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you into taking risks. This could increase
your risk of a collision.
- Please note the risk of a co llision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when driv
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre
vent collisions -there is still a r isk of acci
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
even when these control systems are instal
led and this can affect driving stability and
increase the risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only function correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identical
tires. Different tire s izes can lead to a reduc
tion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 140 Center console: OFF ~ button
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
ESC levels
Sport mode on
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
-Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
Applies to: RS models: the ESC is designed to
function in levels. Depending on the level that is
selected, the stabil izat ion function of the ESC is
limited or switched off. The amount of stabiliza
tion control will differ depending on the level.
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The
full stabilization function of the ESC
are limited
c::> & . and ASR is available again.
Operation Press the I~ OFF I button . Press the 1.$ OF FI button again .
Indicator Ill turns on. II turns off.
lights
Messa ges Stabilization control (ESC ): Sport Warn- Stabilization control (ESC): On
ing! Reduced stability
121
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the brakes in wet weather.
The braki ng effect can also be red uced if you are
driving on salted roads and you do not apply the b rakes for long periods of time . The layer of salt
on the brake rotors and pads must be worn off
f irst when the brakes are app lied.
Due to its surface, the ceramic bra ke rotor* ab
sorbs moisture in certa in situations. There fore,
there will temporarily be less braking force than
when the brakes are dry . You can compensate for
this by pressing the brake pedal harder.
Cor rosion
L eaving the vehicle parked fo r long periods of
time, low mi leage and avoiding heavy braking
can contribute to corrosion on the brake rotors
and to dirty brake pads.
I f you usually avo id heavy braking or if there is
corrosion present , occasional heavy braking at
high speeds is recommended to clean the brake
rotors and pads
q ,& .
Brak e system malfunct ion
if you notice that the brake pedal travel has sud
denly increased, then a brake c ircui t in the dual
circuit brake system may have malfunctioned. Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or a uthorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
problem corrected. On the way there, drive with
reduced speed and keep in mind that you w ill
need a longer distance to stop and you w ill need
to p ress the b rake pedal harde r.
L ow brake fluid level
When the brake fl uid level is low, malfunct ions in
the brake system may occur . The brake f lu id level
is electronically monitored.
Br ak e boost er
The brake booster amplifies the pressure you ap
p ly to the brake peda l. It only works when the en
g ine is running.
A WARNING
- Only apply the brakes for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system whe n road and
-
Intellig ent Technology
traffic conditions permit. You must not en
danger other road users. This increases the
risk of an accident.
- Never let the vehicle roll while the engine is
stopped because this increases the risk of an
accident.
- New brake pads do not ach ieve the ir full
braking effect during the first 250 m i
(400 km). They m ust be "broken in" first.
The break-in per iod ca n be cons iderably lon
ge r fo r vehicles with ceram ic brake rotors* .
H owever, you can compensate fo r the
slightly reduced braking force by pressi ng
fi rm ly on the brake pedal. Avo id heavy b rak
ing du ring the break -in pe riod.
- Ce rtain weathe r and ope rating condi tions
such as driving through water, dr iv ing in
heavy rain o r driv ing after was hing your ve
hicle can impa ir the effect iveness of the
brakes. In the winter, ice may build up on
the brake pads, rotors and drums . Check
these components by braking carefully. Ap
p lyi ng the brakes carefully several times
d ries the b rakes and removes ice build-up .
- The efficiency of the brakes can also be im
pa ired by dr iv ing for long stretches on roads
covered with sa lt without using the bra kes .
You can remove salt deposits from the
b rake rotors and pads by carefully applying
t he brakes several times .
- I f the fron t spoiler is damaged o r yo u install
another spoi ler, make su re the front wheel
b rakes are ven tilated properly . Othe rw ise,
the brake system co uld overheat, which re
duces their effectiveness .
- Fa ilure of a brake circuit impairs brak ing
pe rformance, which increases b raking dis
tance. Avo id driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest a uthorized Audi
deale r or authorized Aud i Serv ice Facility.
- I f the brake booster is not working, yo u w ill
have to p ress much harder on the brake
pedal to compensate fo r the lack of the
booster.
Q) Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
peda l lightly when braking is not actually
123
Intelligent Technology
necessary. This causes the brakes to over
heat and increases bra king distance and
causes wear .
- Befo re driving downhi ll a long distance on a
steep hill, decrease your speed and select a
l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes. If
you need to brake additionally, b rake in in
t e rvals a nd not continuously .
(D Tips
-If the brake booster is not working, you
must press the brake pedal with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrofit you r vehicle with a front spoil
e r, whee l covers o r similar items , make sure
that the a ir flow to t he fron t wheels is not
i nte rr u pted . Othe rw ise the brake sys tem
ca n become too hot .
