s gear AUDI Q7 2013 Owner´s Manual

140 Automatic transmission
Kick-down
The kick-down feature allows the vehicle to
generate maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal beyond
the resistance point that is reached at full
throttle, the transmission will select a lower
gear ratio based on vehicle speed and eng ine
RPM. The engine RPM will be controlled to
produce maximum vehicle accelerat ion as
long as you continue to press the accelerator
pedal beyond this resistance point .
& WARNING ,--
Be careful when using the kick-down fea­
ture on slippery roads. Rapid acceleration may cause the vehicle to skid.
Dynamic shift program (DSP)
The automatic transmission is electronically
controlled .
The transmission is self adapting and will au­
tomatically
select the best shift program suit ­
ed to the driving conditions and driving style.
The transmission will select one of the
econo­
my
programs when you drive at a steady
speed or a gradually changing speed without
heavy acceleration. This achieves optimum
fuel efficiency, with early upshifting and de­
layed downshifting.
The transmission will automatically select the
sporty shift programs when you drive at high ­
er speeds, or with heavy acceleration and fre­
quent ly changing speeds. Upshifts are delayed
to make full use of engine power. Oownshift­
ing takes place at higher engine speeds than
in the economy programs.
The selection of the most suitable shift pro­
gram is a continuous, automatic process. The
driver can also make the transmission switch
to a sporty program by
quickly pressing down
the gas pedal.
This causes the transmission to shift down to
a lower gear to achieve rap id acceleration, e.g .
for quickly passing another veh icle. You do not need to press the gas pedal into the
kick-down
range. After the transmission has upshifted,
the or iginal program is selected according to
your driving style.
An additional shift program allows the auto­matic transmission to select the proper gear
for uphill and downhill gradients.
This keeps the transmission from shifting up
and down unnecessarily on hills . The trans­
mission will shift down to a lower gear when
the driver presses the brake pedal on a down ­
hill gradient. This makes use of the braking ef­
fect of the engine without the need to shift
down manually.
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
Fig. 160 Cente r conso le: shifting the t iptronic® man­
ually
Fig. 161 D isplay: manual shift program, selected gear
Switching to manual shift program
.. Push the selector lever to the right from D.
As soon as the transmission has switched
over, the selected gear appears in the dis­
play
Q fig . 161.

To upshift
• Push the selec tor leve r forw ard to the pl us
pos ition
0 ¢ fig. 160 .
To downshift
• Push the lever to the m in us position
Q .
When acce lerating, the transm iss ion w ill au­
tomatically sh ift into the next gear before the
e ngine reaches its maxim um RPM .
If you app ly a light throttle when accelerat­
ing , tiptronic ® will automatically shift from
1st to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you apply a
h eavy thrott le, the transmission will stay in
1st gear unt il n ear maximum R PM is reached,
or until the d river sh ifts i nto 2nd gear .
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l
when dr iv ing down a steep incli ne , tiptronic ®
will downshift from th e se lected gear into the
n ex t lowe r gear until it reaches 1st gea r,
b ased on ro ad s peed and eng ine RPM . A uto­
mat ic downshifting is in ter rupted as soon as
you apply t he thrott le again.
@ Tips
- Wh en you sh ift i nto the next lower ge ar,
t h e transmiss io n will dow nshift only
whe n there is no possibility of over-rev­
v ing the engine.
- When the kick -down comes on, t he
transmission will s hift down to a lower
gear, depending on ve hicle and engine
speeds .
- tiptron ic® is inoperative w hen the trans­
mission is in the fail-sa fe mode.
Autom atic transm ission 141
Steering wheel with tiptronic ®
Applies to vehicles: w ith t iptronic-steering wheel
T he shift buttons on the steering wheel allow
the driver to shift gears manually .
Fig. 162 Steering w hee l: S hift b utt ons
• To down shi ft, tou ch the bu tton on t he left
o .
• To upshift, touch the button on the right
0 .
The shift bu ttons are activ at ed when these ­
lector lever is in D, So r in the manual s hift
program (tiptronic) .
O f c ourse , you can c ontinue to use the manu al
s hift p rogram wi th the selecto r leve r on the
cente r co nsole.
Automatic transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission malfunction : You can con­
tinue driving
T he re is a system mal function in the t ransmis­
s io n. You may cont in u e dr iving . Drive to yo ur
a utho rized Aud i dea ler or qualified repa ir fa ­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Trans mission malfunction : Lim ited driv­
ing functionality
T he re is a system mal func tion i n the t ransm is­
s io n. The transm ission is swi tching to emer­
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer­
ta in gears o r will no longer shift at all . The en ­
gine may sta ll. Drive to your a uthorized Audi
dealer or qualif ied repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction correcte d.
IJJ,,

