2018 AUDI Q5 page 4

Drivin g
from rolling in t he "N " selector lever position, so
you need to set the pa rking
brake<®> ¢ page 80.
You must use the parking lock emergency release
before towing the
vehicle ¢ page 90.
R-Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this pos ition . Only
select reverse gear when the veh icle is stationary
and the eng ine is running at idle
speed ¢.& . To
engage the "R" se lecto r lever posit ion, p ress the
brake pedal , press the lock ing button
CD on the
selector lever, and select the "R " position
¢ fig . 90.
A confirmation tone w ill sound when the reve rse
gear is engaged .
N
· N eutral (idle )
The transm ission is in idle in this pos ition . To en­
gage the "N" selector lever position, press the loc king button
CD on the se lector lever and sh ift
into t he "N " posit io n
¢ fig. 90.
If you sw itch the engine off when the "N" selector
lever position is se lected, the transmission re­
mains in "N " for app rox imately 30 minutes and
t hen "P " is engaged.
You cannot select the "N " pos ition when the ign i­
tion is sw itched off. When d riving through an au­
tomatic ca r wash, first select the "N " posi tion and
t hen t urn the engine off.
For safety reasons, the vehicle cannot be locked
when the transm ission is in the "N" pos ition .
DIS· Dr iving forward
When the transmission is in the "D/S" pos it ion, it
can be operated e ither in the normal "D " mode or
in the "S" sport mode . Move the selector lever
back to engage the "S" spo rt mode . You can o nly
select the "S" se lector lever position when the "D"
or " E" pos it io n is selected. To sele ct the "D" or " E"
position again w hen "S " is engaged, move these­
lecto r leve r
back ¢.& . To shi ft from "N" to "D"
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), pr ess th e brak e pedal and s hift into the "D" posi­
tion ¢_& .
In t he normal mode "D" , the transmission a uto ­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio . It de -
86
pends on engine load , vehicle speed and driving
sty le.
Se lect t he sport mod e "S " for sporty dr iv ing. The
vehicle makes f ull use of the eng ine's power.
S hi ft ing may become noticeable when accelerat ­
ing .
The "S" se lector lever posi tion engages automati­
c all y w hen you select the dynam ic* mode in drive
select.
A WARNING
Read and fo llow all WARNINGS .
- The vehi cle can roll even i f the ig nit ion is
switched off .
- P owe r is s till tra nsmi tted to t he wheels
when t he engine is running at idle . To pre ­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u must
keep your foot on the b rake in a ll selector
lever positions (except "P " and "N") when
the engine is ru nning.
- Before open ing the hood, select the "P " se­
lector lever pos it ion and set the parking
brake. This reduces the risk of an acc ident .
Always read and follow the app licab le warn­
ings ¢ page 314, Working in the engine
compartment.
(D Tips
If you accide nta lly select "N" while dr iv ing,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wait fo r the e ng ine to slow down to idle be­
fo re selecti ng "D " or "S" .
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.,. The "P" or "N " pos it io n m ust be selected.
St arting from a stop
.,. Press and hold the brake peda l.
.,. Start the engine ¢ page 76.
.,. Press the locking button CD on the selector lev­
er a nd se lect the "D", "E", "S " or "R " pos it io n
¢ page 85.
.,. Wa it a mome nt until the t ransmiss ion sh ifts.
You will notice a slig ht movement when the
gear engages .

u co ..... N r--­N ..... 0 <( 0 00
~ Release the brake pedal and press the acce lera-
tor pedal
~ ,&. .
Various conven ien ce fun ctions are ava ilable for
s tarting on hills
~page 82.
Stopping temporarily
~ Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, for
example at a t raff ic light . Do not press the ac­
ce le rato r peda l w hen do ing th is.
~ T o p revent the vehicle from rolling when yo u
sta rt d riving, se t the pa rk ing brake when stop ­
ping on steep
hi lls¢ ,&..
~ The parking bra ke wi ll re lease automatically
and yo ur vehicle will begin to move when the
doors a re closed, the driver's safety belt is fas­
tened, and you accelerate as usual.
Stopping /parking
If the se lector lever is not in the "P" position
when yo u ope n the driver's door, the ve hicle
could rol l.
~ Press and hold the b rake pedal ¢,&. .
~ Set the parking brake.
~ To se lect the "P" selector leve r position, press
the "P" button
@ on the selector lever
¢page 85, fig. 90.
