2017 AUDI A7 towing

Table of content s
About this Owne r's Manual. . . . . .
5
Cockpi t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cockpit overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Controls at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Instruments and indicator lights 9
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Driver information system . . . . . . 21
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Eff iciency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
T ime/date display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
H ead-up display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
O n Board Diagnostic System (OB D) . . . . . 25
Start ing and driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cent ral locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
L uggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Ch ild safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power wi ndows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Sunroof. ... .... .. .. ...... ... .. .. ... 37
Garage door opener (Homelink) . . . . . . . . 38
Light s and Vi sion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Exterior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
V1s1on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
W indshield wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Seat s and stor age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
H ead restra ints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
M emory function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Cigaret te lighte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
12 Volt sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2
Warm and cold .. .. ... . .. .... ... . .
Climate contro l system . ... .. .... ... . .
Steering wheel heat ing .. . ... .... ... . .
Driving ... .. .. .. .. .. ... . .. .... ... . .
Genera l information .. ... .. ..... ... . .
Steering ......................... . .
Start ing and stopping the engine ...... .
Start-Stop system .. .. ... ....... ... . .
E lectromechanical parking brake ..... . .
Start ing from a stop ................ .
Automat ic transmission
Trailer towing ................... .
Driving with a tra ile r .. ..... ....... .. .
T ra ile r towing information .......... . .
Driver assistance .. ........ ..... . .
Assist ............................ .
59
59
64
65
65
67
69
71
74
75
76
82
82 84
85
85
S peed warning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8S
Cruise cont rol sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8S
Boost, shifting and engine oil
temperat ure indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Lap timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Audi adaptive c ruise contro l . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Audi active lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Audi side ass ist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
N ight vision assist w ith pedest rian and
wild animal detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Audi drive select (d rive setti ngs) . . . . . . . . 105
Parking system s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Parking sys tem plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Rearv iew camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Periphera l came ras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Adjusting the display and the warning
tones......... .. .. .. ............. .. 118
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . 12 0
E lectronic Stab ilizat ion Contro l (ESC) . . . . 120
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
E lectromechanical steering, dynamic
stee ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
A ll wheel d rive (quatt ro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12S

Driving
Electromechanical
parking brake
Fig . 80 Center conso le: par king brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an electromechani­
cal parking brake
Q fig. 80 . The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling un­ intentionally and rep laces the hand brake.
S etting /manuall y re leas ing the parking
bra ke
.. Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the switch illuminates. The -(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) indicator light al­
so turns on in the instrument cluster display .
.. To release the parking brake manua lly, press
the brake o r acce lerato r pedal while the igni­
tion is switched on a nd p ress the®> switch at
the same time. The L ED in the b utton and the
indicator light in the display t urn off.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Req uirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the dr iver's safety belt must be la tched and the
pa rking brake must be set.
.. To start driving and release the park ing brake
automat ica lly, press the acce lerato r pedal as
us ual.
In addition to releasing the park ing brake auto­
mat ically, othe r convenience and safety funct ions
are available whe n you sta rt driving
Q page 75,
Starting from a stop.
Preventing the automatic parking br ake
release
The vehicle could begin ro lling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
74
.. To prevent the park ing brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and ho ld the<®> switch and
press the acce lerator peda l. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward.
" You can release the®) switch again once you
are sure that yo u are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by press ing the accelerator
pedal.
Eme rgency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency sit uation, or if the standa rd brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disab led.
" Pull and ho ld the®) switch.
" As soon as you release the ®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pul ling and ho ld ing the®> switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The ve hicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system . The brak­
i ng effect is sim ila r to heavy brak ing
Q ,&. .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by m istake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the© switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as the© switch is released
o r the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Park ing
" Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
" Pull the© switch to set the parking brake .
" Place the selector leve r in t he P position .
" Tu rn the engine off
Q ,&. .
"Tur n the steering w hee l when parking on in­
cl ines so that the wheels w ill roll into the cu rb
if the vehicle start s moving.
& WARNING
- Do not press the acce le rator pedal inadve r­
tently if a gea r is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diate ly and this could result i n an accident .
- Emergency braking sho uld only be used in
an emergency, when the norma l brake pedal
has fai led or the brake peda l is obstr ucted. "'

