2017 AUDI A6 ESP

Warm and cold
Warm and cold
Climate control system
Description
The climate control system warms, cools and re­ moves humidity from the air in the vehicle interi­
or. It is the most effective when the windows and
sunroof * are closed. If there is a bui ld-up of heat
insid e the vehicle, ventilation can he lp to speed
up the cooling process.
I n all heating mode f unctions, except for defrost,
the blower only switches to a higher speed once
the engine coolant has reach ed a suffici ent tem­
perature .
Pollutant filt er
The po llutant filter removes poll utants such as
dust and pollen from the a ir .
Ke y recognit ion
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith de luxe au toma tic clima te co ntro l
The blower sett ing and air distribut ion are stored
automatically and ass igned to the remote control
key that you are using.
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith 4 -zo ne del uxe auto matic c limate
co ntrol
The climate con trol set tings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote control key
that is in use.
A WARNING
Poor visibility can lead to accidents.
- For safer driving, keep all windows free of
ice, snow and fog .
- Become familiar as quickly as possible with the correct use and function of the cl imate
contro l system, especially with the defrost­
ing and defogg ing function.
- When the temperat ure is below freezing,
only use the windsh ield washer system after
60
the windshield has been warmed by the cli­
mate control system. The washer fluid could
freeze on the windshie ld and impair visibi li­
ty .
Cl) Note
-If you suspect that the cl imate contro l sys­
tem is damaged, switch the system
off to
prevent further damage and have it checked
by an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility .
- Repa irs to the Aud i climate control system
requ ire special technical knowledge and
special tools . See an authorized Aud i dea le r
or autho rized Aud i Service Faci lity .
@ For the sake of the environment
- To save fuel, turn off cooling mode by press ­
ing the
IAJC I button. This w ill also reduce
em issions .
- In veh icles w ith a diesel engine, you ca n
switch the auto supplementary heater off in
the Infotainment system.
(D Tips
- To prevent interference with the heat ing
and cooling output and to prevent the win­
dows from fogging over, the a ir intake in
front of the windshie ld must be free of ice ,
snow or leaves.
- Conde nsation from the coo ling system can
dr ip and fo rm a pudd le of water under the
vehicle. This is norma l and does not mean
there is a leak.
- Th e energy managemen t sys tem may tem­
porarily switch
off certain functions, such as
t h e seat heating * or rear window defogger.
These systems are ava ilable again as soon
as the ene rgy supply has been restored.

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' system can be severely damaged by driving
th rough water.
- Always swi tch the Sta rt/S top sys tem * off
when driving through wate r
r:!;> page 72.
@ Tips
-De te rmi ne the de pth befo re dr iv ing th ro ugh
w at er.
- Do no t stop the veh icle, dr ive i n reverse or
swi tch the eng ine off when dr iving t hrough
wa ter .
- K eep in mind that oncomin g ve hicl es m ay
crea te waves that raise the wate r level an d
make it too deep for your vehi cle to drive
th rough sa fely.
- Avo id d riving throu gh sal t wa ter, because
th is can ca use corros ion .
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l consumption, the e nviron­
men tal impact and the wear to the engine ,
b rakes and ti res depends mostly on your dr iving
s tyle. W it h an anticipatory a nd econom ic dr iv ing
style , fu el consumpt ion can be reduced by ap ­
p roxima te ly 10 -15% . The following tips will help
you conse rve the environment and you r money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the mos t fu el when a ccele ra ting.
W hen you drive wi th an tic ipa tion, you do not
n eed to brake as often and so yo u ac celerate less .
When possib le, let your vehicle coast w ith a
gear
engaged ,
for example, when you notice that the
next tra ffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumpt io n to ze ro (fuel shut-off dur ing decelera ­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
An effective way to save f uel is to upshift earlier .
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
l y .
Press down o n the acce lerator peda l s lowly and
avoid "k ic k -down".
D riving
Avoid full acceleration
Yo u should rarely travel at the maxi mum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproport ionate ly
high increase i n fue l cons umption, emissions and
t raffic noise. S lowe r driving saves fue l.
Reduce idling time
The Sta rt-Stop system* helps to red uce the idling
t ime a utoma tically. In veh icles w ithout the S ta rt­
Stop system *, i t is eff icient to sw itch the engine
off when stopped at railroad crossings and long
r ed lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec­
onds a lready saves more fuel than the amo unt of
extra fue l needed to restart the engine.
It ta kes a very long time in id le to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm- up
phase. Therefore, you sho uld begin driving im­
med iate ly after starting the engine. Avoid h igh
RPMs wh ile doing this .
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance pe rformed regu larly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel co n­
sumption before you even start to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not o nly
affects traffic safe ty a nd long-term val ue but al­
so impa cts
fuel consumption . A poorly main­
t ai ned engi ne ca n lead t o fuel co nsump tion that
is 1 0% hig he r th an no rmal.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and exhaust cleaning system must
r each their optima l
operating temperature to ef­
fec tively reduce consu mption a nd emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fue l. The engine reac hes operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption normal izes on ly
af ter app roxima tely
2 .5 miles (4 km ).
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to the correct press ure
r:!;> page 220. The
fuel consumpt io n can increase by 5% if the pres ­
s ur e is on ly 0 .5 bar too low. Due to t he inc reased
r oll ing resistance, low tire p ressures w ill also .,..
67

