2018 AUDI Q7 ESP

Drivin g
Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in for the first 1,000 mi les (1,500 km). Do not dr ive at speeds
t hat will exceed 2/3 of the max imum pe rm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid fu ll acceleration during
this period . You may gradually start increasing
the RPM and the speed between 600 miles
(1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
higher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven d uring the first 1,000
miles (1,500 km) a lso affects the engine quality .
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icu larly when running a cold
eng ine . Th is will reduce eng ine wear and improve
the m ileage.
Do not drive at too low of an engine speed (RPM) .
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
@ Note
When driving on poo r roads, by cu rbs and on
s teep ramps, make su re t hat low-hang ing
compone nts such as the spo ile r and exha ust
system do not come into contact with these
or they could be damaged. This especially ap ­
plies to vehicles with low ground clearance
and veh icles that are heavily loaded.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the r isk of vehicle
damage when driv ing through water, for example
on flooded roads :
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body .
74
-Do not drive faster than walking speed .
A WARNING
After driving through water or m ud, the effec­
tiveness of the brakes may be red uced due to
mo isture on the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few careful brake applications shou ld dry
off the brakes and restore the full braking ef­
fect .
@ Note
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmiss ion, suspens ion or electrical sys-
tem can be severely damaged by drivi ng
throug h water .
- Always switch the Start/Stop system* off
when driv ing through water¢ page 79.
(D Tips
-Determine the depth before driving throug h
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch t he engine off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncom ing vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep fo r yo ur vehicle to drive
throug h safe ly.
- Avoid dr iv ing through salt water, beca use
this can cause corrosion .
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amou nt o f fuel consumption, the environ ­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and tires depends mostly on your driving
sty le. With an ant icipatory and economic driving
style, fuel consumpt ion can be reduced by ap­
prox imately 10-15%. The fol low ing t ips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at the same time .
Anticipatory dri ving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerating.
When you drive with anticipation, you do not
need to brake as often and so you acce lerate less .
When poss ible, let your vehicle coast with a gear .,.

Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r ' engaged, for example when you notice that t he
next traffic light is red . This produces an engine
b raking effect, wh ich he lps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and f uel con­
sumpt ion to zero (fuel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficientl y
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fue l.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
ly .
Press down on the acce lerator peda l slowly and
avoid "kick -down".
Avoid full acceleration
You sho uld rare ly t rave l at the maxim um vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a d isp roportiona tely
hi gh increase in fuel consump tion, emissions and
traffic noise . Driving more slowly saves f uel.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system* he lps to reduce the id ling
time automatically. In vehicles wi thout the Sta rt/
Stop system*, it is efficient to switch the engine
off when stopped at ra ilroad crossings and long
red lights . Stopping the engine for
30 -40 sec­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the eng ine.
I t takes a very long time in idle to wa rm the en­
gine up to operating temperature . Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. Therefore, you should begin driving im­
mediately after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while do ing th is .
Have maintenance perf ormed regularly
By having maintenance performed regu larly on
your ve hicle, you can he lp to reduce fuel con ­
sumpt ion before you even start to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not only
affects traffic safety and long-term value but a l­
so impacts fuel consumption . A poorly main­
tained engine can lead to fuel consumpt ion that
i s
1 0% hi gher tha n normal.
Driving
Avoid short trips
T he eng ine and exh aust cleaning system mus t
r each their optima l operat ing temperatu re to ef ­
fectively reduce consumption and emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isp roportionately high
amoun t of fue l. The engine re ac h es operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption norma lizes on ly
after approximate ly 2.5 mi les (4 km) .
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, ma ke sure the t ires are always i n­
flated to t he correct pressure~
page 340. The
fuel consumpt io n can increase by
5% if the pres ­
s u re is on ly
0 .5 bar too low. Due to the increased
rolling resistance, low tire pressures wi ll also
l ead to greater tire wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on winter tires year -round, as this
will consume up to
10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
S ince eve ry po und of ext ra weight increases f uel
co nsump tion , a quick inspect io n of the luggage
compartment may be worth it to avoid unneces ­
sary weight .
When not be ing used , a roof rac k sho uld be re­
moved to decrease the w ind resis tance of the ve ­
hicle . This will save you approximately
12% fu el
at speeds from
62 -75 mph (100 -120 km/h) .
Save energy
The eng ine d rives the generator, which generates
electric ity; the fuel consumpt io n also increases
wi th the dema nd for e lec tric ity . T he refore, sw itch
electrical eq uipment off when you no longer
need it . Examples of eq uipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating* .
@ Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights sho uld come on to
i ndicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could resu lt in overheating or
other damage to the veh icle or other proper ­
ty .
75

