
selector lever position is engaged. As soon as
you press the accelerator pedal, the parking brake releases automatically and your vehicle
starts to move
¢ page 83.
(D Tips
- Occasional noises when the parking brake is
set and re leased are normal and are not a
cause for concern.
- The parking brake goes through a self-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises associated with this are normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking brake will not set if it is released, and it will not
release if it is
set¢&. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa
cility for assistance .
Starting from a stop
Various convenience and safety functions may be
available when the vehicle begins driving, de
pending on vehicle equipment.
Starting on hills with the parking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed.
~ To start driving comfortably when on a hill, set
the parking brake and begin driving as usual.
The braking force of the parking brake does not release automatically until the wheels build up
enough driving force .
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on hills.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the engine must be running.
~ To activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seconds. The vehicle
must be in an uphill direction of travel.
After releasing the brake pedal, the braking pow
er is maintained for a brief
moment ¢.&. to pre
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting.
::li During this time, you can eas ily beg in to move .-<
~ your vehicle.
N .-< 0 N > 00
Driving
A WARNING ,-
Applies to: ve hicles with h ill ho ld assist
- If you do not begin driving immediately or
the engine stalls after releasing the brake
pedal, your veh icle may begin to roll back
ward. Press the brake pedal or set the park
ing brake immediately.
- The intelligent technology of hill hold assist
cannot overcome the limitations imposed by
natural physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by hill hold assist should not cause
you to take safety risks.
- Hill hold assist cannot hold the vehicle in
place on all hills (for example, if the ground
is slippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk of an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
while stationary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmiss ions
T he automatic transmission is controlled elec
tronically . Upshifting and downshifting occur au
tomatically.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transm ission selects the most economica l dr iv ing
mode. The transmission upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency.
In the "S" selector lever position, the transm is
sion switches to a sporty mode after a kick-down
or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style
characterized by quick accelerator pedal move
ments, heavy acce leration, frequent changes in
speed and traveling at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) ¢ page 88, Manual
shifting (tiptronic mode).
The S tronic is a dual-clutch transmission. Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde
pendently from one another. They replace the
torque converter used in conventional automatic
.,.
83

u. 00 .-< N l' N .-< 0 N > 00
mode or in the "S" sport mode . To select the "S"
sport mode, pu ll the selector lever back briefly.
Pu lling the lever back again will se lect the nor
mal "D" mode. The instrument cl uster display
shows the selected driving mode.
In the
no rmal mode "D", the transmission auto
mat ica lly selects the su itab le gear ratio . It de
pends on eng ine load, vehicle speed and driving
s tyle.
The engine's power reserves are used fully in the
Sport mode "S ". Shifting may become noticeab le
when accelerating.
To move from selector lever position "N" to "D",
you must press the brake pedal and the vehicle must be traveling less t han 1 mp h (2 km/ h) or be
stationary ¢.&, .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The veh icle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off .
- Never select "R" or "P" w hile driving, be
cause this increases the risk of an accident.
-Power is sti ll transmitted to the w heels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle. To pre
vent the ve hicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake i n all selector
lever posit ions (except "P") when t he engine
is runn ing. Othe rw ise, this inc reases the risk
of an accident.
- Do not inadvertent ly press the accelerator
peda l w hen the veh icle is stopped if a gear is
engaged. Ot herw ise the r is k of an accident
in creases because the vehicle will s tart to
move immediately, even if th e p arking bra ke
is set.
- T o red uce the risk of an acci dent, do no t
press the acce le ra to r pedal when cha nging
the se lecto r lever position while the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is ru nning.
- Never leave yo ur vehicle wi th t he engine
running whi le in gear. If yo u m ust leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running, set
the parking brake and move the se lecto r lev
er to the "P" pos ition.
Driving
- To reduce the r is k of an accident, the se lec
to r lever m ust be in the "P" position and the
parking brake must be set before opening
the hood and working on a runni ng engine .
A lways read and follow the app licab le warn
in gs ¢ page 318, Working in the engine
c ompartment.
- Read and fo llow ing a ll WARNINGS ¢&. in
Driving tips on page 86 .
@ Note
Never let the vehicle roll dow nhill w it h eng ine
off a nd the selector leve r in the
"N" posit io n,
because th is co uld damage the a utoma tic
transm ission and catalyt ic co nverter.
(D Tips
- Audi dr ive se lect: sporty shifti ng character
ist ics can be selected using the
Dynamic
dr iv ing mode ¢ page 140 "S" w ill appea r in
the inst rument cl uste r display instead of
"D ...
- If you a ccidentally select " N" whil e d riving,
take your foo t off the acce lerator peda l im
me diately a nd wai t fo r the eng ine to s low
down to id le befo re selectin g "D" or "S".
- If the re is a powe r fail ure, the se lector lever
w ill not move ou t of the " P" position. The
emergency re lease can be used if t his hap
pens
¢ page 90.
(D Tips
If the se lector lever does not engage, there is
a malfunction . T he engine is disabled to pre
vent the vehicle from driving off unintention
a lly. To allow the selector leve r to engage
again, proceed as fo llows:
- Briefly press the b ra ke peda l.
- If the vehicle does not move forward or in
reverse even tho ugh a d rive positio n is se
lected, p roceed as follows :
- If the vehicle does not move in the desired
direction, the system may not have engaged
the drive position cor rect ly. Press the brake
peda l and select the dr ive position again.
IJ>
85

