2016 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

General information
Applies to: vehicles with side assist
®
®
©
Fig. 113 D riving sit u atio ns
AUD I
Fig. 114 Rear of the vehicle: position of the senso rs
S ide a ssist fu nctions a t speeds above app roxi­
ma tely 19 mph (30 km/h).
@ Vehicles that are approaching
N N
~
:i: .,. a,
In ce rtain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itica l for a lane change even if it is still some­
what far away. The faste r a ve hicle app roaches,
t he soo ner the d isplay in the exterio r mirror w ill
t urn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Ve hicles traveli ng w ith you are ind icated i n the
exte rior m irro r if they are classified as critical for
a lane change. All vehi cles detec ted by side assist
Aud i side assist
are indicate d by the time they ente r your "blind
spot", at the latest.
© Vehicles left behind
If you s low ly pas s a vehi cle that s ide ass ist has
de te cted ( the differe nce in speed between t he
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or 15
km/h), the display in the exterior mirror turns on
as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
T he disp lay w ill not turn on if you quickly pass a
vehicle th at side ass ist h as de te cte d (t he differ­
ence in speed between the vehicle and your vehi ­
cle is greater tha n 9 mp h or 15 km/h).
Functional limitations
The radar se nsors are des igned to detect the le ft
and right adj ace nt lane s when the ro ad l anes are
the normal width . In certa in situations, the dis­
play in the exterior mirror may turn on eve n
though there is no vehicle located in the area
that is critical for a lane change. For example:
- if the lanes a re narrow or i f yo ur are dr iv ing on
the edge of you r lane. If t his is the case, the
system may have detected th e vehicle in anoth ­
er lane that is
not adjacent to your cu rrent lane.
- if you are dr iv ing through a curve. Si de assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane over
from the adjacent lane.
- if side assist reacts to ot her objects (such as
high or disp laced guard ra ils).
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
fu nctions a re limited .
D o no t cover the r adar senso rs
c> fig. 114 wit h
stickers, deposits, b icycle wheels or other o b­
jects, because th is wi ll affect the f unction . Do not
u se side assist when towing a t railer . For infor­
mation on cleaning, refer to
c> page 206.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to traffic and to the
area around your veh icle. S ide assist cannot
replace a driver' s attention. The driver alone
is always respo nsib le for la ne cha nges and
s im ila r dr iv in g ma neuve rs.
103

Audi side assist
-Improper reliance on the side assist system
can cause collisions and serious personal in­
jury:
- Never rely only on side assist when chang­
ing lanes.
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles under
all conditions- danger of accident!
- Please note that side assist indicates there
are approaching vehicles, or vehicles in your blind spot, only after your vehicle has
reached a driving speed of at least 19 mph
(30 km/h).
- In certain situations, the system may not
function or its function may be limited. For
example:
- if vehicles are approaching or being left
behind very quickly . The display may not
turn on in time .
- in poor weather conditions such as heavy
rain, snow or heavy mist .
- on very wide lanes, in tight curves or if
there is a rise in the road surface . Vehicles
in the adjacent lane may not be detected
because they are outside of the sensor
range.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody . This can affect the system . Have
your authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility check their function.
(D Tips
-If the window glass in the driver's door or
front passenger's door has been tinted, the
display in the exterior mirror may be misin­
terpreted.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regulations
c::> page 284.
104 Activating and deactivating
App
lies to : vehicles with side assist
Fig. 115 D riv er's doo r: Side ass ist butto n
.,.. Press the button c::> &. in General information
on page 103
to switch the system on/off . The
LED in the button turns on when side assist is
switched on .
Adjusting the display brightness
Applies to: vehicles wit h side assist
The brightness setting can be adjusted via the
MMI.
.,.. Select: I CAR I function button > Car systems
control button > Driver assist> Audi side as­
sist .
The display brightness adjusts automatically to
the brightness of the surroundings, both in the
information and in the warning stage . In very
dark or very bright surroundings, the display is
already set to the minimum or maximum level by
the automatic adjustment. In such cases, you may notice no change when adjusting the bright­
ness, or the change may only be noticeable once
the surroundings change.
Adjust the brightness to a level where the display
in the information stage will not disrupt your
view forward. If you change the brightness, the
display in the exterior mirror will briefly show the
brightness level in the information stage. The
brightness of the warning stage is linked to the
brightness in the information stage and is adjust­
ed along with the information stage adjustment . .,,.

