2018 AUDI Q7 Owner´s Manual

Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r ' selector lever, and select the "R" pos ition
¢ fig . 85.
A confirmation tone w ill sound when the reve rse
gear is engaged.
N · N eutral (idle )
The transm iss ion is in idle in this pos ition. To en­
gage the "N" selector lever position, press the l o cki ng button (!) on the se lector lever a nd sh ift
in to t he "N " posit ion¢
fig. 85.
If you sw itch the engine off w hen the "N" selector
l ever pos ition is se lected, the transmission re­
mains in "N" for app rox ima tely 30 minutes and
then "P " is engaged.
You cannot select the "N" pos ition w hen the ign i­
tion is sw itched off . W hen d riving through an au­
tomatic ca r wash, first select the "N" posi tion and
then tur n t he eng ine off.
For safety reasons, the vehicle ca nnot be locked
when the transm ission is in the
"N" pos it ion.
D IS -Dri ving forward
When the transmission is in the "D/S" posit ion, it
can be operated either 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 only
se lect the "S" selector lever position when the "D"
or "E " posit ion is selected. To select the "D" or " E"
posi tion again w hen "S " is engaged , move the se­
l ector lever back ¢& . T o shift from "N" to "D"
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), press the brake pedal and s hift into the "D" posi ­
tion
c> & .
I n t he
no rmal mode "D ", t he transmission a uto­
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Selec t the
spo rt mode "S" for spo rty driving . The
ve hicle makes full use of the engine's power .
Shifting may become noticeab le when acce lerat­
ing.
The "S" selector lever posit ion engages a utomat i­
cally when you se lect
Dynamic mode in drive se­
l ect*.
Driving
A WARNING
-Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignit ion is
sw itched off.
- Power is still transmitted to t he whee ls
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever pos itions (except "P" and "N") when
the eng ine is ru nning .
- Before ope ning the hood, select the "P" se­
lecto r lever posit ion and set the pa rking
b rake. This red uces the risk of an acc ident.
A lways read and follow the app licab le wa rn­
i n gs¢
page 319, Working in the engine
compartment .
(D Tips
If you accidenta lly select "N" whi le dr iv ing,
t a ke yo ur foot off the acce le rato r pedal and
w ait fo r th e e ngine to slow down to idle be ­
f o re selecting "D" or "S".
Driving tips
Starting th e engine
.. The "P" or "N " posit ion must be selected .
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the b rake peda l.
.. Sta rt the engine ¢
page 77.
.. Press the locking button (Don the selecto r lev ­
er and se lect the "D " "E " "S " or "R " posit io n
' '
i=:> page86.
.. Wait a moment until the transmission shifts.
You will notice a slight movement when the gear engages.
.. Re lease the brake pedal and press the accelera-
tor pedal
c> ,& .
Various convenience functions are available for
start ing on h ills
c> page 83.
Stopping t emporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to sto p the veh icle, for
examp le at a traffic light . Do not press the ac-
celerator pedal when doing this . .,._
87

