page 27 AUDI Q7 2014 Owner´s Manual

132 Audi side assist
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A fast approaching veh icle - in the left-hand
l ane for examp le - was detected by the sen­
sors . Although this vehicle is sti ll far away, it
should be taken into account if you were to
change lanes, due to the considerable differ ­
ence in speed. The informational stage signal
on the outside m irror lights up
c::;, page 131.
@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signal briefly f lashes repeated­
ly. Side ass ist is alerting you to a veh icle that
you may not have noticed.
@ Tips
- The faster a vehicle approaches from the
rear, the sooner the signal on the outside
mirror lights up. Side assist will signa l,
at the latest, when a detected vehicle en­
ters your "blind spot" .
- When vehicles approach very quickly,
changing lanes can be dangerous even if
the signal on the outside mirror does not
light up.
Driving situation: Slowly approaching
vehicles
Applies to vehicles : wi th side assist
@
Fig. 152 Side assist: S low ly approac hing veh icles and
veh icles in yo ur blind spot
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
A vehicle approaching slowly -in the left-hand
lane for example - was detec ted by the sen­
sors. Because of the small d ifference in speed
and the considerable distance from your vehi ­
cle, the signal on the outside mirror will not
light up
c::;, &. in Safety tips on page 136.
@ Informational stage signal lights up
The distance between your vehicle and that of
the slow ly approaching vehicle has narrowed .
The informationa l stage signal on the outside
mirror lights up.
As soon as the differe nce in speed and dis­
tance is registered as notable if you were to
change lanes, a signa l on the mirror lights up.
Side assist will signal at the latest when a de-
tected vehicle enters your "b lind spot". .,,.

@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signa l light briefly flashes re­
peatedly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehi­
cle that you may not have noticed .
@ Tips
-The faster a vehicle approaches from the
rear, the sooner the signa l on the outside
mirror lights up. Side assist will signa l,
at the latest, when a detected vehicle en­
ters your "blind spot".
- When vehicles approach very quickly,
changing lanes can be dangerous even if
the signal on the outside mirror does not
light up.
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping
back slowly
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
Fig . 153 Side assist: Vehicles dropp ing back s lowly
CD Signal on outs ide mirror does not light
up
The vehicle that you passed has not yet been
detected by side assist . The signal on the out­
side mirror does not light up
q .& in Safety
tips on page 136.
Audi side assist 133
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A vehicle dropping back slowly on the r ight
(difference in speed of less than 9 mph, or lS
km/h) has been detected by side assist. The
informational stage signa l on the outside mir­
ror lights up.
@ Alert stage signal flashes
If you activate yo ur turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signal briefly flashes repeated­
ly. Side assist is alerting you of a vehicle that
you may not have noticed.
Driving situation: Vehicles dropping
back quickly
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
®
Fig. 154 Side assist: Veh icles dropp ing back quickly
CD Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
T he vehicle just passed has not yet been de­
tected by side ass ist. The sign al on the out­
side mirror does not light up
q .& in Safety
tips on page 136 .
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
The vehicle dropping back quickly on the right
( difference in speed of more than 9 mph, or
lS km/h) has been detected by side assist,
1J1>

134 Audi side assist
but is not considered notable in the event of a
lane change, because it is dropping back so
quickly. The signal on the outside mirror does
not light up¢.&.
in Safe ty tips on page 136.
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
If you activate your turn signal in driving sit­
uation @, the signal still does not light up on
the outside mirror¢.&.
in Safe ty tips on
page 136 .
MMI settings
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
The basic brightness se tting of the signal on
t he ou tside mirror can be adjusted via the
MMI .
.. Select : I CARI function button> Systems*
control button > Audi side assist. Or
.. Select :
I CAR ! function button > Car systems*
control button > Driver assist > Audi side
assist.
The brightne ss of the sign al light for both the
informational and alert stages is automatical ­
ly adjusted to ambient light conditions. In ad­
dition, you can adjust the
basic brightness
separately, via the brightness function.
While making the adjustment, the new
brightness setting is displayed briefly . The
brightness displayed is that of the informa­
tional stage signal. The alert stage signal
brightness is linked to the informational stage
signal brightness.
The informational stage signal brightness
should be adjusted so that you notice the sig­
nal illumination when you look in the outside
mirror, but not when you look forward
through the windshield.
In very dark or light surroundings , the auto­
matic brightness setting adjusts signal light
brightness to maximum or minimum intensi­
ty, as needed. In circumstances such as these,
you may not notice any change in the bright­
ness on the outside mirror when adjusting the
basic brightness .
You may not notice the change until lighting
conditions are normal again.
(D Tips
- Side assist is not active when the basic
brightness is adjusted. The signal light
comes on briefly to help you make the
adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
· General information '
Applies to vehicles : with side assist
Side assist has limits and canno t detect
vehicles under all road and weather condi­
tions . Please remember system limitations
and never rely on the system, especially when:
- driving through curves¢
page 134,
-lanes are of different widths¢ page 135.
' When driving through curves
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assist cannot detect vehicles in curves
with a turning radius of less than 328 feet
(100 m).
When driving through a curve, it is possible
that side assi st may register a vehicle two
lanes over, and the signal on the outside mir­
ror will light up.