@ Tips
-Side assist is not active whi le you are ma k­
i ng the ad justment .
- Your settings are automatically stored and
ass igned to the remote control key being
u sed.
Driver messages
A ppl ies to: ve hicl es w ith si de assis t
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in the
button turns off and a message will appear in the
i nstr ument cluster d isp lay :
Audi side assist: Cur rently una vailable . No sen ­
sor vision
The rada r senso rs' vision is affected . Do not cover
the area in front of the senso rs with b ike wheels,
stickers, dirt o r other ob jects . Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if necessary
c:> page 103,
fig . 114.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist c an not be swi tched o n tempo rarily be­
cause there is a mal function (for exam ple, the
battery charge level may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it w ill detec t
ve hicles co rrectly and it is swi tched off . The sen­
s ors have bee n disp laced or are fa ulty. Have the
sy stem checked by an authorized Audi de aler or
au thor ized Au di Service Facility soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing .
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a fac­
tory-installed trailer hitch is connected to the
e lectr ical connector on the trailer . Th ere is no
g ua rantee the syste m will sw itch off when usi ng
a retrofitted tra ile r hitc h. D o not use s ide assist
when towing a t railer.
Aud i side assist
105

Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i drive select makes it possib le to experience
d ifferent types of veh icle sett ings in one veh icle.
The driver ca n select three
Comf ort, Aut o and
Dyn am ic modes in the MMI to switch between a
sporty and a comfortable driving mode.
You can a lso adjust the setting accord ing to your
p references in the
indi vidual mode. For example,
you can combine settings such as a sporty engine tuning with comfortable steering.
A WARNING
Improper use of the Audi drive select can
cause collisions, other accidents and serious
personal injury.
Description
-
The follow ing systems are affected by drive se­
lect:
Engine and t ransm is sion
Depending on the mode, the engine and the
transmission respond quicker or in a more ba l­
anced manner to accelerator pedal movements.
In the sporty dynamic mode, the transmission
shifts at h igher RPMs.
Air suspe nsion
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air suspen­
sion sport*
(Air suspension in the MMI) is an
electronically controlled air suspens ion and
damping system . They are adjusted depending
on the se lected dr iving mode, the driver's steer­
ing, b raking and acceleration input and the road
surface, vehicle speed and load. A spo rty setting
is gene rally used in veh icles with adaptive air sus­
pens ion sport*.
The vehicle clearance va ries depending on these­
lected mode and the speed .
The highway setting is activated automatically
when yo u drive above 75 mph (120 km/h) for
mo re than 30 seconds in the
au to or dynamic
106
mode. The ground clea rance is increased auto ­
matically if the speed drops below 44 mph (70
km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering effort
and steering rat ios. Indirect stee ring that moves
easily, like the steering in com fort mode, is best
suited to long drives on a highway. In contrast,
dynamic mode provides sporty, direct steering .
The following app lies to veh icles with dynamic
steering*: the steering ratio changes based on
vehicle speed in order to maintain optimum
steering effort for the dr iver at a ll times . This
sets the steering to be less sensitive at higher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicle con­
trol. At reduced speeds, however, steering is more d irect in order to keep t he steering effort as
min imal as possible whe n the dr iver is maneuve r­
i ng the vehicle. A t low and ave rage speeds, dy­
namic steeri ng addit ionally prov ides more re ­
spons ive steering performance.
Sport differential*
As a component of the all whee l dr ive sys tem
(quattro)
~ page 195, the Sport differe ntia l*
dist ributes t he d riving powe r to the rear axle de ­
pend ing on the s ituation. The distr ib ution of
power va ries depending on the selected mode,
from ba lanced (comfort) to agile (dynamic). The
goal is a high level of agility and ability to accel­
erate on curves. The vehicle is very responsive to
steering.
Cur ve light *
The curve light adapts to driving on curves . The
pivoting action and the lighting are also adapted
to the mode.
Adapt ive cruise control*
The behavio r whe n accelerating ca n be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
drive select mode. Adaptive cruise contro l also
responds to the driving behavior of the vehicle
ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner . ..,_

