2018 AUDI A4 Owners Manual

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
@j indicator light appears in the instrument clus­
ter disp lay, the engine will not be stopped, for
examp le in the following situations:
- T he eng ine has not reached the minimum re­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode.
- T he interior temperature selected by the cli-
mate contro l system has not been reached .
- T he outs ide temperature is ext remely h igh/low.
- The windshield is being defrosted.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- The steering whee l is turned at a sharp angle or
is mov ing .
- After engaging the reverse gear.
- On sharp inclines.
- At high a ltitudes.
Engine automatically restarts
The standard Start/Stop mode will be cance led
during a stop phase in the follow ing s ituations .
The engine restarts without any action by the
d river.
- The vehicle rolls, for examp le while on a slope.
- The interior temperature differs from the tem-
perature se lected in the A/C system .
- The windshield is being defrosted .
- The brake pedal is pressed several times in a
row.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- Power consumption is high.
The engine can t urn off again when the condi­
tions for Start/Stop mode are met.
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the veh icle battery from drain ing, the
ignition will switch off automat ica lly under the
following conditions :
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine .
- The veh icle is stationary.
- You left the vehicle and the engine was not re -
started within approximately 30 seconds .
I f this happens, you wi ll see the message
Igni­
tion turns off automatically
in the instrument
cluster and the activated low beams are replaced by the parking light. The parking lights will
sw itch off after approximately 30 minutes or
when you lock the vehicle .
Driving
The ignition also switches off when you lock the
vehicle from the outside during a stop phase.
If the Start/Stop system has not turned off the
engine or if you have switched the Start/Stop sys­
tem off manually, the ignition will not be auto ­
matically switched off and the engine will contin­
ue to run
¢ .&..
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the eng ine to run in confined spaces .
(D Tips
Applies to : vehicles with auto matic transmissions
-
- If you leave the vehicle with the D/S or R se­
lector lever position engaged, the parking
brake is automatically set.
- If you select the D or N selector lever posi­
tion after shifting into reverse, the vehicle
must be driven faster than 6 mph ( 10 km/h)
in o rder fo r the engine to switch off again .
' Manually switching the Start/Stop system
, off/on
Applies to: vehicles wi th Start/Stop syste m
If you do not wish to use the system, you can
switch it off manually.
Fig. 96 Cente r console : Start/Stop system button
.,. To switch the Start/Stop system off/on man­
ually, press the
l v'> ~I button. The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is switched off .
(D Tips
If you switch the system off during a stop
phase, the engine will start aga in automati­
cally .
87

Driving
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Automatic start /stop deactivated: Please
re sta rt engin e manually
This message appea rs when specific conditions
are not met dur ing a stop phase. The Sta rt/Stop
system wi ll not be able to restart the engine . The
engine must be started with the
I S TAR T ENGINE STOP I button .
Automatic start /stop system: malfunction!
Function unavailabl e. Ple as e cont act Serv ic e
There is a malfunction in the Start/Stop system .
Drive the vehicle to an authorized Audi dealer or
author ized Service Facility as soon as poss ible to
have the ma lfunction corrected.
Electromechanical
parking brake
F ig. 97 Center console: park ing b rake
Your veh icle is equipped with an electromechani­
cal parking brake
(D ¢ fig. 97. The parking brake
is designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intent ionally and replaces the hand brake .
Setting/manu ally rele asing the parking
brake
~ Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the sw itch turns on . The
-(USA mod­
els) ;II (Canada models) indicator light a lso
turns on in the inst rument cluste r display .
~ To release the parking brake manually, press
the brake o r accelerator pedal whi le the igni­
tion is switched on and press
t h e®> switch at
the same time. The LED in the button and the indicator light in the display turn off.
88
Releasing the pa rking brake automatically
Requirement: the drive r's door must be closed.
~ To start d riving and release the pa rking brake
automatically, p ress the accelerator pedal as
usual.
In add ition to releas ing the parking brake auto­
matically, other convenience and safety functions
are avai lab le w hen you sta rt
d rivi ng¢ page 89,
Starting to drive .
