start AUDI Q3 2017 Owner´s Manual

Driving
-If t here is a power fa ilure, the pa rking brake
will not set if it is re leased, and it will not
r elease i f it is set¢.&. . See an authorized
A udi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fa­
cility for ass istance.
Starting from a stop
Vario us convenience and safety functions may be
ava ilable when the vehicle begins driving, de­
pending on vehicle eq uipment .
Starting on hills with the parking brake set
R eq uir ement: the driver's door must be closed .
.,. To start dr iving co m fo rtab ly when o n a hill, set
t he parking brake and begin dr iv ing as usu al.
The brak ing force of the par king brake does not
release automatically until t he wheels build up
enough dr iv ing force .
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold ass ist m akes i t ea sie r to st art on hills.
Re qui remen t: the driver's door must be closed
and the eng ine must be r unning .
.,. To activate hill ho ld assist, press a nd ho ld the
brake pedal for several seconds. The veh icle
must be i n an uph ill direction o f travel.
After releasing the brake peda l, the bra king pow­
er is ma intained for a brief moment¢
A to pre­
ve nt the vehicle from rolling back when starting.
D ur ing th is ti me, you can eas ily beg in to move
your ve hicle.
.8, WARNING
Appl ies to: ve hicles wit h hil l hol d ass ist
- If you do not begin dr iving immediately or
the engine sta lls after releas ing t he b rake
peda l, yo ur vehicle may begin to roll back­
ward. P ress the brake pedal o r set the park ­
ing bra ke immed iate ly.
- The intelligent tec hno logy of hill hold assist
cannot overcome the lim itations imposed by
natura l phys ical laws . The incr eased comfo rt
of fered by h ill hold ass ist sho uld not cause
yo u to
ta ke safe ty risks.
66
- Hill hold ass ist cannot hold t he ve hicle in
place on a ll hills (for examp le, if the ground
is s lippery or icy).
- To reduce the r is k of an accident, always
make sure the veh icle is situated safely
w hile stationary .
Driving offroad
General information
Applies to: vehicles with offroad mode
The ele ct ronic st abiliz ation con trol ( ES C) f unc­
tions we re enh ance d for driving off road. ESC o ff­
road mode can be activated in driving sit uat ions
i n which a whee l lock o r a differential lock func­
tion is needed ¢
page 93. The h ill descent as­
s ist is a lso available , which automatically brakes
the ve hicle and main tains a constant speed as a
r esul t¢
pag e 94.
However , your Aud i is not an offroad vehicle .
Only drive in terrain that is suitable for the vehi­
cle and your driving ability. Never take any un­ necessary risks!
After driving offroad
- After d riving off road, remove branches and
other deb ris from the rad iator g rille, under­
body, and wheels. Look especially fo r fo reign
objects (such as stones) that may be st uck in
the t ire t read.
- Clean the vehicle body and u nderbody a nd i n­
spect the veh icle for poss ible damage.
- Clean the windows, headlights, tail lights a nd
the license p late if they are dirty .
- Perform a brake test (espec ia lly after driving
throug h water) .
.8, WARNING
-Be especially aware a nd at tentive whe n driv­
ing un der diff icu lt con ditions . Vehicl e dam­
age a nd injuries may o ccur when driving at
e xc es sively high speed s or with i ncorr ec t
d riving maneuvers.
- Always a djust yo ur sp eed and drivi ng s ty le
to the roa ds, terr ain, tra ffi c and weat he r
condition s. Drive especi ally slowly if t here i s
low visibili ty when o ffroad .
~

00
or in the 5 sport mode. The instrument cluster
display shows the selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Select the
sport mode 5 for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine's power.
Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat­
ing.
To move from selector lever position N to D, you
must press the brake pedal and the vehicle must
be traveling less than 1 mph (2 km/h) or be sta­
tionary ¢&. .
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS¢&. in Driv­
ing tips on page
70.
@ Note
Coasting downhill with the transmission in N
and the engine not running will result in dam­
age to the automatic transmission and possi­
bly the catalytic converter.
(D Tips
- If you accidentally select N while driving,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wait for the engine to slow down to idle be­
fore selecting Dor 5.
- If there is a power failure, the selector lever
will not move out of the P position. The
emergency release can be used if this hap­
pens ¢
page 72.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.. The selector lever must be in the P or the N po­
sition.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ .. Press and hold the interlock button in these-
"' ~ lector lever handle, select the desired selector .... 0 0
:::,
00
Driving
lever position such as D ¢ page 68 and release
the lock button.
.. Wait a moment until the transmission shifts.
You will notice a slight movement when the
gear engages.
.. Release the brake pedal and press the accelera­
tor pedal ¢_& .
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, for
example at a traffic light. Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this.
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep inclines¢,& .
.. The parking brake will release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping/parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
In vehicles with a convenience key*, the message
Shift to P and turn off ignition, or vehicle can
roll away
appears.
.. Press and hold the brake pedal¢ _&.
.. Set the parking brake .
.. Select the P selector lever position.
Stopping on an incline
.. Always press the brake pedal to hold the vehi­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢
&_ . Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
" rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
creasing the engine speed
¢(D .
Starting on a hill
.. Set the parking brake .
.. Select the D position .
.. Press the accelerator pedal carefully. If your
safety belt is fastened, the parking brake is au­
tomatically released and your vehicle begins to
move.
69

