2017 AUDI Q7 ABS

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 100.
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¢ &..
98
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
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ect wir ing , sw itches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outs ide mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirro rs. It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
A WARNING
-
- After remov ing the tra iler hitch, do not
sto re it in your vehicle . In case of sud den
braking , th e hitch co uld fl y forwar d and i n­
jure you o r yo ur passenge rs.
- I f a tra ile r has e lectr ica l brakes p lease no te
t h at the se brakes are not ac tivated by the
fact ory-fi tted contro l uni t - r isk of accident!
- N ever i nst all a "we igh t distribut ing" or
"lo ad equ alizing" trailer hi tch o n yo ur veh i­
cle. The vehicle was not desig ned fo r these
kinds of trailer hitches. The hitch attach ­
ment can fai l, ca us ing the tra iler to tear
loose from the vehicle .
- The Gross Veh icle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la­
be l on the driver's s ide B -pillar, m ust never
be exceeded under any circumstances. Ex­
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rati ng of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
and such damage will not be covered by
your Limi te d N ew Vehicle War ranty. Exceed ­
ing the G ros s Ve hicl e W eight Ratin g will al-
so ch ange the pe rform ance and ha ndling .,._

u co ...... N r-... N ...... 0
0
:E: ' Maintain a greater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You wi ll need more
room to stop. To compensate fo r the tra iler, yo u
will need a larger than normal turn ing rad ius.
When pass ing, remember t hat you cannot accel ­
erate as fast as you norma lly wou ld because of
the added load. Make s ure you have eno ugh room
to pass. After passing , allow plenty of room fo r
your tra iler before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, s harp turns or rapid lane
changes .
(D Tips
-Do not tow a trailer during t he br ea k-in per i­
o d of yo ur vehicle .
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex ­
tra load
~ page 381.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on o slope with o trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only ofter doing the following:
When parking:
" Apply the f oot brake.
" Have someone p lace chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the tra il e r whee ls .
" Wi th chocks in p lace, slowly release t he b rakes
u nti l the w hee l chocks absor b the load.
" Turn the wheels towa rds the curb.
" Apply the pa rking brake.
" Move the se lector lever to P .
When restarting after parking:
"Apply the foot b rake.
" Start the engine .
" Move t he se lecto r lever to D/S.
" Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from t he whee l chocks.
" Stop and have someone retrieve t he wheel
chocks .
Trailer towing
101

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Electronic stabilization
control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic stabilization control (ESC) supports
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves driving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit­
uations such as when the vehicle is oversteering
and understeering or the wheels are spinning.
The vehicle is stabilized by applying the brakes or reducing eng ine torq ue. When the ESC engages,
the
DJ ind icator light blinks in the instrument
cluste r.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Ant i-loc k bra king system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when brak­
ing. The vehicle can sti ll be steered even during
hard brak ing. Apply steady pressure 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 assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing dis­
tance . It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold the b rake pedal
until the dangerous situat io n is over . In veh icles
with adapt ive cr uise control*, the bra ke assist
sys tem is more sensitive if the d ista nce detec ted
t o the vehicle dr iv ing ahead is too small.
O n ve hicles w ith act ivated and funct io ni ng night
vision assist*, the brake ass ist system ca n re­
spond more sens it ively if there is a warning.
Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin spinning a nd adap ts the force to the road
conditions . This makes it easie r to start, acceler­
ate and dr ive up h ills.
Electron ic differential lock (EDL )
EDL applies the brakes to a wheel that starts
spinning and transfers the drive power to the
148
other driving whee ls. This function is not avai la ­
ble at higher speeds.
In extreme cases , ED L automat ica lly swi tches off
to keep t he b rake on the braked wheel from over ­
heating. The veh icle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switch on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendat ion
The ESC he lps to stabilize the vehicle by chang ing
t h e s teer ing torque.
Select ive wheel torque control
Se lective wheel to rque cont rol is used when d riv­
i ng on curves. Braking is targeted toward the
whee ls on the inside of the curve as needed . T his
a ll ows mo re precise dr iving in cu rves .
Automatic post -collision braking system
The "automat ic post -collis io n braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of addi­
tiona l co llisions after an acc ident. If the a irbag
contro l modu le detects a collision, the veh icle is
braked by the ESC.
The veh icle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the veh icle elect ri-
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
phys ical laws . This is espec ially important
on s lippery or wet roads . If the systems be­
gi n ac ting to stabilize yo ur vehicle, you
should immediately a lter your speed to
match the road and traffic conditions. Do
not let the inc reased safety provided tempt
you into taking risks. This could increase
your r isk of a coll is ion.
- Please note the risk of a collision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when dr iv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent co llisions -there is st ill a risk of acci­
dents!

