2017 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG off-road

WARNING
Always remember that the Adaptive Cruise Control has limits – Using Adaptive Cruise Con-trol when it is not possible to drive safely at a constant speed can be dangerous and can lead to an accident and serious personal injury.
x Adaptive Cruise Control will not slow the vehicle down or maintain the set distance when you drive towards an obstacle or something on or near the road that is not moving, such as vehicles stopped in a traffic jam, a stalled or disabled vehicle.
x Always adjust your speed and the distance you keep between you and the vehicles ahead of you to the road, traffic, weather, and visibility conditions.
x Never use Adaptive Cruise Control on steep, winding, or slippery roads (such gravel roads, wet roads, or snowy or icy roads) or on roads with standing water.
x Never use Adaptive Cruise Control when driving in heavy or varying stop-and-go traffic.
x Never use Adaptive Cruise Control when driving off-road or on unpaved roads.
x Always remember that the Adaptive Cruise Control cannot detect a vehicle that is driving towards you in your traffic lane and that it cannot detect narrow vehicles such as motorcy-cles and bicycles.
x Never follow a vehicle so closely that you cannot stop your vehicle safely. The Adaptive Cruise Control cannot slow or brake the vehicle safely when you follow another vehicle too closely. Always remember that the Adaptive Cruise Control has a braking power that is only about 30% of the vehicle's maximum braking ability, under certain circumstances the auto-matic braking function cannot bring the vehicle to a stop in time.
x Always turn off Adaptive Cruise Control when entering turn lanes, exit lanes and construc-tion zones or in similar situations because the vehicle will automatically accelerate to the stored speed when the road ahead is clear.
x To help prevent unintended operation of Adaptive Cruise Control, switch the system off when it is not being used.
x It is dangerous to use the Resume feature when the previously set speed is too high for the existing road, traffic, or weather conditions.
x When traveling downhill, the Adaptive Cruise Control may not be able to maintain a con-stant speed. The vehicle will speed up because of its own weight. Downshift and/or use the foot brake to slow the vehicle.
x Never allow the closing speed between you and other vehicles to be so high that the Adaptive Cruise Control may not be able to slow your vehicle safely. If closing speed is too high, you must apply the brakes yourself to reduce the risk of a rear-end crash.
x If a driver intervention warning appears in the instrument cluster display, immediately takeover the control of the brake and gas pedals and low down the vehicle or bring it to stop when necessary and according to the traffic situation.
x If a Forward Collision Warning system (Front Assist) collision warning appears in the instrument cluster display, immediately takeover the control of the brake and gas pedals and low down the vehicle or bring it to stop when necessary and according to the traffic situation.
x Always be prepared to takeover the control of the brake and the gas pedal in every situa-tion.
NOTICE
If you suspect that ACC and the Forward Collision Warning system (Front Assist) don't work properly or the sensors are damaged, switch off ACC immediately.
x Go see an authorized Volkswagen dealer or Volkswagen Service Facility for assistance and have the ACC system checked.

Text message Meaning
ACC not avail-
able.
ACC and/or the Forward Collision Warning system
(Front Assist) are disabled due to a system malfunc-
tion or soiled/misaligned sensors.
ACC and Front
Assist are not
available.
ACC not avail-
able. No sen-
sor view!
The sensors are soiled and the sensor view is im-
paired. Clean the sensors.
ACC and Front
Assist are not
available. No
sensor view!
ACC is cur-
rently not
available.
Gradient is
too large.
The highest possible gradient of 19% for ACC to
work properly is exceeded or the vehicle is rolling
backwards. ACC is deactivated.
ACC is only
available in
driving level
D, S or M.
Shift to selector lever position D, S or M (Tiptronic
mode).
ACC: Release
parking brake!
ACC is deactivated when the electronic parking
brake is engaged.
ACC is cur-
rently not
available. HDC
activated.
The OFF-ROAD mode is switched on and the Hill
descent assist is activated. ACC is deactivated au-
tomatically. In order to enable ACC, switch off the
OFF-ROAD mode.
ACC: Stabili-
zation control
(ESC) inter-
vention.
The Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) is current-
ly working and ACC is temporarily deactivated.

Area View menus (modes)

Fig. 296 Display of the Area View: Full-screen bird's eye view (option A), enlarged off-road view (option B), partial view of perpendicular parking with modes menu (option C) and partial view of perpendicular parking with settings menu (option D).

View Screen display of all cameras
Off-road S
The areas directly in front of the vehicle and partly to the
side of the vehicle are displayed as a bird's eye view. This
can be used, for example, when driving across a slope so
that the area around the vehicle can be seen ⇒ fig. 296 B.

Front camera views

View Screen display of front camera
Front cross-
traffic I
Area on left of screen: Left-hand side of intersection.
Area in center of screen: Area directly in front of vehicle.
Area on right of screen: Right-hand side of intersection.
Perpendicular
parking J
The area in front of the vehicle is displayed. Orientation
lines are displayed for assistance. See Rear Assist Mode 1
Off-road N The area directly in front of the vehicle is shown in a bird's
eye view. This can be used, for example, when driving
across a slope so that the area directly in front of the vehi-
cle can be seen more easily.

