Operation
Changing gear manually with the selector
l ev
er
It
is possible to change to tiptronic mode,
both when the vehicle is stopped and while
driving.
– To switch to tiptronic mode, move the se-
lector l
ever from position D/S to the right.
As soon as the change is made the selector
level will be shown in the position M on the
instrument panel display (for example M4
means that the fourth gear is engaged).
– Move the selector lever forwards + to se-
l ect
a higher g
ear ››› Fig. 199.
– Move the selector lever backwards – to
sel ect
a lo
wer gear.
Changing gear manually with the gearshift
paddles*
The gearshift paddles can be used when the
selector lever is in the position D/S or M.
– Press the gearshift paddle + to select a
higher g e
ar ›
›› Fig. 200.
– Press the gearshift paddle – to select a
lo w
er g
ear.
– With the selector lever in position D/S, if no
pad
dle is operated during a short period of
time, the gearbox control system switches
back to automatic mode. To switch to per-
manent manual gear change using the
gearshift paddles, move the selector lever
from position D/S to the right. When accelerating, the gearbox automatical-
ly shifts
up into the next gear shortly before
the maximum engine speed is reached.
If you select a lower gear, the automatic gear-
box will not shift down until there is no risk of
over-revving the engine.
When the kick-down feature is used, the
gearbox shifts down to a lower gear, depend-
ing on road speed and engine speed.
Driving tips The gearbox changes gear ratios automatical-
ly
a
s
the vehicle moves.
The engine can only start with the selector
lever in position P or N. At low temperatures,
below -10°C (14°F), the engine can only start
with the selector lever in position P.
Starting the vehicle
– Press and hold the brake pedal.
– Press and hold the interlock button (the
button on the sel
ector lever handle), move
the selector lever to the desired position,
for instance D ›››
page 191, and release the
interlock button.
– Wait for the gearbox to engage the gear (a
slight mo
vement can be felt).
– Release the brake and press the accelerator
›››
.Stopping briefly
– Apply the foot brake to hold the vehicle
briefly when s
t
ationary (for instance at traf-
fic lights). Do not press the accelerator.
Stopping/Parking
If the driver door is opened and the selector
lever is not in position P, the vehicle could
move. The driver message will be: Gear
change: selector lever in the
drive position! . Additionally, a buzzer
will sound.
– Press and hold the brake pedal ›››
.
– Apply the handbrake.
– Move the selector lever to position P.
Ho l
din
g the car on a hill
– Always apply the brake pedal firmly to pre-
vent
the vehicle “from moving backwards”;
if necessary, apply the handbrake ››› . Do
not tr y
t
o stop the vehicle “rolling back” by
increasing the engine speed when a gear is
engaged (pressing the accelerator) ››› .
Mo v
in
g off uphill in vehicles without Hill
start assistant*
– Apply the handbrake.
– Once you have engaged a gear press the
accel
erator carefully and disengage the
handbrake.
194
Towing bracket device
WARNING
The towing bracket ball coupling must be
st or
ed securely in the luggage compartment
to prevent them being flung through the vehi-
cle and causing injury. Note
● By l
aw, the ball coupling must be removed
if a trailer is not being towed if it obscures
the number plate. Driving with a trailer
Fig. 244
Turn the 13-pin connector. Before driving
●
Grip the 13-pin connector at area A and
r emo
v
e it in the direction of the arrow
››› Fig. 244.
● Remove the protective cover 5
› ››
Fig. 232
up w
ards.
After driving
● Grip the 13-pin connector at area A and
in ser
t
it in the opposite direction to the arrow
››› Fig. 244.
● Fit the protective cover 5
› ›
› Fig. 232
on
the ball coupling.
Safety lug
The safety lug B
› ›
› Fig. 244
is used to hook
up the trailer's retainer cable.
On hooking it up to the safety lug, the retain-
er cable should have slack in all the trailer
positions with respect to the vehicle (sharp
bends, reverse gear, etc.).
Headlights
The front part of the vehicle may be raised
when the trailer is connected and the light
may dazzle the rest of the traffic.
Adapt the height of the headlights using the
headlight range rotary adjuster 1)
. WARNING
● Never u se the s
afety lug to tow!
● Adjust your speed to suit the road and traf-
fic condition
s.
● All work on the electrical system must be
carried out on
ly by specialised workshops.
● Never connect the trailer's electric system
to the electric
al connections of the rear lights
or any other power sources.
● After hooking up the trailer and connecting
the socket, c
heck that all the trailer's rear
lights are working properly. Note
● If ther e i
s any fault in the trailer's lighting,
check the fuses in the instrument panel fuse
box ›››
page 63.
● The contact between the retainer cable and
the safety
lug may give rise to mechanical
wear in the lug's surface protection. This
wear will not prevent the safety lug from op-
erating properly or cause any fault and is ex-
cluded from the warranty.
● When connecting and disconnecting the
trail
er, the towing vehicle's handbrake
should be applied.
● When the tow hitch ball has not been fitted,
the socket
should remain concealed in its
housing on the bumper. 1)
This does not apply for vehicles with bi-xenon
hea dlights.
253
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Index
Environment ec o
logic
al driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
environmental compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Environmental tips filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159, 256
ESC electronic stability control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Multi-collision Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Sport Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Ethanol (fuel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Event Data Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Exhaust pipe: cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Extending the luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Exterior lighting changing a bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Exterior mirrors adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Exterior rear-view mirrors adjusting the exterior rear-view mirrors . . . . . 151
exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Exterior view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 8
External aerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
F Fastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Fatigue detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Filling the fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Fluid level control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fog light bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Folding table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Four-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
snow c hains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
winter tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 87
Front armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Front Assist indications on the display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Front passenger front airbag control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
deactivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Front seat manual adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
ethanol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
natural gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
saving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Fuel consumption engine cut-off due to inertia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
why does fuel consumption increase? . . . . . . 203
Fuel tank cap opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Full-LED Headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Function Coming Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Function Leaving Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63, 101 fuse box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
identifying blown fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
identifying by colours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
preparation before replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 G
Gear-c
hange indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Gearbox DSG see Automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Gearbox lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Gear change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
kick-down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
manual gear change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Gear engaged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Gear recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Gear shift paddles (automatic gearbox) . . . . . . . 193
General instrument panel control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
controls and displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
H Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
see also Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31, 145
Head-on collisions and their laws of physics . . . . 82
Head-protection airbags description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Headlights changing a bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
headlight washers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
front head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
rear head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 319