2017 AUDI A3 SEDAN ECO mode

Driving
Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in for the first 1,000 mi les (1,500 km). Do not drive at speeds
that will exceed 2/3 of the maximum perm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid full acceleration during
this period . You may gradually start increasing
the RPM and the speed between 600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
h igher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven during the first 1,000
miles (1,500 km) also affects the engine quality.
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in period, particularly when running a cold
engine. This will reduce engine wear and improve
the mileage .
Do not drive at too low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high engine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
CD Note
When driving on poor roads, by curbs and on
steep ramps, make su re that low-hang ing
components such as the spoi ler and exhaust
system do not come into contact with these
or they could be damaged. This especially ap­
plies to vehicles with low ground clearance
and vehicles that are heavily loaded.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of vehicle
damage when driv ing through water, for example
on flooded roads:
-The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body .
74
-Do not drive faster than walking speed .
A WARNING
After driving through water or mud, the effec­
tiveness of the brakes may be reduced due to
moisture on the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few careful brake applications should dry
off the brakes.
CD Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical sys ­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water .
-Always switch the Start/Stop system* off
when driving through water
¢page 81.
(i) Tips
-Determine the depth before driving through
water.
-Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine off when driving through
water.
-Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water, because
this can cause corrosion .
Economical and environmentally-friendly
dr iving
The amount of fuel consumption, the environ­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and tires depends mostly on your driving
sty le. With an anticipatory and economic driving
style, fuel consumption can be reduced by ap­
proximately 10-15%. The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerating.
When you drive with anticipation, you do not need to brake as often and so you accelerate less.
When possible, let your vehicle coast with a
gear
engaged,
for example, when you notice that the ..,.

a, a, ..... N
" N ..... 0 N > 00
Starting the engine
when there is a
malfunction
Appl ies to: vehicles with convenience key
It may not be possible to start the engine under
certain circumstances, for example if the battery
in the vehicl e key is drained, if interference is af­
fect ed the key or if there is a syst em malfunc­
tion.
Fig. 91 Steer ing colum n/remote co ntro l key: starting the
e ngi ne if there is
a malfunction
As long as the message II Key not recognized.
See owner's manual or
II Remote control key:
hold back of key against the designated area.
See owner's manual
appears, you can start the
vehicle w ith the emergency starting function .
.,. Press the brake pedal.
.,. Hold the master key in the location indicated in
the illustration
f>l) r:> fig. 91.
.,. Press the I STAR T ENGIN E ST OPI button r:> _&. in
Starting the engine on page
79. The engine will
start.
.,. Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction cor rected.
@ Tips
You can d isplay the message that appears
during an emergency engine start again by
pressing the
I START ENGINE STOPI button.
l l Market -s p ecific
D rivi ng
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
The Start/Stop system can help increase fuel
economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
In Start/Stop mode, the engine shuts off auto ­
matically when the vehicle is stopped, such as at
a traffic light. The ignition remains switched on
during this stop phase. The engine w ill restart
automat ically when needed.
The Start/Stop system is automat ically act ivated
as soon as the ignition is switched on.
Basic requirements for Start/Stop mode
-The driver's door must be closed .
- The driver's seat belt much be fastened.
- The hood must be closed.
- The vehicle must have driven faster than
2 mph
(3 km/h) since the last time it stopped.
(D Note
Always switch the Start/Stop system off when
driving through water
r:> page 83.
(D Tips
The engine stops shortly before the veh icle
comes to a stop
l). The full function of the
brake booster and the power steering is still
available.
Stopping /starting the engine
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Fig. 92 Instrument cluster: eng ine swi tched off (stop
phase)
81

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
you press the accelerator pedal, the parking
brake releases automatica lly and your vehicle
starts to move ¢
page 85.
(D Tips
-Occasional noises when the park ing brake is
set and re leased are normal and are not a
cause for concern .
-The parking brake goes through a se lf-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises associated w ith this are
normal.
-If there is a power failure, the parking brake
will not set if it is released, and it will not
release if it is
set¢,&.. See an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance.
Starting from a stop
Various convenience and safety functions may be
ava ilable when the vehicle begins dr iv ing, de­
pending on vehicle equipment .
Starting on hills with the parking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed.