u (0 ...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
:E -Press t he accele rato r pedal ca refu lly when
accel erating on smooth, slippery sur fac es
s u ch as ice and snow. The dr ive wheels can
spin even when these con trol systems are
ins talled a nd th is can affec t drivi ng stabili ty
and incr eas e the r is k of a coll is io n.
(D Tips
- The ABS and ASR only function co rrectly
whe n all fo ur whee ls have a s imilar wear
Switching on and off
Intelligent Technology
c o ndi tio n. Diff erent tir e si zes can lead t o a
re duction in en gine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when t he sy stems de ­
sc ribe d are worki ng.
- Wh en in sta lling r oof r ack sy stems on the
roof ra il, t he ESC uses se nsors to a dapt it ­
s el f to a different center of gravity .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
~~- ---- --=-
~--------
The following e xamp les are unusua l situations
whe re it may make sense to switch off road mode
on to a llow the whee ls to spin:
----~,-,.---__ , ~ · ~ ""' :'llt.) ... 'P [l)A
Fig. 154 Cente r co nso le w it h th e t,.OF, butto n
- Rock ing t he vehi cle to free i t when it is stuck
- Dr iv ing in deep snow o r on loose g ro und
- Dr iving with snow chains
- Dr iv ing o n ro ugh te rra in when much o f th e car 's
we ight is lift ed off t he wheels ( axl e articula­
tion)
- Dr iv ing down hill while b raking on loose g round
The ESC is des igned to fu nction in levels. Depe nd­
ing on the leve l selec ted , the ESC sta bilizati on
f u nction i s limite d or swi tc h ed off . The amount of
s tabili zation control w ill differ depe nding on the
l eve l. For yo
ur 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 A SR stabiliza-
The stabilization f unction is T
he f ull sta bilization f unc-
tion f unct io ns are limited not available
~ A . ESC a nd tion of the ESC and ASR is
q _,& _ ASR are switched off. avai lab le aga in.
Operation Press the !B '-"• I bu tton b rief- Press and ho ld t he !B '-"' I b ut- Press the IE m l but to n a gain.
Ly . ton longer than t hree sec-
on ds.
Ind icator II turns on . II and l:f.'tl•)H turn on . II turns off or II and
lights !:(.'iit•)H turn off .
Message s Stabilization control
(ESC ): Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC ):
offroad . Warning! Reduced off
. Warning! Restricted
on
stability stability
149

Intelligent Technology
_&. WARNING
You should only switch offroad mode on or
switch ESC/ ASR off if your driving abilities
and the traff ic conditions perm it. There is a
r isk of slid ing.
- The stabilization function is limited when
offroad mode is switched on. The driving
wheels co uld spin and the vehicle could
swerve , especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces.
- T here is no vehicle stab ilizat ion when ESC/
ASR are switched off .
Hill descent assist
Hill descent assist makes it possible to drive
down a hill at a constant speed.
Fig. 155 Center console: hill descent ass ist button
.. To switch hill descent assist on, press the 1-

button. The LED in the button turns on.
.. Press the button again to switch it off. The LED
in the button turns off.
Hill descent assist brakes all four wheels auto­
matically in order to limit speed when driving ei­
ther forward or reverse on hills with a grade from approximately 6 to 60%. The wheels w ill not lock
up because the ABS remains activated.
When hill descent assist is on, the speed your ve­
hicle was traveling when it entered the hill is maintained. The assist begins shortly after you
start driv ing and continues up to approximately
19 mph (30 km/h). The driver can increase or de­
crease the vehicle speed w ith in these limits by
pressing the accelerato r or brake pedal.
H owever, there must be enough traction. Hill de­
scent assist
cannot function as expected, if for
150
example the hill is icy or if the surface is loose
~ & .
Active regulat ion of a speed up to approximately
19 mph (30 km/h) is signaled in the instrument
cluster by an indicator light •. T he indicator
light turns on when in the ready mode.
II.
The system does not work at speeds above ap­
proximately 19 mph (30 km/h). The system is
then in ready-mode . This is indicated by the LED
in the button turning on.
Hill descent assist is automatically activated un­
der the following conditions:
- the LED in the button turns on
- the vehicle speed is lower than 19 mph (30 km/
h)
-the hill angle is at least approximately 6%
_&. WARNING
-
- Always adapt your speed to the weather,
road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
increased safety provided tempt you into
taking risks, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
- The hill descent assist system cannot over­
come the laws of phys ics. Your driving style
must always be adapted to the current road
and traffic cond itions .
- Hill descent assist may not be able to hold
your vehicle at a constant speed under all
conditions while driving on a hill (for exam­
ple if ground under the vehicle is loose).
Brakes
New brake pads
New brake pads do not achieve their full braking
effect during the first 250 mi (400 km). They
must be "broken in" first. However, you can com­
pensate for the slightly reduced braking force by
pressing f irmly on the brake pedal. Avo id heavy
braking during the break-in period.
Wear
Brake pad wear depends largely on the way the
vehicle is driven and on operating conditions .
This is especially true if you are driv ing frequent ly
IJ,,

