Automatic transmission
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission/ shift paddles
The tiptronic allow the driver to shift the gears
manually .
Fig. 84 Center conso le : manual shift in g with the selector
l ever
Fig . 85 Steer ing wheel: manual shi ftin g with the shi ft pad
dles•
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing.
• To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the right in the
tiptronic shift gate. Once the transmission has
switched modes, the selector lever position
M
is shown in the instrument cluster display
¢ page 89, fig. 81. For example M4 , means the
fourth gear is engaged .
• To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for
ward
0 ¢ fig. 84.
• To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever to
back Q.
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
(tiptronic shift gate) selector lever positions.
94
.,. To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig. 85 .
.,. To shift down one gear, tap the shift paddle Q.
If the shift paddles are tapped wh ile in the D/S
selector lever position, automatic mode switches
off briefly. To switch from manually shifting back
to automatic shifting immediately, tap the sh ift
paddle
0 ¢ fig. 85 for 1 second.
To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move
the selector lever to the right out of the D/S posi
tion into the tiptronic shift gate.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down
before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is with in the permitted
range.
(j) Tips
- If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission will only shift if the engine will
not be over-revved.
- With kick-down, the transmission shifts to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle speed and
engine speed.
- ti ptronic does not work if the transmission
is running in emergency mode.
. Kick-down
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be
yond the res istance point, the automatic trans
mission downshifts into a lower gear, depending
on veh icle speed and engine RPM. It shifts up in
to the next higher gear once the maximum speci
fied engine RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the whee ls cou ld spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac
tive.
-
,....,
N
0 > co ,....,
Applies to vehicles: with launch control
The Launch Control Program enables maximum
acceleration .
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
.. With the engine running, press the
l~OFF ! but
ton briefly one time
ll .
.. Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi
tion briefly to select the S position, or press it
toward the right into the tiptronic pos ition or
select the
D ynami c driving mode in drive se
lect*
~page 148.
.. Press the b rake peda l firmly wi th you r left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least 1 sec
ond.
.. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.. Remove your left foot from the brake.
A WARNING
-Always adapt yo ur driv ing to the traffic flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic cond itions allow it and other dr ivers will
not be endangered or impacted by you r d riv
ing and the vehicle's accele ration.
- Please note that the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is swit ched o n, especia lly when the
road is s lippery.
- Once t he vehicle has sta rted moving, press
the
I $? OFF ! button briefly to t urn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmiss ion temperature may increase
s ignificantly after using the lau nch cont rol
program.
If that happe ns, the program m ay
l) In vehicles w ith a d river information system, an ESC light
in the instrument cluster stays o n continuous ly and the
message
Stabili za tion contro l (E SC ): sport . Warning! Re·
stricted st abi lity
appears temporar ily.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
not be ava ilab le for a few minutes. It will be
avai lab le again after a cool-down period.
- Whe n accelerating using the launch contro l
program, all vehicle parts a re su bject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear.
Emergency mode
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic transmiss ion
In the event of o system mo/function, there is on
emergency program.
If all of the selector lever positions are hig hlight
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster disp lay, there is a system malfunction and
the S tronic transmission is running in the emer
gency program. The vehicle can still be driven in
emergency mode, but only with reduced speed
and not in all gears . In some cases, the vehicle
cannot drive in rever se .
(D Note
If the transm ission runs in emergency mode,
drive to an authorized A udi dealer or author
iz ed Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunc tion corrected.
Transmission malfunction
• Tran smi ssion malfunction ! Pl ea se stop the
vehicle and select P
The re is a ma lfunction in the transmission. Park
the vehi cle secure ly and do not cont in u e driv ing.
See a n author ized Audi dealer or au thori zed A udi
Service Facility for assis tance.
• Tran smission overheating! Plea se stop the
vehicle!
The transmiss ion is too hot and can become dam
aged. Stop and let the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engi ne r unning (at idle) in the P se lector lever po
s it ion. Then the ind icator lig ht and the message .,.
95
Automatic transmission
turn off, drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or au
thorized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the malfunction corrected . If the ind icator light
and the driver message do not turn off, do not
continue driving. See an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
rm Transmission malfunction: you can continue
driving
Drive to an autho rized Audi dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving in D until engine off
Drive the vehicle away from moving traffic and
park. See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility for assistance .
rm Transmission overheating! Please adapt
driving style
Continue driving moderately. When the indicator
light turns off, you can continue driving normal
ly .
rm Transmission: Press brake pedal and select
gear again.
If the transmission malfunctions because the
temperature is too high, a message appears
when the transmission is cooled.