Driving
Under certain circumstances, (such as driving in
the mountains or towing a trailer), it may be use­
ful to switch temporarily to the manual shift pro­ gram in order to manually adapt the gear to the
driving conditions
c::> page 71.
On inclines, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position
c::> page 65. This prevents the locking mechanism
from being loaded too heavily and will make it
easier to move the selector lever out of the P po ­
sition .
_& WARNING
-The vehicle can also roll when the engine is
stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se­
rious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, ac­
tivate the parking brake and move the selec­
tor lever to P.
- 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 when the en­
gine is running and the selector lever is in D/
Sor R or "tiptronic" mode is selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running .
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"tiptron ic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
70
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An indicator lamp . illuminates
and a driver message appears
c::> page 72
when the clutch is overloaded.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure these­
lector lever has securely engaged and is
locked in P with the parking brake set
c::> page 159. Otherwise, any increase in en­
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­
lected. This can cause the automatic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
the parking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when th@ engine
is stopped while the selector lever is in the
N position will damage the automatic trans ­
mission, because it is not lubricated under
those circumstances
c::> page 211, Towing
with a tow truck.
- The transmission can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts, creeping for a
long time, or stop-and-go traffic. If the.
indicator light turns on, stop the vehicle at
the next opportunity and let the transmis­
sion cool down
c::> page 72.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the D or S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach- ieved at the time of braking, within physical and ..,.

Trailer towing
Sp eed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
dr ive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, w eather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trai le r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swayin g by ac cele rating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for reg ular
ve hicles.
A lways apply b rakes early . When dr iving down­
hi ll, shi ft into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge ¢ page 8 must
be observed ca refully . If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im ­
mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
I f t he coolan t temperature warn ing light i n the
instr ument cluster s tarts flashing ., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi .
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and dif ­
fe rent weight d istr ibut ion . Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend on how careful­
ly you load you r trailer and operate your rig .
76
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract icing unt il yo u h ave be ­
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up w ith a trailer generally req uires steer ­
i ng action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­ erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your veh icle.
- If you tow a trai ler, your Audi may requi re
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
¢ page 218.
' Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have someone place cho cks under bot h the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after parking :
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the se lector lever to D/S.