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The veh icle cou ld beg in ro lli ng u nintentionally,
depe nding on the hill o r if towing a trai le r.
~ To prevent the park ing brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold
the(®) switch and
press the accele rator peda l. The pa rking brake
remai ns set a nd p revents the vehicle from roll­
ing backwa rd.
~ You can release the®) switch again on ce you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator
pedal.
Eme rgency braking function
You can use t he emergency b raking func tion in an
emergency situation, or i f the standard brake op ­
eration ma lfunctions or is disab led .
~ Pull and ho ld the(®) swi tch.
~ As soon as you re lease the®> switch or acceler -
ate, the braking stops.
P ull ing and ho ld ing
t h e®) sw itch wh ile driving
the ve hicle ac tiva tes the eme rge ncy brak ing func­
tion. The ve hicle is bra ked at a ll four wheels by
activating the hydraulic b rake system . The brak ­
ing effect is sim ilar to heavy
braking ¢ ,A.
To reduce the risk of act ivat ing the emergency
braking by m istake, a w arning tone (buzzer)
sounds when
the© sw itch is p ulled . Emergency
braking stops as soon as
the(®) sw itch is released
o r the accelerator pedal is pressed .
Parking
~ Press the bra ke pedal to stop the veh icle.
~ Pull the®) swi tch to set the par king b rake .

a co .... N ..... N .... 0 0
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~ Applies to: automatic transmission: Select the
P selector lever position .
~ Turn the eng ine off ¢,&. .
~ Applies to: manual transmission: Engage 1st
gear.
~ Turn the steering wheel when parking on in ­
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
if the veh icle starts moving .
A WARNING
-Never accelerate or release the clutch pedal
carelessly when a gear or a selector lever
posit ion (automatic transmission) is engag­
ed whi le the vehicle is stationary and the en­
gine is running. Otherwise, the vehicle will
start to move immediately and this cou ld re­
sult in an accident.
- Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake peda l
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
During emergency braking, your veh icle will
brake sim ilar to heavy brak ing . ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics,
Around curves and when road or weather
conditions are bad, a full brake application
can cause the vehicle to skid or the rear end
to swerve, which increases the risk of an ac­
c ident.
- If the power supply fails, you cannot set the
park ing brake if it is released . If th is is the
case, stop the veh icle on leve l ground and
secure it by engaging 1st gear (manual
transmiss ion) or select ing the P selector lev ­
er position (automatic transm iss ion). See an
authorized Aud i dealer or autho rized Aud i
Service Facility for assistance .
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving your vehicle, even if for a short pe ri­
od of time. This applies particu larly when
children remain in the vehicle. Otherwise,
children could start the engine, release the
parking brake or operate electrical equip­
ment such as powe r windows, which in­
creases the risk of an acc ident.
- No one, especially children, shou ld remain
in the vehicle when it is locked. Locked
doors make it more difficult for emergency
D riving
workers to get into the vehicle, which puts
lives at risk.
(D Tips
Ap plies to : vehicles with auto matic transmissions
When stopp ing at a traff ic signa l or stopp ing
i n city traffic, you can set the park ing brake
manually . The vehicle does not have to be
held with the brake pedal. The park ing brake
eliminates the tendency to creep when a se­
l ector lever position is engaged. As soon as
you press the a ccelerator peda l, the parking
brake releases automatically and your vehicle
starts to move r=;,
page 89.
(j) Tips
-Occasional noises when the pa rking brake is
set and released are normal and are no t a
cause for concern.
- The parking brake goes through a self-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises assoc iated with this are
normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking brake
wi ll not set if it is released, and it will not
re lease if it is
set ¢.&. . See an a uthorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­ cility for assistance.
Starting to drive
Various convenience and safety funct ions may be
available when the vehicle begins driving, de­
pending on vehicle equipment .
Starting on hills with the p arking 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 a utomatically until the wheels build up
enough driving force.
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hi ll ho ld assist makes it easier to start on hills.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the engine must be running.
