
Automatic transmissio n
Automatic transmission
tiptronic
Introduction
The automat ic transmission is controlled e lec
tron ically . The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on wh ich dr ive
p rogram is selected.
When a
m oderate dri ving style is used, the
transmission se lects the most e conomical d riving
mode. The t ransm iss ion upshifts a t a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to imp rove fuel
efficiency.
The transm ission switches to a spo rty mode afte r
a kick-down or when the drive r uses a
sport y
d riving sty le
charac ter ized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acce leration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If desired, the dr iver can a lso select the gears
manually (tiptronic mod e) ¢ page 85.
In the tiptronic t ransmiss ion, power is trans fer
red by a torque converte r.
Selecting a selector lever position
F ig . 9 0 Inst rument cluste r: selecto r leve r pos itio ns
~ N 9 :, (X) a:,
The inst rument cl uste r d isplay shows the current
selec to r l ever posit ion a nd current gear¢
fig. 90.
P - Park
The whee ls are locked in this pos ition. On ly shift
into park when the veh icle is stationary¢
A in
Driving tips on page 84 .
To engage the P selec
to r lever position, p ress the button on the se lec
to r lever and shift into the P pos ition.
82
You can only shift out o f park when the engine is
running and you are pressing the brake peda l. To
release the parking lock . press the button on the
selector lever and select the desired pos it ion.
R- Reverse
The reverse gea r is engaged in th is position . Only
se lect reve rse when the vehicle is stationary and
the engine is running at idle speed
¢ .&. in Driving
tips on page 84.
To engage the R selector lever
pos ition, press the button on the selector lever,
press the brake peda l and move the selector lever
i nto the R position .
The reverse lights turn on when you select the R
selector lever position while the engine is run ning.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this position¢&. in
Driving tips on page 84 .
To engage the N selec
tor lever position, press the button on the selec
tor lever and s hift into the N pos ition.
To move from selector lever position out of N,
you must press the brake peda l and the vehicle
must be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be
stationary.
D IS -Normal position for driving forward
Depending on the se lector lever position, the
transmission can be operated either in the nor
mal D mode or in the S sport mode . The instru
ment cluster disp lay shows the se lected 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 f ull use of the engine's power.
Sh ift ing may become noticeable when accelerat
i ng .
To move from selector lever position N to D/S,
you m ust press the brake peda l and the vehicle
must be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be
stationary.
ll-

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,&_ WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS¢ A in Driv
ing tips on page 84.
(D Note
Coasting downhill w ith the transm ission in N
and the engine not running will result in dam
age to the automatic transmission and possi
bly the catalytic converter.
@ Tips
- If you accidentally select N while driving,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wait for the engine to slow down to idle be
fore selecting Dor S.
- 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 86.
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from select
ing o gear occidentally, causing the vehicle to
roll.
Fig. 91 Selecto r lever loc k
To release the selector lever lock:
• Switch the ign ition on .
• Press the b rake peda l
and hold the lock button
at the same time ¢
fig. 91.
• Move the selector lever into the desired posi
tion. The engaged selecto r lever position is
shown in the shift gate .
-
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift lock (ASL)
The selec tor lever is locked in the P and N posi
tions when the ignit ion is switched on. The re
move it from these positions , the driver m ust
press the brake pedal and press the lock button
at the same time. The following message ap
pears in the instrument cluster display when the
selector lever is in the P or N position to remind
the driver:
Press brake to change gear while stationary.
The automatic shift lock only funct ions when the
vehicle is stat ionary o r at speeds be low 1 mph
(2 km/h). At higher speeds, the lock is automati
cally deactivated in the N position.
The selector lever is not locked when shifting
quick ly through N, for example from R to D. This
makes it possible to free the vehicle when it is
stuck by "rocking" it. The selector lever lock en
gages if the lever stays in the N position longer
than 2 seco nds when the brake pedal is not
pressed.
Lock button
The lock button in the selector lever handle pre
vents you from moving the selector lever unin
tentionally while in some selector lever positions.
The positions that require the lock button to be
pressed are marked in color in the illustration
¢fig . 91.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
• The se lector lever must be in the P or the N po
sit ion.
Starting from a stop
• Press and hold the brake pedal.
• Press the button on the selector lever and se
lect the D , Sor R selector lever posit ion
¢page 82.
• Wait a moment until the transmission shifts.
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages.
• Release the brake pedal and press the accelera-
tor pedal
QA - .,..
83