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver 's st eering movements.
Power steering adapts elec tronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator light s and mes sage s
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
If thi s in dica tor light t urns o n and st ays o n and
t his mess age appears, t he power s teer ing m ay
have fai led.
St op the veh icle in a safe lo cat io n as soo n as pos
sib le. Do
not c ontinue dr iving. See an author ized
Aud i dealer o r auth o rize d Aud i Serv ice Facili ty for
assis tance.
(;:r,n Steering : Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator lig ht tur ns on and the message
appears, the steering wheel may be mo re diff i
cul t to m ove or mo re sensit ive tha n usua l. The
s teer ing whee l may also be at an angle when
d riving s traight .
124
Drive slowly to an a uth orized Audi dea ler or au
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility to have the mal
funct ion corrected .
,Ion Dynamic steering: Initializing
If the indica to r li gh t is blinking and this message
appea rs, dy namic stee ring* is be ing initiali zed.
The steer ing whee l will be easy to move afte r
s ta rt ing t he en gine . Re- ini tializ ation mig ht be
necessary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and r ight while the veh icle was not
moving . The d isp lay turns off if the in it ia li zation
was s uccessful.
(D Tips
- If the . or ,Ion indicato r light only stays on
f or a s ho rt time, you may cont inue driving .
- The dynamic stee ring stability systems
¢
page 1 20 are not ava ila bl e in the event of
a system mal function.
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steering, re fer to
¢ page 105.
All wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered.
General information
In all whee l drive, the dr iv ing power is divide d be
tween all four whee ls. This happens automatical
l y depending on yo ur driv ing behavior as we ll as
the cur rent road conditions . Also see
¢ page 120 , Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC).
A center d ifferential distributes the driving powe r
varia bly to the front and rea r ax le. It wor ks to
gether w ith selective whee l torque contro l, w hich
activates w hen d riving through curves
¢ page 120 . With the sport d ifferent ial*, power
dis tribution to the rear wheels is var iable and can
be adjus ted wi th drive select¢
page 105 .
The all wheel drive concept is designed fo r high
engine power . Yo ur vehicle is except iona lly pow
erfu l and has excellent driving cha rac teristics
bot h un der normal d riving condi tions and on
snow and i ce. A lways read and follow safe ty pre-
c auti ons ¢
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Winter tires
By using all wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in winter con
ditions . However, in winter we recommend using
winter or all season tires on all four wheels, be
cause this will improve the braking effect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
also be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
¢ page 227, Snow chains.
Replacing tires
For vehicles w ith all whee l dr ive, only whee ls w ith
the same rolling circumference should be used .
Avoid using tires with different tread depths
¢ page 218, New tires or wheels.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle -there is not
enough ground clearance. For this reason, avoid
difficult terrain.
_& WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with a ll wheel drive, adapt
your dr iving style to the current road and
traff ic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into taking risks,
because this increases the risk of an acci
dent .
- The braking ability of your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the wheels . In this way, it
is not different from a two wheel dr ive vehi
cle. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippery, be
cause this increases the risk of an accident .
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hydroplane" if driving at speeds that
are too high. Unlike front wheel drive
vehicles, the engine does not rev higher sud
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning .
For this reason, adapt your speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acci
dent.
Intelligent Technology
Rear spoiler
The extendable rear spoiler increases driving sta
bility.
Fig. 141 Center console: button for the rear spoiler
T he rear spo iler retracts and extends. Var ious op
erating modes (automatic o r manua l mode) can
be activated .
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Extends automatically: when the vehicle speed
exceeds approx imately 80 mph (130 km/h) .
- Retracts automat ically: when the vehicle speed
drops below approx imately SO mph (80 km/h).
Manual mode
- Extending manually: briefly tap the button to
fully extend the rear spoiler.
- Retracting manually: when driving at speeds
below approximately 10 mph (20 km/h), press
and hold the button to retract the rear spoiler.
When at speeds between 10 mph (20 km/h)
and 80 mph (130 km/h), the rear spoiler will
completely retract when you tap the button.
Indicator lights
lfa /. Rear spoiler: System fault!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to a
malfunction . This cou ld change the vehicle 's driv
ing characteristics at high speeds. Do not drive
faster than 85 mph (140 km/h) . Drive to an au
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility immed iately to have the malfunction cor
rected . The color of the indicator light depends
on the vehicle speed .
125
Intelligent Technology
& WARNING
When extending and retracting the rear spoil
er, make sure there are no persons or objects
w ith in the spoiler range to red uce the risk of
injury .
& WARNING
Driv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler dep loyed can impa ir hand ling ch arac
t er istics, mak ing t he vehi cle h arder to con
t rol.
