2018 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

the brake pedal. The [IJ indicator light appea rs
in the information line at the bottom of the in ­
str ument cl uster d isp lay . The needle in t he
tachometer also moves into the
READY pos i­
t ion
ll .
"'The eng ine starts aga in when yo u take yo ur
foot off t he brake pedal. The ind icator light
tu rns off .
Additional information
The engine stops in the P, N and D se lecto r lever
positions.
If yo u select the R pos ition dur ing a stop phase,
the eng ine will start again.
Shift to P quickl y to prevent t he en gine from
starti ng u ninten tiona lly w hen s hift ing t hrough R.
You can dete rm ine fo r yo urself if t he e ng ine will
s top o r not b y reducing or increas ing the amoun t
of force yo u use to p ress the bra ke pe dal. Fo r ex ­
ample, if you only lig htly press on t he b rake ped ­
a l in stop -and -go traffic or w hen turning, the en ­
g ine will not switch
off when the vehicle is sta­
tionary. As soon as yo u press the brake down
ha rder, the eng ine will sw itc h off.
(D Tips
- Press t he b rake pedal durin g a Stop phase
to keep the ve hicle from roll ing.
- The ignition wi ll tu rn
off if you press the
I START E N GINE ST OP I button dur ing a stop
phase. The nee dle in the tachomete r moves
i nto the
OFF posi tio n.
General information
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith Sta rt/Stop system
The standard Start/Stop mode can be canceled
for various system-related reasons .
Engine does not switch off
Before and during eac h stop phase, the system
checks if certai n cond itions have been met . If the
fjj indicato r light appears in the instrument cl us­
ter d isp lay, the engine w ill not be stopped, for
a ~ examp le in the fo llow ing s ituations:
N
" N ..... 0 00
~ ll Ma rket -spe cific
Driving
- The engine has not reached the minim um re ­
qui red tempe rat ure for Sta rt/Sto p mode.
- The interior tempera ture selec ted by the cl i-
mate co ntrol system has not been reached .
- The ou tside te m pe rat ure is ex tremely high/low.
- The win dshi eld i s bei ng
d efros ted® .
-The parking sys tem * is sw itched on .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low .
- The steering wheel is tu rned at a sha rp angle o r
is moving.
- After engaging the reverse gear .
- On sharp incl ines .
Engine automatically restarts
The stan dard S tart/S top mode w ill be canc eled
dur ing a sto p p hase in the followi ng si tuatio ns.
T he eng ine res tarts wi thout a ny ac tion by the
drive r.
- The ve hicl e ro lls, fo r ex am ple whi le o n a slo pe.
- The inte rior tempe ra ture differs from t he tem-
pe ra tu re sele cte d in t he A/C sys tem.
- The winds hield is bei ng
d efros ted® .
-The brake peda l is pressed severa l times in a
row .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- Powe r consumption is high .
T he eng ine can turn off ag ain when the cond i­
tions for Sta rt/Sto p mode a re met.
Ignition is switched off automatically
T o p reve nt t he vehicle batte ry from dra ining, the
i gni tion will switc h off
automatically und er the
f o llow ing co nd itio ns:
- The vehicle has already been dr iven .
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine .
- The driver 's door is opened.
- The driver's sa fety belt is unbuck led .
- The brake peda l is not presse d.
- The ve hicl e is sta tion ary.
In this case , the activated low beam is re placed
by the p arking ligh t. T he par kin g lig hts wi ll
swi tch off afte r appr oximat ely 30 minu tes or
whe n you lock the ve hicle.
71

Driving
If the Start/Stop system has not turned of f 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 w ill contin­
ue to run
c:> .&. .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
If you select the D or N se lector lever position
after shift ing into reverse, the vehicle must
be driven faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) in or­
de r for the engine to switch off again .
Manually switching the Start/Stop system
off/on
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
If you do not wish to use the system, you can
switch it off manually.
