2017 AUDI A8 ESP

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Air suspension*
When driv ing 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:
ICARI function button > (Ca r)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 9 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
i mmed iately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to. ¢
page 20.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
de nt. Never let anyone ride in you r car who is
not properly wearing the restraints p rovided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know -
Your veh
icle handles differently when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and d if ­
ferent weight distr ibut ion. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly yo u load you r trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in a n area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely fami liar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer comb inat io n behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires pract ice.
Backing up with a trailer gene rally requires steer­
ing action opposite to tha t when backing up your
ve hicl e without a trailer .
Maintain a greater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You w ill need more
Trailer mode
room 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 wo uld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again .
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your veh icle.
-If you tow a trailer, your Audi may requ ire
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 336.
Parking on a slope
Do not park 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.
"W ith chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
" Tur n 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 .
"S elect the D selector 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
in g brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
lever out of the P posit ion.
91

Ass is t
Assist
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)
I. (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 ge ner ­
al speed limit or if the re is a specified max imum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
The warning threshold is set in the Infotainment
system .
.,. Se lect :
!CAR I function button > Car s ystems
control button > Dri ver assi st > Speed warning .
(D Tips
Regardless of the speed wa rning system, you
should always monitor yo ur speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
92
Cruise control system
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30
km/h) .
0
f
®l
0
Fig. 102 Ope rat ing leve r: cru ise co ntrol sys tem
g M 0 ±
~
.,. To switch the cr uise control on, pull the lever
into position
(D ¢ fig . 102.
.,. Drive at the speed to be maintained.
.,. To store the speed, press the button @.
The stored speed and the
[t!jl!)~i~ (USA models) I
&I (Canada models) ind icator light are d isp layed
in the instrument cluster.
This information is also shown briefly in the Head-up d isp lay* .
The speed is mainta ined by modifying engine
power or through a n active brake interven tion.
_& WARNING
-Always pay atten tion to the traffic around
you when the cruise contro l system is in op­
erat ion. You are always respons ible for your
speed and the distance between your ve hi­
cle and other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise control should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traff ic, on
w inding roads and when road conditions are
poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplaning), because this increases the
r is k of an a ccident.
- Switch t he cruise control off temporarily
when dr iving in turning lanes, highway exits
or in construction zones.
...

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r - With stationary objects ~ page 96.
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 wit h Aud i ada ptive cru ise control
I
F ig. 105 Example: d rivin g i nto a c urve
95

Assist Interrupting cruise control
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 110 Selector leve r
Requirement: adaptive cruise control mus t be
sw itched on .
Overriding cruise control
• To accelerate manually , pull the lever toward
you into position @and hold it there . T he mes­
sage
ACC: override appears . Or
• press the accelera tor 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 @.
.&, 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.
98
Setting the distance
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 111 Ope rating leve r: sett ing th e dis tan ce
• Tap the switch to display the current set dis­
tance
¢ fig . 111 .
• To increase or reduce the distance in incre­
ments, tap the switch again to the right or left .
The distance between the two veh icles will
change in the instrument cluster display .
When approaching an object ahead, the adaptive
cruise 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
¢ ,&. .The
Distance 3 setting is recommended .
That is equal to the general recommendation of
"half the speed shown on the speedometer".
The distances provided are spec ified values . De ­
pending on the driving situation and the way the
object ahead is dr iving, the actual distance may
be more or less than these target distances .
The var ious symbo ls for the time increments ap­
pears briefly in the information line @
¢
page 96 , fig . 108 when you change the set­
tings .
c::::,_c::::, ___ Distance 1 : this setting corresponds
to a distance of 92 ft (28 m) when traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), for example (time between: 1
second) .
c::::, __ c::::, __ Distance 2: this setting cor responds
to a distance of 118 ft (36 m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h) , for example (time between:
1.3 seconds) . ""

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r ~-- -~ -Di st a nce 3: this setting corresponds
to a distance of 164
ft (SO m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h), for examp le (time between :
1.8 seconds).
~-- --~ Dist a nce 4: This setting corresponds
to a distance of 210
ft (64 m) when traveling at
62 mph (100 km/h), (time distance of 2.3 sec­
onds).
A WARNING
Following other vehicles too closely increases
the risk of coll isions and ser ious personal in ­
jury.
- Setting short distances to the traffic ahead
reduces the t ime and distance available to
br ing your vehicle to a safe stop and makes
it even mo re necessary to pay close atten­
t ion to traffic.
- Always obey applicable traffic laws, use
good j udgment, and select a safe following
distance for the traffic, road and weather
condit ions .
@ Tips
- Di stance 3
is set automatically each time
you switch the ignition on.
- Your settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used.
Selecting the driving mode
A pp lies to: ve hicles with Audi adaptive cruise co ntrol
.,. Se lect the des ired driving mode in dr ive se lect
c> page 110 .
@ Tips
Your se ttings a re au toma tical ly s to red and as­
signed to the remote control key being used.
A ss ist
Driver intervention request
App lies to : vehicles wit h Aud i ada ptive cr uise control
Fig. 112 Instrume nt cl uster : request fo r drive r in terven ­
tio n
In certain situa tions, the system will request you
to take action:
- if the braking from the adap tive cruise contro l
system is not enough to ma intain eno ugh dis­
t ance to the object ahead.
The da nger is indicated by the. indicator light
r:!> fig . 112. An audio signal will a lso sound .
- Press the brake pedal to slow your vehicle
down.
Audi braking guard
Appl ies to: vehicles wit h Audi ada ptive cr uise control
Fig. 113 Instrument cluster : approach wa rnin g
The braking guard uses radar sensors and a v ideo
camera. It also functions within the limits of the
system when adaptive cru ise control is switched
off .
Wh at can the b raking guard do?
When detected in time, the system can assess
dangerous situations where an object ahead
brakes suddenly or if your own vehicle is traveling .,..
99

