
Driving
"' It is possible that there will be a slight de lay
when starting the engine for diesel vehicles* in
colder temperatures. Therefore, you must hold
the brake pedal down until the eng ine starts.
The ind icator lamp
IJ i llumina tes when the en
gine is preheated .
Switching the ignit ion on /off
If you would like to switch the ign ition on with
out starting the engine, fo llow these steps:
"' Inse rt the key into the igni tion lock .
"' Press the key briefly
without press the brake
pedal.
"' To switch the ignition off, press the key aga in.
Diese l vehicles * are p reheate d while the ignition
is switched on.
W hen start ing the e ngine, major elec trical loads
are swi tched off temporarily.
You can only remove the key with the ignition
sw itched off. To do this, yo u have to press on the
key again.
I f the engine sho uld not start immed iately, the
s tarting p rocess is a utomat ica lly stopped after a
short t ime. Repeat sta rt ing procedu re .
Start-Stop-System*:
Note the information on ¢ page 88, Start/S top
system.
A WARNING
- Never allow t he engine to ru n in confined
spaces - dange r of asphyxiation .
- Never remove the ig nit ion key from the ign i
t ion loc k w hile the veh icle is moving . Other
wise, the steering lock cou ld sudde nly en
g age and you would not be able to stee r the
vehicle.
- Always ta ke the key with you w henever you
leave yo ur vehicle. Othe rw ise, the engi ne
c ould be s tar ted or ele ctrica l e qui pme nt
s u ch as the power windows cou ld be operat
ed. This can lead to se rious i njury.
- Never leave childre n or pe rsons requiring as
sistance unattended i n the vehicle. The
doors can be locked usi ng the remote trans-
82
-
m itter, p reventing peop le from escaping
from the vehicle on their own in the event of
an emergency. Depending on the time of
yea r, people ins ide the veh icle can be ex
posed to very high or very low tempera
t ures .
(D Note
Avoid h igh engine rpm, full throttle and heavy
engine loads unti l the engine has reached op
e rating temperature - otherwise you risk en
gine damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the eng ine run wh ile parked to
warm up . Beg in d riving immed iate ly . Th is re
d uces unnecessa ry emissions .
(D Tips
-If the key cannot be removed from the igni
t ion loc k, you have to pull the mechan ical
key out of the master key in o rder to be able
to loc k the vehicle ¢
page 35.
-Some no ise afte r start ing the e ngine is nor
ma l and is no cause fo r co nce rn.
- If you leave the ve hicle w ith the ignition
switched on, the ig nitio n w ill switch off af
ter a ce rtain per io d of t ime. Please note that
ele ct rical eq uipme nt such as e xte rior lights
w ill swit ch off as we ll whe n th at happens .

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Starting the vehicle with the emergency
key
You can use the emergency key as an ignition key
in an emergency .
Fig. 99 G lo ve compar tme nt: A dap ter for e mergen cy key
F ig . 1 00 In sert emergen cy key into t he ad ap te r
.. Take the adapter for the emergency key out of
t he glove compartmen t¢
fig. 99.
.. Push the emergency key¢ fig. 100 fully into
the adapter . Make sure that the Audi r ings are
facing up .
.. Press the emergency key in the adapter down
until it latches audib ly.
.. Inse rt the adapter wi th the emergency key for
ward into the ign ition switch. The engine can
now be started as usual.
@ Tips
The emergency key should not be sto red in
side the vehicle.
Stopping the engine
.. Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
.. Move the selector lever to the P or N pos ition .
.. Press on the ignition key . The engine is turned
off.
.. You can now remove the key .
Drivi ng
Ste ering lock
T he s teeri ng locks when yo u remove the ignition
k ey . The locked steering he lps prevent vehicle
theft .
Emergency off
If it is necessary in unusua l circumstances, the
engine can be switched off wh ile the vehicle is
moving. The engine will be swi tched off if you
press on the key for an extended period.
A WARNING ~
- Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func
tion of the brake booster and the power
steer ing is not guaranteed. You must use
more force to turn or brake if necessary . Be
cause yo u cannot steer and brake as you
usually would, this cou ld lead to crashes
and se rio us i njur ies.
- For safety reasons, you should always park
your veh icle w ith the selector lever i n P.
Otherw ise, the vehicle could inadve rten tly
ro ll aw ay.
- The radiator fa n can cont inue to run for up
t o 10 minutes even after you have turned
off the engine and removed the ignition key .
The radiator fan can also turn on again if the engine coolant heats up because of intense
sunlig ht or heat build-up in the eng ine com
partment .
- Always take the key with you whenever you
leave your vehicle . Otherwise, the engine
could be started or electrical equipment
such as the power windows could be operat
ed . T his can lead to ser ious injury .
- Never leave children or persons requiring as
sistance unattended in the vehicle. T he
doors can be locked using the remote t rans
mitter, pr eve nti ng peop le from escaping
from t he vehicle on their own in the even t of
a n emergency. Depe nding on the time of
year, peo ple i nside the ve hicle can be ex
posed to very high o r very low tempera
tures .
83