96
Selector lever emergency release
App lies to vehicles: wit h S tronic transmission
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency.
Fig. 86 Se lector leve r: remov ing the cover
Fig. 87 Selector lever: us ing the emergency release to
move out of the Pa rk posit ion
The emergency release mechanism is located in
the right area under the selector lever shift gate.
Using the emergency release can be complicated.
We recommend contacting an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as
sistance, if necessary .
The screwdr iver from the vehicle tool kit located
i n the luggage compartment is needed to for the
eme rgency release¢
page 280 . Use the flat side
of the reversible screwdriver blade.
Removing the selector lever cover
.,. Set the parking brake(®)¢,& to secure your
vehicle from rolling .
.,. Insert the flat side of the screwdriver s ideways
in the slot near the s hift cover and pry the shift
cover up
¢ fig. 86 .
.,. Pull up the corners of the shift cover carefully
with your hands and fo ld it over the shifter
knob
¢ fig . 87. ..,.
e-tron
e-tron Plug-in hybrid drive
Introduction
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith plug -in hybrid drive
General information
The plug- in hybrid drive is a drive concept that al
lows yo u to choose between driving w ith the elec
tr ic moto r, with the gaso lin e engine o r using a
comb inat io n of both.
All work done on the high-voltage system must
only be performed by certified high-voltage tech n icians at autho rized Aud i dea le rs or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facilities in accordance with Audi
gu idelines.
The high-voltage system is composed of the fol low ing h igh-vo ltage components: the high-volt
age battery, the powe r electron ics, the e lectr ic
motor, the high-voltage A/C compressor, the
high-vo ltage heater, the charging system and
charging port as well as the orange high-voltage
wiring.
The pedal referred to in this sect ion of the Own
er's Manua l is the equivalent of the acce lerator
pedal (gas pedal) in a standard veh icle.
High-voltage battery
The high-voltage battery is located under the
rear bench seat in the veh icle and does not re
qu ire any maintenance from the driver. Addition
a l information about the high-voltage battery can
be found under
Q page 112 .
A WARNING
The voltage in the high-vo ltage system is life
threatening. Touching a damaged high-volt
age component can result in a fatal e lectr ic
shock. The components in the high-voltage
system are ma rked with a warning label which
wa rns against the h igh-vo ltage.
- The voltage level in the high-voltage system
is still dangerous and potentially life-threat
ening when the ignition is switched off.
- Never perform work on orange high-voltage
cables or on high-voltage components. Only
98
authorized repair facilities that are certified
may perform work on the high-voltage sys
tem.
- Never damage, alter or remove the orange
high-voltage cable or disconnect it from the
high-voltage system.
- Never perform any work using c utting, shap
ing or sharp-edged too ls or heat sources
near the h igh-vo ltage system and high-volt
age cables.
- Aud i regulat ions must be followed during
all work performed on the high-voltage sys
tem and h igh-vo ltage components.
- When working on the h igh-vo ltage system
and h igh-voltage compone nts, make sure
the remote cont rol key is kept far enough
away from the vehicle so that there is no
ris k of the ignit ion be ing inadve rten tly
sw itched on.
- Gases that escape from the high-vol tage
b attery can be poisono us or flammable.
- Damage to the high-voltage battery could
cause the h igh-vo ltage battery to leak im
media tely or in the fu ture, and poisonous or
flammab le gases cou ld escape . Do not in
ha le the gases!
- Do not expose yourse lf to any leaking fluids
and do not come into contact with them .
- The high-volt age battery e lectroly te fl uid is
caustic. I f electrolyte fluid comes into con
tact with the sk in, f lush the affected area
for at least 15 minutes with clean water.
Then wash the affected area with soap.
Have the affected area examined by a med i
cal professional.
- In the event of a technical emergency, in
form the responders that the vehicle is
equ ipped with a high-voltage battery.
A WARNING
Never leave the vehicle unattended when in
drive ready mode
~ page 100 with a gear en
gaged . The veh icle can start moving ("creep
ing") even if the gaso line engine is switched
off, since the e lectr ic motor is still operating.
This may cause collis ions and severe or fatal
-
e-tron
serious damage and/or a decrease of the ca
pacity void coverage under the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
Applies to veh icles: w ith plug-in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
I START S TOP I button. Also note the informa
tion here ¢
page 82.
Establishing drive ready mode
See¢.& in Introduction on page 98.
Requ irement: a charging cable must not be con
nected to the vehicle ¢
page 121 and the selec
tor lever must be in the P or
N position.
- Press the brake pedal.
- Press the
I START STOPI button .
