AUDI A8 2015 Owners Manual

the drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control
also responds to the driving behavior of the
veh icle ahead in a more conservative or sporty
manner.
E ngin e soun d*
The sound of the engine is adapted to the se­
l ected mode and ranges from subtle to sporty.
(D Note
- Make sure there is eno ugh clea rance
above and below the veh icle when park­
i ng. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i­
tions and changes to the dr iv ing modes,
which can affect clearance.
- When transporting the veh icle on a car
carrier, tra in, ship or by other means, on­
ly tie the veh icle down at the running
surface of the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Secur ing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or tow ing eyes is not pe rm itted because
the pressure in the air suspension stru ts
can cha nge during transport . The vehicle
may not be sec ured s ufficient ly if this
happens.
- If you a re going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
C? poge210.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynami c modes.
- Se lecting the
d ynamic mode results in
sporty shifting characteristics . The S
gear position engages automatically.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopping the engine. Th is does not indi­
cate a problem.
Audi dri ve sele ct 109
-In ve hicles w ith sport differentia l*, the
dynamic mode is deactivated when tow­
ing a trailer.
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
F ig. 116 MMI: Drive select
.,. To select the mode, se lect the following in
the MMI:
I CARI function button > C om fort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Individu al.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented ve hicle
setup a nd is suited for long drives on h igh­
ways .
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
namic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
use .
dy nami c -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driv ing style.
indi vidual -¢page 110.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi drive select to prevent potential risk
of an accident.

110 Audi drive select
Adjusting the Individual mode
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
• Se lect : I CAR ! function button > Set individu­
al
control button. You can now adjust the in­
dividual systems.
The
individual driving mode will automatical­
ly be activated when you have finished config­
uring the settings .
Systems Comfort
Engine
and Transmission balanced
Air suspension comfortable
Steering comfortable The equipment
in your vehicle will determine
which settings you can adjust. The following
table provides an overview of the characteris­
tics of each driving mode.
Auto Dynamic
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
Dynamic steering* comfortable/indirect balanced/direct sporty/direct
Sport differential * balanced agile sporty
Curve light* comfortable balanced sporty
Belt
tensioner Standard Standard Deployment time
adapted
Adaptive cruise control* comfortable
balanced sporty
Engine
sound* subtle subtle/sportya> sporty
a) Subt le in th e d riv ing posi tion D an d sp or ty in the driving pos itio n S
(D Tips
Your individual mode settings are auto­
matically stored and assigned to the re­
mote control key being used.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
Raising the vehicle
You can raise your vehicle temporarily, for ex­
ample to drive over a tall curb .
• Se lect the following in the MMI:
I CAR I func­
tion button
> Raise control button.
• Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to reach its final po­
sition .
Lowering the vehicle
• To lower the veh icle, select the following in
the MMI:
ICARI function button > Lower con­
tro l button. •
Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to lower comp lete­
ly.
0 Note
- Remember that your vehicle is not suita­
ble for driv in g offroad even when it is
raised. There is not enough ground clear­
ance.
- If the vehicle is raised, it will lower auto­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/
h) or faster .
Driver messages
Air suspension: vehicle currently too low.
Level control running
Air suspension: vehicle currently too high.
Level control running
The driver message switches off when the lev­
el control process is complete .

Night vision assistant
Night vision assistant
with pedestrian and
wild animal detection
Description
App lies to vehicles: with night visio n assistant
Night vision assistant with pedestrian and
wild animal detection assists you in darkness
by using an infrared camera to monitor the
area in front of your vehicle, within the lim its
of the system.
It can display objects up to ap­
proximately 1000 feet (300 meters) away.
The heat image detected by the camera is
shown in the instrument cluster display.
Warm areas appear lighter and cold areas ap­ pear darker.
Pedestrian and wild animal detection
Applies to vehicles: with nig ht visio n assistant
Fig . 117 Display: yellow pedestrian marking
Fig. 118 Display: symbol when infrared image is not
visible
Within the limits of the system, night vision
assistant can detect pedestrians and wild ani­
mals that are within the detection range be­
tween approximately 32 feet (10 meters) and
295 feet (90 meters) in front of the vehicle .
Night vision assistant 111
When it is dark outside and the headlights are
switched on, detected pedestrians and wild
animals are marked in ye llow
¢ fig. 117with­
in the limits of the system
¢page 112. Wild
animal detection is not active in built-up
areas. The system only detects large wild ani­
mals such as deer .
(!) Tips
-If another display such as navigation re­
places the image from the night vis ion
assistant, the~,, symbol appears in the
tab
¢fig. 118. You can call up night vi­
sion assistant using the buttons on the
mu ltifunc tion steering wheel
r::;, page 24.
Pedestrian and wild animal warning
App lies to vehicles: wi th night vision assistan t
Fig. 119 Instrument cluste r: @ pedest rian warning,
@ wild animal warning
Fig. 120 Instrument cluster : @ pedestr ian warning/
® wild animal warning when the night vision assistant
im age is not selected in th e instrument cluster display
Instrument cluster display/Head-up
Display*
If pedestrians or wild animals are detected in
an area in front of your vehicle that is consid­
ered critical, the system will attempt to draw
your attention to this by:
111>--