Under certain conditions, such as driving in the
mo unta ins or when towing a trailer, it may be
he lpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
and sh ift
manually to adapt to the driving condi­
tions
¢ page 88.
On hills, set the parking brake first and then s hift
into the "P" position
¢ page 80. This prevents too
much stress from being placed on the locking
mechanism .
A WARNING
- The veh icle can roll even when the engine is
switched off .
- Unintended veh icle movement can lead to
serious injur ies .
- To reduce the risk of an accident, do not
press the acce lera to r pedal when changing
the se lector lever posi tion while the vehi cle
is sta tionary an d the engine is running.
Driving
- To reduce the r is k of an accident, neve r se­
lect the "R" or "P" pos itions wh ile d riving.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationa ry. Other­
wise the r is k of an accident increases be­
cause the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set .
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hi ll d escent cont rol activates when the t ransmis ­
s ion is in the "D" or "S" pos ition and you press the
brake pedal. The transmission automatica lly se­
lects a gear that is s uitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent cont rol tr ies to maintain the speed ach ­
ieved a t the t ime of b raking, w it hi n physical a nd
tec hnical lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjus t the speed w it h t he bra ke pedal.
Hill descent con trol switches off once the hill lev ­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When operat ing the cru ise cont rol system*
¢ page 95, hill descent contro l is a lso activated
whe n the speed is set .
A WARNING
-
Hill descent cont rol cannot ove rcome physical
li mitat ions, so it may not be able to ma intain
a consta nt s pee d un der all conditions. A lways
b e ready to app ly the bra kes.
87

u co ..... N ,..._
N ..... 0 <( 0 00
Launch control program
App lies to: ve hicles with S tro nic tra nsm issio n
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop.
Requirement: the eng ine must be at operating
temperature and the steer ing whee l must not be
turned .
~ Deactivate the Start/Stop system* c:> page 80.
The LED in the 10~ ·1 button turns on.
~ With the engine runn ing, press the ~
l fl - O~FF =I but­
ton briefly
c> page 141 . The Ill indicator light
tu rns o n and the message
Stabil ization control
( ESC ): offroad . Warning! Reduc ed stabilit y
ap­
pears in the inst rumen t cluste r display.
~ Pull the selector lever back o ut of t he "D/S" po­
s it ion briefly to select the "S " position or se lect
the
D ynamic driving mode in drive se -
lect* ¢ page 12 7.
~ Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second.
~ At the same t ime, press the gas pedal all the
way dow n with your right foot unt il the engi ne
reaches and stays at a h igh RPM level.
~ Remove yo ur foot from t he b rake pedal within
five seconds
c:> ,&. .
A WARNING
-Always adapt yo ur driving to the traffic flow.
- O nly use the La unch contro l prog ram when
road and traffic conditions allow it and ot h­
er drivers wi ll not be endangered or both ­
ered by your driving and the vehicle's accel ­
eration.
- Please note that the drive whee ls can spin
and the vehicle can break away when off­
road mode is switched on, espec ia lly when
the road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press the
I~ OF F! button briefly to turn the offroad
mode off .
(D Tips
-The transmiss ion temperature may increase
s ignificantly after using the launc h control
program. If that happens, the program may
Driving
not be ava ilab le for a few minutes. It will be
avai lab le agai n after a coo l-down period.
- Whe n accelerati ng usi ng the launch cont ro l
program, all vehicle parts are s ubject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
• Tran smiss ion: too hot. Please stop vehicle
Do not continue driving. Se lect the "P" selector
l ever posit ion and contact an authorized A udi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility for as­
s istance.
• Tran smiss ion: malfunction! Plea se stop ve­
hicle and shift to P
Do not continue dr iv ing . Se lect t he "P" selec to r
l ever posit ion and contact an authori zed A udi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
s istance.
[O] Selector lever : malfunction ! You can con tin­
ue d riving. Please contact Se rvice
The re is a system malfu nction in t he transmis­
s io n. Dr ive to an a uth orized Aud i de aler o r au­
tho rized Aud i Serv ice Facili ty immedia tely to have
the mal function corrected.
[i'J P button : malfun ction! Auto P when engine
off . Pl ea se conta ct Servi ce
T here is a malfunct ion in the "P" button on the
selector lever . The transm ission automatically
engages "P " when you sw itch off t he engine.
