
Driving
Depending on the finishes and versions,
ther e i
s the possibility of disconnecting only
the ASR or activating the ESC Sport mode.
Disable ASR
The Easy Connect system menu is used to
switch off the ASR ››› page 108. The traction
control system will be disabled.
The control lamp lights up. For vehicles
with a driver information system* the driver
will be informed that ASR is disabled.
Activate ASR
The Easy Connect system menu ››› page 108
is used to switch on the ASR. The traction
control system will be enabled.
The control lamp switches off. For vehicles
with a driver information system* the driver
will be informed that ASR is enabled.
ESC in “Sport” mode
Sport mode can be connected via the Easy
Connect ››› page 108 system menu. The ac-
tion of the ESC and the ASR is limited ››› .
The c ontr
ol lamp lights up. For vehicles
with a driver information system* the driver
will be informed that: Electronic Stability Control
(ESC): sport. Warning! Limited
stability
Dis
able ESC “Sport” mode
Through the Easy Connect system menu
››› page 108. The warning lamp will switch
off. For vehicles with a driver information sys-
tem* the driver will be informed that:
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC): On
ESC in “Offroad” 1)
mode
Turn the Driving Experience button to select
the Offroad mode and connect it
››› page 226. The interventions of the ESC, as
well as of the ASR, EDS and the ABS, adapt to
irregular terrain.
The control lamp lights up. In the dash
panel, the driver will be informed that:
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC): Offroad. Warning! Limited
stability
In the following exceptional situations it may
make sense to activate the Offroad mode to
allow the wheels to spin: ●
When “swin ging” the vehicle to get it un-
stuck.
● Driving in deep snow or on loose surfaces.
● When driving on rough terrain with much of
the car's
weight is lifted off the wheels (axle
articulation).
● Steep descents with braking on unpaved
terr
ain.
For your safety we recommend that you turn
off the Offroad mode when it is not absolute-
ly necessary.
Disable the ESC Offroad mode
Turn the Driving Experience button to select a
different driving mode ››› page 226. The
warning lamp will switch off. The driver will
be informed that:
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC): On
ESC in “Snow” mode 1)
Turn the Driving Experience button to select
the “Snow” mode and connect it
››› page 226. Traction control system (ASR)
interventions adjust to the adhesion of
snowy roads. »1)
Only for 4Drive models.
175
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Operation
Disable the ESC “Snow” mode
T urn the Driv
ing Experience button to select a
different driving mode ››› page 226. WARNING
The ESC Sport mode should be activated only
when tr affic
conditions and the ability of the
driver allow it. Danger of skidding!
● With ESC in Sport mode, the stabilising
fu
nction will be limited to allow for a sportier
drive. The driving wheels could spin and the
vehicle could skid. WARNING
You should only activate the Offroad Mode or
di s
able the ASR if the experience of the driver
and traffic conditions allow it. Danger of skid-
ding!
● With the Offroad mode activated, the stabi-
lis
ation function is limited. In particular, if
the road is too smooth and slippery, the driv-
ing wheels could spin and the vehicle could
skid. Note
If the ASR is disconnected or the ESC’s Sport
mode i s
selected, cruise control* will be
switched off. Manual gearbox
Ch an
ging gear Read the additional information carefully
› ›
› page 40
In some countries the clutch pedal must be
fully pressed down for the engine to start.
Selecting reverse gear ● Engage reverse gear only when the vehicle
is
stopped.
Changing down gears
While driving, changing down a gear must al-
ways be done gradually, i.e. to the gear di-
rectly below and when the engine speed is
not too high ››› . Changing down while by-
p a
ssing one or various gears at high speeds
or at high engine speeds can damage the
clutch and the gearbox, even if the clutch
pedal remains depressed ››› .
WARNING
When the engine is running, the vehicle will
s t
art to move as soon as a gear is engaged
and the clutch released. This is also the case
with the electronic parking brake switched
on.
