Trailer towing
Sp eed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficult it be
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
dr ive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, w eather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trai le r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swayin g by ac cele rating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for reg ular
ve hicles.
A lways apply b rakes early . When dr iving down
hi ll, shi ft into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge ¢ page 8 must
be observed ca refully . If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im
mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
I f t he coolan t temperature warn ing light i n the
instr ument cluster s tarts flashing ., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up .
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 iler because of the additional weight and dif
fe rent weight d istr ibut ion . Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend on how careful
ly you load you r trailer and operate your rig .
76
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract icing unt il yo u h ave be
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up w ith a trailer generally req uires steer
i ng action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
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 wou ld 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 trai ler, your Audi may requi re
more frequent maintenance due to the ex
tra load
¢ page 218.
' 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:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have someone place cho cks under bot h the ve
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after parking :
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the se lector lever to D/S.
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N .-< 0 0 ::, a:,
Audi drive select
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with Audi drive select
Drive select makes it possible to experience dif
ferent types of vehicle settings in one vehicle.
The driver can selec t from three modes,
Comfort,
Auto
and Dynamic , using the ~:/:a button in the
center console or by using the Infotainment sys
tem . This allows yo u to switch between a sporty
and a comfortable driving mode, for example.
Description
App lies to: ve hicles with Audi drive select
The following systems, among other things , are
influenced by drive select:
Engine and automatic transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and auto
matic transmission respond more quickly or in a
more balanced manner to accelerator pedal
movements. In the sporty dynamic mode, the
transmission shifts at higher speed ranges.
Suspension control*
The adaptive dampers use sensors to record in
formation regarding steering movements, brak ing and accelerat ion operations by the driver,
road surface, driv ing speed, and load . With dr ive
select, you can adjust the adaptive dampers to
sporty (dynamic), comfortable (comfort) or bal
anced (auto).
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering assis
tance . Indirect steering that moves easily as in
comfort mode is especially su ited to long drives
on a highway . In contrast, dynamic mode pro
vides sporty, direct steeri ng.
Cornering light*
The cornering light adapts to driving on curves .
The pivoting action and the lighting also adapt to
the mode.
Assist
(D Tips
The 5 selector lever position automatically en
gages if the dynamic mode is se lected.
Selecting the driving mode
Applies to: vehicles wit h Audi drive select
Fig. 86 Cente r console : dr ive se lect button
Fig. 87 Infota inment sys tem: drive select
" To set the mode, press the r:i:., button repeat
ed ly until the desired mode is displayed in the
instrument cluster. Or
" Select in the Infotainment system:
ICARI func-
tion button
> Comfort , Auto or Dynamic .
You can change the driving mode when the vehi
cle is stationary or while driving . If traffic per
mits, after changing modes, briefly take your
foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently
selected mode is also activated for the engine.
Comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on highways.
Auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy
namic driving feel and is suited for everyday use .
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driving style.
83
Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) suppo rts
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves dr iving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit
uations such as the veh icle oversteering and un
dersteering or the wheels are sp inning. The vehi
cle is stabilized by app lying the brakes or reduc
ing engine torque. When ESC engages, the
G1 i n
d icator light blinks in the inst rument cluste r.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock b raking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from loc king when brak
i n g . The vehicle can sti ll be steered even d uring
hard brak ing. Apply steady press ure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stabilize the vehicle .
Brake assi st sy stem
The brake assist system can dec rease braking dis
tance. It increases brak ing power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit
uations . You must press and hold the brake pedal
until the dangerous situat io n is over .
Anti- s lip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive w heels
begin spinning and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler
ate and dr ive up h ills .
Electron ic differential lock (EDL)
The ED L bra kes wheels that a re spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or wheels if the ve hicle is equipped with a ll
wheel drive*) . This funct ion is not ava ilable at
h igher speeds.
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to keep the brake on the braked wheel from over heating. The vehicle is still work ing correctly. EDL
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will switch on again au tomatically when condi
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC he lps to s tabili ze the vehicle by cha ng ing
t h e s teer ing torque .