When the vehicle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the power meter points to
READY r:::;, page 101 .
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electric motor after
establishing the drive ready mode and if the con
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
¢page 103.
The conditions to drive are essentially the same
for the automatic transmission : ¢
page 89
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acce leration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ignition off with the
le!> START STOPI
button.
Vehicle sound
The vehicle generates electronic vehicle sound at
speeds up to approximately 2S mph (40 km/h) so
that your vehicle can be heard from the outside
when in electric drive mode. The veh icle sound
automatically fades out at higher speeds when
the sounds from the tires and wind start increas
ing .
100
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignit ion on without establish
ing drive ready mode.
- Press the
I START STOP ! button to switch the
ign ition on and off. Do not press the brake ped
al while doing this.
The needle stays pointing to
OFF@ r:::;, page 101,
fig. 88 when the ignit ion is switched on.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni
tion is switched off .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the battery from draining, the ignition
will switch off automatically under the following conditions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The vehicle must be stationary.
- The gaso line engine must not be runn ing .
- The driver 's door must be open .
- The driver's safety belt must be unbuckled.
- The brake pedal must not be pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights automatically shut off in 30 minutes. See
owner's manual
appears in the instrument clus
ter display . The parking lights w ill switch off af
ter approximately 30 minutes or when you lock
the vehicle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo
tor continues running and the ignition does not
automat ically switch off
r:::;, ,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
The vehicle cannot start when outside tem
peratures are below-18
°F (-28 °()
r:::;,page 101.
-
.... N
0 > CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
.... I.Cl ....
e-tron
Power meter overview
Applies to vehicles: with plug-in hybrid drive
The power meter shows the status of the plug-in hybrid drive and the availability of the plug-in hybrid
system .
Fig. 88 Power m ete r overview
When opening the driver's door, the charge level
is shown in the inst rument cl uster when the igni
tion is sw itched on, or the cha rge level and the
rema ining charge time for the high-vo ltage bat
tery is displayed when charg ing .
The power mete r is located in the instrument
cluster in place of the tachomete r. A d igital tach
omete r can be d isplayed in the driver info rmation
sys tem
¢ page 29 .
The power mete r gives feedback about the part ic
u lar accelerator pedal position and shows the
current demand
(%) for electricity or fue l regard
less of which engine is active.
An economical dr iv ing and recupe ration range is
shown in g reen
¢ page 104, Energy recovery (re
cuperation) .
A driving range that is not economi
cal is shown i n orange . In add ition, the batte ry
status provides information about the high -vo lt
age battery charge status.
(D Vehi cle no t drive ready (OFF)
@ Recuperation (CHARGE)
® Veh icle dr ive ready (READY)
@ E ff ic ient driving w ith electric moto r
and/or gasoline engine (E FFIC IEN
CY)
® E conom ic driving wh ile the electric
moto r or gaso line engine is in the
partia l powe r range
® Driving in fu ll power range
(J) 100% output
@ Boos ting -the e lec tric mo tor as
sists the gaso line engine (BOOS T)
® High-voltage battery charge level
@ T he EV mode is ac tive o r EV mode is
current ly not ava ilable
@ Speed limit for electric driving in EV
mode (80 mph/ 130 km/h)
Indicator lights and messages
Applies to vehicles: wit h plug-in hybrid drive
Also note the ind icator lights in ¢ page 13.
The gasoline engine is act ive when the Ill indica
tor light t urns on.
• Drive system : sy stem fault! Safely park vehi
cle
T he re is a ma lfunction in the plug- in hybrid sys
tem. The br ake booster and the power steer ing
may stop working . Stop the vehi cle immed iate ly
or as soon as possible. Park the ve hicle in a sa fe
place outdoors that is not near bu ildings, roof ..,_
101
e-tron
overhangs, carports or similar structures . Switch
the ignition
off. Have the problem corrected by
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility .
• Elec tric s ystem: o verheated. Safel y park ve
hicle and check coo lant
The coolan t leve l is too low or the coolant tem
pera ture is too high .
S top the vehicle in the outdoo rs as soon as it is
safe ly possible . Switch the ignition off.
Read the important safety precautions ¢.&.
in
Coolant on page 109 and check the coolant level
¢page 108.
If the coolant level is OK, the malfunction may be
caused by the system overheating . Let the vehi
cle's electric drive system cool down for some
time .
If the message turns
off after cooling down and
sw itching the ign ition back on, you ca n continue
driving. Contact an author ized Audi dealer or au
thor ized A udi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the ma lf u nction co rrected.
If the indicator lig ht stays on, contact an author
ized A ud i dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Faci li
ty .