89

Driving
"'T o activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake peda l for several seconds. The vehicle
must be in an uph ill direction of travel.
Afte r releasing the bra ke pedal, the brak ing pow­
er is ma intained for a brie f
moment¢ A to pre­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting .
During this time, you can eas ily beg in to move
your veh icle.
A WARNING
- If you do not begin dr iving immediately or
the engine stalls after releas ing t he brake
peda l, yo ur vehicle may begi n to roll back­
ward . Press t he b rake pedal o r set the park ­
i ng bra ke immed iate ly.
- The intelligent techno logy of hill hold assist
c annot overcome the lim itations imposed by
n atu ral physical laws. The incre ased comfo rt
offered by h ill hold assist sho uld not cause
yo u to take safety risks .
- Hill ho ld assis t can not hold the veh icle in
place on all h ills ( for example, i f the gro und
is slippery or icy) .
- T o reduce the risk of an ac cident, always
make sure the vehicle is si tuated safely
whi le stat ionary.
Driving offroad
General information
A ppl ies to: a ll r oad
The electro nic stabilization co ntrol (ESC) func­
tions were e nhanced for dr iv ing offroad. Offroad
mode c an be ac tivated whe n driving in situat ions
where slipp age or a different ia l loc k func tion is
necessary ¢ page 147. The h ill descent ass ist is
a lso available, which automatica lly brakes the
ve­
h icle and mainta ins a constant speed as a result
¢ page 148. In add ition, your Audi prov ides con­
tinuous all wheel drive.
However , you r Audi is not an offroad vehicle.
Only drive in terrain that is su itable for the vehi ·
cle and your driving abilit y. Never take an y un·
neces sary risks!
90
Afte r driving offroad
- After driving off road , remove b ranches and
other debris from the rad iator grille, under ­
body, and wheels . Look especially fo r foreign
objects (such as stones) that may be st uck in
the t ire tread.
- Clean the vehicle body and underbody and
in­
spect the vehicle for possible damage.
- Clean the windows, headlights, tail lights and
the license p late if they are dirty.
- Per form a brake test (especia lly after d riving
throug h water) .
A WARNING
-Be especially aware and attentive when d riv ­
ing under diff icu lt cond itions. Vehicle dam­
age and in juries may occur when driving at
excess ively high speeds or with incorrect
driving maneuvers.
- Always ad just yo ur speed and driving sty le
to the roads, terrain, traffic and weat her
conditions . Drive especially slowly if there is
low visibility when off road.
- Please note that t he wheels can sp in mo re
and the vehicle can swerve when in offroad
mode, espe cially when the road is slippery
or h as loose s urfa ce mate rial.
- D riving stability is reduce d when in offroad
mode.
@ For the sake of the environment
Avo id harm ing the env ironmen t and show
conside ration fo r nat ure.
(D Tips
Only drive where it is permitted and always
stay on the prov ided roads and paths .
Driver messages
Applies to : allroad
There is only one right way to drive in difficul t
conditions: slowly and with caution!
Observe the following when driving on unpaved
r oads :
1111>

.. Only drive in terrain that is suitable for the ve ­
hicle and your driving ability. Never take any
unnecessary risks!
.. Drive slowly and carefully.
.. Pay attention to the ground cl eara nce of your
vehicle .
.. Activate the o ffroad mod e as needed
~page 147 .
.,. Use the hill de sce nt ass is t when dr iving down
steep h ills
¢page 148.
Difficult ter rain
When driving in unfamiliar areas and offroad,
drive slowly and keep on the watch for unexpect­
ed obstacles (such as potholes, rocks, tree
stumps, etc.).
To prevent the veh icle from bottoming out and to
reduce the risk of underbody damage, you sho uld
d rive across uneven ground on only one side of
the veh icle so that only two of your wheels cross
the uneve n are a, instead of driving across the
center of the uneven area with a ll four wheels .
Drive quick ly through sandy or marshy off-road
sections and do not stop, if at all possible.
Driving through water
Also read the information found i n¢ page 80.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transm issions
The automat ic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically. The transmission shifts up o r down au­
tomatically depend ing on which drive program is
se lected .
