2016 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK ESP

-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearwa rd-facing child restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional c ir­
cumstances.
- Make sure that the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rear-facing ch ild safety seat in a
rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer .
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle. To act ivate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferab ly
on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt all the way out .
Child safety
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
be lt path ¢
A.
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position .
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat .
.. You shou ld hear a "cl icking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con­
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertib le locking re­
tractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly t ight and fastened so that the seat
canno t move fo rwa rd or s ideways mo re than
one inch (2.S cm).
A WARNING .......... -
Using the wrong ch ild restraint or an improp­
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
a sudden stop or in a crash .
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fo ld forward. Othe rw ise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at­
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 159. Special precautions
apply when instal ling a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢page 136, Child II>
171

Child safety
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
leas e it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around the tether strap . This applies especially to
leather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
176
Additional information
· Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in­
formation about child restraint selection, instal­
lation and use :
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is
the one that fits your child and fits in your vehi­
cle, and that you will use correctly and consis­
tently.
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra­
tion
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
www .nhtsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www .safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or call 1-613-998-8616 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc .ca/ eng/roadsafety/menu .htm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834

Intelligent Technology
shared, please see your contract with the
wireless te lecommunications 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
E SC helps to imp rove ro ad hold ing and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probab ility of skid­
d ing and loss of veh icle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . ESC detects certain
d iffic ult dr iving situat io ns, including when the
ve hicl e is begin ning to spin (yaw) o ut of contro l
and h elps you to ge t the veh icle b ack u nde r con ­
trol by se lectively bra king the wheels, and/or re­
ducing engine powe r and providing steering as­
sistance to help hold the vehicle on the driver's
intended course. The indicator light
GI in the in­
strument cluster blinks when ESC is tak ing action
t o he lp you contro l the vehicle.
ESC has lim itations. It is important to remembe r
that ESC cannot overcome the laws o f 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 ab le to help you master
situations where there is a sudde n change in the
coeff ic ie nt of fr iction of the road surface. W hen
there is a se ction of dry roa d that is sudde nly cov­
e red with w ater, slush o r sn ow , ESC c annot pe r­
form the same way i t wou ld on the dry s urface. If
the vehicle hydrop lanes (rides on a cushion of wa­
ter instead of t he road su rface), ESC w ill not be
ab le to he lp you stee r the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been inte rru pted and the
ve hicle cannot be b raked or steered . Dur ing fast
cor nering, part icu la rly on w inding roads, ESC
can not always deal as effect ive ly w it h difficult
d riving situat ions than a t lowe r speeds .
Always ad just yo ur speed and driving sty le to
road, traffic and weath er cond itions . ESC canno t
over ride the vehicle's phys ical lim its, increase the
ava ilab le traction, o r keep a ve hicle on t he road if
roa d depa rture is a re su lt of driver in attention .
I nstead, ESC imp roves the possibili ty of keep ing
180
t h e veh icle unde r contro l and on t he road d uring
extreme mane uvers by using 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
can p rovide any assistance, you may not exper i­
ence the be nefits of ESC.
ESC is switc hed on all the time. In certa in s itua­
tions when you need less tract ion, you can sw itch
off ASR by press ing the button
[g] c:> page 181,
fig . 175 . Be sure to switc h ASR on aga in whe n
you no longer nee d less tract ion.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
A BS prevents the w heels from locking w hen bra k­
i ng . The veh icle can still be steered even dur ing
hard braking. App ly steady p ressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in the
brake peda l ind icates that the system is act ing to
stab ilize the veh icle.
Brake a ssist system
The brake assist system can decrease b raking dis­
tance. It increases b raking powe r whe n the dr iver
presses the b rake peda l quickly in emergency sit­
uat ions. You must press a nd hold the brake peda l
u nt il the dange rous situation is over . In vehicles
with adaptive cruise co ntrol*, the brake ass ist
syste m is more se nsitive if the distance detected
t o t he veh icle ah ead is too sm all. On vehicle s wi th
a ctiv ate d a nd fun ctioni ng nigh t vis ion assi st*, the
brake assis t sys tem can respond more sensit ively
i f there is a warning .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces e ngine powe r whe n the d rive whee ls
begin s pin nin g and ad apts the force to the ro ad
con ditions. This m akes i t easier to s tar t, a cce ler ­
ate and drive up incl ines .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
E DL applies t he b rakes to a whee l th at s tarts
sp inning a nd transfers the dr ive power to the
othe r drivi ng whee ls . This fu nction is n ot a vail a-
b le at hig he r sp eeds . .,..