Lane width
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
-· Fig. 155 Lan es o f a norma l wid th a re in detect ion area
Fig . 156 Narrow lanes: Side ass ist may detect vehicles
two la nes away
Side assist's detection area is designed to cov­
e r l anes of standard w idth to the left and
r ight of your travel lane, depending on wheth­
er you dr ive in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge.
I f you drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de­
tec tion a rea may a lso incl ude other lanes -es­
pec ia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane
c:::> fig. 156 . Under these cond it ions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
lanes away, and side assist then could switch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
signals.
When driving in very wide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be ­
cause they are not inside the detection area.
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If s ide ass ist t urns off automa tically, the ind i­
cator l igh t on the button wi ll go ou t and you
Aud i side assist 135
will see a message in the instrument cluster
display:
Audi side assist not available: sensors
bloc ked
The side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and r ight (not visible on
the outside)
c:::> page 129, fig . 147. To ensure
that you do not adversely affect the way side
ass ist functions, foreign objects (such as stick­
ers or bicycle racks) should not be attached to
the area on the rear bumper where the sen­
sors a re located . If side ass ist functions are
adverse ly affec ted, you w ill see th is message
in the instrument cluster disp lay . Remove any­
th ing t hat may be blocking the sensors.
If no vehicle is detected for a longer per iod of
t ime wh ile dr iv ing, s ide ass ist w ill also switch
off automatically.
Audi s ide as sist cu rrentl y not available
If there is a temporary problem (such as the
vehicle 's battery charge be ing low), side assist
cannot be act ivated temporar ily .
Audi side assis t: sy stem fault
Have the system checked by an author ized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Audi side assist not availabl e when
towing
The radar sensor's view is limited when tow­
ing a tra iler. For vehicles with a factory instal­
led tow ing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later according to facto ry specifica­
tions, s ide ass ist is automatically deact ivated
as soon as the ele ctrical connection to the
trailer's e lectrical socke t is made, and this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus­
ter display. Deactivation cannot be guaran ­
teed when using a retrofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed according to factory
specifications.

Automatic
transmission
tiptronic
Introduction
The automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down­
shifts automatically depend ing on which drive
program is selected. The power is transferred
by a torque converter .
When a
mode rate d riv in g s ty le is used, the
transmission selects the most econom ica l
driving mode. It w ill then change up early and
delay the downshifts to g ive better fuel econ­
omy.
T he transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a k ick-down or when the driver uses a
spo rty driving sty le 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 a lso select the gears
manually ( tiptronic mode ) c:> page 140.
Selector lever positions
Fig. 157 D isp lay in t he i nst ru m en t cluster: selecto r
l ever in pos it ion P
The selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selecto r lever as well as in the in­
strument clus ter disp lay.
P- P ark
In th is selector lever pos ition the transmis­
sion is mechan ically locked . Engage P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped c:> 11::..
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 13 7
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 139.
T o shift in or out of posit io n P , yo u m ust first
press and ho ld the brake pedal and then press
the re lease button in the selector leve r handle
whi le moving the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition on.
R -Reverse
Se lect R on ly when the vehicle is at a
full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed c:> 11::.. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 139.
Before you move the se lector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le o f the selector
lever
and the brake pedal at the same t ime.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu­
minate when the selecto r lever is moved into
R .
N -Neutral
T he t ransm iss ion is in neut ral in this pos ition.
S hi ft to t his position fo r standing with the
brakes appl ied
c:> 11::.. in Driving the automatic
transmission on page 139 .
The vehicle can
also roll when the engine is stopped .
When the vehicle is stat iona ry or at speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), yo u m ust always apply
the footbrake before and whi le mov ing the
lever o ut of
N .
D - Normal position for driving forward
In the no rma l mode D, the t ransmission auto­
matically selects the s uitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv ­
i ng sty le.
S -Sport posit ion
Se lect the sport mode S for spo rty dr iv ing .
T he vehicle makes fu ll use of the eng ine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeable when
acce lerat ing.
When the vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds
below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always app ly ...,