Driving
During emergency braking, your vehicle will
brake similar to heavy braking. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics. In cor­
ners and when road or weather conditions
are bad, a full brake application can cause
the vehicle to skid or the rear end to swerve,
which increases the risk of an accident.
- If the power supply fails, you cannot set the
parking brake if it is released. In this case,
park the vehicle on level ground and secure
it by placing the selector lever in the P posi­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
- Always take the vehicle key with you when leaving your vehicle, even for a short period
of time. This applies particularly when chil­
dren remain in the vehicle . Otherwise chil­
dren could start the engine, release the
parking brake or operate electrical equip­
ment such as power windows, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
- No one should remain in the vehicle when it is locked -especially children. Locked doors
make it more difficult for emergency work­
ers to get into the vehicle, which puts lives
at risk.
(D Tips
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in city traffic, you can set the parking brake
manually. The vehicle does not have to be
held with the brake pedal. The parking brake
eliminates the tendency to creep when a se­
lector lever position is engaged. As soon as
you press the accelerator pedal, the parking brake releases automatically and your vehicle
starts to move ¢
page 76.
(D} Tips
-Occasional noises when the parking brake is
set and released are normal and are not a
cause for concern.
- The parking brake goes through a self-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises associated with this are normal.
76
- 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 authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­ cility for assistance .
Starting from a stop
Various convenience and safety functions may be
available when the vehicle begins driving, de­
pending on vehicle equipment .
Starting on hills with the parking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the driver's safety belt must be fastened.
.,. To start driving comfortably 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 engine must be running.
.,. To activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seconds. The vehicle
must be in an uphill direction of travel.
After releasing the brake pedal, the braking pow­ er is maintained for a brief moment¢&. to pre ­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting.
During this time, you can easily begin to move
your vehicle.
&_ WARNING
- If you do not begin driving immediately or
the engine stalls after releasing the brake
pedal, your vehicle 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 physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by hill hold assist should not cause
.
you to take safety risks . ~

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' ~ To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig. 86.
~ To shift down one gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is within the permitted
range.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­
mission downshifts into a lower gear, depending
on vehicle 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 wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Launch control program
A ppl ies to: ve hicles wit h S tro nic
-
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop.
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
~ Deactivate the Start/Stop system*¢ page 74.
The LED in the l0 u•I button turns on.
~ Switch the Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) sport mode on ¢
page 121. The II i ndi­
cator light turns on.
~ Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position or select the
DYNAMIC driving mode in drive select
¢page 106.
~ Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
Driving
~ 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 foot from the brake pedal within
five seconds ¢_& .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
- Only use the Launch control program when
road and traffic conditions allow it and oth­
er drivers will not be endangered or both­
ered by your driving and the vehicle's accel­
eration.
- Please note that the drive wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I.P-O FFI button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
@ Tips
- The transmission temperature may increase
significantly after using the launch control
program. If that happens, the program may
not be available for a few minutes.
It will be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch control
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
DD Transmission: please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se­
lector lever position again. You can then continue
driving.
DD Transmission overheating: Please drive con­
servatively.
The transmission temperature has increased sig­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light switches of. .,..
81

