ground clearance AUDI A4 2018 Owners Manual

Driving
Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in for the first 1,000 mi les (1,500 km). Do not drive at speeds
that will exceed 2/3 of the maximum perm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid full 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
h igher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven during the first 1,000
miles (1,500 km) also affects the engine quality.
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in period, particularly when running a cold
engine. This will reduce engine wear and improve
the mileage .
Do not drive at too low of an engine speed (RPM) .
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high engine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
(D Note
When driving on poor roads, by curbs and on
steep ramps, make su re that low-hang ing
components such as the spoi ler and exhaust
system do not come into contact with these
or they could be damaged. This especially ap­
plies to vehicles with low ground clearance
and vehicles that are heavily loaded.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk 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 .
80
-Do not drive faster than walking speed .
A WARNING
After driving through water or mud, the effec­
tiveness of the brakes may be reduced due to
moisture on the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few careful brake applications should dry
off the brakes and restore the full braking ef­
fect .
{CT) Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical sys-
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water .
-Always switch the Start/Stop system* off
when driving through water <=:>page
85.
@ Tips
-Determine the depth before driving through
water.
-Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine off when driving through
water .
'
-Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safe ly .
-Avoid driving through salt water, because
this can cause corrosion .
Economical and environmentally -friendly
dr iving
The amount of fuel consumption, the environ­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and tires depends mostly on your driving
style. With an anticipatory and economic driving
style, fuel consumption can be reduced by ap­ proximately 10-15%. The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerating.
When you drive with anticipation, you do not need to brake as often and so you accelerate less.
When possible, let your vehicle coast with a gear
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Also see¢ page 146, Electronic stabilization
control (ESC) .
The all-wheel drive system dist ributes the d riving
power var iably to the front and rear axle. It works
together with selective whee l torque cont rol,
which activates when driving through curves
c:> page 146. With the sport differentia l*, power
d istribution to the rear wheels is variable and can
be adjusted using the dr ive select
c:> page 134.
The all wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power. Your ve hicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under norma l dr iving condit ions and on
snow and ice . Always read and fo llow safety pre ­
cautions
c:> .&. .
Winter t ires
By us ing all wheel drive, yo ur vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in w inte r con­
d itions. However, using winter or all season tires
on
all four wheels in the winter is recommended ,
because this will improve the
braking effec t.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
also be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
c:> page 350, Snow chains .
Replacing tire s
For vehicles with all whee l drive, only whee ls with
the same ro lling circumference s hou ld be used.
Avoid using tires w ith different tread depths
c:> page 341, New tires or wheels.
Offroad vehicle?
The ground clearance is too low on some mode ls
to drive on rough terrain. Therefore, avoid off­ road trips.
A WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with a ll w heel d rive, adapt
your dr iv ing style to the current road and
t raff ic conditions . Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into tak ing risks,
because t his increases the r is k of an acci­
dent .
Intellig ent Technology
- The braking ab ility o f your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the wheels. In this way, it
is not different from a two wheel drive vehi­
cle . Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
h igh speed whe n the road is sli ppery, be­
cause this i ncreases the risk of an accident.
- No te that o n wet streets, the fron t wheels
can "hydrop la ne" if dr iv ing at speeds that
are too high. Unlik e front wheel d rive
veh icles, the engine does not rev h ig her sud­
denly when the vehicle begins hydrop laning.
F orthisre ason,ad aptyo urspeedto the
road conditions to re duce the risk of an acci­
dent .
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine .
When a vehicle with a conventional energy sys­
tem is not drive n for a long time, the ve hicle bat­
te ry is d rained by equipment (for example, t he
immob ilizer). In certa in circ ums tances , there
c ou ld m ay no t be eno ugh e nergy to start the en­
gine.
You r vehicle is equi pped with an in tell igent ener­
gy manageme nt system fo r dist ributing electrici­
ty. This sig nifican tly improves the start ing ability
and in cre ase s t he vehicle battery life.
The ene rgy ma nagement system Is made up of
battery diagnosi s, idling current management ,
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
The battery diagnos is determines the vehicle bat­
te ry c harge level. The sensors determine the bat ­
te ry vo ltage, the batte ry cu rrent, and the batte ry
temperat ure. The current c ha rge level and t he
perfo rman ce of the vehicle battery a re de ter-
mine d base d on this.
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