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the tra ile r operation mode
¢ page 82, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trai ler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your ve hicle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle 's chassis at a
technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always chec k w it h t he t rail ­
er hitch man ufactur er to make s ure t hat you a re
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch m ust be installed i n such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper sys tem . N o mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck t hat all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely faste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca using damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from behind¢ &..
82
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped wi th a bra king sys tem,
c h ec k t o be sure that it con forms to all regu la ­
tions.
The trailer hydrau lic br ake system mus t not be
directly connecte d to the vehicle's hydr auli c
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
a nd t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your Aud i dea ler for correct wir ing,
switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outs ide mir rors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors. It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
A WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tch, do not s to re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In cas e of sudden brak ing,
the hit ch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your pas sengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
cla ss 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held sec urely in
place to p revent it from shifting forward , back­
ward or si deways .
Never allow a pas senger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driving instructions on page 84.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra ile r makes the engine wor k harder . It
i s impo rtant that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Ma ke sure that
the cooling system has enoug h fluid.
IJJ,,,

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0
00
\.J ' Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label
¢page 221. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions .
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjusting the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 105, ¢0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
If you must drive under poor road conditions , you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight ¢page 107.
0 Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select
auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicable.
Trailer towing
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances . Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early . When driving down ­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving . Select in the MMI:
I CAR ! function button > (Car)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On. 1J,,
83

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.

Ass is t
General information
Applies to: ve hicles w ith Audi side assis t
®
@
©
Fig. 107 Driving s ituations
~ A UD I
• 0 0 •
Fig. 108 Rear of the vehicle: pos it ion of the senso rs
Side assist functions at speeds above approxi­
mately 19 mph (30 km/h).
@ Vehicles that are appro aching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itica l for a la ne change even if it is still some­
what far away. The faster a veh icle approaches,
the soo ner the d isplay in the exterior mirror w il l
turn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Veh icles traveling with you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as critical for
a lane change. All ve hicl es detected by side assist
100
are indicated by the time they enter your "blind
spot", at the latest .
© Vehicle s you are passing
If you slow ly pass a vehicle that side assist has
de tected (the diffe rence in speed between the
vehicle and your vehicle is less than 9 mph (15
km/h)), the display in the exterior mirror turns
on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The display w ill not turn on if you quickly pass a
vehicle that side ass ist has detected (the differ­
ence in speed is greater than 9 mph (15 km/h)) .
Functional limitations
The radar sensors are designed to detect the lef t
and right adjacent lanes when the road lanes are
the norma l width. In some situations, the display
i n the exterior mirror may turn on even though
there is no vehicle located in the area that is criti­
ca l for a lane change. For example:
- If the lanes are n arrow or if your are d riving on
the edge o f you r lane . If th is is the case, the
system may have detected a vehicle in another
lane that is
not adjacent to your current lane.
- If you are d riving through a curve. Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane over
from the adjacent lane .
- If side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or disp laced guard rai ls) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side ass ist
functions are limited .
Do no t cover the rada r senso rs ¢
fig. 108 w it h
stickers, deposi ts, b icycle wheels or other ob­
j ects, because they will impair the function . Do
not use side assist when towing a trailer. For in­
format ion on cleaning, see
¢page 235.
_& WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic and to the
area around your vehicle. Side assist cannot
replace a d river's attention . The driver alone
is always respo nsible for lane changes a nd
sim ila r driv ing maneuve rs .
- In some situations, the system may not function o r its function may be limited . For
examp le:
-

