power steering AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2015 Owners Manual

2 Table of contents Vehicle literature ............. .
About this Owner's Manual ...
Controls and equipment .. ... .
Ins truments and controls .. . .
General illustration .............. .
Instruments and warning/
indicator lights ............... .
Instruments ............ ... .. ... .
Warning/indicator lights .......... .
Driver information display ... ... ... .
Lap timer .. ................ ... . .
On-Board Diagnostic system (OBD) .. .
Opening and closing ......... .
Keys .. .. .................. ... . .
Power locking system .......... .. .
Rear lid .... .................. .. .
Child safety lock for the rear doors .. .
Power windows .......... .. .. ... .
Valet parking ................... .
Sliding/tilting sunroof ............ .
5
6
8
8
8
10
10
11
22
28
29
31
31
33
37
40
40
41
41
Garage door opener (HomeLink) . . . . . 42
Clear vision ................... .
Lights .......... ........ .. .. ... .
Interior lights ................... .
V1s1on ..... .............. ... ... .
Wiper and washer system ......... .
Mirrors .. ............... ....... .
44
44
47
48
48
so
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
General recommendations ........ .
Front seats ............... ... ... .
Head restraints .... ...... .. .. .. . .
Seat memory ............. ... .. . .
Ashtray ........................ .
Cigarette lighte r ................. .
12-volt sockets ......... ...... .. . .
Storage .... ... .......... ....... .
Roof rack ....... ........ .. .. ... .
Luggage compartment ........ .. . .
Pass -through with ski sack ........ . 53
54
56
57
59
59
60
60
62
64
67
Warm and cold ... .......... .. .
Four-zone automatic climate control
Steering wheel heating ........... .
On the road ... ... .......... .. .
Steering .. .... .. .... ......... .. .
Starting and stopping the engine ... .
Electromechanical parking brake ... .
Speed warning system ............ .
Cruise control . ... ... ......... ... .
Audi adaptive cruise control
and braking guard ........... .
Introduction ..... ............... .
General information .... .... .... . .
Audi adaptive cruise control ....... .
Audi braking guard ............ .. .
Messages ..... .. .. ............ . .
Audi active lane assist ....... .
Active lane assist ... ........... .. .
Audi side assist ......... ..... .
Lane Change Assistant ........ .... .
69
69
72
73
73
74
77
78
79
81
81
81
83
87
88
90
90
93
93
Audi drive select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Driving settings .. .......... ..... .
Raising/lowering the vehicle ..... .. .
Driver messages .. ... ............ .
Night vision assistant ........ .
Night vision assistant with detected
96
98
98
99
pedestrian marking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 103
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Parking systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Parking system plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Rearviewcamera . ............. ... 111
Peripheral cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Adjusting the display and the warning
tones. ....... ................... 119
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
Safet y fir st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Driving Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Proper occupant seating posit ions . . . 121
Driver and passenger side footwell . . . 125
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Stowing luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
R eport ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Why safety bel ts? .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . . 13 1
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Safety belt p re tens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 136
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
I mpor tan t th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 139
Fr ont airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 3
M onitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Ch ild Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Important things to know .. .. .. .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ............ .... .
Install ing a chi ld safety seat .. .. ... .
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
fo r ch ild ren . ............. .... .. . .
A ddit io nal Informa tion
Audi pre sense .......... .. .. . .
Pr even ta ti ve passe nger p rotec tion
Vehicle operation ....... .. .. . .
Intelligent technology .. .. .. . .
N ot ice about da ta re corded by the
E vent Data Recorder and vehi cle 165
171
176
179
183
184
18 4
186
186
control mo dules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 187
Rear spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Elect romechan ical power assist,
dynam ic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Table of contents 3
Driving with your q uattro . . . . . . . . . . 193
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Driving and environment . . . . . 196
T he first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 197
Driving throug h water on roads . . . . . 197
Warmi ng up and coo ling down . . . . . . 197
Catalytic co nverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Sh utting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Operate your vehicle economically a nd
min imi ze poll ution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 201
Gener al infor mation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 202
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
206
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Engine compartment.............. 213
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Engine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Windsh ie ld/headlight* washer
c ont ainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
T ires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
T ire pressure mo nitor ing system 255
Do-it -yourself service . . . . . . . . . 2 59
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
E mergency warn ing triangle . . . . . . . . 259
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
T ire repa ir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Changi ng a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
•
•