Driving
& WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome phys ical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all condit ions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
Manual shifting (tiptronic mode)
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually.
F ig. 9 3 Center conso le : shifting manually w ith the se lector
l ever
F ig . 94 Steering wheel: shifting manual ly w it h the s hift
paddles*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can sh ift into tiptro nic mode while stationary
a nd while driv ing.
• To s hift into tiptronic mode, p ush the selector
lever from the "D/S" position to the right in the
t ip tr onic sh ift gate . Once the transmission has
swi tched modes, t he se lec tor lever posi tion
M
is shown in the instrumen t clus ter display
¢ page 84, fig. 90. For example, M4 means the
fo urth gear is engaged.
• To shift up a gear, tap the se lector lever for
ward
0 ¢ fig. 93 .
88
• To shift down a gear, tap the selecto r lever
backward
0 -
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the s hift paddles in the "D/S" or
" M " (tiptro nic shift ga te) se lec tor lever posi tions.
• To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig . 94.
• To shift down a gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
• Applies to: RS models: to select the lowest/
highest possi ble gear, press and hold the sh if t
paddle
0 10 .
If the shift paddles a re tapped wh ile in the "D/S"
selector lever position, a utomat ic mode sw itches
off briefly . To swit ch from manually shift ing bac k
to automatic shifting immediate ly, tap t he shift
padd le
0 ¢ fig . 94 for 1 second .
To keep sh ift ing using the shift padd les, move
the selec to r l ever to the right o ut o f th e "D/S" po
sition into the tiptronic shift gate .
The tra nsmission a utomatically sh ifts up or dow n
before cr itical engine speed is reac hed.
Applies to: RS models: when accelerating, the
transm iss ion does
not au tomatically shift to the
next gear short ly before the maxim um permitted
engine RP M is re ached. Shift to the next highest
gear at the right time.
The tra nsmission on ly allows manual shifting
whe n the engine speed is w ith in the perm itted
r a nge.
Kick-down
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmissions
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you p ress the accelerator pedal down be
yo nd the res istance point (called kick-down), the
automat ic transmission downshifts into a lower
gear, depending on vehicle s peed and engine
RPM .
It shifts up into the next higher gear once
t h e maximum specified engine RPM is reached .
Applies to: RS models: in tipt ronic mode, the
transm iss ion does
not automa tic ally shift down
i nto a lower ge ar. If yo u m ust accelera te, for ex
ample to pass a vehi cle, you mus t sh ift manually .
..,.

Driving
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
[i1 Transmission: malfunction! You can contin
ue driving with limited function. No reverse
gear
There is a system malfunction in the transm is
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
You cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to an
authorized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor
rected .
[i1 Transmission: malfunction! You can contin
ue driving in
D until engine is off
Drive the vehicle away from movi ng traffic and
park. See an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility for assistance.
[i1 Transmission: too hot . Please adapt driving
style
The transmission tempe rature has increased s ig
n ificant ly. Dr ive very cautiously or take a break
from driving unt il the temperature returns to the
normal range and the indicator light turns off.
[O] Transmis sion: please press brake pedal and
select gear again
If the transmission malfu nctions because the
temperature is too high, a message appears
when the transmission is cooled .
90
Selector lever emergency release
Applies to : vehicles wi th automatic transmissions
If the vehicle's power supply fails, the selector
lever can be released in an emergency .
Fig. 95 Selector leve r: remov ing the shifter boot
Fig. 96 Selector lever: using the emergency release to
move out of the Pa rk posit ion
To maneuver or tow the vehicle, the emergency
release must be used to move the selector lever
from the P position .
The emergency release mechanism is located in
the right area under the selector lever shift gate .
Using the emergency release can be complicated .
We recommend contacting an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Aud i Service Facility for as
s is tance, if necessary.
The screwdr iver from the vehicle tool kit located
i n the luggage compartment is needed to for the
emergency re lease
c::> page 360 . Use the flat side
of the reversible screwdriver blade.
Removing the shifter boot
.,. Set the park ing brake(®) ¢.& to secure your
veh icle from rolling. If this is not possible, se
cure your vehicle from rolling using another
method .
.,. Switch the ignit ion off.