- Always make sure tha t the spoiler is de
ployed whe n driving a t speeds ove r 85 mph
(140 km/h) . If the rear spoiler warning/ind i
cator light in the instrument cluster comes
on, the rear spo iler may not have deployed.
- Never drive at speeds higher than 85 mph (140 km/ h) if the spoile r is not deployed.
Have the spoiler inspected as soon as possi
ble by an author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
workshop.
-Always obey speed limits and other tra ffic
laws .
(D Note
-Never push on the vehicle on the rear spoi l
er . This cou ld cause damage.
- To prevent damage to the rear spoiler do
not lean o r place anything on it.
- Only opera te the rear spoiler man ually when
the luggage compartment lid is close and
the rear spoiler movi ng pa rts a re not
blocked. Otherwise, damage could occur.
(D Tips
Clean the rear spoi ler compartment eve ry 2 to
3 mont hs. To function correctly, the rear
spoiler m ust be free of ice, snow and leaves.
126
Energy management
' The starting ability is optimized
T he energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a vehicle with a conventional energy sys
tem is no t drive n for a long time, the ve hicle bat
te ry is drained by equ ipment (fo r example, t he
i mmob il iz er). I n cer ta in circ umstan ces, the re
could m ay no t be e nough energy to s tart the en
gine.
You r vehicle is equipped with an inte lligent e ner
gy management system fo r dist ributing elec trici
ty. Thi s sign ifica ntl y improves the start ing ability
and incre ases the vehicle battery life .
The ene rgy ma nagement system Is made up of
battery diagnosi s, idling current management ,
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
T he battery diagnos is determines the vehicle bat
tery charge level. The sensors detect the ba tte ry,
the batt ery cur rent, and t he battery temperature .
The curren t cha rge level and the pe rformance of
t h e ve hicle battery are dete rm ined based on th is .
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the
energy used while parked . With the engine
switched off , it m anages t he e ne rgy dis trib ution
to the d ifferen t electr ica l components . Data from
t h e b attery d iagnosis is ta ken into a ccou nt for
th is .
De pen ding on the vehicle batte ry c ha rge level,
e le ctri ca l eq uipme nt is switched off one i tem af
te r th e o ther to p revent t he vehi cle b attery from
dra ining and to ma intain the s tarting ab ility.
Dynamic energy management
While dr iv ing , dynam ic energy management dis
t ributes the app ropr iate amo unt of energy to t he
ele ctrica l eq uipm ent. It contro ls t he batte ry
c harge level so tha t the amou nt o f energy is no t
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der to maintain an optima l vehicle battery charge
l evel.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws of physics. Note that the charge level
and length of the vehicle batte ry life are
li mited.
- When the starting ability is endangered, the
(•j indicator light turns on ¢ page 14.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority .
A lot of stress is placed on the vehicle battery
when driving short distances, during c ity driving,
and at co ld times of the year. A lot of energy is
used but little is generated. It is a lso critical
when the engine is not running but e lectr ica l
equ ipment is switched o n. In th is case, energy is
used but none is generated .
In s ituations like this, energy management will
actively regu late the distribution of ene rgy.
Long periods w ithout use
If yo u do not drive you r vehicle for several days or
weeks, e lectrica l equipment is gradually sca led
back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ens ures the veh icle w ill be able to start after long
periods of time. Some convenience functions,
such as interior lighting or power seat adjust
ment, may not be available under certain circum
stances . These convenience functions will be
ava ilable again once you switch the ig nition on
an d s tart the engi ne.
With the engine switched off
T he vehicle battery will drain if yo u use I nfota in
ment f unctions such as listening to the rad io
while the eng ine is switched off .
The vehicle's ability to start may be impaired by
the energy use, a message will appear in the In
fotainment system d isplay .
The message ind icates that the system will
switch off automatically soon. If you wou ld like
Intellig ent Technology
to cont inue using the functions, you must start
t h e engine.
With the engine running
Alt hough e lectr ica l energy is ge nerated wh ile
dr iv ing , the ve hicle ba ttery can dra in. This ca n
happen if li ttle ene rgy is generate d but much is
u sed , and the charge level of the vehicle battery
is not optimal.
T o res to re the balance of ene rgy, componen ts
t h at require large amoun ts of ene rgy are tempo
rarily scaled back or switched off . Heat ing sys
tems in partic ula r req uire a great dea l of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear window defogger is not work ing, then it
has been tempora rily reduced or sw itched off.
These systems are availab le aga in as soo n as the
energy sup ply has bee n restored .
In add ition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slig htly increased. That is normal and no
cause for concern . By increas ing the idling speed,
the addit ional required energy will be generated
and the vehicle battery will be charged .