When a
moderate drivi ng style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode. The transmiss ion upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency .
The transm ission switches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
s po rty
d rivi ng style
character ized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
D rivi ng
changes in sp eed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If des ired, t he d river can also se lect the gea rs
manually (tiptronic mo de) ¢ page 94 .
S tronic transmission
The S tron ic is a dual-clutch transmission . Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde­
pendent ly from one another. They rep lace the
torque conve rter used in convent io nal automatic
transm issions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeable interruption in traction.
tiptronic transmission
In th e tiptronic transmission, power is t ransfer­
red by a torque conve rter.
Selecting a selector lever position
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Fig. 98 Center console : se lector lever
The current se lector lever position is shown next
to the se lector lever
c::> fig. 98 . The current se lec­
tor leve r position is a lso shown in the instr ument
cl uster disp lay.
.. You may need to release the selector lever lock
depending on wh ich selector leve r pos ition is
selec ted and which one you would like to se­
lect.
.. To do th is, press the locking button (!) on the
selector
l ever¢ fig. 98.
.,. To engage the nearest se lector lever position,
move the selector lever forward/back until you
feel the first pressure po int. The selector lever
w ill return to its original position .
.,. To skip over one selector lever position, move
the selector lever past the pressure point into .,,.
91

Driving
the desired position . The selector lever will re­
turn to its original position.
F or examp le, you c an skip over the
N posit ion if
you would like to go directly from D into
R.
Selector lever lock
The se lector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
i n g a position un intent ionally, causing the vehicle
to ro ll. Whe n engaging some sele ctor lever posi­
tions , you must press t he locking
bu tton (!) on
the selector leve r and/or press the brake pedal
¢ fig . 98.
You mus t press the brake pedal to engage a se­
lec to r l ever pos it ion when the engine is running
an d the vehicle is stationary .
You do not have to press the brake peda l if yo u
shift from D to
R with in one second. This allows
you to " roc k" the veh icle to free it when it is
s tuck .
P - Park
This se lecto r lever position p revents the vehicle
from rolling . Only s hif t in to par k w hen the veh i­
cle is
s tat ionary ¢.&. . To selec t the P se lector lev­
e r position, press the P bu tton @ on the selec to r
lever ¢ fig. 98 . P appears next to the selector lev ­
er.
Appl ies to veh icles w ith S tro nic t ra nsmission:
t he par king lock can only be released when t he
ignition is switched on and the b rake pedal is
pressed. To release the parking lock, press the
brake pedal, press the lock ing
button (!) on the
selector lever and select the desired position
¢ fig. 98. The engine must a lso be started to en­
gage the Dor R se lector lever posit io n.
App lies to vehicles w ith tiptronic transm iss ion:
the park ing lock can only be released when the
engine is running and the brake pedal is pressed.
To re lease the park ing lock, press the brake ped­
al, press the locking
button (!) on the selector
leve r and se lect t he des ired
posit ion ¢ fig. 98.
P engages automatically if you switch t he engine
off while the selector leve r is in D, E, S, R or man ­
ua l mode .
92
If you swi tc h the engine off when the N selector
l ever position is selected, the t ransm ission re­
mains in
N for approx imately 30 minutes and
then Pis engaged. The vehicle is not secured
from ro lling in the
N selector lever pos ition, so
yo u need to set the parking brake
®l ¢ page 88 .
You m ust use the park ing lock emergency re lease
before towing the
vehicle ¢ page 97.
R- Reverse
The reverse gea r is engaged in th is posi tion . On ly
se lect reve rse gear when t he vehi cle is stationary
and t he engine is running at idle
speed ¢.&, . To
engage the
R se lector lever position, press the
bra ke peda l, press the locking
button (!) on the
selector lever and select the
R pos it ion ¢ fig. 98.
A confi rmation tone will sound when the reverse
gear is engaged.
N - Neutral (idle)
The transmission is in idle in th is po sit ion. To en­
gage the
N selector lever position, press the lock­
i ng
button (!) on the se lector lever and sh ift into
the
N pos ition ¢ fig. 98.