Parking sy stems
behind you o r on the parking space line c:> A in
General information on page 87 ,
c:>(D in Gen­
eral information on page 88 .
The blue area rep­
resents an extension of the vehicle 's outline by
approximately 16
ft (5 meters) to the rear . The
long side of the b lue area shou ld be on the
curb . T he entire blue area mus t fit into the
parking space .
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steer ing
whee l to the right as far as it w ill go.
• Back into the par king space until the b lue curve
c:> fig. 98 touches the curb c:> A in General in­
formation on page 87,
c:> (D in General infor­
mation on page 88.
Stop the vehicle.
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steer ing
whee l to the left as far as it will go.
• Cont inue to back into the pa rking space unt il
the ve hicle is parked parallel to the curb
c:> A
in General information on page 87, c:> (D in
General information on page 88. @
marks the
re ar bumpe r. At the ve ry latest, stop the vehicle
whe n the re d or ientat ion line @ borders an ob­
ject. Keep an eye on the front of your vehicle whi le doing this.
Parking next to obstacles
I f t here is an obstacle (such as a wall) next to the
p ar king sp ace, pos ition the vehicle so there is
mo re spa ce on that side . Position the long s ide of
the blue surface so that there is sufficient space
from the obstacle. The s urface m ust not be
touch ing. Yo u wi ll also need to start turn ing the
steer ing whee l earlier. The blue curve
c:> fig. 98
must not to uch the obstacle and should have suf­
ficient room .
(};) Note
Keep enough distance from the curb to re­
duce the risk of damage to the rims.
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and s urfaces
w ill be displayed, depending on the turn sig­
nal being used.
90
Adjusting the display and the warning tones
App lies to: vehicles with parking system plus/rearv iew cam­
era
T he display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the Infotainment.
• Select: the I CAR I fu nct ion button > (Car) Sys­
tems*
cont rol b utton > Driver assi st > Par king
system .
Display
On* -an optical display is shown for the park ing
system p lus, a rearview camera image is shown
fo r par kin g system p lus with rea rview camera*.
Off -When t he p arking system is sw itche d off,
on ly aud ible signals are g iven.
Signal tones
Front volume -volume for the front area
Rear vo lume -volume for the rear area
Front frequency -frequency for the front area
Rear frequency -frequency for the rear a rea
In -car entertainment fader -when the parking
system is tu rned on, the volume of the a udio/vid­
eo source is lowe red .
The newly selected level is demonstrated briefly
by the sound generator .
(D Tips
-The warn ing tones can also be adjusted di­
rectly from the vis ual d isp lay or the rearview
camera image* . Simply p ress t he
Settings
co ntrol button .
- Changed settings are activated w hen the
park ing system is switched on again .
- The settings are automatically sto red and
assigned to the remote con trol key that is in
use .
Error messages
Applies to: vehicles with parking system plus/rearv iew cam­
era
There is an error in the system if the LED in the
P wJ\. button is blinking and you hear a contin uous .,.

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) suppo rts
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves dr iving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit­
uations such as the veh icle oversteering and un­
dersteering or the wheels are sp inning. The vehi­
cle is stabilized by app lying the brakes or reduc ­
ing engine torque. When ESC engages, the
G1 i n­
d icator light blinks in the inst rument cluste r.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock b raking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from loc king when brak­
i n g . The vehicle can sti ll be steered even d uring
hard brak ing. Apply steady press ure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stabilize the vehicle .
Brake assi st sy stem
The brake assist system can dec rease braking dis­
tance. It increases brak ing power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold the brake pedal
until the dangerous situat io n is over .
Anti- s lip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive w heels
begin spinning and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler­
ate and dr ive up h ills .
Electron ic differential lock (EDL)
The ED L bra kes wheels that a re spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or wheels if the ve hicle is equipped with a ll
wheel drive*) . This funct ion is not ava ilable at
h igher speeds.
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to keep the brake on the braked wheel from over­ heating. The vehicle is still work ing correctly. EDL
92
will switch on again au tomatically when condi ­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC he lps to s tabili ze the vehicle by cha ng ing
t h e s teer ing torque .
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel to rque cont rol is used when d riv­
i ng o n curves . The front whee l on the inside of
t h e curve or both wheels on the i nside of th e
cu rve are braked se lective ly as needed. This al­
l ows mo re pre cise driving in curves .
Automatic post -collision braking system
The "automat ic post -coll is io n braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sl iding and of addi­
tiona l co llisions after an acc ident. If the a irbag
c ontro l modu le detects a collision above a cert ain
vehicle speed, the veh icle is braked by the ESC.
The veh icle does n ot brake automatically if:
- the drive r presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the bra king force generate d by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the b raking force
that would be in itiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the bra ke system or the vehicle elect ri­
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integ rated systems can not
overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
p hys ica l laws. This is es pec ially impo rtan t
on sl ippery or wet roads. If the systems be­
gi n a cting to stabili ze yo ur vehicle, you
s hould immedi ately alte r your speed to
match the road and tra ffic conditions . Do
not let t he in creased safety provi ded tempt
you into taking risks . This could increase
your r is k of a coll is ion.
- Please note the r is k of a coll is ion increases
when dr iv ing fast, especially th rough c urves
and on slippery or wet roa ds, and when dr iv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
ve nt co llisions - there is st ill a risk of acci­
dents!

a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N .... 0 0 ::, a:,
-Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on smooth, slippery surfaces
such as ice and snow. The drive wheels can
spin even when these control systems are
installed and this can affect driving stability
and increase the risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- The ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels have a similar wear
Switching on/off
Intelligent Technology
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 99 Center console: OFF~ button
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch offroad mode
on to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving on rough terrain when much of the car's
weight is lifted off the wheels (axle articula­
tion)
- Dr iving downh ill wh ile braking on loose ground
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend­
ing on the level selected , the ESC stabilization
function is limited or switched off. The amount of
stabilization control will differ depending on the
level. For your safety, switch the offroad mode off in
advance.
ESC
levels
Offroad mode on ESC/ASRoff Offroad mode off or
ESC/ASRon
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization function is The full stabilization func-
tion functions are limited not available
~ A. ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
q_,& _ ASR are switched off. avai lable again.
Operation Press the 00 button briefly. Press and hold the 00 button Press the 00 button again.
l onger than three seconds.
Indicator II turns on. II and lf'tii•Ui turn on. ltl turns off or II and
lights lfilf•l~i turn off.
Messages Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization
control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC):
Offroad Warning! Reduced Off Warning! Reduced
sta-
On
stability bility
93