D rive to an author ized A udi dealer or autho riz ed
Audi Se rvice Faci lity immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
[i'J Select or lever : malfun ction! Gear change on ­
l y pos sibl e using both paddl e le ver s. Plea se con ­
ta ct Service
T here is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s io n. You can con tinue dr iv ing with restr icted
funct ion. The se lector lever is not wo rk ing . Gea rs
can on ly be selected by tapping bo th shift pad­
dles at the same time when the vehicle is station ­
ary
c> page 88 , fig . 92 . Pay attention to these-
l ected transmission position in the instrument
.,.
89

Driving
cluster display. The parking lock engages auto ­
matica lly when you turn off the engine. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
[O] Transmission : Please p ress brake pedal and
select gear ag ain
Press the bra ke pedal and se lect the des ired se­
lector lever position again. You can then continue
driving.
[il Tran smi ssion: too h ot. Please adapt driving
s tyle
The transm ission tempe rature has increased s ig­
n ificant ly. Dr ive ve ry ca utiously or take a b reak
from dr iv ing unt il the tempera ture returns to the
normal range and the ind icator light turns off .
[O] Transmis sion : malfunction ! You can contin­
ue driving . See owner' s manual
There is a system malfunct ion in the transm is­
sion . You may continue dr iv ing . Drive to an au­
thor ized A udi dealer or authorized Audi Service
F acility soon to have the malfunction co rrected.
[il T ransmission : malfunct ion! You can contin­
ue dri ving in D until engine is off
There is a system malfunct ion in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emergency
mode . If you tur n the engine off, you will not be
able to select any other selector lever pos it ions
after start ing the eng ine again . Drive to a n au­
thor ized Audi dealer or author ized A udi Service
F a cility immediately to have the malfunc tion cor­
rected.
[O] Tran smis sion: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving with limited function . Pl ea se conta ct
Service
There is a system malfunct ion i n the transm is­
sion . The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certa in gea rs o r
w ill no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
Dr ive to an a utho rized Aud i dea ler or a uthorized
Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected .
90
[il Transmis sion: malfunction! You can contin­
ue dri ving with limited fun ction. No reve rse
gear
There is a system malfunction in the tra nsmis­
s ion . The transmission is switch ing to emergency
mode. This mode only s hifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
You cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to an
authori zed Audi dealer or authori zed Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the ma lfunction cor ­
rected .
[il Danger of rolling away! P not poss ible.
Plea se apply park ing bra ke
- The parking lock was re leased using the emer ­
gency re lease
c::> page 90 . Or
- The parking lock can no longer be engaged .
Dr ive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Aud i Service Facility immed iately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[il Mo ve selector le ver to automatic position
There is a ma lf u nction in the tiptron ic mode. End
tiptroni c mode by pus hing the se lec tor lever to
the left into the "D/S " position .
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released with the
emergency release when driving through moun ­
tains/maneuvering .
Fig. 93 Drive r's s ide footwell : relea sin g the parkin g lock
us ing the e mergency release
The emergen cy release is located under the f loor
mat on the dr iver's side .
.,.

u co .... N r--­N .... 0 <( 0 00
Releasing the parking lock using th e
e m erg enc y re leas e
~ To prevent the vehicle from ro lling unintention­
ally, set the parking brake(®}
c> page 80 or
press the brake pedal.
~ There are two slits o n the cover . Position the
screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit in one of
the slits on the cover and pry the cover off .
~ Insert the socket wrench (from the vehicle tool
ki t) into the openi ng
c> fig. 93.
~ T urn the soc ket wrench all the way clockw ise (!)
and press it downward @unti l it locks into
place .
~ Leave the socket wrench inserted i::> .&_.
Re setting the parking lock
~ Press t he b rake peda l and sta rt the eng ine.
~ Keep the brake pedal pressed and engage the
f o llowing se lector lever positions one afte r the
other : "N", "D" and back to "N" .
~ Turn the engine off again .
~ Grasp the socket wrench w ith both hands and
pull it up and out carefully to remove
c> (D .
~ Install the cover .
When the parking lock emergency re lease is
used, the
[O] ind icator light and the "N" selector
lever position turn on in the instrument cluster.
The message
D ang er of rolling a way! P not pos­
s ible . Plea se apply parking brake
also appears .