.,. To start driving comfortab ly when on a hill, set
the parking brake and begin driving as usual.
The braking force of the parking brake does not
release automatically until the wheels build up
enough driving force .
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on hills.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the eng ine must be r unning.
.,. To activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seconds . The vehicle
must be in an uph ill direction of travel.
After releasing the brake pedal, the braking pow ­
er is ma inta ined for a br ief
moment ¢,& to pre­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting.
During this time, you can easily beg in to move
your veh icle.
Driving
A WARNING
Applies to: ve hicles with h ill ho ld assist
-I f you do not beg in driving immediate ly or
the engine stalls afte r releasing the brake
pedal, your veh icle may begin to roll back­
ward. Press the brake pedal or set the park­
ing brake immediately.
-The intelligent technology of hill hold assist
cannot overcome the limitations imposed by
natural physica l laws. The increased comfort
offered by hill hold assist should not cause
you to take safety risks.
-Hill hold assist cannot hold the vehicle in
p lace on a ll hills (for example, if the ground
is slippery or icy).
-To reduce the risk of an accident, always make sure the veh icle is situated safely
while stationary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
T he automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically . Upshifting and downshifting occur au­
tomatica lly .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transm ission selects the most economica l dr iv ing
mode. The transmission upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fue l
efficiency.
In the S selector leve r pos ition, the transmission
switches to a sporty mode after a kick-down or
when the driver uses a
sporty driving style char­
acterized by quick accelerator pedal movements,
heavy acce leration , frequent changes in speed
and traveling at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gea rs
manually (tiptronic mode) ¢ page 90, Manual
shifting (tiptronic mode).
The S tron ic is a dual-clutch transmission. Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde ­
pendent ly from one another. They rep lace the
torque converter used in conventional automatic
..,.
85

Driving
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeab le interruption in traction .
Selector lever positions
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith a uto mat ic t ra n sm issio ns
F ig. 95 Instrument cluster : selector lever posit ions
•
F ig. 96 Selector lever lock
OJ M N 0
:J OJ OJ
The se lected selector leve r pos ition is shown hear
the selector lever ¢
fig. 96 and in the instrument
cluster display ¢
fig. 95.
• Switch the ign ition on.
• In the P/N pos it ion, yo u m ust release the selec­
tor lever lock ¢
page 86 .
• Move the selector lever into the desired pos i­
tion. The engaged selector lever pos ition is
shown in the shift gate .
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
ing a gea r accidenta lly, causing t he vehicle to
ro ll.
The se lector lever is locked in the P and N pos i­
tions whe n the ignition is sw itched o n. You must
press the brake pedal to se lect another position .
You must a lso press the inte rloc k button if you
are moving from the P and N position .
86
The selector leve r lock on ly functions when the
vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low approxi­
mately 1 mph (2 km/ h). At higher speeds, the
l ock is automatically deactivated in the N posi­
tion.
The selector leve r is not locked when shifting
quick ly throug h N, fo r example from R to D. This
makes it possible to free the vehicle when it is
stuck by "rocking" it. The selector lever lock en­
gages if the leve r stays in the N pos ition longer
t h an approximately 2 seconds when the brake
pedal is not pressed .
Ignition key safety interlock*
App lies to: Vehicles w it h i gnit ion lock
You can only remove the key from the ignition af­
ter switching t he ignition
off if the selector lever
i s in the P position. The selector lever will be
locked in the P position as long as the key is not
i n the ig nition .
P -Park
This selector lever position prevents the vehicle
from ro lling. You ca n only shift into Park w hen
the ve hicle is
stationary ¢,&. .
To sh ift in and out of the P selecto r lever posi­
t ion, press the interlock button in the selector
l ever
while pressing the brake peda l.
The selector lever will be locked in the P pos ition
i f there is a power failure ¢
page 92, Selector
lever emergency release.
R- Reverse
Only s hift into reverse gear w hen the ve hicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed ¢,& .
To se lect t he R sele ctor leve r position, press the
interloc k but ton
while pressing the brake pedal.
N - Neutral
The tra nsmission is in idle in th is posi tion.
