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 .,._
Assistance systems
Audi side assist
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Aud i side ass ist
0 9
!
F ig. 119 Sensor detec tfon range
Fig. 120 Display on the exterior m irro r
Side assist (lane change assist) helps you monitor
your blind spot and traffic behind your vehicle.
W ith in the limits of the system, it warns you
about vehicles that are coming close r or that are
traveling with you w ithin sensor range(!)
c>fig. 119. If a lane change is classified as criti
cal, the disp lay@ in the exterior mirror turns on
c>fig . 120.
The display in the left exter ior mirror provides as
sistance when making a lane change to the left,
while the disp lay in the right exterior mirror pro
vides assistance when making a lane change to
the right .
Information stage
As long as you do not activate the turn signal,
side assist
informs you about vehicl es that are
detected and classified as critical. The disp lay in
the mirror turns on, but is dim .
The display remains dim in the information stage
so that your view toward the front is not distur
bed.
126
Warning stage
If the display in a mirror blinks brightly when you
activate a turn signal, side assist is
warning you
about detected vehicles that it has classified as critical.
If this happens, check traffic by glancing
in the exterior mirrors and over your shoulder
c> .&. in General information on page 127.
Applies to: vehicles with active lane assist: the
display in the mirror can also blink if you have not
activated a turn signal: if you are approaching a
detected lane marker line and it appears you will
be leaving the lane, side assist will warn you
about detected vehicles that it has class ified as
critical.
(D Tips
You can adjust the br ightness on of the d is
play on the rearview mirror
c> page 128.
u (0 ...... N r--. N ...... 0
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Applies to: vehicles with Audi side assist
®
@
©
Fig. 121 Dr iving s ituatio ns
AUD I
Fig. 122 Rear of the vehicle: position of the senso rs
Side assist functions at speeds above approxi
mately 9 mph ( 15 km/h) .
@ Vehicles that are approaching
N
0
0
:i;
" al
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
critical for a lane change even if it is still some
what far away. The faste r a veh icle approaches,
t he sooner the display in the exterio r mirror w ill
turn on.
@ Vehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveli ng with you are ind icated in the
exte rior mi rror if they are classified as critical for
a lane change. All vehicles detected by side assist
Assistance systems
are indicated by the time they ente r your "blind
spot", at the latest.
© Vehicles you are passing
If you s low ly pass a vehi cle that side assist has
de tected (the difference in speed between the
vehicle and your vehicle is less than approximate
ly 9 mph (15 km/h)), the disp lay in the exterior
mirror turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your
blind spot.
T he display w ill not turn on if you quickly pass a
vehicle that side assist has detected (the differ ence in speed is greater than approximate ly 9
mph (15 km/h)) .
Functional limitations
The radar sensors are designed to detect the left
and right adjacent lanes when the road lanes are
the normal width. In some situations, the display
in the exterior mirror may turn on even though
there is no veh icle located in the area that is criti
cal for a lane change. For example :
- If the lanes are narrow or if your are driving on
the edge of your lane. If this is the case, the
system may have detected a vehicle in another lane that is
not adjacent to your current lane .
- If you are driving through a curve . Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is in the same lane
or one lane over from the adjacent lane .
- If side assist reacts to other objects (such as
roadside structures like guard rails).
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
functions are limited.
Do not cover the radar sensors
c:> fig. 122 with
stickers, deposits, bicycle wheels or other ob
jects, because th is will impair the function . Do
not use s ide assist when towing a trai ler. For in
formation on cleaning, see
c:> page 354.
A WARNING
-- Always pay attention to traffic and to the
area around your vehicle . S ide assist cannot
replace a driver's attention. The driver alone
is always responsible for lane changes and
-
similar driving maneuvers . IJI,
127
Ass is tan ce sys tems
-In some situations, the system may not
function or its funct ion may be limited. For
example:
- I f vehicles are approach ing or being left
behind very quickly. The display may not
turn on in time.
- I n poor weather conditions such as heavy
rain, snow or heavy mist.
- On very wide lanes, in tight curves, or if
there is a rise in the road su rface. Vehicles
in the adjacent lane may not be detec ted
because they are outside of the sensor
range.
@ Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts o r
damage to the bumper, whee l housing and
underbody. This can impair the system . Have
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility check their function.
(D Tips
- If the window g lass in the driver's doo r or
front passenger's door has been tinted, the
display in the exterior mirror may be incor
rect.
- For an explanation on conformity with the
FCC regulations in the United States and the
Industry Canada regulations, see
c::> page384.
Switching on/off
Applies to: veh icles with Audi side assist
The system can be switched on/off in the Info
tainment system.
If the system is activated, the displays in the ex
ter ior mirrors will turn on briefly when the ign i
tion is sw itched on .
.,. Se lect in the Infotainment system:
IMENU I but
ton
> V ehicle > left contro l button > Driver a s
sistance
> Audi side ass ist . Off switches the
system off.
128
(D Tips
When you switch side assist on or off, the ex it
warning system activates or deact ivates
c::> page 129.
Setting the display brightness
Applies to: vehicles with Audi side ass ist
The display brightness con be adjusted in the In
fotainment system.
