2020 AUDI A8 engine

4N0012721BD
Driving

prevents too much stress from being placed on
the locking mechanism.

ZA\ WARNING
— Always set the parking brake when leaving
your vehicle, even if for a short period of
time. If the parking brake is not set, the ve-
hicle could roll away, increasing the risk of
an accident.
— Do not leave your vehicle unattended while
the engine is running, because this increases
the risk of an accident.
— If the parking brake is set, it can release au-
tomatically when the accelerator pedal is
pressed. To reduce the risk of an accident,
do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal and always shift into “P” when the ve-
hicle is stopped.
— If you leave the vehicle, switch the ignition
off and take the key with you. This is espe-
cially important when leaving persons or an-
imals in the vehicle. Otherwise, the vehicle
could start unintentionally, the parking
brake could release, or electronic equipment
could activate, which increases the risk of an
accident.
— No persons or animals should be left in a
locked vehicle. Locked doors make it more
difficult for emergency workers to enter the
vehicle, which puts lives at risk.
— If you do not begin driving immediately af-
ter releasing the brake pedal, your vehicle
may begin to roll backward. Press the brake

pedal or set the parking brake immediately.

@) Note
If you have to stop on an incline, always press
the brake pedal to hold the vehicle in place to
reduce the risk of the vehicle rolling back-
ward. Do not try to hold the vehicle in place
by pressing and holding the accelerator pedal.
The transmission can overheat, which increas-
es the risk of damage.
Hill hold assist
If you take your foot off of the brake pedal when
driving on hills, the braking force will be held for
several seconds. At that time, you can start driv-
ing without the vehicle rolling backward.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed,
the engine must be on, and the vehicle must be
traveling uphill.
> To activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seconds while the vehi-
cle is stationary.

Z\ WARNING
— If you do not begin driving immediately af-
ter releasing the brake pedal, your vehicle
may begin to roll backward. Press the brake
pedal or set the parking brake immediately.
— The hill hold assist cannot hold the vehicle
on inclines in every scenario (for example,
on slippery or icy ground).
Messages
Take over!


The vehicle cannot be held in place automatically.
Press the brake pedal to secure the vehicle from
rolling away unintentionally.
Gears and driving programs
Oo
@—*

RAZ-0410:



R
N
tt
D/S
7 NEI
Fig. 98 Center console: selector lever


The automatic transmission shifts automatically
depending on the selected gear and the current
driving style. When driving with a moderate driv-
ing style, upshifting early and downshifting late
will help to improve fuel economy. When driving
with a sporty driving style, the transmission per-
mits higher RPMs.
The gears are displayed next to the selector lever. >
113

Driving

—P (Park)
— R (Reverse)
—N (Neutral)
—D (Drive)
Selecting a gear
Requirement: the ignition must be switched on.
— Bring the vehicle to a full stop and press the
brake pedal.
— Press the release button (@ on the selector lev-
er.
—To select the nearest gear, move the selector
lever forward or back until you feel the first
pressure point.
—To skip a gear (for example, move from “D” to
“R”), move the selector lever past the pressure
point in the desired direction.
— The label next to the selector lever for the se-
lected gear will light up.
“N” (Neutral) gear
In the “N” gear, power is not transmitted to the
driving wheels. Use the “N” gear in a car wash
(with conveyor belts), for example.
If you unintentionally select “N” while driving
(faster than 1 mph (2 km/h)), you can also shift
back to “D” without pressing the brake pedal.
For safety reasons, the vehicle cannot be locked
when the transmission is in the "N” gear.
“p” (Park) gear
Requirement: the ignition must be switched on.
The vehicle is secured from rolling away by the
parking lock when in the “P” gear.
— Bring the vehicle to a full stop and press the
brake pedal.
— Press the “P” button @) on the selector lever.
— The “P” next to the selector lever will light up.
“P” engages automatically if you switch the en-
gine off while the “D” or “R” gear is selected. If
you switch the engine off in “N”, “P” will engage
automatically after approximately 30 minutes.
If you want to switch to another gear from “P”,
the engine must be running.
114
If you cannot shift out of “P”, for example be-
cause the vehicle has no power, you may need to
use the emergency release for the parking lock
=> page 116.
Selecting the driving program
Various driving programs can be selected when in
the “D” gear. The programs influence when the
transmission shifts and how the accelerator ped-
al responds.
The selected driving program is displayed in the
instrument cluster.
— D (Drive): normal driving mode
— S (Sport): sporty driving mode
If you select the Dynamic mode in Audi drive se-
lect*, the “S” driving program will be activated.
When the ignition is switched off, the driving pro-
gram may be reset to “D”.
To switch between the current driving program
and “S”, push the selector lever toward the rear.
Plug-in hybrid drive: if you press the while in “S”, the “D” driving program will be se-
lected.

