2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN wheel

selector lever position is engaged. As soon as
you press the accelerator pedal, the parking brake releases automatically and your vehicle
starts to move
¢ page 83.
(D Tips
- Occasional noises when the parking brake is
set and re leased are normal and are not a
cause for concern.
- The parking brake goes through a self-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises associated with this are normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking brake will not set if it is released, and it will not
release if it is
set¢&. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance .
Starting from a stop
Various convenience and safety functions may be
available when the vehicle begins driving, de­
pending on vehicle equipment.
Starting on hills with the parking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed.
~ To start driving comfortably when on a hill, set
the parking brake and begin driving as usual.
The braking force of the parking brake does not release automatically until the wheels build up
enough driving force .
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on hills.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the engine must be running.
~ To activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seconds. The vehicle
must be in an uphill direction of travel.
After releasing the brake pedal, the braking pow­
er is maintained for a brief
moment ¢.&. to pre­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting.
::li During this time, you can eas ily beg in to move .-<
~ your vehicle.
N .-< 0 N > 00
Driving
A WARNING ,-
Applies to: ve hicles with h ill ho ld assist
- If you do not begin driving immediately or
the engine stalls after releasing the brake
pedal, your veh icle may begin to roll back ­
ward. Press the brake pedal or set the park­
ing brake immediately.
- The intelligent technology of hill hold assist
cannot overcome the limitations imposed by
natural physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by hill hold assist should not cause
you to take safety risks.
- Hill hold assist cannot hold the vehicle in
place on all hills (for example, if the ground
is slippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk of an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
while stationary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmiss ions
T he automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically . Upshifting and downshifting occur au­
tomatically.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transm ission selects the most economica l dr iv ing
mode. The transmission upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency.
In the "S" selector lever position, the transm is­
sion switches to a sporty mode after a kick-down
or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style
characterized by quick accelerator pedal move­
ments, heavy acce leration, frequent changes in
speed and traveling at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) ¢ page 88, Manual
shifting (tiptronic mode).
The S tronic is a dual-clutch transmission. Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde­
pendently from one another. They replace the
torque converter used in conventional automatic
.,.
83

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-Power is still transferred to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the brake when the en­
gine is running and the selector lever is in
the "D", "S" or "R" position or "tiptronic"
mode is selected.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
peda l when the vehicle is stopped if a gear is
engaged. Otherwise the risk of an accident
increases because the vehicle will start to
move immediately, even if the parking brake
is set.
- To reduce the risk of an accident, do not
press the acce lerator pedal when changing
the selector lever position while the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running.
- Never engage the "R" or "P" selector leve l
positions while driving. It could cause a
crash.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"ti ptron i c".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in p lace with the foot brake or
park ing brake to prevent it from rolling
back.
- Never hold the veh icle on an incline with a
sl ip ping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. The
ml indicator light turns on
and a message appears
¢ page 89 when
the clutch is over loaded .
{LlJ) Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
ho ld the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
ce lerator pedal while a driving gear is se ­
l ected. This can cause the automatic trans ­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
Driving
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped while the selector lever is in the
"N" position will damage the automatic
transmission, because it is not lubricated
under those circumstances
¢ page 3 78,
Towing with a tow truck.
- The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic. When the
ml or. indicator light turns on, stop the
vehicle at the next opportunity and let the
transmission cool¢
page 89.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake only re­
l eases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
App lies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmiss ions
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor lever is in the "D" or "S" posit ion and you
press the b rake pedal. The transmission auto ­
matically se lects a gear that is suitab le for the
hill. Hill descent contro l tries to ma inta in the
speed achieved at the time of braking, within
physical and technica l limitations. If may still be
necessary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Because hill descent control cannot shift down
farther than 3rd gear, it may be necessary to
shift into tiptronic mode in very steep areas . In
th is case, shift into 2nd or 1st gear in t iptronic
mode to use the engine's braking force to rel ieve
the brakes.
Hill descent control switches
off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢ page 120, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set .
.,,.
87