112 Night visi on assis tant
-Mark ing pedestrians or wi ld an imals in red
in the instrument cluster and turning on the
. or. symbo l¢ fig.119.
-Sounding a warning tone .
The area regarded as cr it ical depends on the
vehicle speed and steering angle . Pedestrian
and wild anima l warning a ims to increase you r
attention.
I f the n ight vision assistant image is replaced
by another d isplay such as the t rip computer,
the red indicator lamp . or.
c::;, fig . 120
will turn on when there is a pedestrian or wild
animal warning .
I f the Head-up Display* is swi tched on and the
night vision assistant disp lay content is acti­
vated, the display . or. appears in the
Head-up Display *.
General information
A ppl ies to vehicles : w ith nigh t visio n ass istant
F ig . 12 1 Fron t of the vehicle: night v ision a ssistant
camera
The follow ing s ituations may affect the func­
tion of the night vision assistant system:
- poor visibility such as snow , rain, fog or
heavy road spray
- dirty lens on the night vision assistant cam -
era
Make sure the night v is ion assistan t camera
c::;, fig . 121 is not covered by stickers, deposits
or any other obstructions beca use that can
prevent the camera from working properly.
For information on cleaning the lens, refer to
c::;,page214.
Pedestrian and wild animal detection depends
on the difference in temperature between the person/wild anima
l and the backg round area.
Pedestrians/w ild an imals may not be detected
if the d ifference is too sma ll. Pedestrian and
wild animal marking are deactivated at tem­
peratures above approximately 77 °F
(25 °()
and when it is light outside. When the night
v ision assistant image is selected in the in­
strument cluster d isplay, the
II symbo l ap·
pears in the upper right.
_&. WARNING
Night vision ass ista nt has limits and ca n­
not always detect pedestr ians . Always pay
close attention to t raffic and the area
a round your veh icle even when nig ht vision
assistant is switched on.
- Night vision assistant can only warn
about people and wild animals located
w ith in the visual range of the infrared
camera. The visua l range corresponds to
the image in the instrument cluster dis·
p lay.
- Night vision assistant may not detect
people or w ild an imals and mark them if
- they a re not in an up right po siti on, for
example if they are si tting or lying
down and/or
- the silhouette in the disp lay is incom­
plete or interrupted, for examp le be­
cause a perso n is partially covered by a
parked vehicle or a wild anima l is parti·
a lly covered by tall grass. This increases
the risk of a collision.
- Never try to swerve to avoid anima ls if
this will put you or other drivers at risk.
This could increase t he risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- Even though the shape and warmth radi·
ated by each object detected is evaluat·
ed, the system does have limitations and
it can give incorrect warnings .
- For technical reasons, the image pauses
in split second intervals.
-

rl N
rl N
0 J:
"". rl I.O
"' rl
"' ......
Switching on and off
App lies to vehicles: with night visio n ass istan t
Fig . 1 22 Area aro und the light switch: n ight visio n as ­
sistant butto n
~ Swi tch the ign ition on and turn t he lig ht
swi tch to t he AUTO position or gD.
~ To sw itch night visi on a ssista nt on, press the
~ -, b utton
r::!) fig. 122 . The image from the
night vision camera appears in the instru ­
ment cluster d isp lay.
~ Press the button~ ,, aga in to switch night vi­
s ion assistant off .
If con ditions are bright enough, night vision
assistant can be sw itched on without moving
the light switch to the AUTO position . Howev­
er, pedestrian and w ild an imal detection and
warn ings are o nly act ive when it is dark out­
side a nd the hea dlights are on.
Adjusting the contrast
A pp lies to vehicles: with night visio n ass istant
~ Se lect : ICARI fu nct ion but to n > Car sy stem s
control button > Driver assist > Night vision
a ssist contrast.
Wh en t he n ight vision assista nt is swi tched on
a nd the image is visib le in the di splay, you c an
adju st the contr ast in t he image from
min to
max.
Driver messages
A ppl ies to vehicles: with night visio n assistant
Night vision assistant : system malfunction!
The system c annot wor k prope rly an d is
switche d
off . See your au thorize d Aud i dealer
for assistance.
Night vision assistant 113
Night vision assistant: not available
T he system cannot detec t prope rly under cur ­
ren t cond ition s and is swit ched off tempor ari­
l y.
Night vision assistant: only available in dark­
ness and w ith lights switched on
N ight vision assistant only works whe n it is
dark o utside a nd the head lights are on.
Night vision assistant: pedestr ian detection
not ava ilable
The system has switc hed pedestrian and wild
anima l detectio n off.