138 Automatic tr an smis sion
the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to Dor S out of N.
.&_ WARNING
Read and follow a ll WARNINGS
c::> & in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 139.
(D Note
Coasting downhi ll with the transmission in
N and the engine not running wi ll result in
damage to the automatic transmiss ion
and possibly t he catalytic converter.
(D Tips
- If you accidenta lly select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal
i mmediately and wait fo r the engine to
s low down to idle before se lecting D.
- If there is a power failure, the selector
l eve r will not move out of t he P position.
The emergency release can be used if
th is happens
c::> page 1 41.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or the reverse gear and causing the vehicl e to
move unintentionally.
Fi g. 1 58 Sh ift gate: selector lever lock positions and
release button high lighted
The selector lever loc k is released as follows:
.. Turn the ignition on .
.. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on t he
s ide of the gear se lecto r knob
c::> fig . 158
with your thumb until yo u have moved the
selector lever to the desired position .
Automatic selector lever lock
T he selector leve r is lo cked in the P and N po­
s it ions w hen the ig nition is tu rned on . Yo u
mus t press the br ake pedal and t he re lease
button to select another position. As a re ­
minder to the driver, the following warning
appears in the instrument cluster display
whe n the selector is in P and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while se­
lecting gear
T he Au tomatic Shift Loc k only f unct io ns when
the ve hicl e is stationa ry o r at spee ds be low
1 mph (2 km/h).
At speeds ab ove abo ut 1 mph (2 km/h) the
A ut omat ic Shift Lock is a utomatic ally deac ti­
vated in the N position.
A time delay el ement p reven ts the selector
lever from loc king when i t is moved through
the N pos itio n (go ing from R to D). The lo ck­
i ng eleme nt w ill lock the selecto r leve r if the
lever is left in N (Neutra l) for more than ap­
proximate ly 1 second, without the brake ped ­
al be ing pressed .
Release button
T he re le ase bu tton on the se lec tor lever pre­
ven ts the lever from being acc iden tally shifted
into certa in positions . Press ing this button de ­
activates the se lector lever loc k. Depending
on the direction of the shift, the se lector lever
locks at differe nt posit ions. The positions are
highlighted in the illustration
<=:> fig . 158.
Ignition key safety interlock
T he key cannot be remove d from the ignition
u nless the selector lever is in t he P park posi­
tion. When the ignition key is removed, the
selector lever will be loc ked in the P position.

Driving the automatic transmission
Fig. 159 Shift g ate on the center co nso le: se lector lev­
er wi th release butt on
Starting the engine
~ The selector lever must be in P or N .
Starting off
~ Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ Press and hold the release button in these­
lector lever handle , select the desired selec ­
tor lever pos ition such as D and release the
button .
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shift­
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
acce lerate .
Stopping temporarily
~ Keep the vehicle stationary us ing the brak­
ing pedal, for examp le at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerato r pedal when do -
ing this.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could roll. The message
Transmi ssion : Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal unt il the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop.
~ Set the parking brake firmly 9 page 110,
Parking.
~ Se lect the P selector lever position 9 &.-
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the brake pedal to hold the ve­
hicle in place and prevent it from "rolling
back"
9 ,& . Do not try to prevent the vehi-
Autom atic transm ission 139
cle from "rolling back" when a gear is en­
gaged by increasing the engine speed
c::>(D.
Under certain circumstances, such as driving
in the mountains, it may be usefu l to switch
temporarily to the manual shift program in or­
der to adjust the gears to the driving condi­
tions by hand
c::> page 140 .
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
This prevents too much stress from being
placed on the locking mechanism.
A WARNING
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear.
If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
apply the park ing brake firmly and move
the selector lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "c reeping ", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine 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 se lector 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, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the bra ke
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hi ll. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases braking distance or causes complete fa il·
ure 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 . .,..