Driving
& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome phys ical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all condit ions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
Manual shifting (tiptronic mode)
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually.
F ig. 9 3 Center conso le : shifting manually w ith the se lector
l ever
F ig . 94 Steering wheel: shifting manual ly w it h the s hift
paddles*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can sh ift into tiptro nic mode while stationary
a nd while driv ing.
• To s hift into tiptronic mode, p ush the selector
lever from the "D/S" position to the right in the
t ip tr onic sh ift gate . Once the transmission has
swi tched modes, t he se lec tor lever posi tion
M
is shown in the instrumen t clus ter display
¢ page 84, fig. 90. For example, M4 means the
fo urth gear is engaged.
• To shift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 93 .
88
• To shift down a gear, tap the selecto r lever
backward
0 -
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the s hift paddles in the "D/S" or
" M " (tiptro nic shift ga te) se lec tor lever posi tions.
• To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig . 94.
• To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
• Applies to: RS models: to select the lowest/
highest possi ble gear, press and hold the sh if t
paddle
0 10 .
If the shift paddles a re tapped wh ile in the "D/S"
selector lever position, a utomat ic mode sw itches
off briefly . To swit ch from manually shift ing bac k
to automatic shifting immediate ly, tap t he shift
padd le
0 ¢ fig . 94 for 1 second .
To keep sh ift ing using the shift padd les, move
the selec to r l ever to the right o ut o f th e "D/S" po­
sition into the tiptronic shift gate .
The tra nsmission a utomatically sh ifts up or dow n
before cr itical engine speed is reac hed.
Applies to: RS models: when accelerating, the
transm iss ion does
not au tomatically shift to the
next gear short ly before the maxim um permitted
engine RP M is re ached. Shift to the next highest
gear at the right time.
The tra nsmission on ly allows manual shifting
whe n the engine speed is w ith in the perm itted
r a nge.
Kick-down
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you p ress the accelerator pedal down be­
yo nd the res istance point (called kick-down), the
automat ic transmission downshifts into a lower
gear, depending on vehicle s peed and engine
RPM .
It shifts up into the next higher gear once
t h e maximum specified engine RPM is reached .
Applies to: RS models: in tipt ronic mode, the
transm iss ion does
not automa tic ally shift down
i nto a lower ge ar. If yo u m ust accelera te, for ex ­
ample to pass a vehi cle, you mus t sh ift manually .
..,.

u. co ... N l'­ N
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive .
Launch control program
App lies to: ve hicles with S tro nic tra nsm issio n an d La unch
Co ntrol P rogram
-
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop .
Requirement: the eng ine must be at operating
temperature and t he steer ing whee l must not be
turned.
.,. Deact ivate l) the S tart/Stop system*
~ page 81. The L ED in the ~ button turns on .
.,. Wi th the engine runn ing, p ress the I.!, O FF ! but­
ton briefly one time . The
11 indicator light
turns on and the message
Stabili zation control
( ESC ): s port. W arning! Rest ricted st a bilit y
ap­
pears in the instrument cluster display.
.,. Pull the selector lever back out of the "D/S" po­
s it ion br iefly to select the S pos it ion, or press it
toward the right into the t iptronic pos ition or
select the
Dynamic d riving mode in d rive se­
lect* ~ page 140.
.,. Press t he b rake peda l firmly with you r left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
.,. At the same time, press the gas pedal a ll the
way down with your right foot unt il the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.,. Remove your left foot from the brake pedal
within five
seconds ~,&. .
A WARNING
-Always adapt yo ur driv ing to the traffic flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and traf-
fic cond itions allow it and other dr ivers will
not be endangered or impacted by you r driv­
ing and the vehicle 's accele ration.
- Please note tha t the drive whee ls can sp in
and the vehicle can break away when sport
8 l ) It is n ot poss ib le to deac tiv ate t he system wit h all ve rs io n s N &j of th e tran sm iss ion.
Driving
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the !.!> OFF I button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
(D Tips
- The transmission temperat ure may increase
significant ly after using the launch control
program. If that happens, the program may
not be ava ilable for a few minutes. It will be
availab le aga in after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch contro l
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads . This can lead to increased
wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to: vehicles wit h automatic transmissions
• Transmis sion : malfunction! Pl eas e s top ve ­
hicle and shift to P
There is a malfunction in the transmission . Park
the vehicle securely and do not cont inue driv ing .
See an author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Se rvice Facility for assistance .
• Transmission o verhe ating! Plea se stop th e
vehicle!
The transmission is too hot and can become dam­
aged. Stop and let the transmiss ion cool w ith the
engine running (at idle) i n the "P" selector lever
pos ition . T hen the ind icator light and the mes­
sage turn off, d rive to an authorized Aud i dealer
o r auth o rized Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to
have t he malfunct ion cor rected . If the indicato r
light and the driver message do not turn off, do
not continue driving . See an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
s istance.
[O] Tran smission: malfunction! You can contin-
u e dri ving. See owne r's manual
.,.
89