114 Automatic Transmission
Automatic
Transmission
tiptronic (8-speed
transmission)
Introduction
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronically controlled 8-speed automatic transmission .
Upshifting and downshifting occurs automati­
cally and is controlled electronically. The driv­
ing style continuously influences the selection
of the driving program .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical
driving mode. It will then change up early and
delay the downsh ifts to give better fuel econ­
omy .
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac­
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera­
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (ti ptronic mode) ¢ page 117 .
Indicator in the display
Fig. 123 Display: selector lever posit io n
@ -The current selector lever position is dis­
played continuously. The gear is also dis­
played in manual mode M.
@ -This indicator appears temporarily if you
change the selector lever position or if you
press the button on the selector lever ¢
page 114, fig. 124
. The current selector
lever position is shown with a white back­
ground.
Selecting a selector lever position
Fig. 124 Selector lever
---p--- ---1
--- R--- --1
--- N--- --t
-D/S--
Fig. 125 Pressing the button o n the selector leve r
The current selector lever position is displayed
on the selector lever¢
fig. 124.
.. You may need to release the se lector lever
lock depending on which selector lever posi­
tion is selected and which one you would
like to select¢
page 115, Selector lever
lock .
.. To engage the nearest selector lever posi­
tion, move the selector lever forward/back
until you fee l the first pressure point. The
selector lever will return to its original posi­
tion .
.. To skip over one (or two) selector lever posi­
tions, move the selector lever past the first
(and second) pressure point into the desired
position. The selector lever will return to its
original position.
For example, to move directly from the D se­
lector lever position to P when stopping the
vehicle, you can shift past the N and R selector lever positions. ..,_

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­l ecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever
c:> fig. 124 and/or press the
brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a
selector lever position when the engine is run­
ning while the vehicle is stationary. The ar­
rows
c:> fig. 125 indicate when you need to
press the button on the selector lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift
from D to R within one second. This allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is
stuck.
P- Park
The whee ls are locked in this position. Only
shift into park when the vehicle is stationary
c:> &. To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position .
You can only shift out of park when the engine is running and you are pressing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to
release the parking lock and select the desired
selector lever pos it ion .
P engages automatically when you switch the
engine off while D, Sor R is engaged or in
manual mode .
If you switch the engine off when N is engag ­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the emergency release proce­ dure to release the parking lock before towing
the vehicle
c:> page 119.
R -Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this position .
Only select reverse when the vehicle is sta ­
tionary and the engine is running at idle speed
c:> &. To engage the R selector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever, press
Automatic Transmission 115
the brake peda l and move the selector lever
into the R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the R selector lever position wh ile the engine
is running .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this pos it ion . To
engage the N selector lever posit ion, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
the N position.
If you switch the eng ine off when N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You cannot select the N position when the ig­
nition is switched off. When driv ing through
an automat ic car wash, first select the N posi ­
tion and then switch the engine off
c:> table on
page 216.
The veh icle cannot be locked when the selec­
tor lever is in the N position.
D/S - Posit ion for driv ing forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be
operated either in the normal mode D or in
the sport mode S . You can only select the S se­
lector lever position when Dis engaged. Move
the selector lever back to engage the S selec­
tor lever position. To select the D selector lev­
er position again when Sis engaged, move the
selector lever back
c:> .&. . To shift from N to D
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2km/
h), press the brake peda l and select the D se­
lector lever position
c:> .&. .
In the normal mode D, the transmission auto ­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style.
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeab le when
accelerat ing.
The S selector lever position engages auto­
matically when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select.
liJI,