F ig . 79 Center conso le: Start/Stop system button
-
.. To switch the Start/Stop system off/on man­
ually, press the
l(>:)ml 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 again automati­
cally.
72
Messages in the instrument cluster display
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Start -stop system deact ivated: Please restart
engine manually
This mess age appears when spec ific conditions
are not met during a stop phase. The Start/Stop
system will
not be ab le to restart the engine. The
engine m ust be started with the
!START ENGINE S T OP ! button.
Start -stop system: System fault! Currently
una vailable
There is a malfunction in the Start/Stop system.
Drive the vehicle to an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Service Facility as soon as possible to have t he malfunction corrected.
Electromechanical
parking brake
Fi g. 80 Cente r conso le : pa rk in g brake
Your vehicle is equipped with an electromechani­
cal park ing brake
c:>fig. 80 . The park ing brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling un­ i ntentionally and replaces the hand brake .
Setting/manually releasing the parking
brake
.. Pull the<®> switch to set the parking brake . The
LED in the switch turns on. The
-(USA mod­
els)/ . (Canada models) ind icator light also
turns on in the instrumen t cluster display .
.. To re lease the par king br ake man ually, press
the brake or accelerator peda l w hil e the igni­
tion is switched on and press the
(®) switch at
the same time. The LED in the button and the
ind icator light in the disp lay turn off.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' Releasing the parking brake automatically
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the driver's safety belt must be latched and the
parking brake must be set.
.,. To start driving and release the parking brake
automatically, press the accelerator pedal as
usual.
In addition to releasing the parking brake auto­
matically, other convenience and safety functions
are available when you start driving
¢page 74,
Starting to drive.
Preventing the automatic parking brake
release
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentionally,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer.
.,. To prevent the parking brake from releasing au­
tomatically, pull and hold
the(®) switch and
press the accelerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from roll­
ing backward.
.,. You can release the C®l switch again once you
are sure that you are giving enough driving
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator pedal.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.,. Pull and hold the®) switch.
.,. As soon as you release the (®) switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
Pulling and holding the
C®) switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking func­
tion. The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­ ing effect is similar to heavy
braking¢&_ .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when
the®> switch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as
the®) switch is released
or the accelerator pedal is pressed.
Parking
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
Driving
.,. Pull the®> switch to set the parking brake .
.,. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.,. Turn the engine off¢&_ .
.,. Turn the steering wheel when parking on in­
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving.
A WARNING
-
- Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running. Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
diately and this could result in an accident.
- Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake pedal
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed.
During emergency braking, your vehicle will
brake similar to heavy braking. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics . In cor­
ners 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 accident.
- If the power supply fails , you cannot set the
parking brake if it is released . In this case,
park the vehicle on level ground and secure
it by placing the selector lever in the P posi­
tion. See an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving your vehicle, even for a short period
of time. This applies particularly when chil­
dren remain in the vehicle. Otherwise chil­
dren could start the engine, release the
parking brake or operate electrical equip­
ment such as power windows, which in­
creases the risk of an accident .
- No one should remain in the vehicle when it
is locked - especially children . Locked doors
make it more difficult for emergency work­
ers to get into the vehicle, which puts lives
at risk.
(D Tips
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping
in city traffic, you can set the parking brake
manually . The vehicle does not have to be
73

Drivin g
held with the br ake pedal. T he parking brake
eliminates the tendency to creep when a se­
lector lever pos ition is engaged . As soon as
you press the accelerator pedal, the park ing
brake releases automat ically and your vehicle
starts to move
¢ page 74 .
(D Tips
- Occasiona l noises when the parking brake is
set and re leased are normal and are not a
cause for concern .
- The park ing brake goes through a se lf-test
cycle at regular intervals when the veh icle is
stopped . Any noises associated w ith this are
no rmal.
- If there is a power fa ilure, the parking brake
will not set if it is released, and it will not r elease if it is
set¢ &. See an authorized
A udi dealer or authori zed Audi Servi ce Fa­
cility for ass istance.