Ass is t
at a high speed and approaching an object that is
moving more slowly. The braking guard does not
react if it cannot detect the s ituation.
The sys tem advises you of various dangerous si t­
uations :
- T he
distan ce warning occurs if you drive too
closely to t he object ahead for a long period of
time . If the ob je ct ahead b rakes strongly, you
would not be able to avoid a collis ion . The .
indicator light appears as an indication for this.
- T he
app roach wa rning occurs when an object
ahead is traveling more slow ly or brakes
strongly . When this warning occurs, it may on ly
be possib le to avoid a co llision by swerv ing or
braking strong ly. The danger is indicated by the
• indicator light
c> fig. 113. An audio signal
will also sound.
If you do not react early enough or at a ll to a dan­
gerous situation, the braking guard supports you
with a brak ing intervention. The approach warn­
ing indicators and the message
Braking guard :
e n gaged
also appear .
- If a collision is imminent, the system will first
provide an
ac ute wa rni ng by braking sharply.
- If you do not react to the acute warning, the braking guard can increase the braking force
within the limits of the system. This reduces
the vehicle speed in the event of a co llision.
- The system can init iate comp lete deceleration
sho rtly before a collision
ll . Full decele ration at
high speeds occurs only in vehicles with adap­
tive cru ise cont rol and s ide assist (pre sense
pl us).
- If the braking guard determines that you are
not brak ing strongly enough when there is an
impending co llision, it can increase the bra king
f o rce .
- T he pre se nse functions also engage when
the re is an impend ing collision
c:> page 216.
Which functions can be controll ed ?
You can switch the braking guard and the dis ­
tance/approach warn ing on or off in the lnfotain-
l ) Ma rket -spe cific
100
ment system c:> page 101, Settings in the Info­
tainment system.
A WARNING
Lack of attent ion can cause collisions, other
accidents and ser ious personal inju ries. The
braking guard is an assist system and cannot
p revent a collision by itself . The driver must
a lways inte rvene . The driver is always respon­
sib le for braking at the co rrect t ime .
- Always pay close attention to traffic, even when the b raking guard is sw itched on. Be
ready to intervene and be ready to take
comp lete contro l whenever ne cessa ry . Al­
ways keep the sa fe and legal dist ance be­
t ween your vehi cle and veh icles up ahead .
- Br ak ing g uard works w ithin limits and will
no t respond o utside the system limits, for
examp le when approaching a stopped vehi ­
cle or stationary obstacle (en d of a traffic
jam or vehicle that has broken down in traf­
fic).
- Always remember that the radar sensor for
the brak ing g uard works only within def ined
detection and range limits that may prevent
the prope r detection o f other vehicles.
- The radar sensor 's function and range can
be reduced by rain, snow and heavy spray.
Moving vehicles up ahead may not be
promptly detected or may not be detected
at al l.
- Reflective surfaces including crash barr iers
or tunnel entrances may impair the function
of the radar sensor.
(D Tips
- You can cancel the braking with increas ing
force that is initiated by the system by bra k­
ing yourself, by acce le ra ting not iceably or
by swerving.
- Keep in mind that braking gua rd can brake
unexpectedly. Always secure any cargo or
objects tha t you are transpo rting to redu ce
t h e risk of damage or injury.