● Never engage reverse gear when the vehi-
cl
e is moving. WARNING
If the gear is changed down inappropriately
b y
selecting a gear that is too low, you may
lose control of the vehicle, causing an acci-
dent and serious injuries. CAUTION
When travelling at high speeds or at high en-
gine s peed
s, selecting a gear that is too low
can cause considerable damage to the clutch
and the gearbox. This can also occur if the
clutch pedal is pressed and held and it does
not engage. CAUTION
To prevent damage and avoid premature
w e
ar, please observe the following:
● Do not rest your hand on the gear lever
whil
e driving. The pressure applied by your
hand is transmitted to the gearbox selector
forks.
● Always ensure that the vehicle is complete-
ly s
topped before engaging the reverse gear.
● Always press the clutch to the floor when
ch
anging gears.
● Never hold the vehicle “on the clutch” on
hil
ls with the engine on. 176

Driving
Automatic gearbox/DSG auto-
m atic
gearbox*
Introduction Your vehicle is equipped with an electronical-
ly
c
ontrolled manual gearbox. Torque be-
tween the engine and the gearbox is trans-
mitted via two independent clutches. They re-
place the torque converter found on conven-
tional automatic gearboxes and allow for
smooth, uninterrupted acceleration of the ve-
hicle.
The tiptronic system allows the driver to
change gears manually if desired
››› page 179, Changing gears in tiptronic
mode*.
Selector lever positions Read the additional information carefully
› ›
› page 41
The selector lever position engaged is high-
lighted on the display in the instrument clus-
ter. With the selector lever in the manual
gearbox positions G, D, E and S, the engaged
gear is also indicated on the display.
P – Parking lock
When the selector lever is in this position,
the driven wheels are locked mechanically. The parking lock must be engaged only when
the v
ehicle is stationary ››› .
The int erloc
k button (the button on the selec-
tor lever handle) must be pressed in and si-
multaneously the brake pedal must be de-
pressed before moving the selector lever ei-
ther in or out of position P.
R – Reverse gear
Reverse gear must be engaged only when the
vehicle is stationary and the engine is idling
››› .
T o mo
ve the selector lever to position R, the
interlock button must be pressed in and at
the same time the brake pedal must be de-
pressed. The reverse lights come on when
the selector lever is in the R position with the
ignition on.
N – Neutral (idling)
With the selector lever in this position, the
gear is in neutral.
D/S – Permanent drive (forward) position
The selector lever in the D/S position enables
the gears to be controlled in normal mode (D)
or Sport (S). To select Sport mode (S), move
the selector lever backwards. Moving the lev-
er again will select normal mode (D). The se-
lected driving mode is shown on the instru-
ment panel display. In normal mode
(D), the g
earbox automatical-
ly selects the best gear ratio. This depends
on the engine load, the road speed and the
dynamic gear control programme (DCP).
Sport mode (S) must be selected for a sporty
driving style. This setting makes use of the
engine's maximum power output. When ac-
celerating the gear shifts will be noticeable.
Press the brake pedal to move the selector
lever from N to D/S when the vehicle is sta-
tionary or at speeds below 3 km/h (2 mph)
››› .
Under c er
tain circumstances (e.g. when driv-
ing in mountains) it can be advantageous to
switch temporarily to tiptronic mode
››› page 179, in order to manually select gear
ratios to suit the driving conditions. WARNING
● Tak
e care not to accidentally press the ac-
celerator pedal when the vehicle is stopped.
The vehicle could otherwise start moving im-
mediately (in some cases even if the parking
brake is engaged) resulting in the risk of an
accident.
● Never move the selector lever to R or P
when drivin
g. Failure to follow this instruc-
tion could result in an accident.
● With selector lever in any position (except
P) the v
ehicle must always be held with the
foot brake when the engine is running. This is
because an automatic gearbox still transmits » 177
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Driving
Note
● If the sel
ector lever lock does not engage,
there is a fault. The transmission is interrup-
ted to prevent the vehicle from accidentally
moving. Follow the procedure below in order
for the selector lever lock to engage again:
–With a 6-speed gearbox: press the brake
pedal and release it again.