e-tron
for the high voltage battery can lead to seri
ous damage and/or a decrease of the capacity
void coverage under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith plug- in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
IS TAR T ENGINE STOP I button . Please also read
the information under
Q page 76, Starting the
engine.
Establishing drive ready mode
See Q .& in Introduction on page 92.
Requirement: a charging cable must not be con
nected to the vehicle
Qpage 115 and the selec
tor lever must be in the "P" or
"N" position.
- Press the brake peda l.
- Press th e
I START ENGINE STOPI button .
When the veh icle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the powe r meter points to
READY Q page 95.
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electr ic motor after
establishing the dr ive ready mode and if the con
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
Qpage98.
The cond itions to drive are essentially the same
as for the automat ic transmission
Q page 83 .
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acceleration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ign ition off with the
I START ENGINE STOP ! button.
Vehicle sound1>
The vehicle generates an electronic engine sound
so that you r vehicle can be heard from the out
side when in electr ic drive mode. The veh icle
l) Not available in all markets.
94
sound automatically fades out at higher speeds
when the sounds from the tires and wind start in
creasing .
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignition on without establish
in g drive ready mode.
- To switch the ign ition on or off, press the
!START ENGINE STOPI button. Do not press the
brake pedal while do ing this.
When the ignition is switched on, the needle
stays pointed at
OFF CD Q page 95, fig. 98 or
OFF is displayed CD~ page 95, fig. 98.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni
tion is switched off.
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the vehicle battery from draining, the
i gnition will switch off automatically under the
follow ing cond it ions:
- The vehicle has already been driven.
- The vehicle is stationary.
- The gasoline engine is not runn ing.
- The driver's door is opened.
- The driver's safety belt is unbuckled .
- The brake pedal is not pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights will switch off automatically in 30 mi
nutes. See owner 's manual
appears in the instru
ment cluster display . The parking lights will
switch off after approximately 30 minutes or
when you lock the veh icle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo
tor continues running and the ignition does not
automat ically switch off
Q & .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces .
-

e-tr on
~ To switch between the short -term and long
term memory, turn the left thumbwhee l on the
multifunction steering whee l.
Setting plug-in hybrid drive modes
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
You con select between one electric mode and
two hybrid modes .
Fig . 1 01 Center console: but ton c:=!i'
~ Press the 14• 1 button repeatedly until the de
s ired dr ive mode is d isplayed in the instrument
cluster/Infota inment system display .
You can change modes when the vehicle is sta
tionary or while driving . If the veh icle operat ing
conditions will not allow you to set the mode
manually , the last act ive mode is se lected.
The active mode is displayed the first t ime the
14' 1
button is pressed .
,cf,V e-tron mod e: E V -EV mode is electric driv ing
only . EV mode is active at the beginning of every
tr ip depend ing on the operating condition of the
veh icle . T he LED in the
14"1 button turns on .
The. indicator light also appea rs in the instru
ment cluste r. T he gasoline eng ine rema ins
t urned off, as long as the cond it io n s for electr ic
driving are
met ¢ page 98, Conditions for elec
tric driving.
~ e- tron m ode : H ybrid -the electr ic motor and
t he gasoline engine wo rk efficien tly toge ther in
hybrid mode . The high -vo ltage battery will be
used to the fullest extent when t his mode is
switched on. This mode is best suited for long
d istances .
.. ~ e -t ro n mode: Batt ery Hold -the electric mo
tor and the gasoline engine work together in Bat -
98
tery Hold mode, so that the high -voltage battery
charge level is maintained as much as possib le .
(D Tips
- Applies to: Battery Hold mode: th e h igh
vo ltage battery charge level can sti ll de
crease depending on the driving behavior.
- If you select the sport driving mode "S"
when in EV mode, the Battery Ho ld mode is
automatically selected.
- If the
14"1 ¢ page 98 button is pressed w hile
in sport driving mode "S", the transmission
switches automatica lly to normal mode "D".
- When temperatures are below approxi
mate ly
14 °F ( -10 °C), the vehicle heat out
put in EV mode is reduced in order to attain
higher ranges. If the windows fog up or a
hig her heat output is desired, switch on the
Hybrid or Battery Hold mode .
Conditions for electric driving
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
The EV mode ca n only be switched o n if the fol
l ow ing condit ions are met:
- The charge level of the high-voltage battery
must be sufficient .
- The temperature of the high-voltage battery
must be adequate (outside temperatures not
below approx imately
14°F / -10°( and not
above
1 04°F / 40°C)
- The speed must not be h igher than approxi -
mate ly
80 mph (130 km/h) .
- Kick -down must not be activated .
- The sport drive mode "S " must not be selected .
EV mode is switched off if one or more of the
conditions are not met. The gasoline engine wi ll
start automatically. The
l!'§'J indi cator light turns
on as a message in the instrument cluster. The
LED in the
14" 1 butto n and the . indicator light
turn off .
E lectric drive mode will not contin ue automati -
cally. React ivate the EV
mode ¢ page 98. Ill-