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c::> page 9 must
be observed carefu lly . The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on.
F or more information about ind icator lights, re­
fer to.
c::> page 14.
A WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer towing information
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribut ion . Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in an area away
from traff ic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely fam iliar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires pract ice.
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You w ill need more
r oom to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load. Make s ure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, a llow plenty of room for
your tra iler before changing lanes again.
Trailer towing
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
c::> page 259 .
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
• Apply the foot brake.
• Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
• With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
• Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
• App ly the parking brake.
• Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking:
• App ly the foot brake.
• Start the engine.
• Select the D/S se lector lever position.
• Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
• Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P before applying the park­
i ng brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
l ever out of the P position.
85

Assist
Assist Speed warning system
Applies to: vehicles with speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to stay un­
der a specified maximum speed.
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set.
A warning tone will sound as soon as your speed
exceeds the stored value slightly.
The . (USA models)/ . (Canada models) indi­
cator light and a message appear in the instru­
ment cluster display at the same time. The •
• indicator light and the message turn off if the
speed falls back below the stored maximum
speed .
Setting a threshold is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when you reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country with a gener ­
al speed limit or if there is a specified maximum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
The warning threshold is set in the Infotainment
system.
.. Select: the
ICARI function button > (Car)* Sys­
tems
control button > Driver assistance >
Speed warning.
(D Tips
Regardless of the speed warning system, you
should always monitor your speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
86
Cruise control system
Switching on
Applies to: vehicles with cruise control system
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30
km/h) .
0
f
~
0
Fig. 88 Operat ing lever: cruise co ntro l syste m
.,. To switch the cruise control on, pull the lever
into posit ion
(D ~ fig . 88.
.,. Drive at the speed to be maintained .
.,. To store the speed, press the button @.
~ M 0 :i:
;;i;
The stored speed and the (ij;\1)~14 (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light are disp layed
in the instrument cluster.
This information is also shown briefly in the
Head-up disp lay* .
The speed is maintained by modifying engine
power or through an active brake intervention.
~ WARNING
-Always pay attention to the traffic around
you when the cruise control system is in op­
eration . You are always responsible for your
speed and the distance between your vehi­
cle and other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise control should not be used in the city, in stop-and-go traffic, on
winding roads and when road conditions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplaning), because this increases the
r isk of an accident.
- Switch the cruise control off temporarily
when dr iv in g in turning lanes, highway exits
or in construction zones.
-