Automatic transmissio n
Stopp ing temporarily
.,. Press the b rake peda l to stop the vehicle, fo r
example at a traffic light. Do not press the ac
ce lerator peda l when doing this.
... To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop
ping on steep inclines ¢
,&..
.,. The park ing brake w il l release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopp ing /park ing
If the selector lever is not in the P posit ion when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
The message
S hift to P and turn off ign it ion ,
otherwi se vehicle can roll awa y
appears.
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal
c> ,&. .
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. To engage the P selector lever posit ion, press
the button on the selector lever and sh ift into
the P position
i:> page 82.
Stopp ing on an incline
.,. Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
c> ,&. . Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in
c reasing the eng ine speed
i:> 0.
Starting on a hill
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the D posit ion .
.,. Press t he accelerator pedal carefully . If you r
safety belt is fastened, the pa rking brake is au
tomat ica lly released a nd your ve hicle beg ins to
move .
Unde r ce rtain c ircumstances, such as driv ing in
the mountains, it may be usef ul to sw itch tempo
rarily to the manua l shift program in o rde r to ad
just the gea rs to the d riving conditions by hand
i:>page 85 .
On inclines, act ivate the park ing brake first and
then move the se lector lever to the P pos it ion
c>page 72. This prevents the lo cking mechanism
from being loaded too heav ily and w ill make i t
easier to move the se lec tor lever out of the P po
sition.
84
A WARNING
- The vehicle can also ro ll when the eng ine is
stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se
rious injury.
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle w hen the engine is r unning, ac
tivate t he pa rking brake a nd move the selec
tor lever to P .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle . To p re
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u m ust
keep your foo t on t he b rake when the en
g in e is ru nning and the selector lever is in D/
Sor R or "tiptronic" mode is se lected .
- Do not press the a cce le ra to r peda l when
changing the se lec to r l ever posi tion while
the vehicle is s ta tionary and the engine is
r u nning .
- Never sh ift into R or P whi le driving.
- Before d riving down a s teep sl ope, redu ce
your spee d and sh ift into a lower gea r w ith
"t i ptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the bra ke
pedal too of ten o r too long when dr iv ing
down a hi ll. Constant braking ca uses the
brakes to ove rheat and substantially re
duces brak ing performance, increases b rak
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake system.
- To prevent the veh icle from rol ling back
when stopp ing on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake peda l or park ing brake .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An ind icator lam p. illumina tes
and a dr iver message appears¢
page 86
w hen t he clu tch is overloade d.
- If the e ngine must rema in running, never
have a ny driving posi tion engaged when
checking unde r th e hood. Make s ure these
lec to r l ever has secu rely eng aged an d is
loc ked in P with the parking b rake set

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c> page 177. 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 whi le a driv ing gear is se
lected. This can cause the automatic trans
mission to overheat and can damage it . Set
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from ro lling.
- Allow ing the vehicle to roll when the eng ine
i s stopped and the selector lever is in
N po
s ition w ill damage the automatic transm is
s ion because i t is not lubricated under those
ci rc u ms tances.
- The transmiss ion can over heat and be dam
aged under certain driving and traffic co ndi
t ions s uch as frequent starts, creeping for a
l ong time, or stop -and -go traffic. When the
• indicator light turns on, stop the vehicle
at the next opportunity and let the trans
mission cool down
c> page 86.
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driver 's
safety belt is fastened and the dr iver 's door is
locked.
Hill descent control
Hill descent control assists the driver when dr iv
ing down hills.
Hill descent contro l is activated wh en th e se lec
tor lever is in the D or S position and you p ress
the b rake pedal. The transm ission automat ically
select s a gear that i s suitable for the incline . H ill
descent control tries to maintain the speed ach
ieved at the time of braking, within phys ical and
techn ical limitations . If may st ill be necessary to
adj ust the speed with the b rake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev
e ls out or you press the accelerator pedal.
Aut oma tic tr ansm iss ion
A WARNING
-Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitat io ns, so it may not be able to ma intain
a constant speed under all conditions . Always
be ready to app ly the brakes .
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic allow the driver to shi~ the gears
manually.
F ig. 92 Cente r con so le: m anu al shi ft ing w ith t he sel ect or
leve r
Fig . 93 Stee ring w hee l: manual s hift ing w ith the shi ft pad
d les•
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tip tronic mode wh ile stat iona ry
and wh ile driving.
"' To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selecto r
lever from the D/S setting to the right. As soon
as the transmission is switched , the M trans
m iss ion se tting will appear in the ins trument
cluste r display.
"' To shift up a gea r, tap the selector lever for
ward
0 c> fig . 92 .
"'To shift down a gea r, tap the se lector lever back
0 . ~
85

