2018 AUDI A4 transmission

.. 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.

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
.,. To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
.. To engage the lowest gear, hold the 0 shift
paddle.
.. If you do not press a shift button within a short
time while in the D/S position, the transmission
will return to automatic mode. To keep shifting using the shift paddles, move the selector lever
to the right out of the D/S position .
.,. When you want to shift out of tiptronic mode,
press and hold the
0 shift paddle for a longer
period of time or move the selector lever back
and release it.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is within the permitted
range.
@ Tips
- If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission will only shift if the engine will
not be over-revved.
- With kick-down, the transmission shifts to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle speed and
engine speed.
- tiptronic does not work if the transmission
is running in emergency mode.
Kick-down
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transm issions
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans ­
mission downshifts into a lower gear and the en­
gine utilizes its full power , depending on vehicle
speed and engine RPM. It shifts up into the next
higher gear once the maximum specified engine
RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive .
-
Driving
Launch control program
Applies to: vehicles with S tronic transmission
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop .
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
.. Deactivate the Start/Stop system* c> page 87 .
The LED in the ICA> ~I button turns on .
.. Applies to: seda n: Press the I.B OFFI button
briefly while the engine is running
c> page 147.
The II indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC): sport. Warn·
ing! Restricted stability
appears in the instru­
ment cluster display .
.. Applies to: allroad: Press the i.i, O FF I button
briefly while the engine is
running ¢ page 147.
The II indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC): offroad.
Warning! Reduced stability
appears in the in­
strument cluster display .
.. Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position or select the
Dynamic driving mode in drive se-
lect* ¢ page 134 .
.,. Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
.. At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine
reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal within
five
seconds ¢,,&. .
A WARNING ~
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
- Only use the Launch control program when
road and traffic conditions allow it and oth­
er drivers will not be endangered or both­
ered by your driving and the vehicle's accel­
eration.
- Please note that the drive wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode/offroad mode is switched on, espe­
cially when the road is slippery.
95

Driving
-Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I ~ OF F! button briefly to turn the sport
mode/offroad mode off.
(D Tips
- The t ransmiss ion temperature may increase
significantly after using t he launch control
program. If that happens, the pr ogram may
not be available for a few m inutes. It w ill be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When acce le rating using the launch control
program, all veh icle parts are subject to
heavy loads. Th is can lead to increased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith a utomat ic tr an smi ssio ns
• Transmission: too hot. Plea se stop vehicle
Do not cont inue drivi ng. Select the P se lector lev­
er pos ition and contact an a uthorized Audi dea ler
or author ized Audi Se rvic e Facil ity for assistance .
• Transmission: malfunction! Please stop ve­
hicle and shift to P
Do not cont in ue drivi ng . Select the P se lector lev­
er position and contact an a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or author ized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
[i1 Selector lever: malfunction! You may contin­
ue driving. Please contact Service
T here is a system mal fun ction in t he t ransm is­
sion. Drive to an au thorized A udi dealer or au ­
thor ized Audi Se rvice Facility immediate ly to have
the ma lfunction co rrected .
[O] P button : malfunction! Auto P when engine
off. Please contact Service
T here is a malfunc tion in the P button on these­
lec to r l ever. The tran smission a utomat ic a lly en ­
g ag es in P when you sw itch off the e ng ine . D rive
t o an author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected.
[O] Transmis sion : malfunction! Gear change on ­
ly possible using both paddle levers. Please con­
tact Se rvice
96
There is a system malfunc tion in the transmis ­
s ion . You can continue dr iv ing with restricted
funct io n. The se lector lever is not work ing. Gears
can on ly be selected by tapping both s hift pad­
dles at t he same time when the vehicle is stat ion­
a ry
r=> page 94, fig. 100 . Pay attention to these­
l ected tra nsmissio n position in t he instr ument
cl uster disp lay. The p arking lock eng ages auto­
ma tic ally when yo u turn off the engi ne. Drive to
an authorized Aud i de aler or aut horized Au di
Se rvice Fa cility immedi ate ly to have the malfunc ­
tion corrected .
[i1 Transmission: please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se­
l ector l ever posi tion again . Yo u can then co nti nu e
dr iv ing .
[i1 Transmission: too hot . Please adapt driving
style
The transmission temperature has increased sig­ nificantly due to the sporty dr iv ing manner. Drive
i n a less spo rty manner unti l the temperatu re re ­
turns to t he norma l ra nge and t he i ndica tor lig ht
swi tches of.
[i1 Transmission: malfunction! You can contin ­
ue driving. See owner's manual
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion. Y ou may contin ue dr iving. Dr ive t o an a u­
thorized Aud i dea ler or authorized Audi Se rvice
Fac ility soon to have the ma lfunc tion corrected.
[i1 Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue dr iving in D until engine off
There is a system mal function in the transmis ­
s ion . The transm ission is switch ing to eme rge ncy
mode.
If you turn the engine of f, you w ill not be
able t o se lect any othe r se lector lever positions
after sta rting the engine aga in. Drive to an au­
t h orized Aud i dea le r or authorized Audi Service
Fac il ity i mmed iate ly to have the malfu nction cor­
r ected .
[i1 Transmission: malfunction! You may contin ­
ue driving (limited functionality ). Please con-
tact Service
..,_