D /S -Normal position for driving forward
In the 0/5 se lector lever position, the transmis­
sion can be operated either in the normal D mode
or in the 5 sport mode. To select the 5 sport
mode, pull the selector lever back br ie fly. P ulling
..,.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
the lever back again will select the norma l D
mode. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driv ing mode.
I n the
no rmal mode D, the transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
The engine 's power reserves are used fully in the
Sport mode S . Shifting may become noticeab le
when accelerating .
To move from selector lever position N to D, yo u
must press the bra ke pedal and the veh icle mus t
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be sta­
tionary ¢.&, .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-Never select R or P while driv ing, beca use
this increases the risk of an accident.
-Power is st ill transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle . To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
running . Otherwise, th is increases the r isk
of an accident .
-Do not inadvertent ly press the acce lerator
peda l when the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged . Otherwise the veh icle wi ll start to
move immediately, even i f the pa rking brake
is se t. T his cou ld res ult in a crash.
-Do not p ress the accelerator pedal when
changing the s elector leve r pos ition w hile
the vehicle is stationa ry and the engine is
running.
-Never leave yo ur vehicle with the engine
running wh ile in gear. If yo u m ust leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is runn ing, set
the parking brake and move the selecto r lev ­
er to the P position.
- T o decrease the risk of an accident, t hese­
lector lever must be in the P position and
the parking brake must be set before open­ ing the hood and wo rking on a running en-
D riv ing
gine . A lways read and follow the app licab le
warn ings
¢ page 316, Working in the en­
gine compartment.
-Read and fo llowing a ll WARNINGS c> .&. in
Driving tips on page 88 .
(D Tips
-Audi drive select: Sporty shifting character­
istics can be selected using the
Dynam ic
dr iving mode c> page 143 Sw ill appear in
the instrument cluster display instead of D.
-If you accidentally select N wh ile driving,
take your foot off the accelerator peda l im­
mediately and wait for the eng ine to slow
dow n to idle before selecting Dor S.
-If the selector leve r does not engage, there
is a malfunct ion. The engine is disabled to
prevent the veh icle from drivi ng off unin­
tentionally. To allow t he selecto r lever to
engage again, proceed as follows:
- >Briefly press the brake pedal.
-If the vehicle does not move forward or in
reverse even tho ugh a drive posit io n is se­
lected, proceed as follows:
->If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direction, the system may not have engaged
the drive position correctly. Press the bra ke
peda l and select the dr ive position again.
- >If the vehicle still does not move in the de­
sired d irection, there is a system malfunc­
tion. See an autho riz ed Aud i dealer o r au­
tho rized Audi Service Fac ility for assistan ce
t o have the system checked .
- If there is a powe r fail ure, the se lector lever
w ill not move ou t of the P posi tion. The
emergency re lease can be used if this hap ­
pens
¢ page 92.
(D Tips
P lug-i n hy brid drive *: the transm iss ion
swi tches automatically to the norma l mode D
if the
l""'I button¢ page 100 is p ressed wh ile
i n sport mode S.
87

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
-Never engage the R or P selector level posi­
tions while driving. It could cause a crash.
-Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"tiptronic" .
-Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
-If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place with the foot brake or
parking brake to prevent it from rolling
back.
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload.
The@] indicator light turns on
and a message appears
Q page 91 when
the clutch is overloaded.
(D Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­
lected. This can cause the automatic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped while the selector lever is in the
N posit ion will damage the automatic trans­
mission, because it is not lubricated under
those circumstances
Qpage 370, Towing
with a tow truck.
-The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic. When the
mJ or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool
Qpage 91.
Driving
{!) Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake only re­
leases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
App lies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmissions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the D or 5 position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­ ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations .
If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brakes. Because hill de­
scent control cannot shift down farther than 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas. In this case, shift into
2nd or 1st gear in tiptronic mode to use the en ­
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
Q page 123, hi ll descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.
89

Driving
Manual shifting (tiptronic mode)
Applies to: vehicles w ith a utomat ic t ransm iss io ns
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 98 Cente r conso le : shifting manually w ith the se lector
l ever
F ig. 99 Steer ing wheel: sh ifting manually w ith t he s hift
paddles •
Shifting with the selector lever
You can sh ift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing.