shared, please see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Audi connect > About
Audi conn ect.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road ho ld ing and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid
d ing and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . E SC detects certain
d ifficult dr iving sit uat ions, including when t he
ve hicl e is begin ning to spin (yaw) out of contro l
and helps you to ge t the veh icle back under con
tro l by se lective ly braking the wheels, and/or re
ducing engine powe r and provid ing steering as
sistance to help hold the vehicle on the dr iver's
intended course. The indicator light
GJ in the in
strument cluster blinks when ESC is taking action
to help you co ntrol the vehicle.
ESC has limitations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not a lways be able to help out under all con
d itions you may come up aga inst. For example,
ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coeff icient of friction of the road surface. When
there is a section of dry road that is sudde nly cov
e red with water, slush o r snow, ESC cannot pe r
form the same way it wo uld on the dry s urface . If
the vehicle hydrop lanes (rides on a cushion of wa
ter i nstead of the road su rface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been interrupted and the
ve hicle cannot be braked or steered. Dur ing fast
cornering, pa rticula rly on w inding roads, ESC
cannot always deal as effect ively w it h difficult
d riving si tuations tha n at lowe r speeds. When
tow ing a t raile r, ESC is not able to help you re
ga in con trol as it would if you we re not towing a
tra iler .
A lways adjust yo ur speed and driving sty le to
road, traffic and weathe r cond itions. ESC cannot
override the vehicle's physical lim its, increase the
Intellig ent Technology
available t ract ion, or keep a vehicle on the road if
road departure is a resu lt of driver inattention .
Instead, ESC improves the possib ility o f keeping
the vehicle under contro l and on the road d uring
extreme maneuvers by us ing the driver's steer ing
i nputs to help keep the veh icle go ing in the in
tended direction.
If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC c an p rovide any assistance, you may not exper i
en ce the benefi ts of ESC.
ESC is switched o n all the time . In certa in s itua
t ions when you need less tract ion, you can sw itch
off AS R by press ing the button
[fil c:> page 152,
fig. 141. B e sure to switc h ASR on again whe n
you no longer need less tract ion .
T he following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock brak ing system (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking when brak ing . The vehicle can still be steered even dur ing
hard braking. Apply steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in the
brake pedal ind icates that the system is acting to
stab ilize the ve hicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis
tance. It increases braking powe r when the dr iver
presses the brake peda l quickly in emergency sit
uat io ns. You must press a nd ho ld the bra ke pedal
u nt il the dange rous situation is over.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power whe n the dr ive wheels
begin spin ning and adapts the force to the road
co ndit ions. This makes it eas ier to s tart, acce ler
ate and d rive up incl ines.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other dr ive
wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with all
whee l drive*) . This function is not available a t
highe r speeds .
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches off
to keep t he brake o n the braked wheel from over
hea ting . T he veh icle is still working co rrectly. EDL.,.
151

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- Driving on rough terrain when much of the car's weight is lifted off the wheels (axle articu la
t ion)
- Driving downhill whi le brak ing on loose gro und
ESC levels
Intelligent Technology
For yo ur safe ty, switch off the ESC offroad mo de
in advance.
Offroad mode on ESC/ASRoff Offroad mode off or
ESC
/ASRon
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza -
The stabiliza tion f unction is The f
ull stabiliza tion fu nc-
tion functions are limited not available
Q .&. . ESC and
tion of the ESC and ASR is
~ &. ASR are switched off . available again.
Operation Press the IJJ button briefly. P ress and ho ld the IJJ but- Press the IJJ button aga in.
ton longer than th ree sec-
onds.
Indicato r fl turns on. fil and !;ill•)H turns on. II turns off or II and
lights !;ill•)H turn off .
Driver mes- Stab ilization control (ESC ): Stabil ization control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC ):
sage s Offroad Warning! Reduced Off Warning! Reduced sta-
On
st ability
bility
A WARNING
You should only switch offroad mode on or
switch ESC/ASR off if your driving ab ilities
and the t raffic conditions perm it. Th ere is a
r is k of sli ding.
- The stabilization function is limited when
offroad mo de is switched on. Th e dr iving
w heels co uld spin and the vehicle cou ld
swe rve, e speci ally on s lick o r slip pery r oad
s u rfaces.
- T here is no veh icle s tabilizat ion whe n ESC/
ASR are swi tched off .
-
Hill descent assist
Applies to vehicles: with hill descent assist
The hill descent assist makes it possible to drive
down an incline at a constant speed .
Fig. 142 Ce nte r console: hill descent ass ist button
.. To switch on the hill descent assist, p ress the
~ butto n in the center co nsole Q fig. 142 . The
LED in the button turns on .
.. Press the button again to switch it off. The LED
in the button turns off .
Hill descent assist brakes all four wheels auto
matically in order to limit speed when driving ei
ther forward or reverse on hills with a grade up to
approximately 50%. ..,_
153