A WARNING
— Before starting to drive, check if the desired
gear is displayed next to the selector lever.
— Always secure your vehicle from rolling
away. Press the brake pedal or shift to “P”.
When leaving the vehicle, also set the park-
ing brake.
— Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre-
vent the vehicle from “creeping”, you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except "P" and "N") when
the engine is running.
— To reduce the risk of an accident, do not
press the accelerator pedal when changing
gears if the vehicle is stationary and the en-
gine is running.
— Never select the “R" or "P” gears while driv-
ing. Doing so could cause an accident.
— The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.

4N0012721BD
Driving

@ Tips
If you shift between “D” and “R” within one
second, you do not need to press the brake
pedal. This makes it possible to “rock” if it is
stuck, for example.
Manual shifting

RAZ.0411


Fig. 99 Center console: shifting manually with the selector
lever




Fig. 100 Steering wheel: shift paddles*
You can shift the gears manually when in “D”
mode. The transmission must be in tiptronic
mode.
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into manual shifting mode while the
vehicle is stationary or while driving.
> To switch to manual shifting mode, tilt the se-
lector lever toward the front passenger's side
=> fig. 99. “M” will be displayed in the instru-
ment cluster.
> Upshifting: push the selector lever forward @).
> Downshifting: push the selector lever toward
the rear (©).
> To switch back to automatic mode, tilt the se-
lector lever toward the driver's side.
Shifting with the shift paddles
Applies to: vehicles with shift paddles
» Upshifting: press the @) shift paddle > fig. 100.
> Downshifting: press the ©) shift paddle.
> To engage the lowest possible gear for maxi-
mum acceleration, press and hold the ©) shift
paddle.
> To switch back to automatic mode, press and
hold the (@) shift paddle or push the selector
lever toward the rear.
If you stop using the shift paddles temporarily,
the transmission will switch back to automatic
mode. To keep shifting manually, tilt the selector
lever toward the front passenger's side.
o Tips
— The transmission only allows manual shift-
ing when the engine speed is within the per-
mitted range.
— The transmission automatically shifts up or
down before critical engine speed is
reached.
Accelerator pedal



Fig. 101 Footwell: accelerator pedal
You can accelerate the vehicle using the accelera-
tor pedal.
Depending on the equipment, you may be able to
adjust the haptic feedback for the accelerator
pedal in the MMI.
— Select on the home screen: VEHICLE > (Charg-
ing & Efficiency) > Efficiency assist > (Interac-
tive accelerator). >
115

Driving

Accelerator pedal feedback / predictive
messages
Haptic feedback in the accelerator pedal indi-
cates when you should take your foot off the ac-
celerator pedal to drive more efficiently.
Combustion engine startup
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
A haptic pressure point indicates when the com-
bustion engine will be started. The pressure point
is variable and depends on the high-voltage bat-
tery charge level.
Coasting or recuperation
Power by electric motor
Pressure point
Power by combustion engine
©®OCO Maximum acceleration
Maximum acceleration
If you press the accelerator pedal all the way
down, the motor’s full power will be used and
you will reach maximum acceleration, also called
“kick-down”.
Applies to: vehicles with boost function: The elec-
tric motor can switch on for a brief period if the
accelerator pedal is pressed all the way down in
the “D” and “S” driving program. The availability
of this function depends on the charge level of
the high-voltage battery and the temperature of
the drive system components, among other
things.

ZA WARNING
The driving wheels could spin and the vehicle
could swerve on slick or slippery road surfaces
when using kick-down, which increases the
risk of an accident.

116
Parking lock emergency release
@


B4M-0189
@

Fig. 102 Footwell: releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
The emergency release is located under the floor
mat on the driver's side. Read and follow the im-
portant instructions about towing > page 324.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
> To prevent your vehicle from rolling away, set
the parking brake ©) > page 124.
> Pry the cover off at one of the openings using
the screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit
> page 316.
> Insert the socket wrench from the vehicle tool
kit into the opening.
> Turn the socket wrench clockwise () until it
stops and press it downward (2) until it locks in-
to place.
> Leave the socket wrench inserted.
Resetting the parking lock
> Grasp the socket wrench with both hands and
carefully pull it upward to remove.
> Install the cover.

ZA WARNING
— The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehi-
cle.
— The parking lock may only be released using
the emergency release if the parking brake
is set. If it is not working, secure the vehicle
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 acci-


dent. >

4N0012721BD
Driving


— Only activate the emergency release while
ona level surface or a slight slope.
—To reduce the risk of an accident, you must
not drive when the emergency release is ac-
tivated.