I f you swi tc h t he eng ine off when the N sele ctor
l eve r posit ion is sele cted, the t ransm iss ion re­
mains in
N for approximately 30 minutes and
then Pis engaged.
Yo u c anno t se lec t th e N po sition w hen the ig ni­
tion is swi tched off. When dr iv ing th rough an au ­
tomat ic car wash, fi rst select the N position and
then turn the eng ine off.
Fo r safe ty re asons , the veh icle canno t be lo cked
when the transmiss io n is in t he N pos it ion .
DIS -Driving forward
When the transm iss ion is in the D/S posit io n, it
can be ope ra ted e ither in the no rma l D mode o r
i n the S sport mo de. Move the sele ctor leve r back
to engage the S sport mode. You c an on ly se lect
t h e S selector lever position when the Dor E pos i­
tion is se lected . To select the Dor E position
again w hen S is engaged, move the selector lever
back ¢.&. . To sh ift from N to D when traveling at
speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), p ress the brake
pedal and shift into the D
position ¢.&. . .,.

In the no rmal mode D, the transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio. It de­
pends on eng ine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Select the
sport mode S for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine's power.
Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat­ ing.
The S selector lever position engages automati­
cally when you se lect
Dynamic mode in drive se­
l ect*.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.
-Power is sti ll transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is running at idle . To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P and N) when the
engine is running .
-Before opening the hood, select the P selec­
tor lever position and set the parking brake.
This reduces the risk of an accident. Always
read and fo llow the applicable warnings
¢ page 323, Working in the engine com­
partment.
@ Tips
If you accidentally se lect N wh ile d riving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and wa it
for the engine to slow down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Appl ies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Starting the engine
.,. The P or N position must be selected.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ .. Start the engine ¢ page 83 .
;::; .,. Press the lock ing button @ on the selector Lev-,....
:::l er and select the D, E, So r R position 0
3 ¢page 91 .
Driving
.. Wait a moment until the transmission shifts.
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages .
.. Release the brake pedal and press the accelera-
tor
pedal ¢&, .
Various convenience functions are available for
start ing on h ills
¢ page 89.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, for
examp le at a traffic light. Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep
hills ¢&, .
.. The parking brake will release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
.. Press and hold the brake peda l¢ &, .
.. Set the parking brake.
.. To select the P selector lever posit ion, press the
P button
@ on the selector lever¢ page 91 ,
fig . 98 .
Under certain conditions, such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporar ily
and shift
manually to adapt to the driv ing cond i­
t ions ¢ page 94 .
On hills, activate the park ing brake first and then
shift into the P
position ¢ page 88. This prevents
too much stress from being placed on the locking
mecha nism .
A WARNING
--The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
switched off.
-Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
. . . . serious mJunes .
-To reduce the r isk of an accident, do not
press the accelerator pedal when changing
the selector lever position while the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running.
93

Driving
-To reduce the risk of an accident, never se­lect the R or P positions while driving.
-Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the risk of an accident increases be­
cause the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake only re­
leases automatically when the driver's door is
closed.
Hill descent control
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith automat ic tra nsmissio ns
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control activates when the transmis­
sion is in the Dor S position and you press the
brake pedal. The transmiss ion automatically se­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When operating the cru ise contro l system*
c:;, page 102, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
94
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode )
Applies to : vehicles wit h automatic transmissions
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 99 Cente r console: sh if ting ma nually with the selecto r
lever
Fig. 100 Steering wheel: sh ift ing manual ly
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driving.
.,. To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S position to the right. As
soon as the transmission switches over, the
M
transmission setting will appear in the instru­
ment cluster display .
.,. To shift up a gear, tap the selector lever for­
ward
0 c:;, fig. 99 .
.,. To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0-
11> To switch t iptronic mode off, push the selector
lever back into the D/S position.
Shift ing with the shift paddles
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
selector lever positions .
.,. To shift up a gear, tap the shift paddle 0
c:;, fig. 100.