Drivin g
are available when you start driving r=:> poge 83,
Starting to drive .
Preventing th e automatic parking brake
r e leas e
The vehicle could begin rolling unintentiona lly,
depending on the hill or if towing a trailer .
.,. To preve nt the parking b rake from releasing au­
tomat ica lly, pull and hold the© switch and
press the acce lerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and prevents the vehicle from ro ll­
ing backward.
.,. You can release the(®) switch again once you
are sure that you are g iv ing enough dr iv ing
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator
pedal.
Emer gency br aking fun ction
You can use the emergency braking function in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled.
.,. Pu ll and hold the(®) switch.
.,. As soon as you release the © switch or acceler -
ate, the braking stops .
Pulling and holding the<®> 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 s imilar to heavy braking
r=:> ,&. .
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 peda l to stop the vehicle.
.,. Pu ll the(®) switch to set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the "P" selector lever pos it ion.
.,. Turn the eng ine off
r=:> ,&. .
.,. Turn the steering wheel when parking on in ­
clines so that the wheels will roll into the curb
i f the veh icle sta rts mov ing .
82
A WARNING
-Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the eng ine is runni ng . Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
d iate ly and this could result in an accident.
- Eme rgency brak ing shou ld only be used in
a n emergency, when the no rma l bra ke pedal
h as fa iled or the bra ke peda l is obstr ucted.
Dur ing eme rgency brak ing, you r vehicle w ill
brake s imilar to heavy b raking. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics.
Around curves and when road or weather
conditions are bad, a full brake applicat ion
can cause the veh icle to skid or the rear end
to swerve, wh ich increases the risk of an ac­
cident .
- If the power supply fails, you cannot set the parking brake if it is released . In this case,
pa rk the veh icle on leve l ground and secure
it by p lac ing the sele ctor l eve r in the "P " po­
si tion. See an au thor ized A udi dealer o r au ­
thorized A udi Se rvice Fac ility for assis tance.
- Always set the pa rking brake when leaving
your veh icle, even if for a sho rt period of
time . Otherwise the vehicle could roll away,
increasing the risk of an accident.
- If you leave the vehi cle, sw itch the ignition
off and take the ve hicle key with you . This
applies partic ularly when children remain in
the vehicle. Otherwise, chi ldren co uld start
the engine, release the parking brake or op­
erate e lectr ica l equipment such as power
w indows, wh ich increases the r isk of an acci­
dent.
- No one, especially ch ildren, should remain
in the vehicle when it is locked . Locked
doors make it more diff icu lt for eme rgency
wo rkers to get into the vehicle, which puts
lives at r is k .
0) Tips
When stopp ing at a traff ic signa l or stopp ing
i n city traffic, you can set the park ing brake
manua lly . The veh icle does not have to be
h eld wi th the b rake pedal. The par king b rake

Drivin g
Aft er d riv ing offroad
- After dr iv ing offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator gri lle, under­
body, and whee ls. Look especia lly for foreign
obj ects (such as stones) that may be stuck in
the tire tread.
- Clean th e ve hicle body and underbody and in ­
spect the vehicle for possib le damage.
- Clean t he windows, headlights, tail lights and
the license plate if they are dirty.
- Perform a brake test (especia lly after driving
through water) .
A WARNING
-Be especia lly cautious and aware when driv­
ing under d ifficult conditions and when off­
road. Vehicle damage and injuries may occur
when driving at excessively high speeds or
with incorrect dr iv ing ma neuvers .
- Always adjust your speed and driving style
to the roads, terra in, traffic and weather
cond it ions. Dr ive espec ially slowly if there is
low v is ib ility when offroad.
- Please note that the wheels can spin more
and the vehicle can swerve when in off road
mode, especially whe n the road is s lippery
o r has loose su rface material.
- Driv ing stab ility is reduced w hen in off road
mode.
@ For the sake of the environment
Avoid harming the environment and show
cons iderat io n for nature .
(D Tips
Only dr ive where it is permitted and always
stay on the provided roads and paths .
Explanation of technical terms
The follow ing data is based on ideal cond itions .
The va lues may va ry depe nd ing on the load ,
g ro und compos it io n and the environment. The
d river is therefore responsib le for decid ing
whether a vehicle can handle a specific situation
¢ .&_ .
84
Incline angle
A rising diffe re nce in al titude (i ncline) on a 109
yard ( 100 m) stretch is given in pe rcentage or de­
grees . Data indicating whet her the vehicle can
drive up an incline by itse lf (dependent on the
road surface and the engine power among other
factors). Maximum permitted incline angle: 31
°
Gr ound cl ea rance
The distance between the road surface and the
l owest point on the vehicle underbody.
- Vehicles with steel su spen sion : ground clear­
ance: 8.3 in (210 mm)
- Vehicl es with air su spen sion* : maximum
gro und clea rance : 9. 7 in (245 mm)
A WARNING
E xceeding the spec ified maximum va lues can
l ead to severe persona l injuries or vehicle
damage .
- All data was collected on flat, firm, non­ slippery road s urfaces and under dry weath ­
er conditions .
- Ideal conditions do not app ly to offroad
driving . Never go all the way up to the maxi ­
m um val ues, b ut rather a lways leave a safe­
ty margin.
Messages
There is only one motto when driving in difficult
conditions and off road: drive slowly and with
caution !
Observe the following when driving on unpaved
roads:
.,. Onl y dr ive in ter rai n t hat is suitable fo r the ve ­
hicle and yo ur driv ing ability . Never take any
unnecessa ry risks!
.,. Drive s low ly and carefu lly .
.,. Pay attent ion to the
g round clear ance of your
veh icle.
.,. Activate the
offroad mode as needed
¢ page 143.
.,. Use the hill de scent as sist when d riving down
steep hills ¢
page 144. .,..

