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The combustion engine is operated on ly as need
ed . Gene rally, the combustion engine turns off
when the vehicle is stationary and the high vo lt
age battery powers the electrical vehicle sys
tems.
The purpose of automatica lly shutting the com
bustion engine off in hybrid drive mode is to save
fuel. All of the important vehicle systems, such
as steering, brakes and the A/C system, continue
to rema in active. In some cases, systems may re
qu ire the combustion eng ine to continue running
when the vehicle is stationary . When dr iving in
congested traffic for long periods of t ime, the
combustion engine will cycle on when the veh icle
is stat iona ry to keep the h igh voltage battery
charged.
Gliding
If the gas pedal is not pressed and the D posit ion
is selected, the combustion engine remains
turned off up to speeds of app roximately 99 mph
(160 km/h) . D riving conservat ively like th is can
reduce fuel c:on5umption .
Energy recovery (recuperation )
When braking, the electric motor will act as a
generator creating electr ic energy that is then
sto red in the high voltage battery. This also oc
curs when the ve hicle is coasting or dr iving down
hill. The combustion engine is automatica lly
turned off in this case.
Tips for Driving Efficiently with your Hybrid
A ppl ies to vehicles: with hybr id drive
Driving situa- Conditions
tions
- Shift into the D position .
Starting from a -
Release the brake pedal.
Hybrid
The vehicle is braked with the electric motor by
applying early and even pressure to the brakes
and using short pedal movements~
page 98,
fig. 110 @. By doing this, a large amount of the
kinetic energy is recovered and may be stored as
electric energy in the high voltage battery. Dur
i ng heavy brak ing, the conventional brakes are al
so act ivated
~ page 98, fig . 11 0@ .
The energy recovery is shown in the MMI d isplay
~ page 104 .
Automatic start of the combustion engine
Various operating conditions cause the combus
t ion eng ine to start automatically:
- The high vo ltage battery charge level is low.
- The temperatu re of the combustion engine is
low.
- The temperature of the catalytic converter is
low.
- The power output needed for the A/C system is
high.
- The vehicle speed is high .
- The vehicle acceleration is high .
- The incline is steep .
- High charge level for the high voltage battery
when coasting. In this case, the high voltage battery cannot absorb any more energy and so
the electric motor cannot slow down the veh i
cle . The combust ion engine turns on (engine
brake). In th is situation the high voltage bat
tery will show a Max charge.
Vehicle behavior
In the D posit ion, the hybrid system adapts
to the dr iving situat ion by automatically
stop -
Only press moderately on the ac- switch
ing between the combust ion engine
and e lectr ic dr ive types or by combining
celerator pedal.
them.
101
Driving safety
-Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 134.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage area be
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
140
A WARNING
,--
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof* and the
rear lid are securely closed and locked to re
duce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not
being used .
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rear lid be
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fog
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these slots free and open .
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter ¢
page 245.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
¢page 139, Loading the luggage compartment . ..,_
Safe ty belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warn ing light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo
ple riding in vehicles.
F ig . 1 55 Unbe lted occupants in a veh icle headi ng for a wall
F ig . 1 56 The veh icle c rashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple . Both the vehi
cle and the passengers possess energy wh ich var
ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi
neers call this energy "kinet ic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle's we ight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant fac tor. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because t he passengers of th is veh icle are not us
ing safety belts<=>
fig. 155, they will keep mov ing
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
befo re the crash , u nti l something stops them -
here, the wall
r=> fig. 156.
144
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
veh icle that is invo lved in a frontal collision . Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher .
People who do not use safety belts are a lso not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collis ion
they will also keep mov ing fo rward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash .
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens
i n a ll kinds of accide nts and co llisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbel ted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 1 57 A driver not wear ing a safety be lt is vio len tly
throw n forward
Fi g. 158 A rea r passe nge r not we arin g a sa fety be lt w ill fly
forwa rd and str ike the drive r
Unbelted occ upants are not ab le to res ist the tre
mendous forces of impact by holding tig ht or
braci ng themselves . Without the benefit of safe
ty restraint systems , the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel,
liJJ,-
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ument panel, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way
<=) fig. 157. This impact with the vehi
cle interior has all the energy they had just be
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even
when they deploy, airbags provide on ly additional
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, in
cluding the dr iver, must wear safety belts cor
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in w hich
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have already deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the vehicle where even
more severe or fatal injur ies can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety bel ts correctly . Unbelted passengers
in the rear seats endanger not only themse lves
but also the driver and other passengers
¢ fig. 158. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
injure the driver and/or front seat passenger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It 's simply
not true!