144 Parking systems
Rear park assist
Description
Applies to vehicles: with rear park assist
The rear park assist is an audible system.
Sensors are located in the rear bumpers. If
these detect an obstacle, audible signals warn
you .
Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstructions as it may impair the sensor function. For infor ­
mation on cleaning, refer to ¢ page 247.
The range at which the sensors begin to meas­
ure is app roximately :
rear s
ide
center 2
ft (0.60
m)
5.2 ft (1.60 m)
The closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter
the interval between the audible signa ls. A
continuous tone sounds when the obstacle is
less than approximate ly 1 ft (0.30 m) away .
Do not continue driving farther¢
..1. in Gener­
al information on page 143,
¢ (I) in General
information on page 143!
If the distance to an obstacle remains con ­
stant, the volume of the distance warning
gradually drops after about four seconds (this
does not apply in the continuous tone range).
The park assist is activated automatically
when reverse gear is engaged. A short confir­
mat ion tone sounds .
Audi parking system
plus with rearview
camera
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: wit h Audi parking syste m plus with
rearv iew camera
-
u
Fig. 16 4 Illustrat ion: C ross park ing
F ig. 165 Illust ration: Paralle l pa rki ng
Vehicles with the Audi pa rking system plus
with rearview camera are equipped with a
re arvi ew camera in addition to the acoustic
and visual parking system .
You can use cross parking for example, to
park in a parking space or in a garage
a,
"' :; .. ID
¢ fig . 164. You can use parallel parking if you
would like to park on the side of the road
¢fig . 165.

-You can change the volume and pitch of
the signals as well as the display
Qpage 153.
Cross parking
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus w ith
rearview camera
This view may be used when parking in a ga­
rage or in a parking space.
Fig. 170 MMI display: A im ing at a parking space
Fig. 171 MMI display: Aligning the vehicle
"' Switch the MMI on and select reverse gear.
"' The orange colored orientation lines@
show the direction of travel of the vehicle.
Turn the steering wheel until the orange ori­
entation lines appear in the parking space
Q fig. 170. Use the markings @to help you
estimate the distance from an obstacle.
Each marking represents approximately 3 ft
(1 m) . The blue area represents an extension
of the vehicle's outline by approximately
16 ft (Sm) to the rear .
"' While driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering wheel angle to fit the parking space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines
c::> A in General Information on page 145,
Q@in General Information on page 146.
@ marks the rear bumper. Stop the vehicle
Parking systems 147
when the red orientation line© borders an
obstacle.
Parallel parking
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus with
rearview camera
This view may be used when parallel parking
along the side of a street.
Fig. 172 MMI display: Blue surface aligned in the park­
ing space
Fig. 173 MMI display : Contact of the blue curve w ith
the cu rb
Parking on the right is described here. It is
identical when parking on the left.
If there is an obstacle next to the parking
space (such as a wall), refer to information for
"Parking next to obstacles"
c::> page 148.
"' Activate the turn signal.
"' Position your vehicle next to a parked vehi­
cle in front of the desired parking space. The
distance to this vehicle should be approxi­
mately 3
ft (1 m).
"' Turn the MMI on and select the reverse
gear. The parking system is turned on and
the
cross parking indicator is displayed .
"' Press the control button on the
MMI con­
trols
(D c::> fig. 172. The parallel parking in-
dicator is displayed.
II>