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
~ To loosen the s hifter boot, carefu lly insert the
flat side of the screwdriver sideways into the s li t near the shifter
boot ¢ fig. 95 .
~ Carefully pry the shifter boot out with the
screwdriver while gr ipping the boot at the fold
and pulling it upward and out -arrow -until all
four corners are released .
~ Fold the shifter boot up aro und the shifte r knob
¢ fig. 96.
Selector le ver eme rgenc y release
~ Press and hold the yellow re lease button with
the
screwdriver ¢ fig. 96 .
~ Press the release button in the selector lever @
and move the leve r into the "N" position .
~ Clip the shift cover back i nto t he shift gate after
us ing t he emergency release .
A WARNING
-Only activate the emergency re lease while
on a level s urface or a slight slope.
-Only move the se lec tor lever out of the "P"
position when the parking brake is set . If it
is not functioning, sec ure t he vehicle from
rolling using the brake peda l or other su ita­
ble means, such as block ing a front and a
rear wheel. An unsecured ve hicle may ro ll
away, wh ich increases the risk of an acc i­
dent .
-
Driving
91

e-tron
For additional information, see ¢ page 17, Trip
computer (Audi virtual cockpit).
~ Applies to: vehicles with analog instrument
cluster: Open the
Tachometer display by turn­
ing the left thumbwheel on the multifunction
steering wheel.
When opening the driver's door, the charge level is shown in the instrument cluster when the igni­
tion is switched on, or the charge level and the
remaining charge time for the high -voltage bat ­
tery is displayed when charging .
The power meter gives feedback about the partic­ ular accelerator pedal position and shows the
current demand
(%) for electricity or fuel regard­
less of which engine is active.
An economical driving and recuperation range is
shown in green
¢ page 99, Energy recovery (re­
cuperation) .
A driving range that is not economi­
cal is shown in orange .
(D Vehicle not drive ready (OFF)
@ Recuperation (CHARGE)
@ Vehicle ready to drive (READY) or
coasting
© Efficient driving with electric motor
and/or gasoline engine (EFFICIEN­
CY)
® Economic driving while the electric
motor or gasoline engine is in the
partial power range
@ Driving in full power range
0 100% output
@ BOOST: the electric motor supports
the combustion engine
® High-voltage battery charge level
@ EV mode: active a=,v, standby, a=,v
or currently unavailable. ~v
@ Speed limit for electric driving in EV
mode (80 mph/ 130 km/h)
Indicator lights and messages
Applies to: vehicles with plug -in hybr id drive
Also note the indicator lights in¢ page 20.
The gasoline engine is active when the II'§] indica­
tor light turns on.
96
•• Drive system: system fault! Safely park
vehicle
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys­
tem. The brake booster and the power steering
may stop working. Stop the vehicle immediately
or as soon as possible. Park the vehicle in a safe place outdoors that is not near buildings, roof
overhangs, carports or similar structures. Switch
the ignition off. Have the problem corrected by
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
•• Electric drive: overheated! Safely stop
vehicle and check coolant
The coolant level is too low or the coolant tem­
perature is too high.
Stop the vehicle in the outdoors as soon as it is
safely possible. Switch the ignition off.
Read the important safety
precautions ¢.& in
Coolant on page 103
and check the coolant level
¢page 102.
If the coolant level is OK, the malfunction may be
caused by the system overheating. Let the vehi­
cle's electric drive system cool down for some
time .
If the message turns off after cooling down and
switching the ignition back on, you can continue
driving. Contact an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
If the indicator light stays on, contact an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty.
lltll Drive system: system fault! Please con­
tact workshop
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys­
tem . Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
1/1111 Drive system: system fault! Restart not
possible. Please contact workshop
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys­
tem. Do not open the hood. Drive to an author- ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
.,,_