Side camera views

View Screen display of side cameras
Off-road, left
and right
side O
Areas directly next to the vehicle are displayed in a bird's
eye view so you can steer the vehicle accurately around
obstacles. The red lines are displayed when an obstacle is
about 16 inches (40 cm) from the vehicle.
Left side P Shows the driver or front passenger side ⇒ fig. 296 D next
to the vehicle separately as a bird's eye view. This helps
you to see the blind spot along the side of the vehicle. Right side Q

WARNING
Inadequate experience and knowledge of the demands of off-road driving can lead to critical situations and cause serious personal injury.
x Never take routes or risks that could put you or your passengers in danger. If you cannot go on, or have doubts about the safety of your route, turn back and take a new route.
x The intelligent technology of the vehicle cannot change the laws of physics. Despite the ABS, adverse terrain can cause instability through blocked wheels – for example, if you brake hard when driving on a loose gravel road. Difficult terrain may also prevent the ESC from doing its job.
x Never operate the vehicle at the limit of its performance ability. Always leave a good safety margin.
x To reduce the risk of loss of control and serious personal injury, never use the cruise control when driving off-road.
x Even terrain that looks easy can be difficult and dangerous, putting you and your passen-gers in a critical situation. It is often best to check an area out on foot first.
x Drive with special care and think ahead in off-road terrain. If you drive too fast, or fail to maneuver the vehicle properly, you could cause personal injury and damage the vehicle.
x Never drive faster than is appropriate for the prevailing terrain and the road, traffic, and weather conditions.
x Never drive too fast across embankments, ramps, or slopes. The vehicle could become airborne. If that happens, you will not be able to steer and can lose control.
x If your vehicle becomes airborne, always keep the front wheels pointing straight ahead. If the wheels are not pointing straight ahead when the vehicle lands, it could roll over.
x Never allow people to stand in front of or behind the vehicle if you have put items such as stones or pieces of wood under the wheels to improve traction on slippery ground. Spinning wheels can turn these items into dangerous flying objects causing serious personal injury.
x Even areas that look harmless can be dangerous. Potholes, ditches, trenches, drop-offs, different kinds of obstacles, and soft or swampy ground often cannot be seen and can be partially or fully covered by water, grass, branches, or other things. Driving over such terrain can cause accidents and severe injuries. Before crossing an unknown area, carefully explore the route you plan to take on foot.
WARNING
Never drive off-road if you are low on fuel. Too little fuel in the tank can cause an accident and serious injuries. You can also run out of fuel in a remote area where getting help is diffi-cult or impossible.
x When the fuel tank is almost empty, fuel supply to the engine can be interrupted, especial-ly when driving over bumps, across slopes, and up and down hills. The interruption in fuel flow could stall the engine during a maneuver in difficult terrain and make you lose control of the vehicle.
x Steering and braking assistance as well as ESC and related systems will not work if the engine “sputters” or stalls due to lack of fuel. This can cause loss of vehicle control, espe-cially in difficult terrain.
x Always refuel when the tank is 1/4 full to reduce the risk of running out of fuel.
NOTICE
If the power sunroof or the windows are open when it rains or snows, the interior of the vehicle will get wet and the vehicle may be damaged. Always keep the windows and the power sunroof closed when driving off-road.

d Check the vehicle tool kit. Add tools and other gear based on the special requirements of the trip
you will be taking ⇒  Useful off-road driving equipment.
d Stow luggage as low and flat as possible in the vehicle. Safely secure all loose objects.
Before driving off-road the first time
Before you drive your vehicle off-road, we urge you to take an appropriate off-road driving course. Taking a course is especially important if you have little or no experience driving off-road. Even more experienced off-roaders can benefit from an off-road driving course.
A good course can show you how to handle the vehicle in a wide range of off-road situations and how to more safely deal with difficult terrain Driving off-road demands a different attitude and very different skills compared with highway driving. Your safety and that of your passengers will depend on your
knowledge, skill, and caution as a driver ⇒ .
WARNING
Disregarding the safety-related checklist may lead to accidents and serious personal injuries.
x Always review and follow the checklist above. Follow commonly accepted safety practices and use common sense.
x All occupants must sit properly and wear safety belts whenever the vehicle is moving.
General rules and good driving practices

WARNING
Off-road driving can be dangerous, can lead to accidents, vehicle damage, stranding in re-mote areas, and serious personal injury.
x Never drive too fast or for terrain and weather conditions.
x Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, terrain, traffic, and weather condi-tions.
x Always avoid sudden, sharp maneuvers that increase the risk of loss of vehicle control or getting stuck.
x When driving off-road look and think ahead, expect the unexpected.
x To reduce the risk of loss of control and serious personal injury, never use the cruise control when driving off-road. Cruise control is designed for highway use. It is completely unsuitable for off-road situations and can even be dangerous when used off-road.
NOTICE
Always make sure the vehicle has enough ground clearance. Severe damage to the underbody can occur if the vehicle bottoms out. The damage could disable the vehicle and leave you stranded.
“Tread lightly” is an educational program designed to increase public awareness of land use regulations and responsibilities in our nation's wilderness areas. Volkswagen supports the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in encouraging you to preserve our national forests and other public and private lands by “treading lightly”.
Technical terms explained

Fig. 310 Illustration of grade (gradient angle) A and lateral angle B.

Term Explanation Technical data
Approach/departure
angle
Transition from horizontal
plane to a slope, or from a
slope to flat ground.
Maximum angle in degrees
the vehicle can be driven at
low speed along an em-
bankment without the
bumper or underbody scrap-
ing.
Front: maximum
25 degrees.
Rear: maximum
26 degrees.
Fall line This is the vertical drop route.
Articulation Articulation capability of the vehicle while driving on
one side over an object.

WARNING
Never exceed the recommended maximum values in the above table. Exceeding these values will result in serious personal injury and/or damage to your vehicle.
x All values listed above are for ideal conditions and assume firm, even surfaces that are dry and not slippery.
x Off-road conditions will always be less than ideal. Always reduce the maximum values listed in the table above to allow an adequate margin of safety between the ideal maximum value and your vehicle's actual off-road situation.
Useful off-road driving equipment