Intelligent Technology
_&. WARNING
You should only switch offroad mode on or
switch ESC/ ASR off if your driving abilities
and the traff ic conditions perm it. There is a
r isk of slid ing.
- The stabilization function is limited when
offroad mode is switched on. The driving
wheels co uld spin and the vehicle could
swerve , especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces.
- T here is no vehicle stab ilizat ion when ESC/
ASR are switched off .
Hill descent assist
Applies to: vehicles with hill hold assist
Hill descent assist makes it possible to drive
down a hill at a constant speed.
Fig . 100 Center console: hill descent assist button
.,. To switch the hill descent assist on, press the
~ button in the center console c:> fig. 100. The
LED in the button turns on.
.,. Press the button again to switch it off. The LED
in the button turns off.
Hill descent assist brakes all four wheels auto­
matically in order to limit speed when driving ei­
ther forward or reverse on hills with a grade up to
approx imately 50%.
When hill descent assist is on, the speed your ve­ hicle was traveling when it entered the hill is
maintained. It is only possible to switch on the
assist when driving slower than 37 mph (60 km/
h). The assist occurs br iefly after start ing to drive
up to approximately 19 mph (30 km/h). The driv­
er can increase or decrease the vehicle speed
94
within these limits by pressing the accelerator or
brake peda l.
However, there must be enough tract ion. Hill de­
scent assist
cannot function as expec ted, if fo r
example the hill is icy or if the surface is loose
c:>,& .
Active assistance at a specific speed up to about
19 mph (30 km/h) is shown in the instrument
cluster through a blinking indicator light •. The
indicator light shines continuously when in the
ready mode.
The system does not work at speeds between 19
and 37 mph (30 and 60 km/h). The system is
then in ready-mode . This is indicated by the LED
i n the button turning on. The system automat i­
ca lly switched off when you drive faster than 37
mph (60 km/h) . The LED will also turn off in this
scenario.
Hill descent assist is automatically activated un­
der the following conditions:
- the LED in the button turns on,
- the vehicle speed is lower than 19 mph (30 km/
h),
- the incline angle is at least around 10%.
_&. WARNING
-Always adapt your speed to the weather,
road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
increased safety provided tempt you into
taking risks, because this increases the risk
of an accident .
-
-The hill descent ass ist system cannot over­
come the laws of physics. Your driving style
must always be adapted to the current road
and traffic conditions.
- Hill descent ass ist may not be ab le to hold
your vehicle at a constant speed under all
conditions while dr iv ing on a hill (for exam­
ple if ground u nder the vehicle is loose).
Brakes
New brake pads
New brake pads do not achieve their full braking
effect during the first 250 mi (400 km). They
must be "broken in" first. However, you can ..,.