Fig. 159 Dr iver is correctly restra ined in a sudden b raking
maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
Safety belts
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of be ing thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being slowed down more
gently or "softly" through the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
kinetic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to ca use injury .
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety belts can also substantially re
duce the r isk of injury in ot her k inds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just go ing to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too. Acc iden t statist ics show that vehi
cle occupants properly wea ring safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident . Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col
lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le
gally required in most count ries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not acti
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col
lisions, in roll overs or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged .
145
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Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu
pants .
Fig. 165 Loca tion of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig. 166 Loca tion of fron t passenger's airbag: i n the in
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at
the time your vehicle was manufactured . The
safety belts for the seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the belt system.
The pretensioners are also activated by the elec
tronic control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters to help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag fo r the driver is in the steering whee l
hub ¢
fig. 165 and the airbag for the front pas
senger is in the instrument panel¢
fig. 166. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR
BAG".
Airb ag sys tem
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detai led
information about airbags, safety belts and ch ild
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children .
_&. WARNING
Never rely on a irbags alone fo r protect ion.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used with proper ly worn safety be lts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
-A pe rson on the front passenger seat, espe
cially infants and small ch ild ren, w ill receive
se rious inj ur ies and can even be k illed by be
i ng too close to the airbag when it inf lates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un
der these special conditions is impossib le in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the "low risk" opt ion under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a ch ild that is
heavier than the typ ical one-year old ch ild is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear sea t area than
in the front sea ting pos ition.
- For their own safety, all c hildren, especially
12 yea rs and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age and size .
-
155
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s e nger seat
- a passenger who is not sitting uprigh t w ith
their back against a non-reclined backrest with
their feet on the vehicle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag dep loys , the Feder
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" dep loyment occurs in those crashes
t ha t take place at lower decelera tions as defined
in the electronic control unit.
¢ page 161
Alway s rem ember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped w ith Advanced Airbags, the safest place
f or children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor
mat ion in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed all of the WARN INGS.
.&, WARNING
To reduce the r isk of inj ury when an a irbag in
flates, a lways wear safety belts p roperly.
- If you are unrest rained, leaning fo rwa rd, s it
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much h igher .
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
cou ld even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
¢ page 151.
.&_ WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat
installed on the front passenge r seat w ill be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced A irbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re
straint has been installed on the front pas senger seat, nobody can absolu tely g uaran
tee that deployment is impossible in a ll con
c eivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier wi th great force and
Airb ag sys tem
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child re
stra ints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your au thorized Audi dealer.
.&_ WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances , you must in
stall a forward-facing child res traint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fa cing seat
has bee n des igned and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Never p ut the fo rward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instr ument pan ·
el.
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir
bag as possible, before install ing the for
ward-facing ch ild restraint. The backrest
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot
of ve ry important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System i n it. These parts incl ude the weight
sensing mat, senso rs, wir ing , b racke ts, and
more . The f unction o f the system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con
tro l unit when the ign ition is on . The control unit
monitors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the a irbag ind icator light on when a malfunction
in the system components i s detected. The func-
tion of the a irbag ind icator light is described in .,.
157
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@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo
rate . When the veh icle or parts of the re
straint system including airbag modules safe
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
app licable laws and regulations must be ob
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
w ith these req uirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the fo rce levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy ing when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac
teristics as the components or iginally instal
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airb ag sys tem
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors
i n the buckle to send the w rong information
to the electronic contro l modu le and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfe re
with the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 1 69 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver 's seat
T he side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
r='.> fig . 169 and the rear back
rest* facing the doo rs. They are ident ified by t he
word "AIRBAG".
The si de airbag system ba sic ally con sis t s of:
- the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two a irbags located in the s ides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to
make certain that it is functioning proper ly at all
t imes . Each time you turn on the ignition, the a ir
bag system indicator light w ill come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
Ill-
165
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Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 177 Rear seat: child p roper ly restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these ch ildren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a chi ld on a booster seat .
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight
en if necessary .
.,. If you must transport an older chi ld in a boos
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r:=>page 176.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety seats de
signed for their age and we ight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, part icularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
Child safety
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in appro
priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicab le safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The routing of
the be lt over the chi ld's body is very important
for the ch ild's protection, whether or not a boos
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts . Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt a lone
to restrain any ch ild, regard less of how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that child ren do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap be lt portion of the ve
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possible around the pe lvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occ upant who is out of position and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close , he or she
will be struck violently and w ill receive serious or
possibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protect ion, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children , who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from t he airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child's ..,_
179