LL co ..... N
" N ..... 0 N > co
Faci lity immedi ately to have t he m alfunc tion cor ­
rected .
IIJII Battery temperature too low . Vehicle
cannot be started. See owner's manual
Th e outside tempe rature is too low . The vehicle
can no longe r st art at tempe ra tur es below - 18 °F
(- 28 °C). Con ta ct an a utho riz e d Audi d ealer o r au­
thor ized A udi Se rvice Fac ility.
POWER LIMIT Warning! Limited performance
If t he indicator lig ht turns on and th is message
appears , th ere may be a n engine co ntro l ma l­
f u nction. The
[3B* in d icator light in t he instr u­
men t clus ter also tur ns on . The engine ou tput is
r educed . Dr ive to a n au thor ized Audi dealer or
a uthor ized Audi Se rvice Facili ty i mme diate ly to
ha ve the m alfunct ion co rre cted.
II e-tron mode: EV currently unavailable
This message appea rs whe n the 1.,,..1 button is
p ressed and the con ditions for elect ric d rive
mode a re not met.
Ill Vehicle sound: malfunction! Pedestrians
cannot hear vehicle . Please contact Service
The vehicle sou nd is no longer f unctio ning. D rive
e xtremely care fully, since ot he rs may not hea r
your veh icle. Dr ive to an author ized Audi dealer
or author ized Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to
have the ma lf u nction corrected .
Range display
Applies to: ve hicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Fig. 99 Instr ume nt cluste r: ra nge disp lay
The range can be disp layed in the trip computer .
You can access t he range disp lay w ith the multi­
fu nction steeri ng wheel buttons
c:;> page 13 , Mui-
e-tron
ti function s teeri ng whee l plus or r:::;> page 1 6, M ul­
tifunction steering wheel.
D epen ding on t he sele cte d plug -in hy brid mo de,
t he disp la y g ives the foll owing informa tion:
(D Remaini ng e lec tric m otor range or comb ined
total range
@ Remaini ng gasoline eng ine range
® R emaini ng e lectr ic moto r ra nge
(D Tips
The va lues given are b ase d on t he lates t con­
sum ption va lues .
Range and statistics
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Fig. 100 In fotainmen t system : e -tro n range mo nitor
Opening the range monitor
The range monitor in the Infotainment system
shows the relat ions hip between ene rgy co nsum­
ers and elect ric range
c:;> fig. 100 . The three larg­
est ene rgy consu mers w ill be l ist ed in sequent ia l
o rder. Sw itching off the cons umers increases the
elect ric range .
.. Select in the Infotai nment system: I MENU ! but­
t o n
> Vehicle > left con trol button > Range &
statist ics > Range .
Opening the statistics
The stat istics in the In fotainment system show
t h e d ista nces dr iven without emissions (electric)
and with fuel. The values are taken from the
sho rt-term memory and long-te rm m emory of
the on-board comp ute r.
.. Select in the Infotai nment system: I MENU ! but­
ton
> Vehicle > left con trol b utton > Range &
statistics > e-tron statistics . IJ,,
97

e-tron
Driving situations Conditions Vehicle behavior
-Intentionally take your foot off of The gasoline engine turns off automati-
the gas pedal to allow for pro- cally and disengages when you release the longed coasting. accelerator pedal completely. The veh icle
Driving on highways glides without being propelled
.
- Reduce the vehicle speed by re-Fuel consumption can be reduced by
and expressways
leasing the accelerator pedal and coasting.
not by braking.
- Use the "S" selector lever position A sporty driving style increases fue l con-
and tiptron ic mode sparingly.
sumption.
- Do not run the gasoline engine to The temperature of the gasoline engine
warm the engine while the vehicle rises very s lowly and the fuel consump-
is parked tion increases considerably.
- Use the rear window/exterior This conserves the energy in the high-volt-
Driving in cold weath- mirror defogger and the seat heat-
age battery so that it is availab le to run
ing sparing ly. the vehicle in electric mode.
er
- Park the vehicle in a garage over-This reduces exposure of the high-voltage
n ight battery to cold temperatures. The re-
quired temperature range for the high-
voltage battery will then be reached more quickly after you start dr iving.
Energy flow display
Applies to : vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Fig. 102 Inst rument duster: energy flow display
An energy flow display can be shown in the in­
strument cluster display/Infotainment system
1>.
The image is animated in the Infota inment sys­
tem
1> .
l l Not available in all Infota inme nt syste ms.
100
Fig. 103 Infota inment system•: energy flow disp lay
Display of energy flow indicator in the
instrument cluster display
.,. Open the first Veh icle tab (tr ip compute r) using
the
l q 1> I button on the multifunction steering
wheel.
.,. Applies to: vehicles with Audi virtual cockpit: on
the multifunction steering wheel, select: left
control button
> Energy flow.