Audi music interface
Appl ies to: ve hicles with Audi m usic in terface
Connect your mobile devices to the Audi music
interface in order to operate them through the
MMI and charge the battery.
Fig. 214 Connect ing mob ile dev ices
The Audi music interface is located under the
center armrest in the center console(§
r::;, page 8,
fig. 2.
- Connecting a mobile device using a USB
adapte r:
connect the applicable USB adapter @
r:::;, fig. 214 to the port on the Audi music inter­
face @ and then connect the adapter to the
mobile device@ (such as an iPhone).
-Charging a mobile device using a USB adapter:
when you connect a mobile device to the Audi
music interface @ using the app licable USB
adapter @¢
fig. 214, the battery will auto­
matically charge .
-Disconnecting a mobile device from the Audi
music interface :
remove the USB adapter @
r:::;, fig. 214 from the Audi music i nterface .
-Disconnecting mobile devices with an Apple
Dock connector :
remove the Apple Dock con­
necto r from the Apple device with the release
tabs pressed in@ ,:;;,
page 234, fig. 213 .
The media are started and operated through the
mobile device or the
MMI, depending on the de­
v ice being used
r:::;,page 237.
Connecting two mobile devices : if two mob ile
dev ices (for example iPhone and smartphone) are
connected at the same time, then both devices
u can be used as p layback sources . (0 ...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
:E Media
You can connect mobile devices using the analog
AUX port.
-Connecting a mobile device to the AUX input :
connect the cable® r::;, fig. 214 to the AUX in­
put @ on the Aud i music interface and then to
t he mobile device@) (such as an MP3 player or
sma rtphone) .
-Disconnecting a mobile device from the AUX
input :
remove the cable ® r::;, fig. 214 from the
AUX input @
r::;, fig. 214.
-Operation: select and confirm the External au ­
dio player
so urce ® ¢page 237, fig. 215. The
media are sta rted and operated through the
mobile device@)
¢fig. 214.
A WARNING
Driving requires your complete and undivided
attention. As the driver, you have complete
responsibility for safety in traffic. Never oper­
ate mob ile dev ices wh ile driving, because this
increases the risk of an acc ident.
(D Note
- Remove the connector from the Audi music
interface carefully so it is not damaged.
- Use a USB extens ion cable to connect dev i­
ces that have an integrated USB connector
(such as a USB stick) to prevent damage to
your USB device and the Audi music inter­
face.
- Extremely high or low temperatures that
can occur inside vehicles can damage mobile
dev ices and/or impair their performance.
Never leave mob ile devices in the vehicle i n
extreme ly high or low temperatures.
© Tips
-When you switch the ign ition off, the USB
ports are still supplied w ith power until the
ene rgy management intervenes.
- Do not use an addit ional adapte r or USB ex­
tension cable to connect mobile devices to
the Audi music interface that already have a
cable or that must be connected with a USB
adapter
( r::;, page 234). They may impair the
functionality . .,.
235

Driving sa fe ty
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift s udden ly, changing vehicle handling charac­
ter istics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal in jury in a sudden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a coll is ion.
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment .
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for­
ward as possible
c> fig . 226 .
.,. Secure luggage us ing the tie-downs provided
¢ page 69 .
.,. Make su re that the rea r seatbac k is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or othe r items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury :
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always sec ure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
s u itable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles . To he lp reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal i njury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change i n the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distr ibute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as poss ible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
o r the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the driv­
er's side B-pillar. Exceeding permiss ible
weight standards can cause the vehicle to
s lide and handle differently .
262
-Please observe info rmation on safe driving
¢page 256 .
A WARNING
To he lp prevent po isonous 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 dr ive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning :
- C lose all windows,
- Close the s unroof*,
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switc h off the air reci rculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doo rs, all win­
dows, the sunroof * an d the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to red uce the risk of
i n jury when the veh icle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your ve hicle unattended espe ­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
co uld crawl into the vehicle th rough the lug­
g age com partment an d close the rea r lid be­
comi ng tr apped and unab le to ge t out . Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
pe rsonal i nju ry.
- Never let c hild ren p lay in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment. Vehicle occupants mus t al­
ways be p roperly restrained in one of the ve ­
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circul ation helps to reduce w indow fog­
ging . Stale ai r escapes to the o uts ide
t h roug h vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.

Safe ty belts
passenge rs, a lways correct ly wear safety
belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that comes on could lead to personal injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 2 28 Unbe lt ed occupants in a vehi cle headi ng for a wall
Fig . 229 T he ve hi cle c rashes into the wa ll
The physical principles are simple . Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­ ies w ith vehicle speed and body weight . Engi­
neers call this energy "k inetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
g reater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Veh icle speed is the most signific ant fac tor .
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h) , the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of th is veh icle are not us­
i n g safety belts~
fig. 228, they will keep mov ing
at the same speed the ve hicle was mov ing j ust
266
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall¢
fig. 229 .
The same principles apply to people s itting in a
vehicle that is invo lved i n a frontal collision . Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) o r more. At g reater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are a lso not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep mov ing forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don 't just apply to
frontal collisions , they determine what happens
i n a ll kinds of accide nts and co llisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed . Always wear your safety belts!
F ig . 23 0 A drive r not wea ring a safety belt is vio lent ly
throw n forward
Fig . 2 31 A rea r passe nge r not we aring a sa fety be lt w ill fly
forwa rd an d str ike t he drive r
Unbelted occupants a re not ab le to res ist the tre-
mendous forces of impac t by holding tig ht o r
Ill-