tow AUDI A8 2015 User Guide

the stored position as soon as you switch on
the ignition.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine .
Fig. 88 Cente r console: S TART ENGINE S TOP b utto n
Swi tc hin g the i gni tion on/off
• To switch the ignition on/off, press the
I START ENGINE STOPI button . Do not press
the brake pedal while doing this . D iesel
vehicles are preheated wh ile the ignition is
switched on.
St art in g the engine
• Press the brake pedal~,&. .
• Press the
!START E NGINE STOPI button
~ fig . 88 . The engine will start.
• It is possible that there w ill be a slight delay
when start ing the engine for diesel vehicles
in colder temperatures. Therefore, you must
hold the brake peda l down until the eng ine
starts. The indicator lamp
II illuminates
when the engine is preheated.
If the engine does not start immediately , the
starting process is automatica lly stopped af ­
ter a short time . Repeat starting procedure.
Start -Stop -System *:
Note the information on ¢ page 87, Start­
Stop-System.
On th e road 83
A WARNING
- Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiat ion.
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the engine is running. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or braking . Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usual­ ly would, this could lead to crashes and
serious injuries.
(D Note
- Avo id h igh engine rpm, full throttle and
heavy engine loads until the eng ine has
reached operating temperature -other­
w ise you risk engine damage .
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
(0 Tips
- After a co ld eng ine is started, there may
be a brief period of inc reased no ise be­
cause oil pressure must first build up i n
the hydraulic valve adjusters. This is nor­
ma l and not a cause for conce rn.
- If you leave the veh icle with the ignition
switched on , the ign ition w ill switch off
after a certain period of time . Please
note that electrical equ ipment such as
exterior lights will sw itch off as well
when that happens.
Stopping the engine
• Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
• Move the selector lever to the P or
N posi ­
tion.
• Pr ess the I START ENGINE STO P I button
¢ page 83 , fig. 88.
Steerin g lock
The steering locks when you turn the engine
off using the
I START ENGINE STOP I button
and open the d river's door. The locked steer-
ing helps prevent vehicle theft.
11-

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
the distance between your vehicle and
other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, the cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, grave l, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of acc ident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporari ly
when entering turn lanes, highway exit lanes or in construction zones .
- Please note that inadvertent ly "rest ing"
yo ur foot on the accelerator peda l causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because t he cr uise con trol is overr idden
by the driver's acce le rat ion.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheat ing occurs when the cruise con­
t ro l system is sw itched on, the braking
f unction in the system may be switched
off. The other cr uise control f unctions re­
main active as long as the indicator light
II (US models) !Iii (Canadian mode ls)
is on.
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the brakes decelerate automat ica lly.
Changing speed
.,. To increase/decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever in the
010 d irection
i=> page 90, fig . 94 .
... To increase/dec rease the speed qu ickly, hold
the leve r in the
G) /0 direction unt il the de­
s ired speed is d isplayed.
You can also press the accelerato r pedal down
to increase your speed, e .g . if you want to
pass someone. The speed yo u saved earlier
will resume as soon as yo u release the acceler­
ator peda l.
I f, however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mp h (1 0 km/h) fo r longe r th an 5 mi nutes,
the cruise cont ro l will tu rn off tempor arily.
The green symbo l
II (US models) !Iii i n the
On th e ro ad 91
display is rep laced w ith a wh ite symbo l. The
saved speed remains the same .
' Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving .
.,. Switch o n the ign ition.
.,. Pull lever into posi tion
(D c:> page 90,
fig. 94 .
... Press the leve r in the 0 or 0 direction to
increase or decrease your speed.
.,. Release the lever to save that speed.
This function makes it possib le, for examp le,
to save the speed you want before driving on
the h ighway. Once on the highway, activate
the cru ise control by pulling the lever toward
(D.
' Switching the system off
Temporary deactivation
.,. Press the brake pedal, or
... Press the leve r in to position @(not clicked
into place)
~ page 90, fig . 94, or
.,. Dr ive fo r longe r than 5 mi nutes at mo re
t han 5 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
Switching off completely
.,. Press lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
.,. Switch t he ignit ion off.
T he system retains the saved speed if you de ­
activate the c ruise control temporar ily. To re­
sume t he saved speed, re lease the brake ped ­
al and p ull the leve r to po sition
(D .
Swi tch ing the ignit ion off e rases the saved
speed.
A WARNING
You sho uld only ret urn to the saved speed
if it is not too fast for the cur rent traffic
conditions -ris k of an accident!