Ass is t
@ Tips
- Side assist is not active whi le you are mak­
i ng the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Messages
Applies to: vehicles with Audi side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in the
button turns off and a message will appear in the
instrument cluster display:
Audi s ide assi st: Curr ently un availabl e. No
s enso r vi sion
The radar sensor vis ion is impaired. Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with bike wheels,
stickers, dirt or other objects . Clean the area in
front of the sensors, if necessary ¢
page 100,
fig . 108.
Aud i side as sist: Currently un avail able
Side assist cannot be switched on at th is time be ­
cause there is a malfunction (for example, the
battery charge level may be too low).
Aud i side a ssist: S ys tem fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will detect
vehicles correctly and it has switched off. The
sensors have been moved or are faulty . H ave the
system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility soon .
Audi side assi st : Unav ailable wh en towing
Side assist switches off automatically when a fac­
tory-installed trailer hitch is connected to the
electrical connector on the trailer. There is no
guarantee the system will switch off when using
a retrofitted tra iler hitch. Do not use side ass ist
when towing a trailer.
102
Night vision assist with
pedestrian and wild
animal detection
Description
Applies to : vehicles with night vision assist
The night vision assist con detect, highlight and,
if necessary, warn about pedestrians and large
wild animals.
Night vision assist with pedestrian and wild ani­
mal detection assists you at night by us ing an in­
frared camera to monitor the area in front of
your vehicle, within the limits of the system. It
can display objects up to a distance of approxi­
mately 1000 feet (300 m). The thermal image
detected by the camera is shown in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay. Warm areas appear lighter
and cold areas appear darker.
Highlighting detected pedestrians and wild
animals
Applies to: vehicles with n ight vis ion assist
Fig . 110 In stru men t cl ust er: yellow highlighted pedes ·
trians
Fig. 111 Instrument cl uster: symbol when the infrared im ­
age is not visible
Within the limits of the system, the night v is io n
ass ist can detect pedestr ians and wild animals ..,..

Ass is t
depending on the s ituation. The distr ibution of
power varies from balanced (comfort) to sporty
(dynamic) depending on the selected mode. The
goal is a high leve l of agility and ability to accel­
erate on curves. The veh icle is very responsive to
steer ing .
Cornering light*
The cornering light adapts the high beams to the
direction of the curve depending on the speed.
The pivot ing action and the lighting also adapt to
the mode.
Adaptive c ru ise contr ol*
The behavior when acce le rating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control a lso
responds to the driving behavior of the veh icle
ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner.
Engine sound *
The engine sound adapts to the current mode
and can be subtle to sporty .
(D Note
Applies to: vehicles with adaptive air suspension
- Make sure there is enough clearance above
and below the veh icle when parking. The
height of the vehicle (ground clearance) can
change once it is parked due to tempera ture
fluctuations, changes to the load condit ions
and c hanges to the d riving modes.
- When transporting the veh icle on a car car­
r ier, tra in, ship or by other means, only tie
the veh icle dow n at the running surfa ce of
the tires, w hic h is the outer circ umference .
Securing the vehicle at the axle compo ­
nents, suspension st ruts or towing eyes is
not permitted because the pressure in the
air suspension struts can change dur ing
transport . The vehicle may not be secured
sufficiently if this happens.
(D Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the auto and
dynam ic modes.
106
- The S se lector lever position a utomat ica lly
engages if the dynamic mode is selected.
- Applies to: vehicles with dynamic steering:
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopp ing the engine. Th is does not indicate
a problem.
Selecting the driving mode
F ig. 116 Infota inmen t: drive select
'" To select the mode, select the follow ing in the
Infota inment :
!CAR ! function b utton> Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Individu al.
'" Applies to: vehicles with a ti.re'! button on the
steering wheel: press the button repeatedly un­
til the desired mode appea rs in the instrument
cl uste r display.
You can change the driv ing mode when the vehi­
cl e is stationary or while driv ing. If traff ic per ­
mits, afte r changing modes, briefly ta ke your
foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently
selected mode is also activated fo r the engine.
Comf ort -prov ides a comfort -or iented vehi cle
setup and is suited fo r long drives on highways.
Auto -provides an overal l comfortab le yet dy­
namic dr iv in g feel and is suited for everyday use.
Dynamic -gives the dr iver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty d riving style .
Individual -¢ page 107.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when ope rating the
d rive select to reduce the r is k of an accident.
-