00
00
......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
All wheel drive (quattro)
A ppl ies to: ve hicles wit h all wheel drive
In oil wheel drive, oil four wheels ore powered.
General info rmation
I n all wheel drive, t he driving power is divided be­
tween all four wheels . This happens automatical­
ly depending on your driving behavior as well as
the current road conditions. Also see
¢ page 92.
The a ll wheel d rive concept is designed for h igh
engine powe r. Your vehicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characteristics both under norma l driving conditions and on
snow and ice. Always read and fo llow safety pre­
cautions ¢.&. .
Winter t ires
By using all wheel drive, yo ur vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in w inter con­
ditions. However, we recommend using winter or
all season tires on
all four whee ls in the winter,
because this will improve the
broking effect.
Snow cha in s
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
a lso be used on vehicles with a ll wheel drive
¢ page 186, Snow chains.
Replacing t ires
F or vehicles w ith all wheel dr ive, only wheels w ith
the same ro lling circumference shou ld be used .
Avoid using tires with different tread depths
¢ page 178, New tires or wheels .
A WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with a ll wheel drive, adapt
your dr iv ing style to the current road and
traff ic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into tak ing risks,
because th is increases the r is k of an acci­
dent.
- The braking ability of your veh icle is limited
to the tract ion of the wheels . In this way, it
is not diffe rent from a two whee l dr ive vehi­
cl e. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippe ry, be­
cause this increases the risk of an accident .
Intellig ent Technology
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hydrop lane" if dr iv ing at speeds that
are too high . Un like front wheel drive
veh icles, the engine does not rev higher sud­
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplan ing .
For this reason, adapt yo ur speed to the
road conditions to red uce 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 conventiona l energy sys­
tem is not driven for a long time , the vehicle bat­
tery is drained by equipment (for example, the
immobilizer). In certa in circumstances, there
could may not be enough energy to start the en ­
gine.
Yo ur vehicle is equipped with an intel ligent ener ­
gy management system for distributing electrici­
ty . Th is sign ificantly improves the start ing ability
and increases the vehicle battery life .
The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagnosis , idling current manag em en t,
and dynamic energy manag ement .
Battery diagn osis
The battery diagnosis determines the vehicle bat­
tery charge level. The sensors determine the bat­
tery voltage, the battery current, and the battery
temperature. The current charge level and the
performance of the vehicle battery a re deter­
mined based on this.
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the energy used while parked. With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy dis tribution
to the d ifferent e lectr ica l components. Data from
the battery d iagnosis is taken into account for
t hi s.
97

Intelligent Technology
Depending on the vehicle battery charge level,
electrical equipment is switched off one item af­
ter the other to prevent the vehicle battery from
draining and to maintain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy manag ement
W hile driving, dynamic energy management d is ­
trib utes the appropriate amount of energy to the
e lectrical equipment. It controls the battery
charge level so that the amount of energy is not
greater than the amount be ing generated in or­
der to mainta in a n optima l vehicle battery charge
level.
(D Tips
- Ene rgy management cannot ove rcome the
l aws of physics . Note that the charge level
and length of the vehicle battery life a re
l imi ted.
- When the starting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light turns on
~ page 13 .
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority.
A lot of stress is placed on the vehicle battery
when dr iv ing short d ista nces, dur ing c ity dr iving,
and at cold times of the year . A lot of energy is
used but little is ge nerated.
It is a lso critical
when the engine is not runn ing but e lectr ica l
eq uipment is switc hed o n. In this case, energy is
used bu t none is ge ne ra te d.
In s ituations like this, energy manageme nt will
actively regu late the d istribution of ene rgy .
Long periods without use
I f yo u do not drive your vehicle for seve ral days or
weeks, electrical equipment is gradually scaled
back or switched off . This red uces energy use and
ensu res the veh icle w ill be able to star t afte r long
pe riods of time . Some convenience functions ,
such as inte rior lighting or powe r seat adjust ­
men t, may not be available unde r certa in ci rcum­
s tances. These co nvenience functions will be
ava ilab le again once you switch the ign ition on
and start the engine .
98
With the engine switched off
The vehicle b attery wi ll dr ain if you use Info tain ­
ment func tions such as lis teni ng to the radio
while the engine is switched off.
The veh icle's abili ty to s ta rt may be impa ired by
the e nergy use, a message will appe ar i n t he I n­
fota inment system display.
The message indicates that the system wi ll
swi tch off autom atically soon .
If you would lik e
to co ntin ue usi ng the func tio ns , you mus t start
t h e engine.
With the engine running
Althoug h electrica l energy is gene rated w hile
driv ing, the veh icle ba tte ry can dra in. This can
happe n if li tt le ene rgy i s generate d but much is
u sed, and the ch arge level of the vehi cle b attery
i s not optimal.
To resto re t he ba lan ce of energy, co mponents
t h at req uire large amo unts of energy a re tempo ­
ra rily sc aled b ack or sw itche d off. Heat ing sys­
tems in partic ular re quire a great deal of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or r ear window defogger is not work ing, then it
has been tempora rily reduced or switched off.
These systems are avai lab le aga in as soon as t he
energy supply has bee n restored .
In ad dition, yo u may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased. That is normal and no
cause for concern. By increasing the idling speed,
the addit ional required energy will be ge nerated
and the veh icle battery w ill be charged .
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equ ipped w ith an Event Data Re­
corder ( EDR) . The mai n purpose of an EDR is to
r ecord, in certain cras h or near crash -li ke situa ­
tions, such as an airbag deployme nt o r hi tt ing a
r oad obsta cle, da ta that w ill ass ist in understand­
i ng how a vehi cle's systems pe rforme d. Th e EDR
Ill-