Drivin g
~ To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop ­
ping on steep hills¢
/A.
~ The parking brake will release automatically
and your vehicle will begin to move when the
doors are closed, the driver's safety belt is fas ­
tened, and you accelerate as usual.
Stopp ing /p a rki ng
If the selector lever is not in the "P" position
when you open the dr iver's door, the veh icle
could roll.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal¢ /A.
~ Set the parking brake.
~ To select the "P" selector lever pos it ion, press
the "P" button @on the selector lever
¢ page 86, fig . 85 .
Under certain condit ions, such as driving in the
mounta ins or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
and sh ift
manually to adapt to the driving condi­
tions
¢ page 89.
On hills, set the parking brake first and then s hift
into the "P" position¢
page 81. This prevents too
much stress from being placed on the locking
mechanism .
.8, WARNING
- The veh icle can roll eve n when the engine is
swit ched off.
- Unintended ve hicle movement can lead to
serious injur ies.
- T o reduce the risk of an acc ident, do not
press the acce le rato r pedal whe n cha ng ing
the se lecto r lever posit ion while the ve hicle
is s ta tionary and the eng ine is ru nning.
- T o reduce the risk of an ac cident, never se ­
lect the "R" or "P" positions while dr iv ing .
- Do not inadvertent ly press the acce le rato r
peda l w hen the veh icle is sta tionary. Othe r­
wise the risk of an acc ident in cr eases be ­
ca use the vehicle will start to move immed i­
ate ly, even if the parking brake is set .
88
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control activates when the transm is­
s ion is in the "D" or "S" pos ition and you press the
brake pedal. The transmission automat ically se ­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
sce nt cont rol tr ies to maintain the speed ach­
i eved at the t ime of braking, w it hi n phys ical and
tec hnical lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed wit h the brake peda l.
Hill descent cont rol sw itches off once the h ill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When operating the cru ise control system*
¢
page 95 , hill descent control is also activated
whe n the speed is set.
.8, WARNING
Hill desce nt co ntro l cannot ove rcome physical
lim itat ions, so it may not be ab le to m ainta in
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.

a co ...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
:E ' Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 86 Center console : sh ifti ng manually with the selector
l ever
Fig. 87 Steeri ng wheel: shifti ng manual ly
Shifting with th e selector leve r
You can shift into tiptronic mode while stationary
and while driv ing.
• 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"
transm iss ion sett ing will appear i n the instru­
ment cluster d isplay.
• To sh ift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for­
ward
0 ~ fig. 86.
• To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0 -
• To switch tiptron ic mode off, push the selector
lever back into the "D/S" pos ition.
Shifting with th e s hift paddle s
You can operate the shift padd les in the "D/S" or
" M " se lector lever positions.
• To s hift up a gear, tap the sh ift paddle
0
~ fig. 87 .
• To s hift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
D rivi ng
• 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 transmis­
sion will return to automatic mode. To keep
shifting using the shift paddles, move these ­
lector lever to the right out of the "D/S" posi­
tion .
• When you want to shift out of tiptronic mode ,
press and hold the
0 shift padd le for a longer
period of time or move the selector lever back
and release it.
T he transmission automatically shifts up or down
before cr itica l engine speed is reached .
T he transmission on ly allows manua l shifting
when the eng ine speed is w ith in the perm itted
range.
(D Tips
- If you shift to the next lowest gear, the
transmission will only shif t if the engine will
not be over-revved.
- With kick-down, the transmission shifts to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle speed and
eng ine speed .
- tiptronic does not work if the transmission
is runn ing in emergency mode .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resista nce point, the automatic trans­
mission downsh ifts into a lower gear and the en­
gine ut il iz es its full power, depending on vehicle
speed and eng ine RPM.
It sh ifts up into the next
highe r gear once the maximum specified eng ine
RPM is reached .
A WARNING ~
Please note that the whee ls cou ld spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
89