Ass is t
D oor open
The adaptive c ruise contro l system cannot sw itch
on when a door is open.
Stat ionar y obj ect ah ead
This message appears if you would like to switch
adapt ive cruise control on and there is a station­
ary object or obstacle directly ahead of your vehi­
cle .
Audi active Lane assist
(Lane departure assist)
Description
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith Audi active lane assist
Active lane ass ist detects lane marker lines with­
in the l imits of the system us ing a camera in the
windshie ld. If you are approaching a detected
lane marker line and it appears likely t hat you
will leave the lane , the system will warn you with
correct ive steering . You can override t his steer ing
at any time. If you pass over a line, the steering
wheel will vibrate lightly . In order for this warn­
ing vibration to occur, it must first be sw itched
on in the Infotainment system. Act ive lane assist
is ready for operation when the lane marker line
is detected on at least one side of the vehicle.
The system is designed for driving on express­
ways and h ighways and therefore only activates
at speeds above approximately 40 mph (65 km/
h) .
App lies to veh icles with side assist
If you activate a turn signa l when active lane as­
sist is ready and it class ifies a lane change as crit­
ical because of veh icles traveling alongside you or
approaching you, there will be noticeable correc ­
tive steering shortly before you leave the lane .
This will attempt to keep your vehicle in the lane.
A pp lies to veh icles witho ut s ide ass ist
The system will not warn you before crossing a
lane marker line if you have activated the turn
signal. In this case, it assumes that you are
changing lanes intent io nally.
102
App lies to: vehicles wi th adap tive cruise contro l
The corrective steering is targeted based on the
driving situation. In addition to the lane marker
li nes, the system can also take into account other
ob jects such as guard rails. If they are detected in
close prox imity to the ve hicle, active lane assist
helps prevent the vehicle from dr iving too close
to them . There is also pass ing ass istance. The
system does not provide any corrective steering if
i t detects that you are pass ing anothe r vehicle.
.&_ WARNING
- The system warns the drive r that the vehicle
is leaving the lane us ing correct ive steering.
The drive r is always responsible for keeping
the vehicle within the lane.
- The system can assist the dr iver in keeping
the vehicle in the lane, but it does not drive
by itself. A lways keep your hands on the
steer ing whee l.
- Corrective steering may not occur in certain
situations, such as during heavy braking.
- There may be cases where the camera does
not recognize all lane marker lines . Cor rec­
tive stee ring can only take place on the side
of the vehicle where lane marker lines are
detected.
- Other road structures or objects could poss i­
bly be identified un intent ionally as lane
marker lines. As a result, corrective steering
may be unexpected o r may not occ ur.
- The camera view can be restricted, for ex­
ample by vehicles driving ahead or by ra in,
snow, heavy spray or lig ht shining into the
camera. This can resul t in active lane ass ist
no t de tecting the lane marker lines or de­
tect ing them in co rrectly .
- Unde r ce rtain cond it ions su ch as r uts in the
ro ad, a ban ke d roadway or crosswin ds, the
corrective s teer ing alone may not be enough
to keep the vehicle in the m iddle of the lane.
- For safety reasons, a ct ive lane assis t must
no t be use d when there are poor road and/
or weather conditions such as slippery
roads, fog, gravel, heavy rain, snow and the potential for hydrop laning. Using active lane
assist under these cond it ions may increase
the r isk of a crash.

Ass is t
Messag es in the instrument cluster display
If the active lane ass ist switches off automatica l­
ly, the indicator lig ht in the display turns off and
one of the following messages appears:
Audi acti ve lan e ass ist : Cur rently un availabl e.
No camera vie w
This message appears if the camera is unable to
detect the lines. This co uld happen if :
- The camera field of view
9page 103, fig . 115 is
dirty or cove red in ice . Clean this area on the
windshield .
- The camera field of v iew is fogged over . Wait
unt il the fog has cleared before sw itch ing the
active lane assist on again .
- The system has been unable to detect the lanes for an extended period of time d ue to road con­
ditions. Switch a ctive lane assist back on when
the lines are mo re visible .
Audi acti ve lan e ass ist : Cu rrently un available
There is a temporary active lane assist ma lf u nc­
tion . Try sw itching the act ive lane assist on aga in
later.
Audi active lane a ssist : System fault!
Dr ive to an a utho rized Aud i dea le r or a uthorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have t he
malfunction corrected.
Audi active lane a ssist : Please take over steering
This message appea rs if you are not steering by
yourself . If th is is the case, active lane assist does
no t swi tch off, but it is "not ready" to provide a
warn ing . The system ca n he lp you keep the veh i­
cle in the lane. However, yo u are responsib le for
d riving the vehicle and must steer it yo ursel f.
Setting the vibration warning
Applies to: ve hicles with Audi active lane assist
.,. Se lect : the ICARI function button > Car systems
contro l button > Driver a ssist > Audi acti ve
lane ass ist .
V ibration warning
You can switch the additional vibration wa rni ng
in the steering wheel o n or off.
104
@ Tips
Your settings are automatically stored and as­
signed to the remote contro l key being used.
Audi side assist
Description
App lies to: vehicles with A udi side ass ist
Fi g. 118 Senso r detect ion ra nge
Fig. 119 D isp lay on t he exterio r mirr or
Side assist helps you monitor your blind spot and
traffic behind your vehicle. W ithin the limits of
the system, it warns you abo ut vehicles that are
coming closer or th at a re t raveling wit h you with­
i n senso r range @
9 fig. 118: if a lane c hange is
classified as cri tical, the disp lay @ in the exte rior
mirror
9 fig. 119 turns on .
The disp lay in the left exte rio r mirror prov ides as­
s ista nce when making a lane change to the left,
whi le the display in the r igh t exterior m irror pro ­
vides assistance w hen making a lane c hange to
the right.
Information stage
As long as you do not a ct iva te the t urn signal,
side ass ist informs you abou t vehi cles tha t are
detected a nd classified as c rit ical. The di splay in
the mirror turns on, but is dim. ""