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel to rque cont rol is used when d riv
i ng o n curves . The front whee l on the inside of
t h e curve or both wheels on the i nside of th e
cu rve are braked se lective ly as needed. This al
l ows mo re pre cise driving in curves .
Automatic post -collision braking system
The "automat ic post -coll is io n braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sl iding and of addi
tiona l co llisions after an acc ident. If the a irbag
c ontro l modu le detects a collision above a cert ain
vehicle speed, the veh icle is braked by the ESC.
The veh icle does n ot brake automatically if:
- the drive r presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the bra king force generate d by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the b raking force
that would be in itiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the bra ke system or the vehicle elect ri
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integ rated systems can not
overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
p hys ica l laws. This is es pec ially impo rtan t
on sl ippery or wet roads. If the systems be
gi n a cting to stabili ze yo ur vehicle, you
s hould immedi ately alte r your speed to
match the road and tra ffic conditions . Do
not let t he in creased safety provi ded tempt
you into taking risks . This could increase
your r is k of a coll is ion.
- Please note the r is k of a coll is ion increases
when dr iv ing fast, especially th rough c urves
and on slippery or wet roa ds, and when dr iv
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre
ve nt co llisions - there is st ill a risk of acci
dents!
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N .... 0 0 ::, a:,
-Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on smooth, slippery surfaces
such as ice and snow. The drive wheels can
spin even when these control systems are
installed and this can affect driving stability
and increase the risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- The ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels have a similar wear
Switching on/off
Intelligent Technology
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de
scribed are working .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 99 Center console: OFF~ button
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch offroad mode
on to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving on rough terrain when much of the car's
weight is lifted off the wheels (axle articula
tion)
- Dr iving downh ill wh ile braking on loose ground
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend
ing on the level selected , the ESC stabilization
function is limited or switched off. The amount of
stabilization control will differ depending on the
level. For your safety, switch the offroad mode off in
advance.
ESC
levels
Offroad mode on ESC/ASRoff Offroad mode off or
ESC/ASRon
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization function is The full stabilization func-
tion functions are limited not available
~ A. ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
q_,& _ ASR are switched off. avai lable again.
Operation Press the 00 button briefly. Press and hold the 00 button Press the 00 button again.
l onger than three seconds.
Indicator II turns on. II and lf'tii•Ui turn on. ltl turns off or II and
lights lfilf•l~i turn off.
Messages Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization
control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC):
Offroad Warning! Reduced Off Warning! Reduced
sta-
On
stability bility
93
Intelligent Technology
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. This could cause the brakes to get hot and diminish braking efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over
heat, premature wear and increased stop
ping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating condi
tions such as passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle ,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re
duced . In winter, ice can accumulate on the
brake pads, linings, discs and drums . Care
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few careful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications .
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in
stall a different spoiler, be sure the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other
wise the brake system could overheat reduc
ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys
tem.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair the
braking capability resulting in an increased
stopping distance. Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the
engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed considerably
harder to make up for the lack of booster
assistance.
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Electromechanical
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering fault! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Do
not continue driving . See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as
sistance.
If the indicator light turns on, the steering wheel
may be more difficult to move or more sensitive
than usual. The steering wheel may also be at an
angle when driving straight.
Drive slowly to an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the mal
function corrected .
(;r, lj Steering lock: System fault! Please contact
dealer.
There is a malfunction in the electronic steering
lock.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
Have the system malfunction corrected as
soon as possible by an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility, as this in
creases the risk of an accident .
{!) Tips
If the . or 'T j indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
-
00
00
......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
All wheel drive (quattro)
A ppl ies to: ve hicles wit h all wheel drive
In oil wheel drive, oil four wheels ore powered.
General info rmation
I n all wheel drive, t he driving power is divided be
tween all four wheels . This happens automatical
ly depending on your driving behavior as well as
the current road conditions. Also see
¢ page 92.