In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to keep the brake on the braked wheel from over­
heating. The vehicle is still working correctly. EDL
will switch on again automatically when condi ­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the steering in critical situa ­
tions.
Selective wheel torque 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 inside of the
curve are braked selectively as needed. This al­
lows more precise driving in curves.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-collision brak ing system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of other
coll isions after an accident.
If the airbag control
module detects a collision above a certain vehicle
speed, the vehicle is braked by the ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the brak ing force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri­
cal system are not function ing .
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
A WARNING
-- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural physi­
cal laws. This is especia lly important on slip­
pery 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
increased safety provided tempt you into
taking r isks. This cou ld increase your risk of
a collision .
- Please note the risk of a collision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when dr iv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent collisions -there is still a risk of acci­
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The dr ive wheels can spin
even when these control systems are instal­
led and this can affect driving stability and
i n crease the risk of a collision .
(j) Tips
-ABS and ASR only function correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identical
tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc­
tion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 175 Center console: OFF~ button
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend­
ing on the level that is se lected, the stabilization
function of the ESC is limited or switched off. The amount of stabilization control will differ de­
pending on the level.
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck ..,.
181

Intelligent Technology
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
ESC levels
- Driv ing with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASRon
Beha vior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabiliza tion function is The f ull stabilization tune-
tion f unctions are limited not available ¢
,&. ESC and
tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢
&. . ASR are switched off . avai
lab le aga in .
Op eration Press the I B OFF I button Press and hold the !B OFFI Press the IB OFFI button
briefly . button longer than 3 sec- again.
onds.
I n d ica to r II turns on. II and lit turn on. II turns off or II and II
light s turn off .
Driver me s- Stabili zation cont rol (E SC): S tabilization control (E SC ):
Stabili zation cont rol
s age s Sport Warning ! Redu ced Off Wa
rning! Reduced sta - (ESC ): on
st abilit y
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ ASR off if your driving abilities
and road conditions permit.
bility
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
wheels co uld spin and the vehicle could
swerve , espec ially on s lick o r slippery road
s u rfaces.
- The re is no vehicle stab ilizat ion when ESC/
ASR a re swi tched off .
(D Tips
-ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode cannot be switched on if the cru ise
control system* or the adaptive cruise con­
tro l* is switched on .
- If the rear spoiler system malfunct ions,
sport mode may not switch on or it may switch off ag ain automatically .
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first¢&, . The b reak-in pe­
riod can be considerably longe r fo r vehicles with
182
ceramic brake rotors* . You can compensate for
this slightly reduced braking power by pushing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy braking
l oads during the break-in per iod.
Op erating c ondition s and dri ving habits
The brak es on today 's automobiles are still sub ­
ject to wear, depending large ly on operating con­
dit ions and driving habits ¢&, . On vehicles that
are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads shou ld be
checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of­
ten than specified in the
Warr ant y & Maint e­
nance booklet .
Failure to have your brake pads
i nspected ca n result in red uced b rake perfo rm­
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing ef ­
fect of the engine . Th is way, you prevent unnec­
essa ry wea r on the brake system. If you must use
you r brakes, do not ho ld the brakes down contin­
u ous ly. P ump the brakes at intervals.
Operating noi se
Noises may occur when brak ing depending on the
speed, braking force and outside conditions such as temperature and h umid ity.
Due to the nature of the mater ials used in ceram­
i c brake rotors*, no ises may become more appa-
rent at low speeds. ..,.

Effect of wat er and road salt
In ce rtain situations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, afte r ove rnight 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 w ith a few careful brake applications.
At higher speeds and with the windshie ld wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake rotors for a short amount of time. Th is occurs at
regular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better brake response time under
wet conditions .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes are not used. Likewise, you clean
off accumulated salt coat ing from brake discs
and pads with a few cautious applications of the b rake ¢_&. .
Due to their surface character istics, ceramic
brake roto rs* absorb mo isture in such condit ions.
This can cause a temporary reduc tion in braking
force compared to dry brakes. You can compe n­
sate fo r th is by press ing the b rake peda l harder.
Corrosion
There may be a tende ncy for d irt to bu ild up on
the brake pads and corros ion to form on the discs
if the car is not dr iven regularly or only fo r sho rt
tr ips with little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corro­
sion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable to
clean off the pads and discs by brak ing firmly a
few t imes from a mode rately h igh speed ¢,& .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake c ircuits
may have failed
¢ ,& .
Low brake fluid le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if the
brake fl uid level is too low. The brake fluid level
is monitored electronically .
Intelligent Technology
Brake booster
The brake boos ter works w ith v acuum press ure
which is crea ted on ly when the engine is running
¢ & .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wea r may be chec ked by visua l in­
spe ct ion of the condition of the brake pads
t hr ough the openings in t he wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
¢ page 243, Replacing wheels .
_8 WARNING "'----
-New b rake pads don't have the best stop­
p ing power and must be "broken-in" d uring
the initial 250 miles (400 km). The b reak-in
period can be considerably longer for
veh icles with ceramic brake roto rs*. You can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal mo re firmly. This also applies late r
when new p ads are inst alled.
- You shou ld pe rform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system
only i f road condit io ns pe rmit. O ther ro ad
users m ust no t be put at r is k - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep g rade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear o r lower driving range. Do not r ide the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. This cou ld cause t he b rakes 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
p ing distance .
- Unde r certain climatic and ope rating condi­
tions such as passing t hrough water, d riving
i n heavy rain o r afte r wash ing the veh icle,
the effectiveness of the brakes ca n be re­
duce d. In winter, ice can accum ulate on the
b rake pads, lin ings, discs and dr ums. Care­
fu lly apply brakes for a test. Brakes will d ry
an d ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few ca refu l brake applications.
183