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
Th is vehicle is equ ipped w ith an Event Data Re
corder (EDR) . The ma in purpose of a n EDR is to
r ecord, in certai n cras h or nea r crash-like situa
ti ons, s uch as an airbag deployme nt o r hi ttin g a
road obsta cle, da ta t hat w ill ass ist in underst and
i ng how a vehicle 's systems performed . The EDR
is des igned to record data related to vehicle dy
namics and safety systems for a short perio d of
t ime, typ ica lly 30 seconds or less . The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
- How va rious systems in your vehicle were ope r
ating;
- W het her o r not the drive r and passenge r safety
be lts were b uckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was dep ressing the
accelerator and/or bra ke pedal; and, .,,.
127
Intelligent Technology
-How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understand ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in
juries occur. NOTE : EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs ;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e.g.,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re
corded. However, other parties, such as law en
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip ment is required, and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed . In addition to the vehicle manu
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment, can read the in
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR.
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down
loading of data stored by ED Rs installed in a vehi
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af
ter an accident or crash event without the own
er's consent.
Audi will not access the EDR and/or similar data
or give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehi
cle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial
discovery process.
- Audi may also use the data for research about
vehicle opera tion and safety performance or
provide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identifying the specific vehi
cle or information about the identity of its own
er or lessee and only after the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emission
control , airbags, and safety belts.
128
These electronic control modules record data
during normal vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
repair purposes. The recording capability of these
modules is limited to data (no sound is record
ed) . Only a small amount of data is actually re
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor
ed when a system fault is detected by a control
module . Some of the data stored may relate to
vehicle speed , direction , or braking, as well as re
straint system use and performance in the event
of a crash. Stored data can also only be read and
downloaded with special equipment that is di
rectly connected to the vehicle.
@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi con
nect. Your use of certain Audi connect fea
tures requires wireless services that are pro
vided by a third party wireless telecommuni
cations provider. For details regarding how in
formation obtained through Audi connect is
collected, processed, transmitted, used, and
shared, please see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the
"About Audi connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
I MENU ! button > Audi connect> About
Audi connect.
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Gasoline
Fuel supply
Applies to: vehicles with gaso line engine
Using the right fuel helps keep the environment
clean and prevents engine damage .
Fuel reco mm endati on
The fuel recommended for your vehicle is unlead
ed pr em ium
grade gasoline. Audi recommends
using TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline with a mini
mum octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON). For more
information on TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline,
p lease go to the official website
(www.toptiergas .com) .
The recommended gasoline octane rating for
your engine can also be found on a label located
on the inside of the fuel filler flap . Th is rating
may be spec ified as AKI or RON.
Your vehicle may also be operated using unlead
ed regular gasoline with a min imum octane rat
ing of 87 AKl/91 RON. However, using 87 AKl/91
RON octane fuel will slightly reduce engine pe r
formance.
U se unlea ded gas oline only. Unleaded gasoline
is available throughout the USA, Canada, and in
most European count ries . We recommend that
you do not ta ke your vehicle to areas or countries
where un leaded gasol ine may not be availab le.
For more information on refueling your vehicle,
see
~ page 193.
Octane r ating
Octane rating indicates a gasoline's ability to re
sist engine damaging "knock" caused by prema
ture ignit ion and detonation . Therefore , buy ing
the correct grade of gasoline is very important to
h e lp prevent poss ible engine damage and a loss
of eng ine performance.
Gasoline most commonly used in the Un ited
States and Canada has the following octane rat
ings that can usually be found on the filler pump:
- Premium Grade: 91 -96 AKI
Ch eck ing and Filling
- Regu lar Grade: 87 -90 AK I
E xplanation of the abb reviations:
AK I=
Anti Knock Index = (R +M)/2 = (RON +MON)/
2
RON = Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use any fue l w ith octane ratings low
er than 8 7 AKI or 91 RON otherwise expen
sive engine damage w ill occur .
- Do
not use leaded gasoline. The use of lead
ed gasoline will severe ly damage your vehi
cle's catalytic converter and its ability to
control exhaust emissions .
Blended gasoline
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
Use of gas olin e con tainin g alcoh ol or MTBE
( meth yl t ert ia ry but yl ether )
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al
cohol or MTB E (commonly referred to as oxygen
ates) if the blended m ixture meets the follow ing
criteria:
Blend of gasolin e methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcoho l)
-Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of g asoline and ethanol (grain alc oh ol or
e th yl alcoh ol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher .
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Bl end of g asoline and MTBE
-Anti-knock index must be 87 AK I or h igher.
- Blend must contain not mo re than 15% MTBE.
Se asonall y adjust ed ga soline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es
pecially well for winter or summer dr iving . Dur-
ing seasonal change-over, we suggest that you ..,.
191