.,. Select in the Infotainment system : IMENU! but
ton
> V eh icle > left control button > Dri ver as
s ist ance
> Audi side a ssist.
The display br ightness adjusts au tomatically to
the brightness of the surroundings, both in the information and in the warni ng stage. In very
dark or very bright surroundings, the automatic
adjustment will set the display to the minimum or max imum level. In such cases, you may notice
no change when ad justing the br ightness, or the
change may only be noticeab le once the sur
r oundi ngs change.
Adjust the brightness to a level where the display
i n the information stage will not disrupt your
view ahead. If you change the br ightness, the dis
play in the exterior mirror w ill briefly show the
br ightness leve l in t he i nfo rmation stage . The
brightness of the warning st age is linked to the
brightness in the information stage and is adjust
ed a long with the information stage .
(D Tips
-Side ass ist is not a ctive while you are mak
ing the adjustment.
- Yo ur setti ngs are a utomat ica lly stored and
assigned to the remote control key being
used .
u (0 ...... N r--. N ...... 0
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Applies to: vehicles with Audi side assist
Fig . 123 Example dis play
Fig. 124 Door: warning str ip
When the veh icle is stationary, the exit warning
system warns the passengers of a possible colli
sion when opening the door . Within the limits of
the system, the system monitors the areas be
hind and next to the vehicle using the radar sen
sors
~ page 127, fig. 122 . Moving objects that
are approaching from behind, such as cars, are
detected
~ fig. 123.
When you open the door, the warning strip on
the affected door blinks ¢
fig. 124 if another
road us er is detected and the situation is classi
f ied as critical. The display in the exterior mirror
on the affected s ide flashes at the same time . If
the door is already open and another road user is
detected and the situation is classified as critical,
then the corresponding displays turn on.
A WARNING
-A lways pay attention to traffic and to the
area around your vehicle. The exit warning
system does not replace the attention of the
passengers. The vehicle passengers are al-
Assistance systems
ways responsible for opening the doors and
exiting the vehicle.
- The exit warning system can be available for
up to approximately three minutes after un
locking the vehicle and opening the door as
well as after switching off the ignition . Then
the system switches off with a brief flashing
of the displays.
- The exit warning system cannot notify you
of every approaching object or person, such
as joggers or pedestrians .
A WARNING
The exit warning system is subject to limita
tions and cannot warn you before every im
pending collision:
- If the vehicle is too wide for the parking
space and covered by the neighboring
vehicles.
- Approaching objects or people such as cy
clists or skateboarders may not be detected
under certain circumstances.
- The system does not react to stationary ob
jects.
- The view of the radar sensors may be im
paired by leaves, snow, heavy spray or dirt .
Clean the area in front of the sensors
c:o page 127, fig. 122.
(D Note
Also read the information in r:o© in General
information on page 128 .
(D Tips
-The exit warning system is switched on and
off through the side assist~
page 128.
-The display brightness for the exit warning
system cannot be adjusted.
- The system is not available when towing a
trailer.
-
129
Parking systems
Parking systems
General information
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith a rea r parking sys te m /pa rking sys
tem p lus/rearv iew camera/peripheral ca meras
Depending on your vehicle's equipment , various
parking aids will help you when parking and ma
neuvering.
The
rear parking system is an audible parking aid
that warns you of obstacles
behind the vehicle
¢ page 139.
The
parking system plus assists you when park
ing by audibly and visually indicating objects de
tected
in front of and behind the veh icle
¢ page 139.
The
rearview camera shows the area behind the
vehicle in the Infotainment system display . The
lines in the rearview camera image help you to
park or maneuver
¢ page 140. The parking sys
tem plus functions are also available
¢ page 139.
The
peripheral cameras give various views to
help you when parking or maneuvering
¢ page 143. The parking system plus functions
are also available
¢page 139.
A WARNING i-==
- Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it directly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attention. The driver is always
responsible when entering or leaving a park
ing space and during similar maneuvers.
-
- Please note that some surfaces , such as
clothing, are not detected by the system .
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
which people and objects cannot be detect
ed . Be especially cautious of small children
and animals .
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle's sur
roundings, using the rearview mirror as
well.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park ing system may be impa ired as a result.
138
Have an authorized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility check their func
tion.
(D Note
- Some objects are not detected or displayed
by the system under certain circumstances:
- objects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, vertical poles or fences
- objects above the sensors such as wall ex
tensions
- objects with certain surfaces or structures
such as chain link fences or powder snow
- If you continue driving closer to a low ob
ject, it may disappear from the sensor
range. Note that you will no longer be
warned about this obstacle.
- Keep enough distance from the curb to re
duce the risk of damage to the rims.
{i) Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cover
age area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or when there is tall
grass
- external ultrasonic sources such as from
cleaning vehicles
- in heavy rain, snow, or thick vehicle ex
haust
- We recommend that you practice parking in
a traffic-free location or parking lot to be
come familiar with the system . When doing
this, there should be good light and weath
er conditions.
- You can change the volume of the signals
and the display ¢
page 146.