– With a 7-speed gearbox: press the brake
pedal. Move the selector lever to posi-
tion P or N and subsequently engage a
gear.
● Despite a gear being engaged, the vehicle
does
not move forwards or back. Proceed to
the next mode:
– When the vehicle does not move in the
required direction, the system may not
have the gear range correctly engaged.
Press the brake pedal and engage the
gear range again.
– If the vehicle still does not move in the
required direction, there is a system mal-
function. Seek specialist assistance and
have the system checked. Changing gears in tiptronic mode*
Fig. 167
Centre console: changing gear with
tiptr onic Fig. 168
Steering wheel: automatic gearbox
l ev
ers The tiptronic gives the driver the option to
c
h
ange gears manually. Changing gear manually with the selector
lev
er
It is possible to change to tiptronic mode,
both when the vehicle is stopped and while
driving.
– To switch to tiptronic mode, move the se-
lect
or lever from position D/S to the right.
As soon as the change is made the selector
level will be shown in the position M on the
instrument panel display (for example M4
means that the fourth gear is engaged).
– Move the selector lever forwards + to se-
l ect
a higher gear ››› Fig. 167.
– Move the selector lever backwards – to
sel ect
a lower gear.
Changing gear manually with the gearshift
paddles*
The gearshift paddles can be used when the
selector lever is in the position D/S or M.
– Press the gearshift paddle + to select a
higher g e
ar ››› Fig. 168.
– Press the gearshift paddle – to select a
lo w
er gear.
– With the selector lever in position D/S, if no
pa
ddle is operated during a short period of
time, the gearbox control system switches
back to automatic mode. To switch to per-
manent manual gear change using the
gearshift paddles, move the selector lever
from position D/S to the right. »
179
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Driving
damage the automatic gearbox. Apply the
h
andbr
ake firmly or press the brake pedal in
order to prevent the vehicle from rolling back.
● If you allow the car to roll with the selector
lev
er in position N with the engine switched
off, the automatic gearbox will be damaged
as it will not be lubricated.
● In certain driving situations or traffic condi-
tions, s
uch as frequently starting, prolonged
“creeping” of the vehicle or traffic jams with
continuous stoppages, the gearbox could
overheat causing damage! If the warning
lamp lights up, stop the vehicle as soon as
possible and wait for the gearbox to cool
››› page 183. Kick-down feature
The kick-down feature allows maximum ac-
c
el
eration to be reached.
When the accelerator pedal is pressed right
down past the point of resistance at full throt-
tle, the gearbox will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on road speed and engine
speed. The upshift to the next higher gear is
delayed until the engine reaches maximum
rpm. WARNING
Please note that if the road surface is slip-
per y
or wet, the kick-down feature could
cause the driving wheels to spin, which could
result in skidding. Launch control programme
3
Valid for vehicles: with Launch-Control/6-Speed
D
SG with diesel engines superior to 125 kW and pet-
rol engines superior to 140 kW.
The Launch control programme enables maxi-
mum acceleration.
Important: the engine must have reached op-
erating temperature and the steering wheel
must not be turned.
The engine speed for launch-control is differ-
ent on petrol and diesel engines. To use the
launch-control you must disconnect the anti-
slip regulation (ASR) through the Easy Con-
nect system menu ›››
page 108. The warning
lamp will stay switched on or will flash
slowly depending on whether or not the vehi-
cle has a driver information system*.
On vehicles with the driver information sys-
tem, the ESC lamp lights up permanently and
the corresponding text message Stabilitycontrol deactivated
(tempor
ary) ap-
pears on the instrument panel to indicate the
deactivation status.
– When the engine is running, switch off the
traction c
ontrol (ASR) 1)
.
– Turn the selector lever to the position “S”
or tiptronic, or el
se select the sport driv-
ing mode from the SEAT Drive Profile*
››› page 225.
– Press the brake pedal firmly with your left
foot
and hold it down for at least one sec-
ond.