There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certa in gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
DD Transm ission: malfunction! You may contin­
ue driving. No reverse gear
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is sw itching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certa in gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
You cannot engage the reverse gear . Drive to an
author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor·
r ected.
DD Danger of rolling away! P not possible .
Please apply parking brake
- The parking lock was released using the emer­ gency release
c'.> page 9 7. Or
- The parking lock can no longer be engaged .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author·
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
DD Move selector lever to automatic position
There is a malfunction in the tiptronic mode. End
tiptronic mode by pushing the selector lever to
the left into the D/5 position.
Driving
Parking lock emergency release
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
The parking lock must be released with the
emergency release when driving through moun­ tains/maneuvering.
Fig. 101 Front cup holde r: removing the cover
N 0
~ co m
Fig. 102 Front cup holde r: parking lock emergency release
The emergency release is located in the front cup
holder under a cover
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
... To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintention­
ally, set the parking
brake(®) c::> page 88 or
press the brake pedal.
.,. Remove the rubber mat .
.,. T here is one slit opening on the cover . Use the
screwdr iver (from vehicle tool kit) to pry the
cover off at the opening
c'.> fig. 101 .
.,. Insert the socket wrench (from the vehicle tool
kit) into the ope ning c'.>fig.
102 .
... Tur n the socket wre nch all the way clockwise (D
and press it downward @ until it locks into
p lace .
... Leave the socket wrench inserted c'.> A.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Press the brake pedal and start the engine.
97

Assistance systems
-No messages are displayed when at speeds
under
20 mph (30 km/h) .
Settings in the Infotainment system
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith predi ctive e fficiency assis t
~ In the Infotainment system, select: IMENUI
button > Vehicle > left control button > Driver
ass istance
> Eff icie ncy assist .
Predictive messages are shown when this f unc­
tion is sw itched on.
(D Tips
No predictive messages are shown on vehicles
w ithout a navigation system .
Audi adaptive cruise
control
Description
A ppl ie s to: ve hicles w ith Audi adaptive cruise co ntro l
Fig. 107 Detect ion range
The adaptive cruise control system is a combina­
tion of speed and distance regulation.
It assists
the dr iver by both regulating the speed and
maintaining a distance to the vehicle driving
ahead, within the limits of the system . If the sys­
tem detects a vehicle driving ahead, the adaptive
cru ise control can brake and acce lerate your vehi­
cle. This increases driving comfort dur ing long
tr ips on highways and in stop-and -go traff ic (au ­
tomatic transmission*).
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cruise contro l system uses video, ra­
dar, ultrasound and navigation data. Veh icles
108
driving ahead can be recognized up to 650 feet
(200 m) away.
P red ictive functions offer the driver additional
comfort and contribute to the reduction in fue l
consumption and CO2 emiss ions
r:!> page 115.
On open roads with no traffic , it functions like a
c ruise control system. The stored speed is main­
tained . When approaching a vehicle driving
ahead, the adaptive cruise contro l system auto­
matically brakes to match that vehicle's speed
and then maintains the set distance . As soon as
the system does not detect a vehicle dr iving
ahead, adaptive cruise control accelerates up to
the stored speed.
App lies to: vehicles wit h auto matic transmissions
In stop-and-go traffic, adaptive cruise control can
brake until the veh icle is stationary and then can
also start driving again automat ically under cer­
ta in cond itions
r:!> page 112 .
In traffic jams or s top-and-go traffic, traffic jam
ass ist can ass ist the driver
r:!> page 116.
Which functions can be controlled?
When you switch adapt ive cru ise control on, you
can set the current speed as the "contro l speed"
r:!> page 110, Switching on/off.
When dr iving, you can stop cruise control
c:>page 113 or change the speed c::;,page 112 at
any time .
You can also set the distance to the vehicle driv­ i ng ahead and set the driving mode of the adap­
tive cru ise cont rol
c::;, page 113 .