(!) Door handle
@
®
©
®
®
(j)
Audi side assist d isplay
Power locking sw itches
Memory function buttons . ... .
Aud i side assist button .. .. .. .
A ir vents with thumbwheel
Control lever for :
- T urn signal and high beam
- Audi act ive lane assist . .. .. .
@ Mu ltifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Driver's airbag
- Driver information system but-
tons ... ..... ....... ... .. .
- Audio/video , telephone, navi­
gation and voice recognition
buttons
- Steering wheel heating . ... .
- Shift padd les ..... ... .. .. .
® Instrument cluster ..... .. .. .
@ H ead-up Display ....... .. .. .
@ Windsh ield washer system
l ever .... .... ...... ... .. .. .
@ Buttons for :
- MM I display
- Reset button for tr ip odome-
ter .. .. ............. .... .
@ Starting the eng ine if there is a
malfunction
~ Knee airbag ........... .... .
@ Steering whee l adjustment, de­
pending on equipment:
- mechanical . ............. .
- electrical
@ Leverfo r:
- Cru ise contro l system
- Adaptive cruise cont ro l .. .. .
@ Button for switch ing the Head­
up Display on/off , adjusting the
h eight .. ................ . .
@ Instrument illuminat ion ... .. .
@ Eng ine hood release .... .. .. .
@ D ata Link Connector for On
Board Diag nos tics ( OBD II) . .. .
93
36
57
93
46
90
143
22
72
107 10
27
48
25
76
156
73
73
79
8 1
27
47
211
29
In strument s and control s 9
@ Light switch ..... . .. .. ..... .
@ Buttons for :
- All -weathe r lights
- Night vision assistant . .. ... .
- Rear fog lights . .......... .
@ Power exterior mirror adjust-
ment . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... .
@ Rear lid switc h ............. .
@) Power w indows .... ........ .
@ MMI display
@ Emergency flashers .. .. .. ... .
@ Glove compar tment ........ .
@ Front passenger's airbag .... .
@ Valet parking feature ....... .
@ Drives (MMI)
@ Buttons/Indicator ligh ts for
- P arking system ........... .
- PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF ... .
- Rear spoiler .. .. . .. .... ... .
- E lectron ic Stabili zation Con-
trol .. .. .. .. .. . ... ...... .
@) Four-zone automatic climate
control . .. .. .. .. .. ........ .
@ Storage compartment or ash-
tray with cigarette ligh ter .....
@) I STAR T ENGIN E ST OPI button
@ MMI controls
@ 12-volt socket , (upholde r
@ Elec tromechanical pa rking
brake . ... .. .... . ... ...... .
@ Selector lever
(D Tips
44
4 4
99
44
so
37
40
45
61
143
41
109
152
190
189
69
59,59
74
60,60
77
103
- Some of the equipment or features
shown in the genera l ill ustration may be
standard equ ipment on your vehicle or
may be opt ional equ ipment depending
on you r model. Always ask your autho r­
ized Aud i dea le r i f you have a quest ion
about your ve hicl e.
- Ope rat ion of the Multi Med ia Interface
(MMI) is described in a separate manua l.

M N
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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 13
Canada m odel s:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ,/
¢ page 18
Worn brake pads ¢page 19
Electromechanical parking
brake
¢ page 15
Tire pressure monitoring sys­ tem./
¢ page 255
Tir e p ress ure monitoring sys­
tem
¢ page 255
Electronic power control./
¢ page 19
Malfunction indicator Lamp
(MIL),/
¢page 20
Engine speed limitation
¢ page 20
Engine oil leve l
¢ page 17
Engine oil sensor
¢ page 20
Request to warm engine by
driving
¢ page 20
Battery
¢ page 16
Tank system
¢page 20
Windshield washer fluid leve l
¢ page 20
Windshield wipers ¢ page 21
Remote control key
¢ page 74
Remote control key
¢ page 76
Battery in remote control key
¢ page 32
/:
Defective light bulb warning
c:::> page 21
Rear fog light(s)
c:::> page 21
Headlight range control
c:::> page 21
adaptive light*
c:::> page 21
L ight-/ra in sensor fa ulty
c:::>page 21
Aud i active lane ass ist*
c:::> page 91
Adapt ive dampers*
c:::>page 21
Transm iss ion
c:::> page 107
Electronic steering column lock
c:::> page 17
Eng ine start system
c:::>page 17
Centra l ind icator light
c:::> page 18
E lectromechanica l steering, dy­
namic steering* ,/
c:::> page 192
A ir suspension*
c:::> page 17
Sport d ifferent ial*
c:::> page 21
Rear spoiler
c:::> page 190
Other indicator light s
-------------
Turn signals
c:::> page22
USA model s: Cruise control *
c:::> page 79
Canada models: C ruise control*
c:::> page 79
Adapt ive cr uise control*
c:::> page 83
Adapt ive cr uise control*
c:::> page 83

