2017 AUDI A7 ESP

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\.J ' Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in, and the break­
in distance should be 1,000 mi les ( 1,500 km). Do
not drive at speeds that w ill exceed
2/3 of the
maximum permitted engine speed
(RPM) for the
first 600 miles (1,000 km) , and avoid full accel­
eration 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
higher 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 per iod, part icularly 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 eng ine speeds are automati ­
cally reduced .
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive pa r­
ticularly careful for the first 350 miles (500 kilo­
meters) after fitting .
.&_ WARNING
-
New tires tend to be slippery and must also
be "broken-in". Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 miles (500 kilometers).
Brake gently . Avo id following closely behind
other vehicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard brak ing.
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that low-
D riving
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
T h is is espec ially true for veh icles with low-slung
chass is (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Warming up/cooling down
Appl ies to: Sand RS models
By warming up/cooling down the engine careful­
ly, you can he lp reduce unnecessary strain on
your vehicle when driving in a sporty style.
The engine speed is limited when the engine is
cold -the full engine output is not available.
When the engine is at operat ing temperature,
the engine speed limitation moves to a higher
RPM range. The tires also only reach their full
road holding capab ility once they have warmed
up .
Your vehicle also has an after-run cooling fea­
ture . However, cooling down is still important.
The engine and the brakes as well as the exhaust
system and the transmission become very hot
when driving in a spo rty style . Before you shut
the vehicle off, you should cool down the vehicle
by driving a few miles at low speeds with light ac­
celeration.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of vehicle
damage when driving through water, for example
on flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body .
- Do not drive faste r than walking speed.
.&_ 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 .
(D Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspens ion or electrical
65

Driving
system can be severely damaged by dr iving
th ro ugh water.
- Always switch the Star t/Stop sys tem * off
when driving through wate r
r:';> page 71.
{D) Tips
-Dete rm ine the depth befo re driv ing th ro ugh
wa ter.
- Do not s to p the veh icle, dr ive in reverse or
swi tc h t he eng ine off when dr iv ing t hrough
wa ter.
- K eep in mind t hat on coming veh icles m ay
crea te waves t hat raise the wate r level an d
make it too deep for your ve hicle to drive
th ro ugh safely.
- Avo id driving through s alt wa ter, because
th is can ca use corros io n.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l cons umption, the env iron­
men tal impact and the wear to the engine,
b rakes and t ires dep ends mostly on your dr iv ing
style. W ith an anticipatory and economic driv ing
s tyle, f ue l consumption can be reduced by ap­
p roximate ly 10-15% . The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at
the same time .
Anticipatory dr iving
A veh icle uses the mos t fu el when a cce le ra ting.
W hen you dr ive wi th ant icipat ion, you do not
need to brake as often and so you ac celerate less .
When possib le, let your ve hicle coast wit h a
gear
engaged ,
for example, when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions a nd fuel con­
sumpt io n to ze ro (f uel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
An effective way to save fuel is to upshift earlier.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
ly .
Press down on the acce le rator peda l slowly and
avoid "k ick -down" .
66
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely travel at the maxim um vehicle
speed. Hig h speeds cause a disproportionate ly
high increase in fue l cons umption, emissions and
traffic noise. Slowe r driving saves fue l.
Reduce idling time
The Start-S top system * helps to re du ce the idling
time automat ic all y. In ve hicles withou t the Star t­
Stop system *, i t is efficient to sw itch the engine
off when stopped at railroad crossings and long
red lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec­
onds a lready saves more fue l than the amo unt of
extra fue l needed to restart the engine.
It takes 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 shou ld begin driving im­
med iate ly after starting the engi ne. Avoid high
RPMs wh ile doing this.
Have maintenance performed regul arly
By having maintenance pe rformed reg ula rly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con­
sumption before you even start to drive. The
mainte nance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long- term value but al­
so im pacts
fuel consumption . A poorly main­
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consump tio n t hat
i s 1 0% hig he r th an no rm al.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and exhaust clean ing system must
r each their op tima l
operating temperature to ef­
fect ively reduce consump tion a nd emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fuel. T he eng ine reaches operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption no rma lizes only
af ter approximate ly
2.5 miles (4 km).
Check the tire pressu re
To save fue l, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to t he correct press ure
r=':>page 221. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by 5% if the pres­
s ur e is only 0 .5 bar too low . Due to t he i ncreased
r oll ing resis tance, low tire p ressures w ill also
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\.J ' 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
c::> page 75.
(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.
Driving
- 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
c::> &. . 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
c::> ..&. to pre ­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting .
During this time, you can easily begin to move
your vehicle.
_& WARNING
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with hill hold assist
- 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.
Ill-
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Driving
"'T o shift up one gear, tap the shi ft paddle 0
¢ fig. 84.
"'To shift down one gear, tap the 0 sh ift paddle .