Driving
CD Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period, heat builds up in the en
gine compartment after the engine is switch
ed off- there is a risk of damaging the eng ine.
Allow the e ngine to ru n at idle for about two
m inutes befo re switching it off.
Convenience key
Starting the engine
Applies to: veh icles with Convenience key
The I S TAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button switches the
ignition on and starts the engine.
F ig . 101 Ce nter console: START ENGINE STOP b utto n
Starting the engine
.. Hybrid dr ive *: refer to the informat ion for start
ing the vehicle under
c:> page 101.
.. Step on the brake pedal and move the se lector
lever to P or N
c;, ,& .
.. Press on the ~ , S_T_A_R _T_ E_N_G_I_N_E_S_T_O_P~I butto n
c:>fig . 101 -the engine will start.
.. It is possible t hat there will be a sl ight de lay
whe n starting the eng ine fo r diesel vehi cles* in
colde r temperatu res. There fore, you must hold
the brake pedal down until the eng ine starts.
The ind icator lamp
1,1 i lluminates when the en
gine is p reheated.
Sw itching the ignition on /off
If you would like to swi tch the ign ition on with
out starting the eng ine , fo llow these steps:
.. Press the
I S TAR T E NGIN E STO PI button with
out pressing the brake pedal.
.. To switc h the ignition off, press the button
again.
84
D iesel ve hicl es* are preheated whi le the ignition
is switched on.
Whe n sta rting the engine, m ajo r electr ica l loads
are switched off temporarily .
If the engine should not start immediately , the
sta rt ing process is au tomatically stopped after a
sho rt time. Repeat s tarting pro cedure.
Start-Stop-System*:
Note the informat ion on c> page 88, Start/Stop
system .
A WARNING
-Never a llow the engine to r un in confined
spaces -da nger of asphyx ia ti on.
- Always take t he key w ith you wheneve r yo u
le ave your veh icle . Otherwise, the e ngine
co uld be st arte d or elect rical equipmen t
such as the powe r wi nd ows could be ope rat
ed . Thi s can lead to ser ious injury .
- Never le a ve children o r persons req uiring as
sis tance unattended in the ve hicle. Th e
-
doors can be locked using the remote trans
mitter, preventing peop le from esca ping
from t he vehicle on t heir own in the event of
an emergency . Depending on the time of
year, people i ns ide the veh icle can be ex
posed to very h igh o r very low tempera
tures .
CD Note
Avo id h igh engine rpm, full throttle and heavy
engine loads u nti l the engine has reac hed op
erating tempe rature -otherwise you risk en
g ine damage .
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the eng ine run wh ile parked to
warm up . Beg in driving immed iate ly . Th is re
d uces un necessary emissions .
@ Tips
-Some no ise after starting t he engine is nor
ma l and is no cause for conce rn .
- If you leave the ve hicle w ith the ignition
switched on, the ig nition w ill switch of f af-
te r a ce rtain per iod of t ime . Please note that ..,.

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Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures tha t the vehicle can
be slowed down even if the
normal brakes fai l
¢ page 88, Emergency braking.
A WARNING
If a drive range is engaged with t he vehicle
stat iona ry and the engine running, you must
in no instance accelerate care lessly . Other
w ise the vehicle will start to move immed iate
ly- risk of a n accide nt.
(D Tips
- If the parking brake is app lied with the igni
tion switched off, the indicator lights in the
switch and . (USA models)/ . (Cana-
da models) in the instrumen t cluster will go
out af ter a ce rtain per io d of t ime .
- Occasiona l noises when the park ing brake is
applied and re leased a re normal and a re not
a cause for conce rn.
- When the vehicle is parked, the park ing
brake goes th ro u gh a se lf-tes t cycle at regu
l a r i nte rva ls . Any associated noises a re no r
mal.
Parking
~ P ress the brake ped al to stop the vehicle.
~ Pull the switch c::> page 86, fig. 102 to set the
parking b rake.
~ Move the selecto r lever to P .
~ Turn the eng ine off c::> .&, .
-
~ When on incl ines or declines, turn the steering
wheel so that the veh icle w ill roll into the curb
if it beg ins to move .
A WARNING
-Whe n you leave your ve hicl e -even if onl y
br iefly- alw ays remove the ig nition key. Thi s
applies p articul arly when children rem ain i n
t h e ve hicle . Othe rwise the c hildren could
sta rt the eng ine, release t he parking brake
o r operate elect rical eq uipment (e.g. powe r
windows). There is the risk of an accident.
- When the vehicle is loc ke d , no one - part icu
larly not children shou ld remain in the vehi-
-
D riving
cle. Locked doors make it more d ifficult for
emergency wo rkers to get into the vehicle -
putting lives at r isk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon starting.
Stopping and applying parking brake
~ Pull the sw itch to app ly the parkin g brake.
Starting and automatically releasing the
parking brake
~ W he n you start to drive as usu a l, t he p ark ing
b rake is automa tic ally released and yo ur vehicle
beg ins to move.
When stop ping at a tr affic sig nal or sto pping in
c ity traff ic on vehicles wi th an aut omat ic t ra ns
mission, t he parking brake can be app lied . The
vehicle does not have to be held with the foot
bra ke. The pa rking brake e liminates the tendency
to c reep w ith a dr ive range engaged. As soon as
you drive off as usual, the parking brake is re leased a utomat ica lly and the vehicle starts to
move .
Starting on slopes
When starting on incl ines, the sta rting assist pre
vents the vehicle from un intent iona lly rolling
back. The b raking force of the parking brake is
not re leased unt il su ff icient dr iving force has
been buil t up at t he wheels .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re
l eased automatically on ly when t he d river's
safety be lt is engaged in t he buc kle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an in
cline, do the following:
~ Keep the switch pulled and depress the acceler
ator . The parking brake stays applied and pre-
vents the veh icle from roll ing backward . .,,.
87