24 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
• Press the button ~ @-The Vehicle func­
tion s
menu appears ¢ fig. 7 .
• To select a menu item, turn and press the
th umbwheel @.
Resetting value s to zero
• Se le ct t he on-board computer / Efficien cy
program
men u item in the Vehicle func­
tion s
menu.
• You can now select between the long -term
memory and short-term memory .
• To reset the values i n a memory, press and
hold the thumbwhee l@ for o ne second .
Assigning a function to the
programmable steering wheel button*
• Se lect : I CAR I funct ion button> (Car )* sys­
tems
control button > Vehicle settings >
Steering wheel button .
The last function selected displays when you
sw itch the ignition o n.
@ Tips
All stored values will be lost if the vehicle
battery is disconnected.
On -board computer
F ig. 8 I n st ru men t cl uster: fu el co nsumpt io n
You can call up the following information in
the on-board computer:
-D ate
- Dr iving tim e (h ) from the s ho rt -te rm memo-
r y
- Ave rag e consump tion in MP G
(l/100 km)
from the s ho rt- term memo ry
- Ave rage spe ed in mph (km/h) from the
s h ort-term memo ry -
Distance driven in mi les (km) from the
short-te rm memory
- Curren t fu el cons umption in MPG
(L/1 00
km)
- Shor t-te rm memory overview
- Long-te rm mem ory ove rview
The short -te rm mem ory collects dr iv in g inf or­
mation from the time the ig nitio n is swi tched
o n until it is switched off . If you continu e driv­
i ng withi n two ho urs a fter sw itch ing the ig ni­
t io n off , the new values are incl uded when cal­
c ul ating the c urrent trip inform ation .
Un like the sho rt-term m emory, the long-t erm
memo ry i s not erase d autom atically . You can
se le ct t he time period for eva luating trip in­
f ormation yourse lf.
Fo r some vehicle f unct ions, you can access the
t rip informa tion from t he tempo rary mem ory
i n the line@~
page 22, fig . 5.
Fuel consumption
The current fue l cons umption can be d is ­
played us ing a ba r
~fig . 8. The ave rage con­
s u mption (mpg) stor ed in th e sho rt-t erm
m emo ry is a lso displayed. When the ba r tu rns
green, y our veh icle saves fue l by one of the
f ol low ing functions:
- Recuperation : When the vehicle is coast ing
o r driving down hill, elec trica l energy can be
s tor ed in the b attery . Th e ba r will move t o­
ward
0 .
-Cylinder on demand Sy stem* : when the de­
mand for power is low and other con diti ons
are met, the engine automatically deacti ­
vates fo ur cylin ders . Th e d river a nd passen­
gers will not even notice this. The message
4 cylinde r mode appears under the bar. The
cylinders switch on again w hen more power
is ne eded .
@ Tips
Fuel consumptions (average and current),
r ange and spee d are disp layed i n metric
u nits on Canadian models.

"' N
a:: I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Opening and closing Keys
Key set
Fig. 20 Key set
@ Remote control key with mechanical
key
You can centrally lock and unlock your vehicle
and start the engine with the master key with
remote control. A mechanical key is integrat­
ed in the remote control key~ page
32 .
® Emergency key
The emergency key is not intended for con­
stant use.
It should only be used in an emer­
gency. Keep it in a safe place and do not carry
it on your key ring .
Key replacement
If you lose a key, contact your authorized Audi
dealer immed iately to have the
lost key disa­
bled. Be sure to bring all your keys with you.
Personal comfort settings
If two people use one vehicle, it is recom­
mended that each person always uses "their
own" master key. When the ignition is switch­
ed off or when the vehicle is locked, personal
convenience settings for the following sys­
tems are stored and assigned to the remote
master key.
- Automatic climate control
- Central locking system
- Ambience lighting*
- Seat memory*
- Parking system*
- Adaptive cruise control*
Opening and closing 31
- Audi active lane assist*
- Audi side assist*
-Audi drive select
- Night vision assistant*
- Heated steering wheel*
The stored settings are automatically recalled
when you unlock the vehicle, when you open
the doors or when you switch the ignition on.
A WARNING
-Do not leave your vehicle unattended. Al­
ways take your ignition key with you and
lock your vehicle. Entry by unauthorized
persons could endanger you or result in
theft or damage the vehicle.
- Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, especially with access to vehicle
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportunity to start
the engine and/or activate vehicle sys­
tems such as the power windows, etc.
Unsupervised operation of any vehicle
system by children can result in serious
injury.
(D Tips
- The operation of the remote control key
can be temporarily disrupted by interfer­
ence from transmitters in the vicinity of
the vehicle working in the same frequen­
cy range (e.g. a cell phone, radio equip­
ment).
- For security reasons, replacement keys
are only available from Audi dealers.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions~ page
285.