92 Audi ad apti ve cruise control and bra king gu ard
Audi adaptive cruise
control and braking
guard
Introduction
App lies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise co ntrol
The adaptive cruise control system assists the
driver by regu lating vehicle speed and helping
to maintain a set distance to the vehicle
ahead, within the limits of the system.
If the
system detects a moving vehicle up ahead,
adaptive cruise control can brake and then ac­
celerate your vehicle. This helps to make driv­
ing more comfortable both on long highway
stretches and in stop-and-go traffic.
The braking guard system can warn you about
an impending collision and initiate braking
maneuvers
c:::> page 98.
Adaptive cruise control and braking guard
have technical limitations that you must
know, so please read this section carefully, un­
derstand how the system works and use them
properly at all times.
General information
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 96 Front of th e veh icle: senso rs and video camera
II> -m 0 :t
~
The areas that conta in the radar and ultrason­
ic sensors and the v ideo camera
c:::> fig. 96
must neve r be cove red by stic kers or other ob­
jects or obstructed w ith dirt, insects, snow or
i ce that will interfere with the adaptive cruise
control system and braking guard. For infor­
mation on cleaning, refer to
c:::> page 214. The same applies for any modifications made in
the front area.
T he function of the adaptive cru ise contro l
system and braking guard is limited under
some cond itions:
- Objects can only be de tected when they are
w ith in sensor range
c:::> page 94, fig. 99.
- The system has a limited ability to detect
objects that are a short d istance ahead, off
to the side of your vehi cle or mov ing into
your lane.
- Some kinds of veh icles are hard to detect;
for examp le motorcycles, veh icles with high
ground clearance or overhanging loads may
be detected when it is too late or they may
not be detected at all.
-When driving through curves
c!,>page 93 .
-Stat ionary objec ts c:::>page 93.
& WARNING
A lways pay attention to traffic when adap­
tive cruise contro l is switched on and brak­
ing g uard is active. As the driver, you are
still respons ible for starting and for main­
taining speed and distance to other ob­
jects. Braking guard is used to assist you .
The dr iver must a lways take action to avo id
a collis ion . The driver is a lways respons ible
fo r braking a t the co rrec t time.
- Improper use of adaptive cru ise control
can cause collisions, other acc idents and
serious pe rsonal in jury.
- Never let the comfort and convenience
that adaptive cruise control and braking gua rd offer d istract you from the need to
be alert to traffic condit ions and the
need to remain in fu ll control of your ve­
hicle at a ll times,
- Always remember that the adaptive
cruise control and braking guard have
limits -they will not s low the vehicle
down or maintain the set distance when
you drive towards an obstacle or some­
thing on or near the road that is not
mov ing, such as vehicles stopped in a
traffic jam, a stalled o r disabled vehicle.
I f registered by the radar sensors,

94 Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
@ is located in front of that vehicle, the sys­
tem will not react to the stationary vehicl e.
Audi adaptive cruise
control
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 99 Detectio n range
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cruise control system uses video,
radar and ultrasou nd . Moving vehicles ahead
can be recognized up to about 650 feet (200 m) away.
On open roads w ith no traffic, adaptive cruise
control works like a regular cruise control sys­
tem . The stored speed is maintained . When
approaching a moving vehicle detected up
ahead, the adaptive cruise control system au­
tomatically s lows down to match that vehi­
cle's speed and then maintains the distance
that the driver previous ly stored. As soon as
the system does not detect a vehicle up
ahead, adaptive cruise control accelerates
back up to the stored speed.
In stop-and-go traffic, adapt ive cru ise control
can brake until the vehicle stops and acceler ­
ate again under certain conditions and if this
is possible within the system's limits and ca­
pabilities ¢
page 96. Adaptive cru ise control
will not make an emergency stop .
Which functions can be controlled?
When you switch adaptive cruise contro l on,
you can set the current speed as the "control
speed" ¢
page 94, Swi tching on and off.
When driving, you can stop cruise control
¢
poge 96 or change the speed ¢ page 95
at any time.
You can also set the distance to the object
ahead and set the adaptive cruise control driv­
ing program ¢
page 96.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 100 Selector lever: swi tc hin g on/off
Fig. 101 Instrument cl uste r: adapt ive c ruise contro l
You can set any speed between 20 mph and
95 mp h (30 and 150 km/h).
Ind icator lamps and messages in the instru ­
ment cluster d isplay inform you about the cur­
rent system status and settings.
An additional indicator appears in the Head­
up D isp lay* .
Switching adaptive cruise control on
.,. Pull the lever toward you into position (D
¢ fig. 100 . ACC standby appears in the in ­
strument cluster display .
Setting the speed and activating
regulation
.,. To set the current speed, press the ISETI but­
ton ¢
fig. 100 . The set speed is shown in the 1111-