Starting to drive
Va rio us conven ience and safety fu nctions may be
av aila ble when the vehicle begins d riv in g, de ­
pending on vehicle eq uipment.
Starting on hills with the parking brak e set
Requ irement: the dr iver's door must be closed
and the dr iver's safety be lt must be fastened .
.. To start driving comfortab ly when on a hill , se t
the parking brake and begin dr iv ing as usual.
T he brak ing force of the park ing brake does not
re lease automatically until t he wheels b uild up
eno ugh dr iv ing fo rce .
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold ass ist makes it eas ier to start on hills.
Req uirement: the driver 's door must be closed
and the eng ine must be r unning.
.. T o activate hill hold assist, press an d hold the
brake peda l for seve ral seconds. The ve hicle
must be in an up hill direction of travel.
Afte r releasing the br ake pe dal, the br aking pow ­
er is ma intained for a brie f
moment¢ A to p re ­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting .
74
During this time, you can easily begin to move
yo ur vehicle .
A WARNING
Applies to: ve hicles with hill hold assist
- If you do not beg in driving immed iate ly or
the engine stalls after releasing the brake
pedal, your veh icle may beg in to roll back­
ward. Press the bra ke peda l or se t the park­
ing b rake immedi ately.
- The inte lligent technology of hill ho ld assist
cannot ove rcome the limitat ions imposed by
natural phys ica l laws. The increased com fort
offered by hill hold assist should not cause
you to take safety risks.
- Hill hold ass ist cannot hold the vehicle in
place on all hills (for examp le, if the ground
is s lippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk o f an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
while stationary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
The au tomatic transmissio n is controlled elec­
t ronically. The transmission shifts up or down au ­
tomat ic al ly depen ding on which dr ive p rogr am is
selected .
When a
moderate driving sty le is used, the
t ransm iss ion selects the mos t econom ica l dr iv ing
mode. The tra nsmission upshi fts at a lowe r RPM
and downs hifts a t a higher RPM to improve fue l
efficiency.
The transmission sw itc hes to a sporty mode after
a kick- down o r when the dr iver uses a
s porty
dri ving style
characterized by quick acce lerato r
pedal movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
c h anges in sp eed and t raveling at the maximum
speed .
I f desired, t he driver can also selec t the gears
manually (tipt ronic mode ) ¢ page 78.
Applies to: vehicles wit h S t ronic transmiss ion
The S tron ic is a d ua l- cl utc h t ran smission. Power
i s transfer red using two clutches that work inde -
pendent ly from one another . They rep lace the
..,_

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 00 <.,;) ' torque converter used in conventional automatic
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate without a noticeab le interruption in tract ion .
Appl ies to: veh icles wit h a t iptro nic tra nsm iss io n
Power is transferred using a torque converter .
Selector lever positions
Fig. 81 Instrument cluste r: se lecto r leve r po sition s
The selector lever position that is engaged is
shown in the instrument cluster display .
P- Park
T his selector l ev er position prevents the vehicle
from rolling. You can only sh ift into Park when
the vehicle is
stationary ¢.&. .
To shift in and out of the P selector lever posi­
tion, press th e interlock button in the selector
lever
while pressing the brake pedal. This only
works when the ignition is turned on.
R - R everse
Only shift into reverse gea r when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed ¢.&. .
To select the R se lector lever position, press t he
interlock button
while pressing the brake peda l
at the same time. The back-up lights switch on in
the R position if the ignition is switched on .
N -Neutral
The transm iss ion is in idle in this pos it ion ¢,&. .
DIS -Normal pos iti on for d riv ing forward
In the D/S selector lever pos ition, the transm is ­
sion can be ope rated either in the normal D mode
or in the S sport mode . T o select the S sport
D rivi ng
mode, pull the selector lever back briefly. Pulling
the lever back again will select the normal D
mode. The instrument cluster d isp lay shows the
selected driving mode.