M N
0::
Starting th e engin e
"'Pre ss the brake peda l r::!> _&..
"'Press the I START ENGINE STOP I button
r::!>fig. 83. T he engine will start .
If the engine should not sta rt immediately ,
the sta rting process is automatically stopped
after a short time. Repeat starting procedure .
A WARNING
-Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiation .
- Never t urn off the engine unti l 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 usua l­
ly would, this could lead to crashes and
ser ious injur ies .
(D Note
-Avoid high engine rpm, full throttle and
heavy engine loads unti l the engine has
reached operating temperature -other ­
wise yo u risk eng ine damage.
- The eng ine cannot be started by pushing
or tow ing the veh icle.
(D Tips
- After a cold engine is started, there may
be a brief period of increased noise be­
ca use oil pressure mus t fi rst bu ild up in
the hyd raulic valve adjusters . This is nor­
mal and not a ca use for concern.
- If you leave the vehicle with the ignit ion
switched on, the ignition will switch off
after a certai n pe riod of time. P lease
note tha t electr ica l equipment s uch as
exterior lights wi ll switch off as well
when that happens.
Stopping the engine
~ "' Bring your vehicle to a complet e stop. ,....,
~ "' Move the selector lever to the P or N po si-
,...., tion.
"' ,....,
On th e ro ad 75
"'Press the I START ENGINE ST OP I button
r::!>poge 74, fig . 83.
Ste ering lock
T he s teering locks when yo u tur n the engine
off using t he
I S TA RT ENGINE STO P! bu tton
and open the d river 's doo r. The locked steer­
ing helps prevent vehicle theft.
Emergency off
If necessary, the engine can be switched off
with the selector lever in the R or D/S posi­
t ion. The engine stops if you press the
I S TAR T ENG IN E ST OP I button at speeds below
6 mph (10 km/ h) .
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and power stee ring
only work when the eng ine is r unning . 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 co uld lead to crashes and
serio us inju ries .
- For safety reasons , you should a lways
pa rk your vehicle w it h the selector lever
in P. Otherwise, the vehicle could inad­
ver ten tly roll away.
- After the eng ine has been switched off,
the radiator fa n can cont in ue to run for
up to 10 minu tes -even with the ignition
sw itche d off . It can also sw itch on again
after some time i f th e coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result of a heat b uildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by
the sun's rays.
(U) Note
Do not stop the engine immediately after
hard o r extended driving. Keep the engine
running for approximate ly two minutes to
prevent excess ive heat bu ild-up .

