the lack of booster as­
sistance.
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Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements .
Powe r stee ring adapts electroni cally based o n
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr ive v ehicle: steering d efecti ve
If th is ind icator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may have fa iled.
Stop the vehicle in a safe locatio n as soon as pos ­
sib le. Do
not continue driving. See an author iz ed
Aud i dealer or authori zed Aud i Service Facility for
assistance.
,Ton Steering: Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator lig ht t urns on and the message
appears, t he steering may be more diffic ult to
move or more sensitive than usual. The steering
wheel may a lso be at an ang le when dr iv ing
straight.
D rive s low ly to your authorized A udi dealer or
qualified wor kshop to have the malfunction cor­
rected.
,Ton Dynamic steering: Initializing
If the indi cator lig ht ls b linki ng and th is message
appears, dynam ic s teeri ng* is being ini tialized.
Once you st art the eng ine a fter this is finished,
the steering wheel will be easy to move . Re -initi ­
alization might be necessary if the steering whee l
was moved hard to the left and right wh ile the
veh icle was not moving . The display turns off if
the initiali zation was successfu l.
(D Tips
-If th e . or ,Ton indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering sta bility systems
r=> page 188 are not ava ila ble in the event of
a system ma lf u nction.
192
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steerin g, refer to
r=> page 101.
All wheel drive (quattro)
App lies to vehicles : with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered .
General information
In all whee l dr ive, the dr iv ing power is divide d be­
tween all four whee ls. Th is happens automat ic al­
l y depending on yo ur driv ing behavior as well as
the cur rent roa d conditions . Refer to r=>
page 188,
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC).
A cente r d iff eren tial distribu tes the d riving power
variably to the fron t and rear ax le . I t works to ­
gether w it h select ive whee l torq ue control, which
activates when driving throug h curves
<=> page 189. With the sport differential*, power
distribution to the rear wheels is variable a nd can
be adjusted with drive select<=>
page 101 .
The all whee l drive concept is designed for high
engine power . Yo ur vehicle is exceptionally pow ­
erfu l and has excellent driving characterist ics
bot h under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice . Always read a nd follow safety pre­
ca utions
<=> ,& .
Winter tires
By using all whee l dr ive, your ve hicle has good
forward motion with sta ndard t ires in winter con­
dit ions . However, in winter we recommend usi ng
winter or all seaso n tires on a ll fou r wheels, be­
cause this will improve the braking eff ect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chai ns m ust
also be used o n ve hicles with all wheel drive
r=> page 248 , Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles with a ll wheel drive, o nly wheels with
the same rolling circum ference should be used.
Avoid w heels with d ifferent tread dept hs
<=> page 240, New tires or wheels. ..,.

Intelligent Technology
& WARNING
Improp er operat ion of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries.
- Always make sure that nobody, espec ially
children , is in the way when the rea r spo ile r
i s deployed or retracted.
@ Note
- Neve r push on the vehicle on the rear spoi l­
er. Th is co uld cause damage .
- To prevent damage to the rear spoiler do
not lean or p lace anyth ing on it.
- Only ope rate the rear spoi ler manually when
the luggage compartment lid is close and
the rear spo iler moving parts are not
blocked . Ot herwise, damage could occur.
(D Tips
Clean the rear spoiler compartment every 2 to
3 mont hs. To function correct ly, the rear
sp oiler must be free of ice, sn ow and leav es.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
ele ctrical energy distribu tion and op timi zes the
availability of elec trical energy for starting the
engine .
Whe n a ve hicle wit h a co nven tional e nergy sys ­
tem is not dr iven for a long time, the ba tte ry is
d rained by equipmen t (fo r example the immobil ­
izer). In certa in circ umstances, there cou ld may
not be eno ugh energy to start the engine .
Your veh icle i s equ ipped w ith an intellige nt ener ­
gy managemen t system for distr ibuting electr ic i­
ty . Th is significantly improves the starti ng ability
a nd increases the battery life .
T he energy m anagemen t sys tem Is made up of
battery diagno sis, idling current management
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
T he batte ry diagnos is determines the ba tte ry
ch arge leve l. The sen sors de te ct the ba tte ry, the
194
batte ry current, an d the batte ry tempera ture.
The c urrent charge leve l and the perfo rmance of
t h e battery are determined based on th is.
Idling current management
The idling cur ren t management decr eases the
energy used wh ile pa rke d. Wi th the eng ine
switched off, it manages the energy dis trib ution
to t he d ifferent e lectr ica l components . Date from
battery diagnos is is ta ken into acco unt for this .
Depend ing on the batte ry charge leve l, elec trical
equipmen t is switched off one item afte r th e o th ­
e r, to prevent the battery from dra ining and to
r etain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy management
While driv ing , d ynam ic ene rgy man agement dis ­
t ribu tes the ap propri ate amount of energy to the
e lectrica l equ ipment. It controls the battery
c h arge level so t hat more ene rgy is not use d then
i s be ing generated in order to maintain an opti­
mal battery charge level.
(D Tips
- Energy management can not overcome the
laws of p hys ics. Note that the charge level
and length of the battery life a re limited.
- W he n the sta rting ability is endange red, the
(•j indicator light t urns on¢ page 16 .
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lot of st ress is placed on the ba ttery when dr iv ­
i ng sho rt distances, in t raff ic, and at cold t imes
of the year . A lot of ene rgy is used but little is
generated .
It is also critical when the engine is
not ru nning but e lectr ica l equipment is sw itched
o n. In th is case, energy is used but none is gener ­
ated.
In sit uat ions like this, energy ma nagement w ill
active ly regu lated the distribution of energy.
Long periods without use
If you do not drive yo ur vehicle for several days or
weeks, e lectr ica l equipment is grad ually scaled ..,.

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back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
periods of time . Some convenience functions,
such as interior lighting or power seat adjust­ ment, may not be available under certa in circum­
stances . These convenience functions will be
available aga in once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
With the engine switched off
The battery will drain if you use functions such as
listening to the rad io while the engine is switched
off.
The vehicle's ability to start may be impaired by
the energy use, a message w ill appear in the In­
fotainment system d isp lay.
The message indicates that the system will
switch off automatically soon. If you would like
to continue using the funct ions, you must start
the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated whi le
driving, the battery can drain. This can happen
when little energy is generated, and much is used
and the charge level of the battery is not optimal.
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo­
rarily sca led back or switched off . Heating sys­
tems in particu lar require a great deal of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear window defroster is not working, then it
has been tempo rar ily reduced or sw itched off .
These systems are available again as soon as the
ene rgy balance has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
h as slightly increased . That is normal and no
cause for concern. Due to the increased idling
speed , the additional required energy w ill be gen ­
e rat ed and the battery will be charged.
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