96 Audi adaptive cruise control and braking guard
Following any changes, the new stored speed
will be disp laye d briefly in the disp lay @
r::!) page 94, fig. 101 .
Driving in stop-and-go traffic
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
The adaptive c ruise co ntrol system a lso as­
sists you in stop -and-go t raffic. If a previous
detected vehicle ahead stops, yo ur vehicle will
b rake to a stop, within the limi ts of the sys­
tem.
• To res ume driv ing with adaptive c ruise con­
t ro l, tap the accelerator p eda l or
• Pull th e l ever toward yo u into posit io n @
r::!) page 96, fig. 10 3.
(D Tips
- If adaptive cru ise con trol is active an d
you r vehi cle do es no t star t dr iving as ex­
pe cted after pulling the leve r onc e, you
c an sta rt o ut a gain by t app ing th e accel­
e ra tor p edal.
- If a n ob sta cle is detecte d w hen y our ve­
h icl e sta rts driv ing , the sys tem w ill
p rompt you to ta ke ove r¢
page 9 7.
Your ve hicl e wi ll drive more s low ly w hen
starting. T his may a lso happe n in some
s ituations when no obstacle is apparent.
Interrupting cruise control
App lies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise co ntrol
Fig. 103 Selec tor lever
R equi rement: adaptive cruise co ntro l mus t be
switched on.
Overriding cruise control
• To a cce lerate manu ally, pull th e lever to ­
ward yo u into position @and ho ld it the re .
The message
ACC override appears . Or
• press the acce lerator pedal.
• To resume cruise cont ro l, re lease the lever
or take y our foot off the accelerator pedal.
Canceling cruise control while driving
• Move the lever in to position @. The mes­
sage
ACC standby a ppears. Or
• press the brake pedal.
• To resume the stored speed, move the lever
into position @.
Canceling cruise control when stopped
• Push the lever away from yo u into posit ion
@ . The message
ACC standby appea rs .
• To resume cruise contro l, press the brake
pedal a nd pu ll th e lever towa rd you into po­
sition @.
_&. WARNING ~ -
Neve r resume the stored speed if th e
speed is too hig h fo r prevailing road, t raf­
fic or weat her co ndit ion s.
Setting the distance
Applies to vehicles: wit h Audi adapt ive cruise control
Fig. 104 Selector leve r: sett ing t he d is ta nce
• Tap the switch to display the current set dis­
tance
<=> fig. 104 .
.,. To inc rease or reduce the d ista nce by incre­
ments, tap the switch again to the left or
r ight. The distance be tween the two vehicles
w ill change in the ins trum en t cl ust er di s-
p la y. ..,.