Messages
i Transmission: malfunction! Safely stop vehi-
cle
Do not continue driving. Stop the vehicle as soon
as possible in a safe location and secure it so it
does not roll. See an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
i] Transmission: too hot. Please stop vehicle
Do not continue driving. Select "P" and contact an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility for assistance.
[8] Transmission: too hot. Please adapt driving
style
The transmission temperature has increased sig-
nificantly. Drive very cautiously or take a break
from driving until the temperature returns to the
normal range and the indicator light turns off.
fl Transmission: malfunction! You can contin-
ue driving. See owner's manual
There is a system malfunction in the transmis-
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to an au-
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[8] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin-
ue driving with limited function. Please contact
Service
There is a system malfunction in the transmis-
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certain gears or
may no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
[8] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin-
ue driving with limited function. No reverse
gear
There is a system malfunction in the transmis-
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shifts into certain gears or
may no longer shift at all. The engine may stall.
You cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor-
rected.
[&] Transmission: malfunction! You can contin-
ue driving in D until engine is off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis-
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. If you turn the engine off, you will not be
able to select any other gears after restarting the
engine. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au-
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
fs Selector lever: malfunction! You can contin-
ue driving. Please contact Service
There is a system malfunction in the selector lev-
er. Drive immediately to an authorized Audi deal-
er or authorized Audi Service Facility to have the
malfunction repaired.
il Selector lever: malfunction! Gear change on-
ly possible if using both shift paddles.
There is a system malfunction in the selector lev-
er. You can continue driving with restricted func-
tion. The selector lever is not working. Gears can
only be selected by tapping both shift paddles at
the same time when the vehicle is stationary. The
“P” gear is automatically engaged when you turn
off the engine. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
fs} P button: malfunction! Auto P when engine
off. Please contact Service
There is a malfunction in the "P" button on the
selector lever. The “P” gear is automatically en-
gaged when you turn off the engine. Drive to an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor-
rected.
fs] Danger of rolling away! P not possible.
Please apply parking brake
117

Driving

The parking lock was released using the emer-
gency release > page 116 or can no longer be en-
gaged. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au-
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
Move selector lever to automatic position
The transmission has switched out of tiptronic
mode. Switch back to automatic mode with the
selector lever > page 115.
Drive system
A new vehicle must be broken in within the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km) so that all moving parts
work smoothly together, which helps to increase
the service life of the engine and other drive com-
ponents.
Do not drive higher than two-thirds of the maxi-
mum permitted engine RPM during the first 600
miles (1,000 km) and do not use full accelera-
tion. The engine can be increased RPM gradually
during the next 300 miles (500 km).
Conventional and mild hybrid drive system
Applies to: vehicles with a conventional drive system or a mild
hybrid drive system
Vehicles with a conventional or mild hybrid drive
system are powered by a combustion engine. It
uses fuel to recover energy.
Vehicles with a mild hybrid drive system have ad-
ditional battery technology.
Plug-in hybrid drive
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
With plug-in hybrid drive, you can select between
the electric and combustion engine drive systems
or combine them > page 119, > page 115.
Coasting
Similar to vehicles with a conventional drive sys-
tem, plug-in hybrid drive vehicles can also disen-
gage the combustion engine to save fuel. The ve-
hicle rolls without an engine braking effect in this
mode, which is like “coasting”. However, the elec-
118
tric portion of the drive system remains engaged
and recuperates if necessary. The coasting func-
tion can be automatically activated in the “D” or
“E” driving program. This occurs automatically
when you take your foot off the accelerator ped-
al.
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
The vehicle is able to recover energy by using “re-
cuperation”. The electric drive system operates
like a generator and converts a large portion of
kinetic energy into electrical energy that is stored
in the high-voltage battery. The vehicle is braked
during recuperation, which is similar to the en-
gine braking effect on a vehicle with a combus-
tion engine. This will happen automatically when
you press the brake pedal while driving in “D”
gear, or when you remove your foot from the ac-
celerator pedal.
When you press the brake pedal, recuperation is
used to brake the vehicle. The brakes will only be
activated if necessary. When driving normally,
this makes it possible to brake using only recu-
peration just before coming to stop and to lose
little energy and range from braking.
Settings options
You can set if recuperation should be adjusted to
be proactive*, for example, to the road.
> Applies to: MMI: Select on the home screen:
VEHICLE > Charging & Efficiency > Efficiency
assist > Intelligent coasting.