A WARNING
-Only activate the eme rgency re lease while
on a level s urface o r a s light slope.
- T he pa rking lock may only be released us ing
the emergency release if the parking brake
is set.
If i t i s no t fu nct ion ing, secure the ve ­
hicle from rolling using the brake ped al or
ot her s uitab le means, such as blocking a
front and a rear whee l. An unsec ured vehicle
may roll away, wh ich increases the r isk of an
acc ident.
- To reduce the risk of an accident, you m ust
not drive when the emergency re lease is ac­
t ivated.
-
Driving
@ Note
- Read and follow the important instructions
about
tow ing ¢ page 365 .
-The risk of damage increases if yo u do not
remove the socket wrench caref ully w hen
resetting the parking lock.
91

Trail er to wing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your veh icle is primari ly intended for transport­
ing peop le and luggage. Howeve r, if you dr ive
with a tra iler , follow the techn ica l requirements ,
the operation and driving tips, and the lega l reg ­
ulations.
Dr iving w ith a trailer affects the vehicle 's fuel
consumpt ion, performance and wear. It a lso re­
quires higher concentration from the driver .
A WARNING
Do not transport any people in a trailer due to
the risk of fatal injury .
Technical requirements
Certain requirements must be met when towing
a trailer.
Trailer hitch
Only use a trailer hitch with a removab le ball
h itch mount and ball h itch. The tra ile r hitc h must
be pe rm it t ed for the vehicle, the tra iler and the
permitted tota l weight of the trailer being
pu lled . Above all, it must be secure ly and safe ly
attached to the vehicle trailer.
Never mo unt a t rai ler hitch on the bumper. The
trai ler hitc h must be mounted in a way that does
not impair the function of the bumper. Do not
make any changes to the exhaust system and the
brake system.
Check regu larly if the trai ler hitc h is securely
mounted . A lways follow the instructions given by
the trai ler hitch manufacturer .
Trailer brakes
If t he tra ile r has its own bra ke system, then fol­
low the manufacturer specifica tions. Howeve r,
the brake system on the trai ler must never be
connected to the vehicle brake system.
92
Engine cooling system
D riving w ith a tra ile r means a higher load on t he
engine and the cooling sys tem. The coo ling sys­
tem must be designed for additiona l load and
contain enoug h
coolant ~@ .
A WARNING -
- Never mount a "weight -distributing" or
"load-balancing" trailer coupler as the trail­
er hitch. The ve hicle was not des igned for
these types of tra iler h itches. The tra iler
h itch can malfunction and t he tra ile r can
b reak off from the vehicle.
- If t he tra ile r i s equ ipped w ith elect ronic
brakes, these brakes can not be activated by
a facto ry-installed control system, whi ch in­
creases the r isk of an accide nt.
- To red uce the r is k of injury, always remove
the ball hitch mount if no tra ile r is mo unt ­
ed.
@ Note
L onge r incl ines cannot be dr iven without a
su itab le cooli ng system, especially if the out­
s ide temperatu res a re high. ot herwise, this
i nc reases the risk of eng ine da mage.
Operating instructions
Several things must be noted when towing a
trailer.
Towing capacity
The permitted towing capacity must not be ex ­
ceeded under any
circumstances ~ page 370.
You can dr ive up larger inclines if you are not us­
i ng the maximum towing capacity.
The towing capacities given only apply to e leva ­
tions up to 3,200 ft (1,000 m) above sea level. As
the e levation increases, the engine power de­
creases due to the decreasing air pressures. T his
reduces the hill climb ing ability and towing ca­
pac ity . For every additional 3,200
ft (1,000 m),
t h e maximum permitted tow ing weight must be
r educed by app roximately 10% . T he pe rm itted
tow ing weight is t he comb ined we igh t of the
( loaded) vehicle and the (loaded) trailer .

u co ..... N r--­N ..... 0 <( 0 00
Tongue weight
The maximum permitt ed tongue weight of the
trailer drawbar on the trailer hitch ball head may
not be exceeded .
I f the tongue we ight is too low, th is affects t he
trailer's handling. For driv ing safety, we recom­
mend to always utilize the maximum permitted
tongue weight, but not exceed it. You can reach
it, for example, by distributing the cargo in the
trailer correctly.
You can determine the tongue weight, for exam­
p le, with a bathroom scale or a public weigh sta ­
tion .