u. 00 ... N l' N ... 0 N > 00
(D Tips
It may be necessary for the gasoline engine to
r u n longer for technical reasons, such as
when condensation accumu lates in the en
gine. Driving exclusively in electric mode is
not possible in this phase.
Plug-in hybrid functions
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
The funct ions descr ibed below act ivate automati
cally depending on the driv ing sty le.
Full-throttle acceleration (boost)
The boost funct ion is act ivated by pressing the
accelerator pedal farther down (kick-down). The
vehicle is powered by both the gasoline engine
and the electric motor when in full accelerat io n.
Boost is only availab le for a sho rt time , because it
uses a large amou nt of energy. Ava ilability de
pends on the high-voltage battery charge level.
Coasting
The gasoline engine switches off and disengages
at speeds up to approximate ly 112 mph
(180 km/h) if the accelerator pedal is not p ress-
Tips for efficient driving
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Driving situations Conditions
e-tron
ed and the "D" position is selected. Driving con
servative ly like this can reduce fuel consumption .
Energy recovery (recuperation)
When braking, t he e lectr ic moto r will act as a
generato r creat ing elect ric energy that is then
stored in the hig h-voltage battery. This also o c
curs when the vehicle is coasting or driving down
hill .
If the brakes are applied early and evenly, the
electric motor w ill brake the vehicle @
¢
page 95, fig. 98. By doing this, a large amount
of the kinetic energy is recovered and may be
stored as electric energy in the high-voltage bat
tery . The conventional brakes are also activated
when the brakes are pressed very hard.
The strength of recuperation can depend on the
following factors:
- If you are in tiptronic mode ¢
page 88. Or
- I f the sport dr iv ing mode "S" was se lected.
The energy recovery is shown in the energy flow
display in the instrument cluster display/Info
ta inment system
¢ page 100.
Vehicle behavior
-Cautious driving and reserved ac- The kinetic energy of the ve hicle is used to
ce leration . move the vehicle.
Constant driving and
-Re lease the accelerator pedal The gasoline engine turns off automati-
coasting (gliding)
early and entirely. cally and disengages when you release the
accelerator pedal completely . The veh icle
glides w ithout being propelled .
-Brake early and evenly with short The electric motor brakes the vehicle. By
E nergy recove ry ( re- pedal movements.
doing this, a large amount of the kinetic
energy is recovered and may be stored in
cu perat ion)
the high-voltage battery in the form of
electr ic energy .
Driv ing in city traffic
-Accelerate moderately and brake The kinetic energy o f the ve hicle is used to
early and evenly move the vehicle.
99
...

e-tron
Driving situations Conditions Vehicle behavior
-Intentionally take your foot off of The gasoline engine turns off automati-
the gas pedal to allow for pro- cally and disengages when you release the longed coasting. accelerator pedal completely. The veh icle
Driving on highways glides without being propelled
.
- Reduce the vehicle speed by re-Fuel consumption can be reduced by
and expressways
leasing the accelerator pedal and coasting.
not by braking.
- Use the "S" selector lever position A sporty driving style increases fue l con-
and tiptron ic mode sparingly.
sumption.
- Do not run the gasoline engine to The temperature of the gasoline engine
warm the engine while the vehicle rises very s lowly and the fuel consump-
is parked tion increases considerably.
- Use the rear window/exterior This conserves the energy in the high-volt-
Driving in cold weath- mirror defogger and the seat heat-
age battery so that it is availab le to run
ing sparing ly. the vehicle in electric mode.
er
- Park the vehicle in a garage over-This reduces exposure of the high-voltage
n ight battery to cold temperatures. The re-
quired temperature range for the high-
voltage battery will then be reached more quickly after you start dr iving.
Energy flow display
Applies to : vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Fig. 102 Inst rument duster: energy flow display
An energy flow display can be shown in the in
strument cluster display/Infotainment system
1>.
The image is animated in the Infota inment sys
tem
1> .
l l Not available in all Infota inme nt syste ms.
100
Fig. 103 Infota inment system•: energy flow disp lay
Display of energy flow indicator in the
instrument cluster display
.,. Open the first Veh icle tab (tr ip compute r) using
the
l q 1> I button on the multifunction steering
wheel.
.,. Applies to: vehicles with Audi virtual cockpit: on
the multifunction steering wheel, select: left
control button
> Energy flow.