The a ll wheel d rive concept is designed for h igh
engine powe r. Your vehicle is exceptionally pow
erful and has excellent driving characteristics both under norma l driving conditions and on
snow and ice. Always read and fo llow safety pre
cautions ¢.&. .
Winter t ires
By using all wheel drive, yo ur vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in w inter con
ditions. However, we recommend using winter or
all season tires on
all four whee ls in the winter,
because this will improve the
broking effect.
Snow cha in s
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
a lso be used on vehicles with a ll wheel drive
¢ page 186, Snow chains.
Replacing t ires
F or vehicles w ith all wheel dr ive, only wheels w ith
the same ro lling circumference shou ld be used .
Avoid using tires with different tread depths
¢ page 178, New tires or wheels .
A WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with a ll wheel drive, adapt
your dr iv ing style to the current road and
traff ic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into tak ing risks,
because th is increases the r is k of an acci
dent.
- The braking ability of your veh icle is limited
to the tract ion of the wheels . In this way, it
is not diffe rent from a two whee l dr ive vehi
cl e. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippe ry, be
cause this increases the risk of an accident .
Intellig ent Technology
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hydrop lane" if dr iv ing at speeds that
are too high . Un like front wheel drive
veh icles, the engine does not rev higher sud
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplan ing .
For this reason, adapt yo ur speed to the
road conditions to red uce the risk of an acci
dent.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a vehicle with a conventiona l energy sys
tem is not driven for a long time , the vehicle bat
tery is drained by equipment (for example, the
immobilizer). In certa in circumstances, there
could may not be enough energy to start the en
gine.
Yo ur vehicle is equipped with an intel ligent ener
gy management system for distributing electrici
ty . Th is sign ificantly improves the start ing ability
and increases the vehicle battery life .
The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagnosis , idling current manag em en t,
and dynamic energy manag ement .
Battery diagn osis
The battery diagnosis determines the vehicle bat
tery charge level. The sensors determine the bat
tery voltage, the battery current, and the battery
temperature. The current charge level and the
performance of the vehicle battery a re deter
mined based on this.
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the energy used while parked. With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy dis tribution
to the d ifferent e lectr ica l components. Data from
the battery d iagnosis is taken into account for
t hi s.
97
Intelligent Technology
Depending on the vehicle battery charge level,
electrical equipment is switched off one item af
ter the other to prevent the vehicle battery from
draining and to maintain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy manag ement
W hile driving, dynamic energy management d is
trib utes the appropriate amount of energy to the
e lectrical equipment. It controls the battery
charge level so that the amount of energy is not
greater than the amount be ing generated in or
der to mainta in a n optima l vehicle battery charge
level.
(D Tips
- Ene rgy management cannot ove rcome the
l aws of physics . Note that the charge level
and length of the vehicle battery life a re
l imi ted.
- When the starting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light turns on
~ page 13 .
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority.
A lot of stress is placed on the vehicle battery
when dr iv ing short d ista nces, dur ing c ity dr iving,
and at cold times of the year . A lot of energy is
used but little is ge nerated.
It is a lso critical
when the engine is not runn ing but e lectr ica l
eq uipment is switc hed o n. In this case, energy is
used bu t none is ge ne ra te d.
In s ituations like this, energy manageme nt will
actively regu late the d istribution of ene rgy .
Long periods without use
I f yo u do not drive your vehicle for seve ral days or
weeks, electrical equipment is gradually scaled
back or switched off . This red uces energy use and
ensu res the veh icle w ill be able to star t afte r long
pe riods of time . Some convenience functions ,
such as inte rior lighting or powe r seat adjust
men t, may not be available unde r certa in ci rcum
s tances. These co nvenience functions will be
ava ilab le again once you switch the ign ition on
and start the engine .
98
With the engine switched off
The vehicle b attery wi ll dr ain if you use Info tain
ment func tions such as lis teni ng to the radio
while the engine is switched off.