96 Audi drive select
Audi drive select Driving settings
Introduction
Audi drive select makes it possible to experi­
ence different types of vehicle settings in one
vehicle. The driver can select three
Comfort ,
Auto and Dynamic modes in the MMI to
switch between a sporty and a comfortable
driving mode.
You can also adjust the setting according to
your preferences in the
Individual mode . For
example, you can combine settings such as a
sporty engine tuning with comfortable steer­
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the Audi drive select can
cause collisions, other accidents and seri­
ous personal injury.
Description
The following systems are affected by drive
select:
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the engine and the
transmission respond quicker or in a more bal­
anced manner to accelerator pedal move ­
ments. In the sporty dynamic mode, the
transmission shifts at higher RPMs.
Air suspension*
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air sus­ pension sport*
(Air suspension in the MMI) is
an electronically controlled air suspension and
damping system. They are adjusted depend­
ing on the selected driving mode, the driver's
steering, braking and acceleration input and
the road surface, vehicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used in vehicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*.
The vehicle clearance varies depending on the
selected mode and the speed . The
highway setting is activated automatically
when you drive above 75 mph (120 km/h) for
more than
30 seconds in the Auto or Dynamic
mode. The ground clearance is increased auto­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds .
Steering
The steering adapts in terms of steering effort
and steering ratios. Indirect steering that
moves easily, like the steering in comfort
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides sporty, direct steering .
The following applies to vehicles with dynamic
steering* : the steering ratio changes based on
vehicle speed in order to maintain optimum
steering effort for the driver at all times . This
sets the steering to be less sensitive at higher
speeds in order to provide improved vehicle
control. At reduced speeds, however, steering
is more direct in order to keep the steering ef­
fort as minimal as possible when the driver is
maneuvering the vehicle. At low and average
speeds, dynamic steering additionally pro­
vides more responsive steering performance.
Adaptive dampers*
The adaptive dampers* use sensors to record
information regarding steering movements,
braking and acceleration operations by the
driver, road surface, driving speed, and load.
This makes it possible to adapt damping to
the driving situation virtually in real time.
Drive select also makes it possible to satisfy
the desire for sporty suspension (Dynamic)
and comfortable suspension (Comfort) with­
out giving up balanced tuning (Auto) .
Sport differential*
As a component of the all wheel drive system
(quattro)
c::;; page 193, the Sport differential*
distributes the driving power to the rear axle
depending on the situation. The distribution
of power varies depending on the selected
mode, from balanced (comfort) to agile (dy­
namic). The goal is a high level of agility and
Ill-

M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Aud i connect
features req uires wireless serv ices that are
provided by a third party wireless telecom­
municat ions provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Aud i connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contra ct w ith the wire less telecom ­
municat ions provider and the "About A udi
connect" tab in your vehicle's MMI:
!MENU !
button > Audi connect > About Audi con·
nect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects
certain difficult driv ing s ituations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of cont ro l and helps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively brak ing the
wheels, and/or red ucing engine powe r and
p roviding steering assistance to help hold the
ve hicle on the driver's intended course . The in­
dicator light
m in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
phys ics. It will not a lways be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
h elp you master situat ions where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of fr iction of
the road surface. When there is a sect io n of
d ry road that is s udden ly cove red with water,
slush o r snow, ESC canno t perform the same
way it would on the dry su rface.
If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a c ush ion of wate r in­
stead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent technolog y 187
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast corner ing, particular ly on wind ing
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult dr iv ing s ituations than at lower
speeds.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical lim its, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a veh icle
o n the road if road departu re is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing the vehicle unde r con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inp uts to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di ­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switc hed on all the time . In certain sit­
uat ions when you need less traction, yo u can
switch off ASR by pressing the button
[&I
c::> page 189, fig. 180. Be sure to switch ASR
o n again when you no longer need less t rac ­
t ion.
The following systems are integrated in the
ESC:
Anti-lock bra king sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking up
whe n brak ing. The vehicle can sti ll be stee red
even dur ing hard braking. App ly steady pres­
s u re to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake as sist sy stem
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance. It increases brak ing power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adapt ive c ruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
•
•

188 Intelligent technology
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerat e and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive powe r to the o ther wheels.
This function is not availab le at higher speeds.
I n extreme cases , ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from ove rheating. EDL wi ll sw itch on aga in au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by
changing the steering to rque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC also
he lps to stabilize the stee ring in critical s itua­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in­
side of the curve o r both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows more prec ise driving in curves. The
appl icable system may no t activ ate when driv­
ing in wet or snowy condi tions .
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems can­
not overcome the lim its posed by natural
physical laws. This is especia lly impor- tant on slippery or wet roads
. If the sys­
tems beg in acting to stabilize your vehi­
cle, you should immediately change your
speed to match the road and traffic con­
ditions . Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks. Do ing so will increase the risk
of a loss of veh icle contro l, collision and
serio us pe rsonal inj uries.
- Always ad apt your speed to road, traffic
a nd wea ther conditions. The risk of los­
ing con trol of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippe ry or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead . The ESC and its integrated sys­
tems cannot a lways prevent collisions -
there is still a risk of acc idents!
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth su rfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistan ce sys tems that cannot al­
ways he lp to re duce the risk of loss of ve­
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR o nly wo rk correctly when
all four wheel s are equipped with identi­
c al tires . D iffe ren t tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the ind icator lig ht
BJ or rJlll (USA
mode ls)/ l§J (Can ada models) appears,
t here may be a malfunction ¢
page 18,
r:!>page 18.