– With your right foot, press the accelerator
down t
o the full throttle or kick-down posi-
tion. The engine speed will stabilise at
about 3,200 rpm (petrol engine) or about
2,000 rpm (diesel engine).
– Take your left foot off the brake pedal. WARNING
● Alw
ays adapt your driving style to the traf-
fic conditions.
● Only use the launch control programme
when ro
ad and traffic conditions permit, and
make sure your manner of driving and accel-
erating the vehicle does not inconvenience or
endanger other road users. »1)
Vehicles without driver information system: the
w arnin
g lamp flashes slowly/Vehicles with driver in-
formation system: the warning lamp stays on. 181
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Operation
●
Mak
e sure that the ESC remains switched
on. Please note that when the ASR and ESC
are deactivated, the wheels may start to spin,
causing the vehicle to lose grip. Risk of acci-
dent!
● After putting the vehicle into gear, the
“spor
t” mode of the ESC should be deactiva-
ted again by briefly pressing the OFF but-
t on. Note
● Af t
er using the Launch control programme,
the temperature in the gearbox may have in-
creased considerably. In this case, the pro-
gramme could be disabled for several mi-
nutes. The programme can be used again af-
ter the cooling phase.
● Accelerating with the Launch control pro-
gramme p
laces a heavy load on all parts of
the vehicle. This can result in increased wear
and tear. Downhill speed control*
The downhill speed control function helps
the driv
er when driv
ing down steep gradi-
ents.
Downhill speed control is activated when the
selector lever is in D/S and the driver applies
the foot brake. The automatic gearbox auto-
matically engages a lower gear that is suita-
ble for the slope. The downhill speed control function attempts to maintain the speed at
which the
vehicle was travelling when the
foot brake was applied (subject to the laws of
physics and technical drive limitations). It
may be necessary to adjust the speed again
using the foot brake in certain situations. Giv-
en that the downhill speed control can only
change down to 3rd gear, on very steep de-
scents the tiptronic mode may be required. In
this case, manually reduce the tiptronic to
2nd or 1st gear to use the engine brake and
reduce the charge on the brakes.
Downhill speed control is deactivated as
soon as the road levels out again or you
press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with cruise control system*
››› page 193, downhill speed control is acti-
vated when you set a cruising speed. WARNING
The downhill speed control cannot defy the
l a
ws of physics. Therefore, speed cannot be
maintained constant in all situations. Always
be prepared to use the brakes! Inertia mode
The inertia mode enables the kinetic energy
of
the
vehicle to be harnessed enabling cer-
tain stretches to be driven without using the
accelerator. This enables fuel to be saved. Use the inertia mode to “let the vehicle roll”
befor
e, for example, arriving in a town.
Switching on inertia mode
Important: selector lever must be in position
D, gradients below 12 %.
– Select, in SEAT Drive Profile*, Eco mode
››
› page 225.
– Take your foot off the accelerator.
The driver me
ssage Inertia will be dis-
played. At speeds higher than 20 km/h (12
mph), the gearbox will automatically disen-
gage and the vehicle will roll freely, without
the effect of the engine brake. While the vehi-
cle rolls, the engine runs at idling speed.
Stopping inertia mode
– Press the brake or the accelerator pedal.
To m
ake use of the braking force and switch
off the engine again, simply press the brake
pedal briefly.
Applying both the inertia mode (= prolonged
section with less energy) and the switching
off using inertia (= shorter section without
the need for fuel) facilitates improved fuel
consumption and emission balance.
182

Operation
Gearbox: press the brake and
engage a gear again.
If the f
ault was caused by a gearbox with a
high temperature, this driver message will be
displayed when the gearbox has cooled
again.
Run-in and economical driving Ru
nning-in the engine A new vehicle should be run in over a dis-
t
anc
e of 1500 km (1000 miles). For the first
1,000 km the engine speed should not ex-
ceed 2/3 of the maximum permissible engine
speed. In doing so, do not accelerate at full
throttle and do not drive with a trailer! From
1000 to 1500 km (600 to 1000 miles) you
can gradually increase the engine rpm and
road speed.