The veh icle's abili ty to s ta rt may be impa ired by
the e nergy use, a message will appe ar i n t he I n
fota inment system display.
The message indicates that the system wi ll
swi tch off autom atically soon .
If you would lik e
to co ntin ue usi ng the func tio ns , you mus t start
t h e engine.
With the engine running
Althoug h electrica l energy is gene rated w hile
driv ing, the veh icle ba tte ry can dra in. This can
happe n if li tt le ene rgy i s generate d but much is
u sed, and the ch arge level of the vehi cle b attery
i s not optimal.
To resto re t he ba lan ce of energy, co mponents
t h at req uire large amo unts of energy a re tempo
ra rily sc aled b ack or sw itche d off. Heat ing sys
tems in partic ular re quire a great deal of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or r ear window defogger is not work ing, then it
has been tempora rily reduced or switched off.
These systems are avai lab le aga in as soon as t he
energy supply has bee n restored .
In ad dition, yo u may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased. That is normal and no
cause for concern. By increasing the idling speed,
the addit ional required energy will be ge nerated
and the veh icle battery w ill be charged .
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equ ipped w ith an Event Data Re
corder ( EDR) . The mai n purpose of an EDR is to
r ecord, in certain cras h or near crash -li ke situa
tions, such as an airbag deployme nt o r hi tt ing a
r oad obsta cle, da ta that w ill ass ist in understand
i ng how a vehi cle's systems pe rforme d. Th e EDR
Ill-
00
00
......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
is designed to record data re lated to vehicle dy
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less . The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as :
- How various systems in you r vehicle were oper
ating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How fa r (if at all) the dr iver w as depressing the
acce lerator and/or brake peda l; and,
- How fast the ve hicle was travel ing.
These data can help prov ide a better understand
ing of the c ircumstances in which c rashes and in
juries occur. NO TE: E DR data are reco rded by your
ve hicl e only if a non -triv ia l crash si tuation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under norma l
driving conditions and no pe rsonal 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 w ith the
type of personally identifying data routine ly ac
qu ired during a crash invest igation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, specia l equip
ment is required, and access to the ve hicle or the
EDR is needed. In addit ion to the vehicle manu
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equ ipment, can read the in
formation if they have access to the vehi cle or the
E DR.
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
loadi ng of data stored by ED Rs installed i n a vehi
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af
ter a n accident o r crash event wi tho ut t he own
e r' s consent.
Aud i will not access the EDR and/or s imilar data
or give it to othe rs -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehi
cle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the off icia l request by the police; o r
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; o r
- for the defense of a laws uit throug h the judicial
discovery process.
- Audi may also use the data for research about
vehicle operation and safety performance or
Intellig ent Technology
prov ide the data to a third pa rty for research
purposes witho ut identifying the specific vehi
cle or informat ion about the ident ity o f its own
er or lessee and only after the recorded veh icle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control m odules
You r vehicle is also eq uipped with a number of
electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emiss ion
contro l, airbags, and safety be lts.
These electronic contro l modu les record data
during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained techn ic ians for diagnostic and
repa ir purposes. The recording capab ility of these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is record
ed) . Only a small amount of data is actua lly re
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor
ed when a system fault is detected by a contro l
module . Some of the da ta stored may relate to
vehicle speed, direction, or b raking, as well as re
strain t system use and per formance in the eve nt
of a crash . Stored data can also on ly be read and
down loade d with specia l equipment that is di
rectly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped wit h Au di con
nect. Your use of certai n Audi connect fea
tures requires wire less serv ices that are pro
v ided by a third party wireless telecommuni
cations provide r. For details regarding how in
formation obtained throug h Aud i connect is
collected, p rocessed, transmitted, used, and
s hared, please see you r contra ct w ith the
wireless tele co m mun ications pr ovi der and the
"Abou t A udi con nect" t ab in yo ur vehicle's
M MI:
I MENU ! button > Audi connect > About
Audi connect .
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