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" N .... 0 0 <.,;) 'SI"
- With stationary objects~ page 90.
A WARNING
Always pay attention to traffic when adapt ive
cruise control is switched on and braking
guard is active . As the dr iver, you are still re­
sponsible for starting and for maintaining
speed and d istance to other objects. Braking
guard is used to assist you . The driver must
always take action to avoid a collision . The
driver is always responsib le for brak ing at the
co rrect time .
- For safety reasons, do not use adapt ive
cruise co ntro l when driv ing on ro ads w ith
many curves, when the road su rface is in
poor condit ion and/or in bad weather (s uch
as ice, fog, grave l, heavy rain and hydrop la n­
ing). Using the system under these condi­
t ions increases the risk of an accident.
- Switch adaptive cruise contro l off tempora­
rily when driving in turning lanes, on ex­
pressway exits or in construction zones. This
prevents the vehicle from accelerating to
the stored speed when in these situations .
- The adapt ive cru ise control system will not
brake by itself if you put your foot on the ac­
celerator pedal. Doing so can overr ide the
speed and distance regulation .
- When approaching stat ionary objects such
as stopped traffic, adapt ive cru ise control
will not respo nd and braking gua rd will have
l imited func tion .
- The adapt ive cru ise control system and
bra king g uard do not react to people, ani­
mals, objects crossing the road or oncom ing
objects.
- T he function of the radar sensors can be af­
fec ted by reflec tive objects s uch as guard
rai ls, the ent rance to a tunnel, heavy rain or
ice.
& WARNING
- Improper use of adaptive cruise control can cause collisions, other accidents and serious
persona l injury.
- Never let the comfort and convenience that
adaptive cruise cont rol and braking guard
A ss ist
offe r dist ract you from the need to be alert
to traffic cond itions and the need to remain
in full control of your vehicle at all times,
- Always remember that the adaptive cruise
control and braking guard have limits -they
will not slow the vehicle down or maintain
the set distance when you dr ive towa rds an
obstacle or something on or near the road
that is not moving, s uch as vehicles stopped
in a t raff ic jam, a stalled or disab led vehicle.
If r eg istered by the radar sensors, vehicles
or obsta cles that are not moving ca n trigger
a co llision wa rning and if confirmed by the
video came ra, an acute co llision wa rning .
- Never fo llow a vehicle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safely . The adap­
tive cruise contro l cannot slow or brake the
veh icle safely w hen you follow another vehi­
cle too closely. A lways remember that the
automatic braking function cannot bring the
veh icle to a sudde n or emergency stop u n­
der these conditions .
- To prevent unintended operat ion , always
sw itch ACC off when it is not being used .
(D Note
The sensors can be d isplaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. That could affect the adaptive
cruise contro l system and braking gua rd .
Have an au thorized Audi dealer o r autho rized
A udi Service Fac ility check the ir funct ion.
In curves
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
I
F ig. 91 Exa mpl e: dri ving into a c urve
89

Assist Interrupting cruise control
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 96 Selector lever
Requirement: adaptive cruise control must be
switched on.
Overriding cruise control
• To accelerate manually, pull the lever toward
you into position @and hold it there . The mes­
sage
ACC: override appears. Or
• press the accelerator pedal.
• To resume cruise control, release the lever or
take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Canceling cruise control while driving
• Move the lever into position @. The message
ACC: standby appears. Or
• press the brake pedal.
• To resume the stored speed, move the lever in­
to posit ion @.
Canceling cruise control when stopped
• Push the lever away from you into position @.
The message
ACC : standby appears.
• To resume cruise control, press the brake pedal
and pull the lever toward you into position @.
A WARNING
It is dangerous to activate cruise control and
resume the stored speed when the current
road, traffic or weather conditions do not per­
mit this. This increases the risk of an accident.
92
Setting the distance
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 97 Operat ing leve r: setting the distance
• Tap the switch to display the current set dis­
tance ¢
fig. 97.
• To increase or reduce the distance in incre­
ments, tap the sw itch again to the r ight or left .
The distance between the two veh icles will
change in the instrument cluster display .
When approaching an object ahead, the adaptive
c ruise contro l system brakes to match that speed
and then adjusts to the set distance.
If the object
ahead accelerates, adaptive cruise control will al­
so accelerate up to the stored speed .
The higher the speed, the greater the distance in
meters
~ &, . The Distance 3 setting is recom­
mended. That is equa l to the general recommen­
dation of "half the speed shown on the speedom­
eter" .
The distances provided are specified values . De­
pending on the driving situation and the way the
object ahead is driving, the actual distance may
be more or less than these target distances .
The various symbols for the time increments ap­
pears briefly in the informat ion line @
¢
page 90, fig. 94 when you change the settings .
c::::,_c::::, ___ Distance 1 : this sett ing corresponds
to a distance of 92 ft (28 m) whe n traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), for example (time between: 1
second) .
c::::, __ c::::, __ Distance 2: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 118 ft (36 m) when traveli ng at
62 mph (100 km/h), fo r example (time between:
1.3 seconds) .
IIJJ,