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For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 61.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steer ing wheel on the out
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi
tions to help reduce the r isk of persona l in
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steer ing whee l at the
12 o'clock position or w ith your hands at
other pos it ions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
t il ted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 168. Spec ial precaut ions ap
ply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c:::;, page 148.
Driving safety
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the follow ing position:
"' Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
"' Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ page 134.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
"' Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:::;, page 143.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:::;, page 60.
A WARNING
--
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always s it in an upright po
sition and never lean against or place any
part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas
senger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
- E ach passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas
senger seat and head restraint properly.
133

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-Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles . To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
<=>page 131.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Pano ramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
Driving safety
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof* and the
rear lid are securely closed and locked to re
duce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not
being used .
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rear lid be
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capac ity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured. For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter
r=> page 241.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
Q page 136, Loading the luggage compartment . ..,_
137

Safe ty belts
Autom ati c s afet y belt retr actors
Every safety belt is equ ipped with an automa tic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard braking and in a n accident. The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. Dur ing normal driv
ing the belt lets you
move freely.
Safety belt p ret en sion ers
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten
sioner that helps to t ighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated.
The function of the pretensioner is mon itored by
a warning light
r:::') page 13.
Swi tc hable l ocking f eature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a switchable locking fea
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the impo rtant information about this feature
r=;,page 178.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c:> page 144,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat bac k
rest to which the center rea r safety belt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen
ger will move forward with the backrest dur
ing sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle wi ll reduce safety belt effec
t iveness and can cause serious persona l in
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously in ju red by the safety be lt it
self when it moves from the stronger parts
144
of the body into critical areas like the abdo men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
c:> page 180.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 160 Safety belt posit ion
-"' .... 9 I ... a,
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
s ize.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- height-adjustab le front seats.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious pe rsonal injury in an acc ident .
- The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it s its as low as pos
sib le on the pe lvis and there is no p ressure
on the a bdomen . The belt sho uld a lways f it
snug ly
r:::;, fig. 160. Pull on the belt to tig hten
if necessary .
- The lap be lt portion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as possible across pel
vis and never over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug
c:> fig. 160. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by sh ifting its position on your body ..,_

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PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 167 Sect ion from the instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is located i n
the center of the instrument pane l¢
fig. 167 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been t urned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger sea t is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a small child or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go ou t if the front passenge r seat is occu
pied by an adul t as reg istered by the weight
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on t he front seat,
or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Sta ndard 208 with w hich the Adva nced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
Airb ag sys tem
AIR BAG OFF light wi ll stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas
senger seat, the safest place for a ch ild in any
k ind of child restraint is at one of the seating po
sitions on the rear seat¢
page 149, Child re
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and r::;, page 168, Child safety.
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be su re to check the light regularly to make cer
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not appear and not s tay o n all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off and then t urning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the child restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l
led and tha t the safety belt for the fro nt pa s
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child res traint as desc ribed in the c hild re
stra int man ufactu rer's instructions;
- make sure that the convert ible lo ck ing fea ture
on the safety be lt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or
have loops of slack so that the sensor be low the
safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
c:;, page 178 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passe nger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not blocked . Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passe nger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sens ing mat to measu re more weight
t han is actually on the seat.
If th e PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it properly at one of the rear
Iii--
159