In the
n o rmal mode D, the transmission auto ­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving . The
vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's power.
Sh ift ing is more not iceable when accelerating .
To move from selecto r lever pos ition N to D, you
must press the brake pedal and the vehicle must
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be sta­
t ionary ¢.&. .
A WARNING
----
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
sw itched off.
- Never se lect R or P while driving, because
this increases the risk of an accident.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle . To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the b rake in all selector
lever positions (except P) when the engine is
r u nning. Otherwise, this inc reases the risk
of an acc ident.
- Do not inadvertently p ress the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stopped if a gea r is
engaged. O therwise the ve hicle will start to
move immed iate ly, even if the parking brake
is set . This could result in a crash.
- To decrease the r is k of an accident, these­
lecto r lever mus t be in the P pos ition and
the parking brake must be set before open ­
ing the hood and working on a running en­
g ine. A lways read and follow the applicable
warn ings
¢ page 193, Working in the en­
gine compartment.
(D Tips
- Drive select : sporty shifting characteristics
can be se lected using the
Dynamic driv ing
mode.Swill appear in the instrument clus­
ter display instead of D.
75

Driving
-If you accidenta lly select N while driving,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wait for the engine to s low down to idle be­
fore selecting D/5.
- If there is a power fa ilure, the selecto r lever
will not
move out of the P pos it ion. T he
emergency release can be used if this hap­
pens
¢ page 80.
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from select­
ing a gear accidentally, causing the vehicle to
roll.
( )
_-I
F ig. 82 Selector lever loc k
To release the selector leve r lock:
• Switc h the ign ition on.
• P ress t he b rake peda l while pressing t he in te r-
l ock button.
Automatic shift lock (ASL)
The se lector lever is locked in the P and N pos i­
tions whe n the ignition is sw itched on . T he re­
move it from these posit ions, the drive r mus t
p ress the bra ke pedal and press the lock button
a t the s ame ti me. The following me ssage ap­
pears in the instr ument clus ter d isp lay when the
selec to r l eve r is i n the P or N posit io n to remind
the dr iver:
Brake pedal must be applied to shift from P
The automat ic shift lock only functions when the
ve hicl e is stationary or at speeds below 1 mph
(2 km/ h). A t higher speeds, the lock is automat i­
cally dea ctivate d in t he N posi tion.
The se lector lever is not locked when shifting
qu ickly th ro u gh
N, for examp le from R to D. This
76
makes it possible to free the vehicle when it is
stuck by "rocking" it. The selecto r lever lock en­
gages if the leve r stays in the N pos ition longer
than 2 seconds when the brake peda l is not
pressed.
Lock button
The inter lock button in the selec to r l ever hand le
prevents you from mov ing the selector leve r in­
advertent ly wh ile in some selector lever posi­
t ions. The positions that req uire the interlock
button to be pressed a re marked in color in the il­
l ustratio n
¢ fig. 82.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
• T he se lector lever must be in the P o r the N po ­
si tion.
Starting from a stop
• Press and hold the brake peda l.
• Press and hold the lock b utton in the selector
lever handle, se lect the desi red selector lever
position such as D/S a nd release t he lock but­
ton.
• Wa it a mo ment un til the transmission sh ifts.
You will notice a slig ht movemen t whe n the
ge ar engages.
• Rele ase the bra ke peda l an d press the ac cele ra-
to r
peda l¢ ,&. .
Various convenience funct ions a re available f or
st arti ng o n hill s
¢ page 74.
Stopping temporarily
• Keep the vehicle sta tionary using the braki ng
pe dal, for examp le a t traffic ligh ts.
• Do not press the a cce lera to r ped al whe n doi ng
t his.
• T o preven t the veh icle from ro lli ng when yo u
s tar t drivi ng, set t he parking brake when
stop ­
ping on steep hills ¢ A and ¢(D.
• The parking brake will release a utomat ica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once yo u press
the acce lerator pedal.