152 Parking systems
distance to this vehicle should be approxi­
mately 3 ft (1 m).
• Turn the
MMI on and select the reverse
gear. The parking system is turned on and
the
parallel parking indicator is displayed.
• Press the contro l button on the
MMI con ­
t ro ls
(D ¢ fig . 184. The cross parking indica­
tor is displayed.
• Back up and align your vehicle so the b lue
area @ borders on the rear end of the vehi ­
cl e or on t he pa rking space line¢ .&.
in Gen­
eral information on page 148,
¢(D in Gen ­
eral information on page 149.
The blue area
represents an extension of the veh icle's out ­
line by approximately
16 ft (5 m) to the rear.
The long side of the blue area should be on
the curb. The entire blue area must f it into
the parking space .
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steer ing
wheel to the r ight as far as it w ill go.
• Back in to the par king space until the b lue
cu rve ¢
fig. 185 touches the curb¢.&. in
General information on page 148,
~ CD in
General information on page 149 .
Stop the
vehicle.
• With the vehicle stopped, turn the steer ing
wheel to the left as far as it will go.
• Cont inue to back into the parking space un­
t il the vehicle is parked pa rallel to the curb
¢ .&. in General information on page 148,
¢(Din General information on page 149.
@ marks the rear bum per. Stop the ve hicle,
at the latest, when the red orientation line
© borders an obstacle. Keep an eye on the
front of your vehicle whi le doing this .
Parking next to obstacles
When there is an obstacle (s uch as a wall)
n ex t to the parking space, choose a space w it h
mo re space on the sides. Pos ition the long
side of the blue area so that there is sufficient
space from the c urb. The area must not be on
the curb. You wi ll also need to start turn ing
the steering wheel much earlier. The re should
be a sufficient amount of space between the
curb and the blue curve, and the blue c urve
c::> fig. 185 must not touch the curb.
(D Tips
The left or rig ht orientation lines and s ur­
faces will be disp layed, depending on t he
turn s ignal being used.
Trailer mode
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus with
front· and rearview camera and trailer hitch
This view a ssists you in positioning the vehicle
in front of a trailer.
Fi g. 186 MM I disp lay: Rear mode
Requirement: the t railer mode is se lected
c:> page 150 .
• Now you can posi tion your veh icle in front
of the trailer ¢.&.
in General information
on page 148,
c::> (D in General information
on page 149.
The orange co lored orienta­
tion line denotes the expected path toward
the trailer hitch. Use the blue lines to help
you estimate the distance to the tra ile r
h itch .
Setting the mode
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus with
front· and rearview camera
• Select: I CAR ! function button > Car sys­
tems *
control button > Driv e r assist > Pa rk­
ing a id
> Chang e to front/rear > Auto or
Manual.
Auto -
This view behind the vehicle ( Rear
mode) is displayed automatically when you
sh ift into reve rse . This v iew in front of the ve­
hicle
( Front mode) is displayed au tomat ica lly
whe n you shift in to the forwa rd gears. ..,.