Bil Drive system : sys tem fault! Pleas e contact
work shop
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys
tem. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au
thor ized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
II Drive sy stem: system fault! Restart not po s·
sible. Ple ase contact wo rkshop
There is a mal func tion in the plug -in hybrid sys
tem . Do not open the engine compartment lid .
Drive to an a uth orized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected.
II Batter y temperature too low . Engine start
not possible . See owner's manual
The outside temperature is too low. The vehicle
can no longer start at temperat ures below -18 °F
102
(- 28 °C) . Contact your author ized Audi dealer or
autho rized Audi Service Facility.
POWER LIMIT Warning! Limited power
If the indicator l ight turns on and this message
appears , there may be an engine cont rol mal
funct ion. The
(m ind icator light in t he instr u
ment clus ter a lso turns on. The e ng ine o utput is
reduced. Dr ive to an a utho rized Audi dea ler or
autho rized Audi Service Facility immedia tely to
have the malfunction corrected.
II e -tron mode : EV curr ently unavailable
This message appears w hen the 1-,$ 1 button is
pressed and the conditions for e lectric drive
mode are no t me t.
IIJ Vehicle sound: malfunction! Pedestrians
cannot h ear vehicle. P lease contact Service
if the indicator light t urns on and this message
appears, pedestrians and bicyclists can no longer
hear the vehicle when it is driving in electric
mode. Turn off the veh icle and switch to dr iv ing
with the gasoline e ngine . To activate the gasoli ne
engine, select the
Charge batt ery mode
¢page 103 with the kl"I button. Drive to a n au
tho rized Audi dea le r or a uthorized Audi Service
Facility immediate ly to have the malfunction cor
rected.
Range display
Applies to vehicles: wit h pl ug-in hy brid drive
Fig. 89 Ins trument cluster example image: range disp lay
The range can be d isplayed in the on -board com
p uter ¢
page 29.
Depend ing o n the selected p lug-in hybrid mode,
the d isp lay disp lays the follow ing informa tion:
Ill>
,....,
N
0 > co ,....,
@ gasoline engine range
© electric motor range
(D Tips
The values given are based on the latest con
sumption values.
Plug-in hybrid mode
Applies to vehicles: with plug- in hybrid drive
You can select between one electric mode and
three hybrid modes.
dV Electric mode (EV mode)
EV mode is electric driving only.
EV mode is active at the beginning of every drive
depending on the operating status. The LED in
the
!<=I'! button turns on. The. indicator light al
so turns on in the instr ument cluster display. The
gasoline engine stays switched off as long as the
battery charge level and climate conditions allow
it .
You can drive with only electric power at speeds
up to approximately 80 mph (130 km/h).
Hybrid modes
The electric motor and the gasoline engine work
efficiently together in every hybrid mode.
OQ!t Hybrid: the battery charge is used as much as
possible when this mode is switched on. This
mode is best suited for long distances.
O\Q!J Hold battery: the high-voltage battery charge
level is conserved as much as possible.
•& Charge battery: the high-voltage battery will
charge if the charge level permits it. This causes
an increase in fuel consumption.
@ Tips
-Applies to "Hold battery" and "Charge bat
tery": the battery charge level can also de
crease depending on the driving style.
- If you select the sport driving mode S when
in EV mode, the Hold battery mode is auto
matically selected. You can select the EV
e-tron
mode again with the 1.:.1•! button
r:!;> page 104.
- if the la• I r:!;> page 104 button is pressed
while in sport driving mode S, the transmis
sion switches automatically to normal mode
0.
Conditions for electric driving
Applies to vehicles: wit h plug-in hybrid drive
The EV mode can only be switched on if the fol
lowing conditions are met:
- The cha rge level of the high-voltage battery
must be suff icient.
- The temperatu re of the high-voltage battery
must be adequate (outside temperatures not
below approximately 14°F / -10°C and not
above 104°F / 40°C)
- The speed must not be higher than approxi-
mately 80 mph (130 km/h).
- Kick-down must not be activated.
- The sport drive mode
S must not be selected.
EV mode is switched off if one or more of the
conditions are not met. The gasoline engine will
start automatically. The
E] ind icator light turns
on as a message in the instrument cluster. The
LED in the
l d• I button and the B indicator light
turn off.
Electric drive mode will not continue automati
cally. Reactivate the EV mode
r:!;> page 104.
(D Tips
It may be necessary for the gasoline engine to
run longer for technical reasons, such as
when condensation accumulates in the en
gine. Driving exclusively in electric mode is
not possible in this phase.
103