Difficult terrain and off-road
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 vehicle from bottoming out and to
reduce the risk of underbody damage, you should
drive across uneven ground on only one side of
the vehicle so that only two of your wheels cross
the uneven area, instead of driving across the
center of the uneven area with all four wheels.
Drive quickly through sandy or marshy off-road
sections and do not stop , if at all possible.
Driving through water
Also read the information found in r=;, page 74.
Driving on a slope
If you are ever unable to drive up a hill, do not try
to turn around . Drive back down in
reverse in­
stead . Otherwise you run the risk of t ipping over.
If the vehicle threatens to tip over when driving
across a slope, you must immediately steer
downhill in the direction of the slope.
Do not park your vehicle on steep hills .
To reduce the r isk of tipping over, drive on hills in
the direction of the downward slope (fa ll line) -
never crosswise.
Tilt angle display
Description
Applies to: vehicles wit h a tilt ang le display
110 · I l 1ft / offrnortr1 ( ~ ....
All road
!r
-
Q
l " __,.._
Comfort 4 ~
J
ll" 11• Auto O" •
Dynamic

~ ~
Individual 11• I/"
~t-;s
Fig. 84 Infotainment system : tilt angle d isplay
a
~ You can see the vehicle position in relation to a N
~ leve l plane using the tilt angle display in the In-~
g fotainment system . Both the sideways angle @
:E ' Driving
and the lengthwise ang le @ of the vehicle are
displayed. The accuracy depends on the driving
s ituation and is norma lly around 1
°. The side­
ways angle of your vehicle should not exceed the
yellow range in the gauge. If it reaches the red
range, there is a risk that the vehicle might tip
r=;,_& .
Displaying the tilt angle display
.. Select in the Infotainment system: I MENU ! but-
ton>
Vehicle > Lift/ Offroad or Allroad*.
Showing the additional display
To change the contents shown in the right area of
the screen, se lect in the Infotainment system:
right control button>
Additional display.
Angle :
this disp lays the current steering wheel
angle and the maximum angle that was reached
during a drive . These values are reset when the
ignition is switched off .
Position: displays the height, direct ion and geo­
coordinates of the current vehicle posit ion.
Off : only the air suspension display remains on .
.&_ WARNING
- Do not exceed the yellow range in the
gauge. Your vehicle can tip, which increases
the risk of an accident.
- Under some circumstances , the vehicle can
tip over or tilt sideways even if the sideways
angle is low. The angle display does not re­
p lace the driver's attention . To reduce the
risk of an accident, make sure the vehicle
does not tip, especially when you are driv ing
at high speeds.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
T he automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically . Power is transferred using a torque
converter.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode. The transmission upshifts at a lower RPM .,.
85

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 .

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.
-

a co ...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
:E ' Assistance systems Speed warning system
Description
App lies to: vehicles with speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to stay be­
low a specified maximum speed that can be set,
changed or deleted in the Infotainment system .
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set .
A warning tone will sound as soon as your speed
exceeds the stored value slightly . The indicator
l ight also turns on in the instr ument cluster d is­
p lav
[0] (USA models)/ [81 (Ca nada models) and
a message. The indica tor l igh t
[0]/ [OJ and the
message turn off if the speed fa lls back be low
the stored maximum speed.
Sett ing a threshold is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when yo u reach a certa in
maximum speed . Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country with a gener ­
al speed lim it or if there is a specified maximum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
Select in the I nfotai nment system:
IMENU I but­
ton
> Ve hicle > le ft control button > Dri ver a ss is ­
tance
> Speed warning > Manual.
@ Tips
Regard less of the speed warning system, you
should always monitor yo ur speed using the
speedomete r and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
A ssi st a nce systems
Cruise control system
Switching on
Applies to: vehicles with cruise control system
The cruise con trol system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 15 mph
(20 km/h) .
0
f
~
0
Fig. 89 Op era ting leve r: cru ise co ntrol sys te m
.,. To switch t he system on, pull the lever into po-
sition
(D ¢ fig. 89 .
.,. Drive at the speed to be maintained.
.,. To store the speed, press the button @.
T he stored speed and the
@jltJ~i, (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) ind icator lig ht appear in the
instrument cluster display . An additional indica­
tor appears in the head-up display*.
T he speed is mainta ined by modifyi ng engine
power or through an active brake intervention.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to the traffic a round
you when the cruise control system is in op­
eration . You are always responsible for you r
speed and the distance be tween your ve hi­
cle and othe r vehicles .
- For safety reasons, cru ise cont rol should not
be used in the city, in stop -and-go t raff ic, on
winding roads a nd when road conditions a re
poor (su ch as ice, fog, g rave l, heavy ra in and
hy droplani ng), bec ause this in cr eases the
risk of an acciden t.
- S witch the cr uise con trol off tempor arily
when dr iv in g in turning lanes, highway exits
or in construction zones.
- P lease no te th at uncon sc iously "resting "
your foot on the accelerator ped al prevents
95