The transmission automatically shifts up o r down
before critical engine speed is reached .
Appl ies to: RS mode ls: when accelerating, the
transmission does
not a utomat ically shift to the
next gear shortly before the maximum pe rm itted
engine RPM is reached .
The transm ission only a llows manual shifting
when the engine speed is within the permitted range.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerato r peda l down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­
miss io n downshifts into a lower gear, depend ing
on vehicle speed and engine RPM. It shif ts up in­
to the next higher gear once the max imum speci­
fied engine RPM is reached .
I n t iptroni c mode, the t ransmission does
not au­
tomatically sh ift down into a lowe r gear. If you
m ust accelerate, for example to pass a veh icle,
you must shift manually .
_& WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Applies to: RS 7 Spo rtback perfor man ce
-
The max imum engine torque is temporar ily in­
creased in overboost. Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operat ing temperatu re .
The bars in the boost p ressure indicator are red
¢page 87.
_& WARNING
= -
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or s lippery roads when overboost is ac ­
tive.
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' Launch control program
App lies to: vehicles with S tronic
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 73.
The LED in the jr,;i ••I button turns on .
"' Switch the Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) sport mode on¢
page 121. The Iii indi ­
cato r light turns on.
"' Pull the selector leve r back out of the D/S posi­
tion b riefly to selec t the S position or se lect t he
DYNAM IC driv ing mode in d rive sele ct
<=:> page 106.
"'Press the brake pedal firm ly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
"' At the same time, press the gas peda l all the
way down with your right foot until the eng ine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
"' Remove your foot from the brake peda l w ith in
five seconds ¢,& .
_& WARNING
-Always a dapt your driving to the traff ic flow.
- On ly use t he Launch cont rol program when
road and traffic con dit ions allow it an d oth­
er drivers will no t be endange red o r bot h­
ered by your driving and the veh icle's accel ­
eratio n.
- Please note that the d rive 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 ~ OFF! button b rief ly to turn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmission temperat ure may increase
significant ly after using the launch control
prog ram . If that happens, the prog ram may
not be ava ilab le for a few minutes. It will be
available again after a coo l-down period.
...

Trailer towing
Coolant t emperatur e
The coolant temperatu re gauge <=? page 9 must
be observed ca refully. The coo lant tempe rature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine sp eeds. Reduce your sp eed
immed ia te ly if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information abo ut indicator lights, re­
fe r to . <=?
page 14.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly 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 veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing a
tra ile r because of the additional weight and d if­
fe rent we ight d istr ib ution. Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend o n how careful­
ly you load yo ur trailer and ope rate your r ig .
Before you actually tow your tra iler, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and bac king up in an area away
from t raff ic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come comple tely fami liar with t he way your vehi­
cle-trailer comb inat ion behaves and responds.
Backing up is d iffic ult and requires pract ice .
Backing up with a tra iler gene rally requires steer­
i n g ac tion oppos ite to tha t when backing up yo ur
veh icle w it h out a trailer .
M aintain a g reater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You w ill need more
room to stop . To compensa te fo r th e tra ile r, you
will nee d a larger than no rma l tur ning rad ius.
When pass ing , remembe r that you ca nnot accel­
e rate as fast as you no rma lly would because of
the adde d load . Make s ure yo u have eno ugh room
to pass . After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trai ler before chang ing lanes again.
84
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
c h anges.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer dur ing the brea k-i n pe ri­
od of your veh icle.
- I f you tow a tra ile r, your A udi m ay requi re
more frequent ma intenance due to the ex­
tra load
¢ page 264.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope wi th a trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have so meone p lace cho cks unde r bot h the ve­
hicle and the trailer w heels.
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly rele ase the brakes
until the w heel chocks abso rb the load .
.,. Turn th e whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.,. Select the P se lecto r lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Start the engine .
.,. Sele ct the D/S se lector l ever position.
.,. Re lease the par king brake and s low ly pull o ut
and away from the whee l chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone re trieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P befo re applying the park­
i ng brake and before blocking the whee ls, yo u
may have to use more force la ter to move the
l eve r o ut of the P pos it io n.

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<..:l 'SI"
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.
@ 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.
Assist
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
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Fig. 86 Operating leve r: cru ise cont rol system
.. To switch the cruise control on, pull the lever
into position @~ fig. 86.
.. Drive at the speed to be maintained .
.. To store the speed, press the button @.
Th e stored speed and the
[lljlfJ~il (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light are displayed
in the instrument cluster.
T his information is also shown briefly in the
Head-up display* .
The speed is maintained by modifying engine
power or through an active brake intervention.
A 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 ra in and
hydroplaning), because this inc reases the
risk of an accident.