..,.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \.J ' Stopping/parking
If t he se lecto r lever is not in t he P posi tion when
you open the driver 's door, the vehicle could rol l.
The message
V ehicle ma y roll! Selector le ver not
in P
appears . A warning tone will a lso sound .
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal¢.&_ .
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the P selector lever position.
Unde r ce rtain c ircumstances, s uch as dr iv ing in
the mountains, i t may be useful to switch tempo­
rari ly to the manua l shift program in order to
manually adjust the gears to the driving condi­
tions
¢ page 78.
On inclines, activate the park ing brake fi rst and
then move the selector lever to the P position
¢ page 72 . Th is prevents the locking mechanism
from being loaded too heavi ly and wi ll make it
eas ier to move the se lector lever out of the P po­
sition .
A WARNING
-The veh icle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off .
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
runn ing wh ile in gear .
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition wh ile
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
ru nning .
-
-Please note that a sma ll amount of power is
t ransmitted if the vehicle is stopped tempo­
ra rily while in t he D/S or R selector lever po ­
s iti on. To redu ce the r isk of an accident, yo u
mus t continue press ing firmly on the brake
peda l w hil e the vehicle is stopped so that it
does not roll.
-Never engage the R o r P se lec to r level posi­
tions while driving .
It could cause a crash.
-Be fore dr iv ing dow n a steep s lope, red uce
yo ur speed and shift in to a lower gear with
"ti ptro n i c" .
-Do not ride the brakes o r press the brake
peda l too often or too long w hen driving
down hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak-
Driving
ing distance or causes comp lete fai lure of
the brake system.
-If you m ust stop on an incline, a lways ho ld
the vehicle in place wit h the foot brake or
parking brake to prevent it from rolling
back .
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipp ing clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload .
The@] indicator light turns on
a nd a message
appears~ page 79 when
the clutch is overloaded .
@ Note
-When stopping on an incl ine, do not try to
hold the ve hicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator peda l wh ile a d riving gear is se­
lected. This ca n cause t he transmission to
over heat a nd can damage it. Se t the park ing
bra ke or p ress the brake pedal to p revent
t he vehicle from rolling.
-Allowing the vehicle to roll when t he engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be ­
cause it is not lubricated.
(D Tips
Fo r sa fety reasons, the park ing bra ke is re ­
l eased a utomatica lly on ly when t he driver 's
safety be lt is fastened.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor leve r is in the D or S position and yo u press
the brake peda l. The transmission a utomatica lly
selects a gear that is suitable for the hi ll. Hill de ­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach ­
ieved at the time of braking, w ith in physical and
technical lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed w ith the brake pedal.
Hi ll descent control switches off once the hill lev-
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
.,..
77

Driving
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
¢ page 84, 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 condit ions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually.
)
r
Fig. 83 Center console : sh ifting manual ly w ith the se lector
l ever
F ig. 84 Stee ring wheel: shifting manually w ith t he s hift
paddles*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing .
"To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the 0/5 sett ing to the right. As soon
as the transmission switches over, the
M selec­
tor lever position will appear in the instrument
cluster disp lay.
.. To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ¢ fig. 83.
78
" To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
o.
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the 0/5 or M
selector lever positions.
" To shift up a gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢ fig . 84 .
"To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before cr itical engine speed is reached .
Applies to: RS mo dels: when accelerating , the
transmission does
not automatically shift to the
next gear shortly before the maximum permitted
engine RPM is reached. Shift to the next highest
gear at the right time.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is w ith in the permitted
range.
Kick-down
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, depending
on veh icle speed and engine RPM .
It shifts up in­
to the next higher gear once the maximum speci­
fied engine RPM is reached .
In tiptronic mode, the transmission does
not au­
tomat ically shift down into a lower gear . If you
must accelerate, for examp le to pass a vehicle,
you must shift manually .
A WARNING
-
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Appl ies to : RS 7 Sportback pe rformance
The maximum engine torque is temporarily in­
creased in overboost . Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operating temperature.
II>