Engine sound *
The sou nd of the engine is adapted to the select­
ed mode and ranges from subt le to sporty.
(D Note
- Make sure there is enough cle arance above
and below t he vehicle when parking. The
height of the vehicle can change once it is
parked due to temperature f luctuations,
changes to the load conditions and changes
to the driving modes, which can affect clear­
ance.
- When transporting the vehicle on a car car­
rier, tra in, ship or by other means, only t ie
the vehicle down at the running surface of
the tires, which is the outer circumference.
Securing the vehicle at the axle compo­
nents, suspe ns ion struts or towing eyes is
not permitted be cause the press ure in the
air suspension struts can change dur ing
transport . The vehicle may not be secured
sufficiently if this happens .
-If yo u are going to tow a tra ile r, you m ust
activate the trailer operation mode
<:!;>page 202.
(D Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto and
dynamic modes.
- Se lecting the
d ynami c mode resu lts i n spor­
ty shifting characteristics. The S gear posi­
tion engages a utomatically.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*, op ­
erating noise is heard when starting or stop­ ping the engine. This does not indicate a
problem.
Audi driv e se lect
- In vehicles w ith sport differential*, the dy­
namic mode is deactivated when towing a
trailer .
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between Comfort, Auto , Dynamic
and Individual .
Fig. 116 MMI: Dr ive select
.,. To select the mode , select the follow ing in the
MMI: ICAR !function button>
Comfort , Auto ,
Dynamic or Indi vidual.
You can change the driv ing mode when the vehi­
cle is stationary or while driving . If traff ic per­
mits, afte r changing modes, briefly take your
foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently
selected mode is also activated for the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on h ighways.
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for every day use.
dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driving style.
individual-<:!;>page 108.
_& WARNING ~
Pay attention to t raffic when operating Audi
drive select to prevent potentia l risk of an ac­
cident .
107

Audi drive select
Adjusting the Individual mode
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences.
"'Se lect : I CAR I function button > Set individual
cont rol button. You can now adjust the individ­
ual systems.
The
individual driving mode will automatically be
activated when you have finished configuring the
settings .
Systems Comfort
Engine
and Transmission balanced
Air suspension comfortable
Steering comfortable T
he equipment in your vehicle will determine
which settings you can adjust. The following ta­ ble provides an overview of the characteristics of
each driving mode .
Auto Dynamic
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
Dynamic
steering* comfortable/ind i r ec1t balanced/di rect sporty/direct
Sport differential * balanced agile sporty
Adaptive cruise control* comfortable balanced sporty
Engine sound* subtle
subtle/sportyal sporty
•> Sub tle in the dri ving posit ion D a nd sp or ty in the driving posi tion S
(D Tips
Your individual mode sett ings are automati­
cally stored and assigned to the remote con­
trol key being used.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
Raising the vehicle
You can raise your vehicle temporarily, for exam­
p le to drive over a tall curb .
"' Se lect the following in the MMI :
ICARI funct ion
button>
Raise control button.
"'Wa it for the arrows in the display to stop blink­
ing and the vehicle to reach its fina l position.
Lowering the vehicle
"'T o lower the vehicle, select the following in the
MM I:
ICARI function button > Lower control
button.
"' Wait for the arrows in the display to stop blink­
ing and the vehicle to lower completely.
108
(D Note
- Remember that your vehicle is not suitable
for driving offroad even when it is ra ised .
There is not enough ground clearance.
- If the vehicle is raised, it will lower auto­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/h)
or faster.
Driver messages
Air suspension: vehicle currently too low. Level
control running
Air suspension: vehicle currently too high. Level
control running
The driver message switches off when the level
control process is complete.