116 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
& WARNING
-Never e ngag e R or P w hile driving . It
could cause a cras h.
-
-Power is sti ll t ransmi tte d to t he whee ls
whe n the e ngine is runni ng at idle . To
prevent the vehicle from "creepin g", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions except P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will s tart to move immediate­
ly. This cou ld happen even if the parking
brake is activa ted .
- Be fore opening the hood, select the P se­
lector lever position and set the par king
brake. This red uces the risk of a crash. Al­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings
<=)page 228.
-Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
- If you mus t get out of the vehicle, move
the se lector lever securely into the P po ­
sition an d apply the park ing brake .
(D Tips
-If you u nin tentionally shift into the N se­
l ector lever posi tion while dr iv ing, ta ke
your foot off the acce lerator pedal and
wait for the e ngine to slow down until it
i s idling before you shift into Dor S.
Driving tips
The gears shi~ automatically .
Starting from a stop
"" Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
"" Sta rt the eng ine
c:> page 83.
"" Press the but ton on the se lector lever and
select the D, S or R selecto r lever pos it ion
c:> page 114 .
""Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts. You w ill not ice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
"" Re lease the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal¢ ,& .
Stopping temporarily
""Press the brake pedal to s top the ve hicle, for
examp le a t a traffic light . Do not press the
accelerato r peda l when doing this.
"" To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when yo u
start dr iving, set the parking brake when
stopping on large incl ines
c:> ,& .
"" The parking brake will release automat ica lly
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
If the se lector lever is not in the P position
whe n you open the driver's door, the ve hicle
could roll. The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears .
"" Press and hold the brake pedal¢ ,& .
"" Set the park ing brake.
"" To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P posit ion
c:> page 114 .
Under certa in conditions such as dr iv ing in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode tempo rari ly
to shift
manually to adapt to the driving con­
di tions
c:> page 117.
On s lopes, activate the parki ng bra ke first and
then move the selecto r leve r to the P position .
T his prevents too much st ress from be ing
pla ced on the locking mec hanism.
& WARNING
Read an d fol low all WAR NIN GS ¢ .&. in Se­
lecting a selector lever position on
page 116.
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Do not press t he acceler ator pe dal when
chan ging the se lector leve r posi tion
while the veh icle is stationary and t he
engine is running . This cou ld result in a
crash.
- Never engage R o r P while driving .
It
could cause a crash.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
IJJ,,

rl N
rl N
0 J:
""'. rl I.O
"' rl
"' ......
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions except P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertently press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary. Otherwise
the vehi cle will s tart to move immediate­
ly, even if the park ing brake is set. This
cou ld result in a crash.
- Do not ride the brakes or p ress the brake
peda l too often or too long when dr iv ing
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces b raking performance, increases
braking distance or ca uses comp lete fail­
ure of the brake system.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
H ill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is suitab le for the incline. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical
a nd techn ical limitations.
It may st ill be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
H ill descent control switches off once the de­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
Hill descent control is also activated when the
speed is set by starting the cruise contro l sys­
tem c::>
page 90.
A WARNING
Hill descent control can not overcome
phys ical limitations, so it may not be able
to main tain a constant speed under a ll
condi tions. Always be re ady to app ly the
br akes.
Automatic Tra nsmi ssi on 11 7
Shifting manually
The shift paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig . 1 26 Steer ing w heel: sh ift ing manually
.,.. To shift to a h igher or lowe r gear tempo rari­
ly, tap the
0 or 0 shift padd le c::> fig. 126 .
.. To switch manua l mode on, press the~
button . An Mand the gear that is currently
engaged appear in the instrument cluster
disp lay @ c::>
page 114, fig. 123.
.. To shift up one gear, tap the right shift pad­
dle
0 c::> fig . 126 .
.. To sh ift down one gear, tap the left shift
paddle Q.
.. To switc h manua l mode off, press the~
button aga in, or
.. Move the selector lever back and release it .
T he transm iss ion automatically sh ifts up or
down before cr itical engine speed is reached.
The transm iss ion only allows manual sh ifting
whe n the eng ine speed is w ith in the pe rmit­
ted range.
The engine braking effect increases when you
downshift when going downhill.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down
beyond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­
pending on veh icle speed and eng ine RPM .
It
shifts up into the next higher gear once the
maximum specified engine RPM is reached . ..,.

118 Automatic Transmission
8_ WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is
active .
Transmission malfunction
r;J Transmission: please press the brake ped­
al and select the position again
Press the brake pedal and select the des ired
selector lever posit ion again. You can then
continue dr iv ing .
r;J Transmission hot: please modify driving
style
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
r;J Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
@]JIJI Gearbox malfunction: you can contin­
ue driving in D only until engine is off
There is a sys tem ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. If you turn the engine off, you
will not be able to select any other se lector
lever positions after starting the engine again.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer or quali­
fied repair facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
r;J Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving (limited functionality)
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. Th is mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. The
engine may stall. Dr ive to your authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified repair facility immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected.
@]lift Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(y ou can continue driving)
The re is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion. The transm ission is swi tching to emer­
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer ­
tain gears or will not longer shift at al l. You
cannot engage the reverse gear . Dr ive to your
authorized Aud i dea ler immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
r;J Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
-The parking lock was released using the
emergency release
¢page 119. Or
- The parking brake cannot engage automati­
cally . Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
r;J Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not continue dr iving . Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized A udi
dealer or qualified repair faci lity for assis­
tance.