104 Audi side assist
Audi side assist
Lane Change Assistant
Description
App lies to vehicles: wit h side ass ist
Fig . 111 Sensor detection range
Fig. 112 Disp lay on the exterio r mirror
Side assist he lps you monitor your blind spot
and traffic behind your veh icle. Within the
limits of the system, it warns you about
vehicles that are coming closer or that are
traveling with you within sensor range
(D
c:> fig . 111: if a lane change is class ified as crit­
ical, the display @ in the exterior mirror
c:>fig. 112 turns on.
The display in the left exterior mirror provides
assistance when mak ing a lane change to the
le ft, while the display in the right exter ior mir­
ror provides assistance when making a lane
cha nge to the right.
Information stage
As long as you do not activate the turn signal,
side assist
informs you about vehicles that are
detected and class ified as critical. The display
in the respective mirror turns on, but is d im. T
he display remains dim intentionally in the
information stage so that your view toward
the front is not disturbed .
Warning stage
If you activate the turn signal, s ide ass ist
warns you about vehicles that are detected
and classified as critical. The display in the re­
spective mirror blinks brightly . If this hap­
pens, check traffic by glancing in the rearview
mirror and over your shoulder
c:> .&. in General
information on page 105.
Applies to vehicles with active lane assist*:
The display in each mirror can a lso blink if you
have not activated the turn signal: If you are
approaching a detected lane marker line and
it appears you will leave the lane, side assist
will warn you about detected vehicles that are classified as critical.
(0 Tips
- You can adjust the brightness of the dis­
play @
c::> page 106.
-Please refer to the instructions for tow­
ing a trailer located in
~ page 105.

.... N .... N
0 J:
- "' ....
"' ....
General information
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
©
Fig . 113 Dr iving situations
AUDI
Fig. 114 Rear of t he ve hicle: positio n of t he se nsors
Side assist functions at speeds above approx i­
mately 19 mph (30 km/h).
@ Vehicl es th at ar e approaching
In certain cases, a vehicle will be classified as
cr itical for a lane change even if it is still
somewhat far away. The fas ter a vehicle ap­
p roaches, the sooner the display in the exteri­
or m irror will t urn on.
@ V ehicles traveling with you
Vehicles traveling w ith you are indicated in the
exterior m irror if they are classified as cr itical
for a lane change. All vehicles detec ted by
side assist are indicated by the time they en­
ter your "blind spot", at the latest.
Audi side assist 105
© Veh icle s left behind
If you s low ly pass a vehi cle that s ide assist has
detected (the difference in speed between the
vehicle and you r vehicle is less than 9 mph or
15 km/h), the display in the exterior mirror
turns on as soon as the vehicle enters your blind spot.
The disp lay will not t urn on if you quickly pass
a vehicle that side assist has detected (the dif­
ference in speed between the veh icle and your
vehicle is greater than 9 mph or 15 km/h).
Functi onal limitations
The radar sensors are designed to detect the
left and right adjacent lanes when the road
lanes are the normal width. In certain situa­
tions, the d isp lay in the exterior mirror may
turn on even though there is no veh icle locat­
ed in the area that is cr itical for a lane change.
For example:
- if the lanes are narrow or if your are dr iving
on the edge of your lane.
If this is the case,
the system may have detected the vehicle in
another lane that is
not adjacent to your
current lane .
- if you a re driving through a curve. Side assist
may react to a vehicle that is one lane ove r
from the adjacent lane.
- if side assist reacts to other objects (such as
high or d isp laced guard rails) .
- In poor weather conditions. The side assist
functions are l imited .
Do not cover the radar sensors
c> fig. 114 with
stickers, depos its, bicycle wheels or other ob­
jects, because this will affect the funct ion. Do
not use s ide ass ist when towing a trailer. For
i nformation on cleaning, refer to
c> page 214.
_&. WARNING
- Always pay attention to traffic and to t he
area a round your ve hicl e. S ide assist can­
not replace a driver's attention. T he driv­
er a lone is always responsible for lane
changes and similar driving mane uvers.

.... N .... N
0 J:
'SI: .... \!) 1.1"1
.... 1.1"1 ....
@ Tips
-Side assist is not active whi le you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatica lly stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster d isplay:
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable . No
sensor vision
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the sensors with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c>page 105, fig . 114.
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be swi tched on temporarily
because there is a malfunction (for example,
the battery charge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will de ­
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off .
The senso rs have been displaced or are faulty.
Ha ve the sys tem checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer o r autho rized Aud i Service Fac ilit y
soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing.
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a
factory- installed trailer hitch is connected to
the electrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guarantee the system will switc h off when
using a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use
side assist when towing a trailer .
Audi side assist 107

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.

,....,
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,