Night vision assistant
Night vision assistant
with pedestrian and wild animal marking
Description
Applies to: vehicles with night visio n ass istant
Night vision assistant with pedestrian and wild
animal detection assists you in darkness by using
an infrared camera to monitor the area in front of
your veh icle , w ith in the limits of the system .
It
can display objects up to app roximately
1000 feet (300 meters) away. The hea t image
detected by the camera is shown in the instr u­
ment cluster display. Warm areas appea r lighter
and cold areas appear darker.
Pedestrian and wild animal detection
Applies to: vehicles with night vision assistant
Fi g. 117 D is play: ye ll ow pede strian mark ing
Fi g. 118 D is p lay : symbo l w hen infrared ima ge is not vi sible
W ith in the limits of the system, n igh t vis io n as­
sistant can detect pedestrians and wild animals
that are w ithin the detection range between ap­
proximate ly 32 feet (10 meters) and 295 feet
(90 meters) in front of the vehicle. When it is
dark outside and the headlights are sw it ched on,
Night visi on assis tant
detected pedestrians and w ild animals a re
marked in ye llow ¢
fig. 117 with in the limits of
the system
¢ page 110 . Wild anima l detect ion is
not act ive in bu ilt-up areas. The system only de ­
tects large wi ld animals such as deer .
(!_) Tips
-If another display such as navigation rep la­
ces the image from the night vision assis­
tant, the~,, symbol appears in the tab
¢
fig . 118. You can call up n ight v is ion as ­
sistant using the buttons on the m ultifunc­
tion steering wheel¢
page 24 .
Pedestr ian and wild animal warning
Applies to: vehicles with nigh t vision assistant
Fi g. 119 In strument cl uste r: @ pedes trian w arnin g, @
w ild a nima l warn ing
F ig . 1 20 In strum en t cluste r: @ ped estr ian wa rnin g/ @
w ild an ima l warn ing w hen the n ig ht v is ion ass istant image
i s not se lected in the instr um ent cl uste r d isp lay
Instrument cluster display /Head-up Display*
If pedestrians o r wild animals are detected in an
area in front of your vehicle th at is considered
critical, the system will attempt to draw your at-
tention to this by :
Ill-
109

Night vis io n ass is ta nt
- Marking pedestrians or w ild animals in red in
th e inst rument cluster and turning on the.
or . symbol c::>fig.119 .
- Sounding a warning tone .
The area regarded as cr itical depends on the vehi­
cle speed and steering angle. Pedest rian and wi ld
an imal warning aims to increase you r attention.
I f the n ight vision assistant image is replaced by
another display such as the tr ip computer , the
red indicato r lamp . or. c::>
fig. 120 will turn
on when there is a pedestrian or wild animal
warn ing.
I f the Head-up Display* is swi tched on a nd the
n ight vision assistant disp lay content is activat­
ed, the display . or. appears in the Head -up
Disp lay *.
Marker light *
To draw the drive r's a ttent ion to the pedestrian,
the head lights can flash brief ly on t he pedest rian
three times when there is a pedes trian warn ing .
This happens at speeds above approx imately
35 mph (60 km/h) when you a re t raveling out­
side of we ll-lit areas and when flashing the head­
lights will not create glare for a vehicle detected
in the oncoming lane . The mark er light* is con­
trolled by the h igh beam assist*
r:::;, page 49, High
beam assist .
The headlights do not flash on w ild a nimals.
General information
Applies to: veh icles w ith night vision ass istant
Fi g. 121 Fr ont of the v ehicl e: nig ht v is io n ass istant came ra
The fo llow ing s ituations may affect the function
of the nigh t vis io n assis tant system:
110
- poor visibility such as snow, rain, fog or heavy
road spray
- dirty lens on the night vision ass istant camera
Make su re the n ight v ision assistant camera
c::>
fig . 121 is not covered by st icke rs , depos its or
any othe r obstr uctions because that can prevent
t h e camera from working properly. For informa ­
tion on cleaning the lens, refer to
c::> page 206 .
Pedestria n and wild anima l detect io n depends on
the d ifference in temper ature between the per­
son/w ild an imal and the backg round area . Pedes ­
trians/wild animals may not be detected if the
difference is too smal l. Pedestr ian and wild ani­
mal mark ing and the marker light* are deactivat ­
ed at temperatures above approximate ly 77 °F
(25
°() and when it is light outside. When the
night v is io n assistant image is selected in the in ­
strument cluster d isplay, the
II symbol appears
i n the upper right.
A WARNING
Nig ht vision ass istant has limits and can not
al ways detect pedestr ian s. A lways pay close
attention to t raff ic and the area around your
vehicle eve n when night vision assistant is
switched on .
- Night vision assistant can only warn about
peop le and wild a nimals located within the
visual range of the infrared camera. The vis ­
ual range corresponds to the image in the
instrument cluster disp lay.
- Night vision assistant may not detect people
or w ild an imals and mark them if
- th ey are not in an upright position, fo r ex ­
amp le if they a re sitting or lying down
and/or
- the silhouette i n the display is incomple te
or inte rrupted, for exam ple bec ause a per­
so n is partially cove red by a parked vehicle
or a wild animal is pa rtially covered by tall
grass. This increases the risk of a co llision.
- Never try to swerve to avoid animals if this
w ill put you or other drivers at r isk. This
could inc rease the risk of a collision.
-