Z\ WARNING
In certain situations, the recuperation may
brake proactively. However, the recuperation
braking effect is limited. Always be ready to
brake to reduce the risk of an accident.
G) Tips
If the ESC is limited or switched off, automat-
ic recuperation is not available and will not
brake.

4N0012721BD
Driving

Operating mode
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
Switching operating modes
The <¥ button is located in the function bar on
the lower display.
> Press driving.
Hybrid driving
If the ing in hybrid mode. The vehicle can be driven
with the combustion engine or with the electric
motor if the conditions for it have been met
= page 119, Conditions for electric driving.
You can switch between hybrid modes:
> Applies to: MMI: Select on the home screen:
VEHICLE > Charging & Efficiency > e-tron
mode.
© AUTO - The electric motor and combustion
engine work efficiently together. This mode is
particularly effective for long trips.
“HOLD - The vehicle is driven predominantly
with the combustion engine to maintain the
high-voltage battery charge level for as long as
possible.
If Kis displayed, the navigation route guidance
is active and the vehicle is taking the route data
into account for selecting the drive mode. The ve-
hicle will calculate what sections of the route
should be driven on using electric power in order
to achieve the most efficient driving style that is
possible. Electric driving is preferred for sections
of the route predicted to have lower speeds, such
as in towns or traffic jams.
Electric driving
The switched on. The vehicle can be driven by the
electric motor if the conditions for this have been
met > page 119, Conditions for electric driving.
Conditions for electric driving
— The high-voltage battery charge level and tem-
perature must be sufficient.
— Driving program “S” must not be selected.
— The driving speed is under approximately 86
mph (140 km/h).
— The accelerator pedal must not be pressed too
hard.
Indicator lights


Symbol | Meaning

EV mode is switched on and active.
You are driving only with electric
power.
EV mode is switched on, but is tem-
porarily in standby mode. Once the
conditions are met again, electric
driving will resume.
EV mode is not available, because
the conditions for electric driving
have not been met.
The combustion engine is running.
The HOLD hybrid mode is active.
The AUTO hybrid mode is active.
[The AUTO hybrid mode is active. |

Navigation data will be considered.
(i) Tips
— Depending on the driving style, the high-
voltage battery charge level may still go
down when in HOLD mode.
— When map data is outdated, no navigation
data will be considered.
— If you select a destination in the navigation
that is outside of the electric range, the ve-
hicle may exit EV mode.
Energy flow display
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive



Fig. 103 MMI: energy flow display
You can display the current energy distribution of
the vehicle.
119
>

Driving

> Applies to: MMI: Select on the home screen:
VEHICLE > Vehicle data.
> You may need to scroll down to the Energy flow
display.
@ Combustion engine
— Orange: motor on
— Gray: motor off
@ High-voltage battery
— Green: charge level
— Gray: drive system not switched on
®) Directional arrow
— Green: electric driving
— Orange: driving with combustion engine
— Green-orange: driving with boost function
@) Directional arrow
— green: Recuperation
G) Tips
The energy flow display can also be displayed
in the instrument cluster under the vehicle
functions tab.
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
RAX-0139 Dee usc) (1)
Bire 120 mi 18 5)

Fig. 104 Range monitor
You can display the projected range of the vehi-
cle.
> Applies to: MMI: Select on the home screen:
VEHICLE > Vehicle data.
> You may need to scroll down to the Range
monitor display.
@ Range potential (value)
@ Range potential (graphic)
®) Total range (graphic)
@ Total range (value)
© Electric range (value)
120
Range potential: the value indicates the addi-
tional distance that may be gained by turning off
certain convenience functions. The convenience
functions with high energy usage are listed on
the display.
G) Tips
— The range can also be displayed in the in-
strument cluster in the on-board computer.
— The range that is indicated is based on the
previous and predicted consumption values.
For example, these can be affected if con-
venience functions are turned on.
Rye latiale]
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
You can display statistics about the trips traveled
using electric power and those using fuel. The
values are taken from the short-term memory
and long-term memory of the on-board comput-
er.
> Select on the home screen: VEHICLE > Vehicle
data.
> If necessary, scroll to the e-tron short-term
statistics or e-tron long-term statistics.
Vehicle sound
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
The electric drive system generates considerably
less noise than a combustion engine. An artificial
engine sound is generated when driving electri-
cally so that the vehicle can be heard from the
outside when driving. The vehicle sound auto-
matically fades out at higher speeds when the
sounds from the tires and wind start increasing.

ZA WARNING
Other road users may not be able to defini-
tively hear electric vehicles when they are
driving. This increases the risk of an accident
particularly when driving in areas with little
traffic, when maneuvering, or when driving in
reverse.