Intelligent Technology
Audi dealer immediately to have the malfunction
corrected. The color of the indicator light de­pends on the vehicle speed.
_& WARNING
-
Driving at higher speeds without the rear
spoiler deployed can impair handling charac­
teristics, making the vehicle harder to con­
trol.
- Always make sure that the spoiler is de­
ployed when driving at speeds over 85 mph
(140 km/h) . If the rear spoiler warning/indi­
cator light in the instrument cluster comes
on, the rear spoiler may not have deployed.
- Never drive at speeds higher than 85 mph
(140 km/h) if the spoiler is not deployed .
Have the spoiler inspected as soon as possi­
ble by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
- Always obey speed limits and other traffic
laws.
_& WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries.
- Always make sure that nobody, especially
children, is in the way when the rear spoiler
is deployed or retracted.
@) Note
- Never push on the vehicle on the rear spoil­
er . This could cause damage.
- To prevent damage to the rear spoiler do
not lean or place anything on it.
-
- Only operate the rear spoiler manually when
the luggage compartment lid is close and
the rear spoiler moving parts are not
blocked. Otherwise, damage could occur.
(D Tips
Clean the rear spoiler compartment every 2 to
3 months. To function correctly, the rear
spoiler must be free of ice, snow and leaves.
186
Energy management
' The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a vehicle with a conventional energy sys­
tem is not driven for a long time, the battery is
drained by equipment (for example the immobil­
izer). In certain circumstances , there could may
not be enough energy to start the engine .
Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent ener­
gy management system for distributing electrici­
ty. This significantly improves the starting ability
and increases the battery life.
The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagnosis , idling current management
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
The battery diagnosis determines the battery charge level. The sensors detect the battery, the
battery current, and the battery temperature .
The current charge level and the performance of
the battery are determined based on this.
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the
energy used while parked . With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distribution
to the different electrical components. Date from
battery diagnosis is taken into account for this.
Depending on the battery charge level, electrical
equipment is switched off one item after the oth­
er, to prevent the battery from draining and to
retain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy management
While driving, dynamic energy management dis­
tributes the appropriate amount of energy to the
electrical equipment .
It controls the battery
charge level so that more energy is not used then
is being generated in order to maintain an opti-
mal battery charge level.
ll>

Driving and the environment
Driving and the
environment
Breaking in
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the first 600 miles (1,000 kilometers):
.,. Do not use full throttle .
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the maximum permitted RPM .
.,. Avo id high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1,000 to 1,500
kilometers):
.,. Speeds can gradually be increased to the maxi­
mum perm issib le road or engine speed.
During and after break-in period
.,. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds when it
is cold . This applies whether the transmission is
i n N (Neutral) or in gear .
After the break-in period
.,. Do not exceed maximum engine speed under
any circumstances.
.,. Upshift into the next higher gear
before reach­
i ng the red area at the end of the tachometer
scale~
page 10 .
During the first few hours of driving, the engine's
internal friction is higher than later when all the
mov ing parts have been broken in. How well this
break- in process is done depends to a considera­
b le extent on the way the vehicle is d riven during
the first 1,000 miles (1,500 kilometers).
(D Note
Extremely high engine speeds are automati­
cally reduced. However, these rpm lim its are
programmed for an engine we ll run-in, not a
new engine .
188
® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high engine
speeds -upshifting early saves fuel, reduces
noise and protects the environment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive par­
ticularly careful for the first 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) after f itting .
.8, WARNING
New tires tend to be slippe ry and must also
be "broken-in". Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 mi les (500 kilometers).
Brake gent ly. Avoid following closely behind
other ve hicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard braking.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that low­
lying parts such as spo ilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
-
This is especially true for vehicles with low-slung
chassis (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Driving through water on
roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage when
driving through water, for examp le on flooded
roads:
- The water must not be any highe r than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than walk ing speed .
.8, WARNING
After driving through water or mud, the brak­
ing effect can be red uced due to moisture on
the brake discs and brake pads . A few careful
brake applications should dry off the brakes.