- Please refer to the instructions for towing a
trailer located in
¢page 147.
- What appears in the infotainment display is
somewhat time-delayed.
- Th e sensors must be kept clean and free of
snow and ice for the parking aid to operate .
u (0 ...... N r--. N ...... 0
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Applies to: vehicles with rearv iew camera
Fig . 139 Area covered (D and area not covered @by the
rearv iew camera.
Fig. 140 Luggage compartment lid: locatio n of the rear
view camera
The rearview camera is located above the rear li
cense plate bracket. Make sure that the lens for
the rearview camera ¢
fig. 140 is not covered by
deposits or any other obstructions because this
can impair the function of the rearview camera.
For information on cleaning, see<=>
page 354.
The rearview camera coverage area includes (D
¢ fig. 139 . Only this area is shown in the Info
tainment display. Objects that are in area @,
which is not covered, are not displayed.
A WARNING
- Always read and follow the applicable warn
ings
<=> A in General information on
page 138.
- If the position and the installation angle of the rearview camera was changed, for ex
ample after a collision, do not continue to
use the system for safety reasons. Have it
checked by an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility .
Parking systems
-Only use the rearview camera to assist you if
it shows a good, clear picture. For example,
the image may be affected by the sun shin
ing into the lens, dirt on the lens, or if there
is a malfunction.
- Use the rearview camera only if the luggage
compartment lid is completely closed. Make
sure any objects you may have mounted on
the luggage compartment lid do not block
the rearview camera.
- The camera lens enlarges and distorts the
field of vision. The object appears both al
tered and inaccurate on the screen.
- In certain situations, people or objects in
the display appear closer or farther away:
- For objects that do not touch the ground,
such as the bumper of a parked vehicle, a
trailer hitch or the rear of a truck. Do not
use the orientation lines in this case.
- If driven from a level surface onto an in
cline, or a downward slope .
- If driven toward protruding objects.
- If the vehicle is carrying too much load in
the rear.
- Applies to: vehicles with air suspension: the
accuracy of the orientation lines and blue
surfaces decreases when the vehicle is
raised/lowered¢
page 134.
(D Note
-Always read and follow the applicable warn
ings¢ (!)
in General information on
page 138.
- Th e orange-colored orientation lines in the
Infotainment display show the vehicle path
based on the steering wheel angle. The
front of the vehicle swings out more than
the rear of the vehicle . Maintain plenty of
distance so that an exterior mirror or a cor
ner of the vehicle does not collide with any
obstacles.
Switching on/off
Applies to: vehicles with rearview camera
Switching on
"' Shift into reverse, or
141
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Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with peripheral cameras
With this equipment, the parking system p lus*
c::> page 139 is supplemented w it h various pe riph
e ral cameras. The four cameras give you the fol
l owing views: area around the vehicle, front cor
ner view and rear corner view, view in front of the
vehicle and behind the vehicle .
General information
Applies to: vehicles with peripheral cameras
Fi g.
14 4 Location of periphera l cameras
The fo ur per ipheral cameras are located in the ra
diator grille, in the luggage compartment lid and
on both exterior mirrors
c::> fig. 144 . Make sure
that the lenses are not covered by deposits or any other obstructions as this may impair the system.
For information on cleaning, see
c::> page 354.
Black corners are shown in the vehicle s ilhouette
when in
Ar ea mode. Objects in these areas are
outside of the camera's field of view and are not
detected.
The accuracy of the orientation lines and b lue
surfaces decreases if the air suspension* is faulty,
if the vehicle is lifted, if the luggage compart
ment lid lowering function is active or if the
Dy
namic , Allr oad * or Lift / Offroad * mode is act i
vated
c::;, page 134 .
A WARNING
-Always read and fo llow the applicable warn
ings
c::> .& in General informa tion on
page 138.
Parking systems
-If the position or the installation angle of a
camera was changed, for example after a
coll is ion, do not cont inue to use the system
for safety reasons. Have it checked by a n au
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv ice Facility.
- Keep in mind that the image in the display is
i n correct if the exterior mirror housing has
been moved out of p la ce.
- Use the
Rear mode and the Corner view
(r ear )
mode only when the luggage com
pa rtment lid is comp letely closed. Other
wise the image in the disp lay w ill be inco r
re ct.
- The vehicle surround ings a re shown using
the camer a images. The vehi cle image is
shown by the system. Objects and obs tacles
above the camera are not disp layed .
- Ca mera lenses enl arge and distort the field
of vision. The objects appear both a ltered
a nd inaccurate on the screen.
(D Note
- Alw ays read and fo llow the applicable wa rn
ings
c::> (i) in General information on
page 138 .
- T he Infotainmen t display shows the direc
t ion in which the rear o f the ve hicle is travel
ing based on the steering wheel ang le . The
front of the vehicle swings out more than
the rear of the vehicle. Maintain plenty of
distance so that an exterior mirror or a cor
ner of the vehicle does not coll ide with any
obstacles.
(D Tips
If the 8/
out, then the power exter io r mirrors were
fo lded in or the dr iver's door/front passe ng
er's door/luggage compa rtment lid was
opened .
143