- Switch the cruise control off temporarily
when dr iv ing in turning lanes, highway exits
-
or in construction zones . ~
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<.,;) 'SI'
Boost, shifting and
engine oil temperature
indicators
Applies to: vehicles with boost, shifting and engine oil tem­
peratu re indicators
Fig. 87 Instrument cluster: boost, shift ing and eng ine oil
temperature indicators
... Turn the menu thumbwheel on the steering
wheel until
Lap timer appears in the instru­
ment cluster display.
@ Boost pressure indicator
The current engine load (meaning the current
boost pressure) is indicated by a bar .
@ Shifting indicator
The shifting indicator is on ly visible when shifting
gears in tiptronic mode ¢ page
79. Green LEDs
turn on as the engine RPMs increase. The LEDS
flash red at speeds near the RPM limit.
In vehicles with an activated head-up display
¢ page
24, the shifting indicator is shown in the
head-up display instead of the instrument clus­
ter.
© Engine oil tempe rature indicator
If the engine oil temperature is below 140 °F
(60 °(), th<> I# symbol followed by three hy­
phens"- - -" and the
0
( unit is shown.
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture when the engine oil temperature is between
140
° F (60 °() and 248 °F (120 °() under normal
driving conditions. The engine oil temperature
may be higher if there is heavy engine load and
high temperatures outside. This is not a cause for
concern as long as the .¢ page
15 or Ill
Assist
¢ page 15 indicato r lights in the display do not
blink.
Lap timer
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with lap timer
You can record and evaluate lap times with the
lap timer ¢ page
87, fig. 88. Th e time is meas­
ur ed in m inutes, seconds and 1/10 seconds . The
hours are also shown when the lap time exceeds
60 minutes. The maximum individual measure ­
ment is 99 hours. A maximum of SO laps can be
recorded.
A WARNING
-Your focus shou ld always be on driving your
vehicle safe ly. As the driver, you have com­
plete respons ibility for safety in traffic. Only
use the functions in such a way that you al­
ways maintain complete control over your ve­
hicle in all traffic situations .
@ Tips
You can retr ieve informat ion from the tr ip
computer wh ile the lap timer stopwatch is
r unning.
Opening the lap timer and recording times
Applies to: vehicles with lap timer
Fig. 88 Display: lap t imer
Opening the lap timer
... Turn the menu thumbwheel on the steering
wheel until
Lap timer appears in the instru­
ment cluster display .
-
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<.,;) 'SI"
In stop-and-go traffic, adaptive cruise control can
brake until the vehicle is stationary and then be­
gin driving again under certain conditions
¢page 92.
Audi braking guard can warn you about an im­
pending collision and initiate braking maneuvers
¢page 94.
Which functions can be controlled?
When you switch adaptive cruise control on, you
can set the current speed as the "control speed"
¢ page 91, Switching on/off.
When driving, you can stop cruise control
¢
page 92 or change the speed ¢ page 92 at
anytime.
You can also set the distance to the object mov­
ing ahead and set the driving mode of the adap­
tive cruise control¢
page 93 .
General information
Applies to: veh icles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 91 Front of t he vehicle: sen sors and video came ra
The areas that contain the radar and ultrasonic
sensors and the video camera¢
fig. 91 must not
be covered by stickers, deposits or other objects
because they can interfe re with the function of
the adaptive cruise control system and braking
guard. For information on cleaning, refer to
¢
page 235. The same applies for any modifica­
tions made in the front area.
The function of the adaptive cruise control sys­
tem and brak ing guard is limited under some
conditions.
- Objects can only be detected when they are
within the sensor range¢
page 88 , fig. 90 .
Assist
- The system has a limited ability to detect ob­
jects that are a short distance ahead, off to the
side of your vehicle or moving into your lane.
- Objects th at are difficult to detect such as mo­
torcycles, vehicles with high ground clearance
or an overhanging load are detected late or not
detected at all.
- When driving through curves
¢page 90.
-With stationary objects ¢ page 90.
A WARNING ~
Always pay attention to traffic when adaptive
cruise control is switched on and braking
guard is active. As the driver, you are still re­
sponsible for starting and for maintaining
speed and distance to other objects. Braking
guard is used to assist you . The driver must
always take action to avoid a collision. The
driver is always responsible for braking at the
correct time.
- For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise control when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condition and/or in bad weather (such
as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydroplan­ ing). Using the system under these condi­
tions increases the risk of an accident.
- Switch adaptive cruise control 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 adaptive cruise control system will not
brake by itself if you put your foot on the ac ­
celerator pedal. Doing so can override the
speed and distance regulation.
- When approaching stationary objects such as stopped traffic, adaptive cruise control
will not respond and braking guard will have
limited function.
- The adaptive cruise control system and
braking guard do not react to people, ani­
mals, objects crossing the road or oncoming
objects.
- The function of the radar sensors can be af­
fected by reflective objects such as guard rails, the entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain or
ice.
~
89