.. To sh ift into tiptronic mode , pus h the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the r ight in the
tiptronic sh ift gate. Once the transmission has
swi tched modes, the se lec tor lever posi tion
M
is shown in the instrument cluster display
¢ page 86, fig. 95. For example M4 , means the
4th gear is engaged .
.. To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 98 .
.. To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0 .
Shifting with the shift paddle s*
You can operate the shift padd les in the D/S or M
(tiptronic shift gate) selector lever positions.
90
.. T o shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢ fig. 99 .
.. To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
If the shif t paddles a re tapped w hile i n the D/S
selector lever position, a utomatic mode switches
off briefly . To switch from manually shifting back
to automatic shifting immediately, tap t he sh ift
paddle
0 ¢ fig. 99 for 1 second.
To keep sh ifting us ing the shift padd les, move
the selector lever to the right out of the D/S posi­
tion into the tiptronic shift gate .
The tr ansmission a utomatica lly shi fts up or dow n
before critical engi ne speed is reached.
The transmission on ly allows manual shifting
whe n the engi ne speed is w ith in the pe rmitted
range.
(j) Tips
tiptro nic does not wo rk if the transmiss ion i s
r unning in emergency mode .
Kick-down
Applies to : vehicles wi th auto matic transm issions
Kick -down enables maximum acceleration.
When you p ress the accelerator pedal down be ­
yond the res istance point (ca lled kick-down), the
automat ic transmission downshifts into a lower
gear, depending on vehicle speed and engi ne
R PM .
It shi fts up in to the next higher ge ar once
the maxim um specified eng ine RPM is reached .
A WARNING ,._
Please note that the whee ls could spin on
slick or slippe ry roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Launch control program
App lies to: vehicles with S t ronic transmiss ion an d Launch
Co ntro l P rogram
The Laun ch Control Program enabl es maximum
acceleration.
The Launch Contro l Program is not ava ilable for
all eng ine/transmission combinations .
..,.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering whee l must not be
turned.
.,. Deact ivate ll the Start/Stop system*
¢ page 83. The LED in the ~ button turns on.
.,. With the engine running, press the l.t, O FFj but­
ton briefly one time .
.,. Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
t ion briefly to select the S posit ion, or press it
toward the right into the tiptronic pos ition or
select the
D ynamic driving mode in drive se­
lect*
¢ page 143 .
.,. Press the b rake peda l firmly with you r left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
.,. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot unti l 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 your driv­
ing and the vehicle's acceleration .
- Please note that the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is s lippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I ~ OFF j button briefly to tu rn the sport
mode off.
@ Tips
-The transmiss ion temperature may increase
s ignificantly after us ing the launch cont rol
program.
If that happens, the program may
not be available for a few m inutes. It w ill be
available again after a cool-down pe riod.
-When accelerating using the la unch control
program, all veh icle parts are subject to
heavy loads. Th is can lead to increased
wear .
8 1
> It is not pos sib le to deact iv a te t he system w it h all vers io n s N iii of th e tran sm is s ion.
D riv ing
Emergency mode
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
In the event of a system malfunction, there is an
emergency program .
If all of the selector lever positions are highlight­
ed with a light background in the instrument
cluster display, there is a system malfunct ion and
the transmission is running i n the emergency
program. The veh icle can sti ll be driven in emer­
gency mode, but only with red uced speed and
not in all gears . In some cases, the vehicle
can ­
not d riv e in revers e .
([) Note
If the transm ission runs in eme rgency mode,
drive to a n author ized A udi dealer or author­
i zed Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunction corrected .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
• Tran smission: malfunction! Please stop ve­
hicle and shift t o P
There is a ma lfunction in the transm ission. Park
the vehicle secure ly and do not continue driving.
See an author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance .
• Transmis sion overheat ing! Plea se stop the
ve hicle!
The tra nsmission is too hot and can become dam­
aged. Stop and le t the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engine r unning (at idle) in the P se lector lever po­
sition . Then the indicator light and the message
turn off, drive to an authorized A udi dealer or au­
thori zed Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected. If the indicator light
and the driver message do not turn off, do not
continue driving . See an authorized Aud i dealer
or authorized Audi Serv ice Facility for ass istance.
[!l Tran smiss ion malfunction : you can continu e
driving
.,,.
91