Manual -This view behind the vehicle (Rear
mode) is a lways disp layed when you turn on
the system.
Adjusting the display and warning tones
Applies to vehicles: with rear park assist/Audi parking sys­
t em plus with rearview camera/front- and rearview cam·
e ra
The display* and warning tones can be ad­
justed in the MMI.
""S elect: ICARlf unction button> Systems*
control button > Parking system. Or
"" Se lect: I CAR
I function button > Car sys­
tems* control button > Driver assist
> Park­
ing aid.
Display*
- Off -when the parking system is switched
off, only aud ible signals are given.
-On -when the parking system is switched
on, either the visual display or the picture
from the rearview camera is disp layed .
Warning tones
- Front volume* - front sensor vo lume
- Front frequency* -front sensor frequency
- Rear volume - rear sensor volume
- Rear frequency -rear sensor frequency
- In-car entertainment fader/Music volume
while parking - when the parking system is
switched on, the volume of the active audio
source is lowered.
The new ly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generator.
@ Tips
- The warning tones can also be adjusted
direct ly by the visual disp lay* or the pic­
ture from the camera*. S imply press the
Settings* control button.
- Changed settings are activated when
parking system is switched on again.
- The settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used. Parking
systems 153
Error messages
Applies to
vehicles: with rear park assist/Audi parking sys­
tem plus with rearview camera/front- and rearv iew ca m­
era
There is an error in the system if the LED in
the~ button* is blinking and you hear a con­
tinuo us alarm for a few seconds after switch­
ing on the park ing system or when the park­
ing system is already activated .
If the error is
not corrected before you switch off the igni­
tion, when you switch on the parking system
again, the LED in the ~ button* will blink. If
you activate the parking system with the but­
ton in this case, the continuous warning tone
will continue to sound.
Parking system plus with front and
rearview camera*
There is another system error if:
- the~·· symbol appears in the display and
the corresponding display area is shown in
blue. The camera is not working in this area.
- all segments around the vehicles are red or
if no segments are displayed.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer or au­
thorized repair fac ility immed iate ly to have
the mal function corrected .
Trailer hitch
Applies to vehicles: with rea r park assist/Audi parking sys­
tem plus with rearview camera/front- and rearview cam­
era and tra iler hitch
For vehicles using the trailer socket, the park­
ing system rear sensors do not turn on when
you shift into reverse gear or when you press
the~ button*. This results in the follow ing
restrictions:
Rear park assist*
There is no warning for distances to the rear.
Audi parking system plus with rearview
camera/front and rearview camera*
There is no distance warning for the rear. The
front sensors remain act ivated. The visual dis­
play sw itches to the trailer towing mode. The
rearview camera image will not show the ori-
entat ion lines and the blue surfaces . ..,.

-Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and increased
stopping distance .
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running¢ &,.
Int ellig ent technolog y 229
A WARNING
-Never let the veh icle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­
der braking.
T he ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol s ince it preve nts the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the vehicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With ABS y ou do not n eed to pump the
bra ke. Just h old t he br ake ped al d own .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten
braking distance under
all circumstances.
When dr iving on g ravel or on new ly fallen
snow o n top of icy s urfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and with great care.
How the ABS s ystem works
An a utomat ic check is made when a speed of
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached . When
th is happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rotate too
s low ly in relation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake
pressure to prevent that whee l from locking .
T his automatic adjustment p rocess will cause
a
sli ght vibrati on of the brake pedal and some
noises to a le rt you that ve hicle speed m ust be
adapted to existing road and traffic condi ­
tions. •
•

234 Driving and environment
Driving and
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
... Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
.,. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in per iod
... Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
After the brea k-in period
... Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un­
der any circumstances.
... Upshift into the next higher gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale¢
page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's inter na l friction is higher tha n later
when alt the moving parts have been broken
i n. How welt this break- in process is done de­
pends to a conside rable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome ters).
(D Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto­
mat ica lly re duced. However, these rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine welt
r u n- in, not a new eng ine.
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
reduces no ise and protects the environ­
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
part icularly caref ul for the first 350 miles
(500 kilomete rs) afte r fitt ing.
A WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "broken -in" . Be s ure to remember
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les (500 kilo ­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking.
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full bra king effect dur ing the fi rst 250 m iles
(400 kilomete rs) afte r they a re insta lled.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be­
fo re t hey have optima l grab¢
A .
During the break- in period, you should avoid
putting severe loads on the brakes. Severe
l oads include, for example, sudden hard brak­
i ng, in particular at very high speeds or, for
example, on mounta in passes .
A WARNING
New b rake pa ds don't have t he bes t stop­
pi ng power and mus t be "broke n-in " dur­
i ng the in iti al 1 00 to 150 mi les (150 to
20 0 kilometers) of no rma l city driving . You
can compensate for this by pressing the
br ake peda l mo re f irm ly . This also applies
l ater when new pads are installed.

chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The cha ins shou ld cross under the trai le r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
¢page 159, Towing a trailer.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
To obtain the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and traile r, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded tra iler whe n your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Tow ing a loaded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
l ow speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re-
Trailer towing 243
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable - particularly
when going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
f or vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lowe r gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10
must be observed carefully. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in
the instrument cluster starts flashing ., pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
prov ided by Audi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
-
Your vehicle handles differently when towing
a trai ler because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibution. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will great ly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
Before you actua lly tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you
•
•