During its first few hours of running, the in-
ternal friction in the engine is greater than
later on when all the moving parts have bed-
ded down.
How the vehicle is driven for the first 1,500
km influences the future engine perform-
ance. Subsequently, also drive at a moderate
rate, especially when the engine is still cold:
this will lead to less engine wear and tear
and will prolong its useful life. You should also avoid driving with the engine
speed t
oo low. Change down to a lower gear
when the engine no longer runs “smoothly”.
If the engine revs too much, cut fuel injection
to protect the engine.
Environmental compatibility Environmental protection is a top priority in
the de
s
ign, choice of materials and manufac-
ture of your new SEAT.
Constructive measures to encourage recy-
cling
● Joints and connections designed for easy
di sm
antling
● Modular construction to facilitate disman-
tling
● Inc
reased use of single-grade materials.
● Plastic parts and elastomers are marked in
acc
ordance with ISO 1043, ISO 11469 and
ISO 1629.
Choice of materials
● Use of recycled materials.
● Use of compatible plastics in the same part
if its
components are not easily separated.
● Use of recycled materials and/or materials
originatin
g from renewable sources. ●
Reduction of
volatile components, includ-
ing odour, in plastic materials.
● Use of CFC-free coolants.
Ban on he
avy metals, with the exceptions
dictated by law (Annex II of ELV Directive
2000/53/EC): cadmium, lead, mercury, hexa-
valent chromium.
Manufacturing methods
● Reduction of the quantity of thinner in the
prot
ective wax for cavities.
● Use of plastic film as protection during ve-
hicl
e transport.
● Use of solvent-free adhesives.
● Use of CFC-free coolants in cooling sys-
tems.
● R
ecycling and energy recovery from resi-
dues
(RDF).
● Improvement in the quality of waste water.
● Use of systems for the recovery of residual
heat
(thermal recovery, enthalpy wheels,
etc.).
● The use of water-soluble paints.
184

Operation
●
Do not s
top in the water, drive in reverse, or
stop the engine in any situation.
● Note that vehicles travelling in the opposite
direction m
ay splash water that could exceed
the maximum permitted water height for your
vehicle.
● Avoid driving through salt water (corro-
sion). Driver assistance systems
St ar
t-Stop System*
Description and operation The Start-Stop system helps save fuel and re-
duc
e C
O2 emissions.
In Start-Stop mode, the engine will automati-
cally switch off when the vehicle stops, when
stopping at traffic lights for example. The ig-
nition remains switched on during the stop-
ping phase. The engine automatically
switches back on when required. In this sit-
uation the light of the START ENGINE STOP but-
t on s
tays on.
As soon as the ignition is switched on, the
Start-Stop function is automatically activa-
ted.
Basic requirements for the Start-Stop mode
● The driver door must be closed.
● The driver must have their seat belt fas-
tened.
● The bonnet
must be closed.
● The engine must have reached a minimum
serv
ice temperature.
● The reverse gear must not be engaged.
● The vehicle must not be on a very steep
slope. WARNING
● Nev er sw
itch the engine off until the vehi-
cle is stationary. The brake servo and power
steering functions will not be completely cov-
ered under warranty. More force may also be
needed to turn the steering wheel or to brake.
As you cannot steer and brake in the normal
manner, there is a greater risk of accidents
and serious injury.
● Never remove the key from the ignition if
the v
ehicle is in motion. Otherwise, the steer-
ing could lock making it impossible to steer
the vehicle.
● To avoid injury, make sure that the Start-
Stop sy
stem is switched off when working in
the engine compartment ››› page 190. CAUTION
The Start-Stop system must always be
sw it
ched off when driving through flooded
areas ››› page 190. Stopping/Starting the engine
Vehicles with a manual gearbox
– When the vehicle is stopped, put it into
neutr al
and release the clutch pedal. The
engine will switch off. The warning lamp
will appear on the instrument panel dis-
play.
188