140 Automatic transmission
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
[O] illu­
minates and a driver message appears
c!;> page 141 when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake
firmly set¢
page 257. Otherwise, any
increase in engine speed may set the ve­
hicle 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 accelerator peda l while a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the transmis­
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the park ing brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in
N will damage the transmiss ion be­
cause it is not lubricated under those cir­
cumstances.
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
and technical limitations . It may st ill be nec­
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de ­
cline levels out or you press the accelerator pedal. When the speed
is set in the cruise control
system
c!;>page 111, hill descent control is al­
so activated.
A WARNING
--
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
conditions. Always be ready to apply the brakes.
· Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears.
Fig. 160 Center console: shift ing the gears manually
Fig. 161 Steering wheel: Sh ift buttons•
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.,. Push the selector lever to the right from D.
An
M appears in the instrument cluster dis­
play as soon as the transmission has shifted .
.,. To upshift, push the se lecto r lever forward
to the plus position
0 c!;> fig. 160 .
.,. To downshift, push the lever to the minus
position
Q . 1J>-

Parking systems
General information
App lies to vehicles: with rea r park assis t/Audi park ing sys ­
tem plus w ith rearview camera/front -and rearview cam ­
era
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, vari­
ous parking aids will help you when parking
and maneuvering.
The
rear park assist is an acoustic park assist
system that will give you a sound warning to let you know there is something
behind the
veh icle ¢page
144 .
The Audi parking system plus with rearview
camera
audibly and visually tells you there is
something
in front of and behind the vehicle .
A rearview camera also shows you what is be­
hind the vehicle ¢ page
144 .
The Audi parking system plus with front- and
rearview camera
audibly and visually tells you
there is something
in front of and behind the
veh icle. A front and rearview camera also
shows you what is in front of and behind the
veh icle¢ page
148 .
& WARNING
-Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it di­
rect ly as well. The parking system cannot
replace the driver's attention. The driver
is a lways responsible for safety during
park ing and for all other maneuvers.
- Please note that some surfaces, such as clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
wh ich people and objects cannot be de­
tected. Be especially cautious of children
and animals.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody . The
park ing systems may become impaired
as a resu lt. Have your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop check their
function.
- Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstruc-
Parking systems 143
tions as it may impair the sensor func­
tion. For informat ion on cleaning, refer
to
¢ page 244.
([) Note
-Some objects are not detected by the
system under certain circumstances:
- Objects such as barrier chains, trailer
draw bars, vertical poles or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall
extensions
- Objects w ith specific surfaces or struc­
tures such as chain link fences or pow­
der snow.
- If you continue driving closer to a low-ly­
ing object, it may disappear from the
sensor range. Note that you w ill no lon­
ger be warned about this obstacle.
@ Tips
-The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cov­
erage area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- externa l ultrasonic sources e .g . from
cleaning vehicles.
- heavy rain, snow or thick vehicle ex­
haust.
- We recommend tha t you practice park­
ing in a traff ic-free location or parking
lot to become familiar with the system.
When doing this, there should be good
light and weather cond itions.
- You can change the vo lume and pitch of
the s ignals as well as the disp lay
¢page
153.
- Please refer to the instructions for tow ­
ing a trailer ¢page
153.
-What appears in the MMI display is
somewhat time-delayed.

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 244.
The range at which the sensors begin to meas­
ure is approximately :
s ide 2 ft (0.60 m)
rear
center 5.2 ft (1.60 m)
The closer you get to the obstacle, the sho rter
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 d istance 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. 163 Illustrat ion: Cross parking
F ig. 164 Illustrat ion: Parallel parki ng
Vehicles with the Aud i pa rking system plus
with rearview camera are equipped with a
r e arvi ew camera in addition to the acoustic
and visual pa rking system .
You can use cross parking for example, to
park in a parking space or in a garage
a,
"' :; .. ID
¢ fig . 163. You can use parallel parking if you
would like to park on the side of the road
¢fig. 164.