Driving Transmission malfunction
• Transmi ssion: malfunction! Please stop ve­
hicle and shift to P
Do not cont inue d rivi ng. Selec t the "P" selector
lever position and co ntact an authorized Au di
de aler or auth o riz e d Aud i Serv ice Facili ty fo r as­
si st ance.
[O] Selector lever: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving . Please contact Service
There is a system malfunct io n in the t ransm is­
sion . Drive to an author ized A udi dealer or au­
thor ized A udi Se rvice Fac il ity immed iate ly to have
t he ma lfunction co rrecte d.
[O] P button: malfunction! Auto P when engine
off . Please contact Service
There is a malfunction in the "P " button on t he
selecto r leve r. The transmission a utomat ically
e ngages "P" when you switch off the eng ine.
Dr ive to an a utho rized Aud i dea le r or a uthorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immedia tely to have t he
malfunc tion corrected.
[O] Selector lever: malfunction! Gear change on­
ly possible using both paddle levers. Please con­
tact Service
There is a system malfunct io n in the t ransm is­
sion. You can conti nue d riving w ith rest ricted
f un ction . The selecto r leve r is not working . Gears
can only be se lec ted by tapping bo th sh ift pad­
d les a t the sam e time w hen t he v ehicl e is station ­
a ry ~
page 8 9, fig . 87. Pa y a tten tio n t o th ese­
lec ted t rans mi ssion positio n in t he ins tru ment
cluste r display. The par king lock eng ages au to ­
mat ica lly w hen you t urn off the engine . Drive to
an author ized A udi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the mal func­
tion cor rected.
[O] Transmission: Please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Pr es s t he bra ke peda l and se lec t the des ired se ­
lec to r l eve r pos it io n ag ain. Y ou ca n then con tinue
d riving .
[O] Transmis sion: too hot. Please adapt driving
style
90
T he transmission tem peratu re has inc reased sig ­
nificantly . Drive very cautio usly o r ta ke a break
from driving until the temperature ret urns to t he
no rma l range and t he indicato r light turns off.
[O] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving. See owner's manual
T he re is a s ystem malfunc tion in the tran smi s­
s io n. You m ay con tinu e dr ivin g. Drive to an au­
t h ori ze d Aud i dea le r o r a uthorized Audi Se rvice
Fac ility soon to have the malf unct io n correcte d.
[il Transmission : malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving in D until engine is off
There is a syst em malfunc tion in th e transmis­
s io n. The trans missio n is swi tching to eme rge ncy
mo de.
If yo u tu rn th e e ngine off, you w ill not be
a ble to se le ct any o the r se le ct or lever posi tio ns
a ft er sta rting t he engine aga in . D rive to an a u­
t h orized Audi dea le r or a uthorized Audi Se rvice
Facility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunction cor ­
r ected .
[O] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving with limited function. Please contact
Service
T he re is a sys tem m alf unc tion in the tran smis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rgency
mode. This mode only s hifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
D rive to an author ized A udi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected .
[O] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin­
ue driving w ith limited function. No reverse
gear
There is a system malfunction in the tra nsmis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. Th is mode only s hifts int o ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
Yo u cannot engage the reve rse gear. Dr ive to a n
a uth orize d Aud i dea le r o r auth orized Aud i Serv ice
Fac il ity i mmed iat ely to hav e the ma lfunction cor­
r ec ted .
[O] Danger of rolling away! P not possible.
Please apply parking brake

-The parking lock was released using the emer­
gency release
¢ page 91. 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 .
[il Move selector lever to automatic position
There is a malfunction in the tiptronic mode . End
tiptron ic mode by pushing the selector 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. 88 Drive r's side footwell : releas ing th e parking lock
us ing the eme rgency re lease
The emergency release is located under the floor
mat on the driver 's side .
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
"'To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintent ion­
ally, set the parking brake(®)¢
page Bl or
press the brake pedal.
"' There are two slits on 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
k it) into the opening
c:> fig . 88.
"'T urn the socket wrench all the way clockw ise @
and press it downward @unti l it locks into
place.
~ "'L eave the socket wrench inserted c:> .&_ . ...... N r--.
~ Resetting the parking lock
0
0
~ "'Press the brake pedal and start the engine .
Driving
"' Keep the brake pedal pressed and engage the
following selector lever positions one after the
other: "N" , "D" and back to "N".
"' Turn the engine off again.
"' Grasp the socket wrench with both hands and
pull it up and out carefully to remove
c:>(D .
"'Install the cover .
When the parking lock emergency release is
used, the
[il indicator light and the "N " selector
lever posit ion turn on in the instrument cluster.
The message
Danger of rolling away! P not pos­
sible. Please apply parking brake
also appears.
_& WARNING
-Only activate the emergency release while
on a level surface or a slight slope.
- The parking lock may only be released using
the eme rgency release if the parking brake
is set . If it is not functioning, secure the ve­
hicle from rolling using the brake pedal or
other suitable means, such as blocking a
front and a rear wheel. An unsecured vehicle
may roll away, which increases the risk of an
accident.
- To reduce the r isk of an accident, you must
not drive when the emergency release is ac­
tivated .
@ Note
-Read and follow the important instructions
about tow ing
<=> page 371.
-The risk of damage increases if you do not
remove the socket wrench carefully when
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 coo lant ~@ .
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 376.
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 .

Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r ' Tongue weight
The maximum permitt ed tongue weight of the
trailer drawbar on the trailer hitch ball head may
not be exceeded .
If the tongue we ight is too low, this affects the
trailer's handling . For driv in g 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
ple, with a bathroom scale or a public weigh sta ­
tion .
The permitted tongue weight of your veh icle can
be found in the vehicle documentation or in
¢page 376.
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 340.
If necessary, also adjust the tire pressure on the
trailer according to the manufacturer's recom­
mendation .
The tire pressure must be increased an addi tional
3 PS I (0 .2 bar) for towing loads over 6,600 lbs
(3,000 kg) .
W inter tires shou ld be mounted on the vehicle
and on the trailer during winter temperatures .
Trailer towing
Outside mirrors
If you cannot see the traffic behind the trailer
with the standard exterior mirrors, then you
must attach additional exterior mirrors. Adjust
them so you have a sufficient visibility behind
you.
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 headl ight range cont rol adj usts 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, they must not touch the
ground.
Air suspension
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
The air suspens ion must be at the standard vehi ­
cle he ight before you set the tongue weight on
the tra iler and hitch the trailer¢@ ,
¢page 130,
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 control button>
Vehicle settings > Air suspension: trailer. Switch
it off again after towing a trailer.
You can also sw itch off trailer mode manually
wh ile dr iving, for example, whe n using a bicycle
rack system. ..,.
93

Trail er to wing
If you have to drive th rough diffic ult road condi­
tions, you can raise the vehicle again after hitch ­
ing the trai ler or after adjust ing the tongue
weight .
{QJ Note
Applies to: vehicles with air suspension
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the he ight of the vehicle.
- Set the a ir suspension to the standard vehi­
cle heig ht, otherwise the applicab le tongue
weig ht 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 frequently.
- Avo id driving wit h a trailer du ring the vehi­
cle break-i n period .
Driving with a trailer
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution.
Speed
Adhere to the legal speed l imi ts. Follow t he lega l
regulations specif ic to the country.
As the speed inc reases, the d riving stability of
the t railer dec reases . The refore you sho uld not
exceed t he max imum legal speed limit when
there are unfavorable road, weather and/or wind
conditions. This especially applies when driving
downhill.
You must a lways reduce yo ur speed as soon as
you not ice even the s lightest swinging motion of
the trailer . Never try to "straighten out" the trail ­
er by accelerating.
The weig ht dis trib ution is very poo r if t he ve hicle
is empty and the trailer is loaded. However if you
must drive under these circumstances, t hen drive
especia lly slowly.
94
Brak es
Brake in a time ly manner. Downs hift be fo re dr iv ­
i ng down hill so that the engine can assist with
braking ~&, .
When using a t railer w it h over run bra kes, fi rst
brake ge ntly t hen q uickl y. This red uces the r isk o f
jerking while braking if the trailer wheels lock up .
Engine coolant temperatur e
Pay attention specifically to the coolant tempera­
ture display when there a re high outs ide temper­
at ures , and whe n driving on long i nclines
~ page 11. Shift to a highe r gear in a t imely man­
ner .
A WARNING
Constant braking causes the b rakes to over­
h eat and substantially reduces bra king per ­
formance, increases b raking distance o r caus­
es complete failure of the brake system.
-