The permitted tongue we ight of your veh icle can
be found in the vehicle documentation or in
¢page 370.
Load distribution
Poor cargo load and distribution can negatively
i mpact ve hicle handl ing .
-Store objects preferably in the vehicle luggage
compartment. The vehicle shou ld always carry
the heaviest possible load and the trailer
shou ld have the lightest possible load.
-Distribute the load in the tra iler so that the
heavy objects are as close to the axle as possi­
ble.
-Secure objects from slid ing out of p lace.
-Utilize the maximum permitted tongue weight
if possible .
Tires
Set the tire pressure on your vehicle for a "full
load"; see the t ire pressure
sticker¢ page 335 .
If necessary, also adjust the tire pressure on the
trailer according to the manufacturer's recom­
mendation .
W inter tires should be mounted on the vehicle
and on the trailer during winter temperatures .
Outside mirrors
If you cannot see the traffic behind the trailer
with the standard exterior mirrors, then you must attach addit ional exterior m irrors. Adjust
them so you have a sufficient visibility behind
you .
Trailer towing
Exterior lighting
Follow the legal regu lations rega rding the light ­
ing equipment on your trailer. Contact an author­
ized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty for more information.
Before starting to drive , check all lighting eq uip­
ment on the hitched trailer.
T he headlight range cont rol adjusts automat ica l­
ly to the light range of the headlights .
Safety chains
Make sure the safety chains are correctly applied
when pulling a trailer . The cha ins should hang
enough so that the trailer can drive around
curves . Howeve r, th ey must not touch the
ground.
Air suspension
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
The air suspens ion must be at the standard vehi­
cle height before you set the tongue weight on
the tra iler and hitch the
trailer ¢@ , ¢page 128,
Raising/lowering the vehicle.
For vehicles with a factory-installed trailer hitch,
the a ir suspension trailer mode w ill automatically
switch on if you connect the trailer cable to the
socket.
For vehicles with a retrofitted trailer hitch, you
must sw itch on the a ir suspension trailer mode
manua lly . Select in the Infotainment system:
IMENU I button> Vehicle> left cont rol button>
Vehicle settings > Air suspension: trailer. Switch
i t off again after towing a tra iler .
You can also sw itch off trailer mode manually
wh ile dr iving, for example, whe n using a bicycle
rack system.
If you have to dr ive through d ifficult road cond i­
tions, you can ra ise the vehicle again after hitch­
i ng the tra iler o r after adjusting the tongue
we ight.
(UJ} Note
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle .
93

Trail er to wing
- Set the a ir suspension to the standard vehi ­
cle height, otherwise the applicab le tongue
weight no longer applies to your vehicle.
(D Tips
- Use chocks when parking on incl ines if the
trailer is loaded .
- We recommend also having the vehicle in­
spected between the inspection intervals if
you are towing a trai ler frequent ly .
- Avo id driving with a trailer d uring the vehi ­
cle break-in period .
Driving with a trailer
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution .
Speed
Adhere to the legal speed limits. Follow the legal
regulat ions spec ific to the country.
As the speed increases, the driving stability of
the trailer decreases . Therefore you should not
exceed the maximum legal speed l imit whe n
there a re unfavorabl e road, weathe r and/or wind
conditions. This especially appl ies when dr iv ing
downhill.
You must always reduce you r speed as soon as
you not ice even the s lightest sw inging motion of
the t railer. Neve r try to "straighte n ou t" the t rail­
e r by accelera ting.
The weight distribution is very poor if t he veh icle
is empty and the t railer is loaded . H oweve r if you
m ust dr ive under these c ircumstances, t hen d rive
espec ially slowly.
Brakes
Brake in a t imely manner . Downshift before driv­
i n g downhill so that the engine can assist w ith
b raking
¢ ,&. .
When us ing a tra iler with overrun brakes, first
brake gently then qu ickly . This reduces the risk of
je rk ing w hile brak ing if the tra ile r w heels lock up .
Engine coolant temperature
Pay attention specif ica lly to the coolant tempera­
ture display when there are h igh outside tempe r­
atures, and when dr iv ing o n long inclines
94
¢ page 11. Shift to a higher gear in a timely man­
ner .
A WARNING
Constant braking causes the brakes to over­
heat and substantially reduces braking per­
formance, increases braking distance or caus­
es complete failure of the brake system.
-