Intelligent Technology
When the hill descent assist is on, the current
driving speed, when your vehicle entered the in
cline is maintained. It is only possible to switch
on the assist when driving slower than 37 mph (60 km/h). The assist works between approxi
mately 2 and 19 mph (4 and 30 km/h). The driver
can increase or decrease the vehicle speed within
these limits by depressing the accelerator or brake pedal.
There must be however sufficient ground adhe
sion . The hill descent assist
cannot do its job if
the incline is icy or if the incline ground is loose
¢ ,&.
Active assistance at a specific speed up to about 19 mph (30 km/h) is shown in the instrument
cluster through a blinking indicator light •. The
indicator light shines continuously when in the
ready mode.
The system does not work at speeds between 19
and 37 mph (30 and 60 km/h) . The system is
then in the ready-mode. This is shown through
the LED turned on in the button . The system au
tomatically switched off when you drive faster
than 37 mph (60 km/h). The LED will also go out
in this scenario.
Hill descent assist is automatically activated un
der the following conditions:
- The LED in the button turns on ,
- the vehicle speed is lower than 19 mph (30 km/
h) ,
-the incline angle is at least around 10% .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your speed to the weather ,
road and traffic conditions . Do not let the
increased safety provided tempt you into
taking risks, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
- The hill descent assist system cannot over
come the laws of physics. Your driving style
must always be adapted to the current road
and traffic conditions.
- The hill descent assist may not be able to
hold your vehicle at a constant speed under
all conditions while driving on an incline (for
154
example if ground under the vehicle is
loose).
Brakes
New brake pads
New brake pads do not achieve their full braking
effect during the first
250 mi (400 km). They
must be "broken in" first¢& . However, you can
compensate for the slightly reduced braking
force by pressing firmly on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy braking during the break-in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub
ject to wear, depending largely on operating con
ditions and driving habits¢,& . On vehicles that
are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traf
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte
nance booklet.
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result in reduced brake perform
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the braking ef
fect of the engine. This way, you prevent unnec
essary wear on the brake system. If you must use
your brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin
uously. Pump the brakes at intervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on the
speed, braking force and outside conditions such
as temperature and humidity.
Effect of water or road salt
In certain situations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, after overnight con densation or after washing your car , the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
"dried" first with a few careful brake applica
tions.
At higher speeds and with the windshield wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake
rotors for a short amount of time. This action
which is not felt by the driver happens at regular .,.

Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler
ating .
11-Avoid unnecessary accelerating 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
f ic light is red .
Avoid full throttle
Driving a t modera te speeds saves fuel and im
proves your mileage .
11-Try and keep well be low your car's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gent ly reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ
ment.
F ue l cons umption, exha ust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumpt ion will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather conditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling i t burns up fuel.
11-S hut the engine off w hen you are not driving
the vehicle.
11-Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine ru n at idle .
It makes sense to shut off the eng ine in traffic
jams, when wa iting for trains to pass at rai lroad
crossings, or at traffic lights that have long waits
on red . Turn ing the eng ine off for just 30 -40 sec
onds saves more fue l than is bu rned starting the
engine agai n.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is runni ng at idle . However, wear
and noxious emiss ions are especially high when
the eng ine is wa rm ing up . So you should d rive
Driving and the envir onment
away as soon as you start the eng ine and avoid
running at high rpms w hil e the engine is sti ll
warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave eng ine idling una ttended after
starting. If wa rning lights shou ld come on to
i ndicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also prod uces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper
ty .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot
of fuel .
11-Have your vehicle serviced at regular interva ls.
By having your vehicle regular ly serv iced by an
authorized Audi dea ler helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The cond ition of
your vehicle not only affects its safety and ability
to hold its value, it also affects
fuel con sump
tion .
Chec k your oil each t ime you fill your tank.
T he amount o f oi l used is related to engine load
and speed.
It is normal fo r the oil consump tion of a new en
gine to reach its lowest value after a ce rtain m ile
age has been dr iven.
You m ust dr ive your ve hicle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) befo re yo u can prope rly as
sess oil consumpt io n.
T h is also app lies to fuel consumption and eng ine
output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with the se rvice recommenda
tions i n your Warranty
& M aintenance book-
le t. La ck of prope r maintenan ce as we ll as
imp roper use of the ve hicle will im pair the
function of the em ission cont rol sys tem and
co uld lead to damage . .,.
161