auto AUDI S3 SEDAN 2018 Owner's Guide

Drivin g
Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in for the first 1,000 mi les (1,500 km). Do not dr ive at speeds
t hat will exceed 2/3 of the max imum pe rm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid fu ll acceleration during
this period . You may gradually start increasing
the RPM and the speed between 600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km) .
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
higher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven d uring the first 1,000
miles (1 ,500 km) a lso affects the engine quality .
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icu larly when running a cold
eng ine . Th is will reduce eng ine wear and improve
the m ileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
@ Note
When driving on poo r roads, by cu rbs and on
s teep ramps, make su re t hat low-hang ing
compone nts such as the spo ile r and exha ust
system do not come into contact with these
or they could be damaged. This especially ap ­
plies to vehicles with low ground clearance
and veh icles that are heavily loaded.
Warming up/cooling down
Applies to: RS models
By warming up/cooling down the engine carefu l­
ly, you can help reduce unnecessary stra in o n
your veh icle when driving in a sporty sty le .
72
The tires only reach t heir full road ho ld ing capa ­
bility once they have warmed up under load.
Yo ur vehicle also has an afte r-run cooli ng fea ­
tu re . Howeve r, cooling down is st ill import ant.
The eng ine and t he brakes as we ll as the exhaust
system and the transmission become very hot
when driving in a sporty style. Before you shut
the veh icle off, you should cool down the vehicle
by driving a few miles at low speeds with light ac­
ce leration .
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of veh icle
damage when dr iving throug h wate r, fo r example
o n flooded roads:
-The water must not be any higher than the bot ­
tom of the vehicle body .
-Do not drive faster than walk ing speed .
A WARNING
After driving thro ugh water or m ud, the effec­
tiveness of t he b rakes may be reduced due to
mo istu re o n the bra ke rotors and brake pads.
A few ca reful br ake app lica tions sho uld d ry
off the bra kes and restore the fu ll b raking ef ­
fect.
@ Note
-Vehicle components such as the e ng ine,
t ra nsmiss ion, sus pens io n or elect rical sys ­
tem can be severely damaged by d riving
throug h water.
-Alw ays sw itch the S tart/Stop system* o ff
when driving thro ugh wa ter
r=;, page 79.
(j) Tips
-De ter mine the dep th before dr iving throug h
w ate r.
-Do not stop the vehi cle, d rive in reverse or
switch t he e ngine off whe n driving through
water .
-Keep in mind that o ncom ing vehicles may
c re ate w aves th at r aise the wa ter level and
make i t too deep for yo ur vehicle to drive
throug h safe ly.

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
-Avoid dr iving throu gh salt wat er, because
th is can ca use corros io n.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l cons umption, t he e nvir on­
men tal impac t an d the wea r to the engine,
b rak es and t ires depen ds mos tly on yo ur dr iv ing
s tyle. W it h an anticipatory and econom ic dr iv ing
s tyle, f uel consum ption can be re du ced by ap­
p roximate ly 1 0-15% . The followi ng tips will help
you conse rve the environment and you r money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the mos t fu el when a ccele ra tin g.
W hen yo u dr ive wi th a ntici pat ion, you do not
need to brake as ofte n an d so yo u acceler ate less .
W hen possi ble, let your vehi cle coast w it h a
gear
engaged ,
for example when you notice that the
next tra ffic light is red . This p roduces an engine
b raking effect, wh ich helps to protect the brakes
a n d tires a nd reduces t he emissions a nd f uel con­
sumpt io n to zero (fuel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
Upshift ing earlier is an effective way to save fue l.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
l y .
Press down on the acce le rato r peda l slowly and
avoid "k ic k-dow n".
Avoid full acceleration
You s hould rare ly tr ave l a t t he m axim um ve hicle
speed . High speeds cause a d isp roportionately
h ig h inc rease in fuel consumption, emissions an d
traffic no ise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
T h e St art /S top system * he lps t o redu ce the i dlin g
time autom atically . In vehicles wi tho ut the Start /
Sto p system, it is eff ic ient to sw itch t he engine
off w hen stopped at ra ilroad cross ings a nd long
red lights . Depending on t he ve rsion of the en­
g ine, stopping the eng ine for as litt le as five sec­
onds once it has reached ope rat ing tempe rature
Driving
st ill saves mo re fue l th an leav ing t he en gine run ­
ning -even when taking into acco unt the amount
of ext ra fuel t hat is use d to restart t he e ngi ne.
It tak es a ve ry long time in idl e to warm the en ­
gine up to o peratin g tem perature . Wear an d
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. The refore, you s hould begin drivi ng im ­
med iate ly after starting the eng ine. Avoid h igh
RPMs wh ile doing this.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By hav ing maintenance pe rformed reg ularly o n
yo ur vehicle, you can help to reduce fue l con ­
s u mption before you even sta rt to drive. The
maintenance cond ition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term va lue b ut al­
so impacts
fuel consumption . A poorly ma in­
ta ined engi ne ca n lead to fue l co nsump tion that
i s 1 0% hig her th an no rmal.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and emissions contro l system must
r each their optima l
operating temperature to ef­
fec tively reduce consump tion and emissions .
A cold engine uses a disp roportionately high
amount of fue l. The e ngine reac hes operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption no rma lizes on ly
after app roxima tely 2 .5 m iles (4 km).
Check the tire pressure
To save f ue l, ma ke sure the ti res are always i n­
f lated to t he correct press ure
c> page 339. The
fuel consumpt io n can increase by 5% if the pres­
s ur e is on ly 0 .5 bar too low . Due to t he increased
r oll ing resis tance, low tire pressures w ill also
l ead to greate r tire
wear an d will affect dr iving
behav ior.
Do not d rive on
winter tires year- ro und , as this
will consume u p to 10% more f uel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
S ince eve ry pou nd of ext ra weight inc reases fuel
consumption, a quick inspect io n of the luggage
compartment may be wo rth it to avoid un neces-
sary we ight .
..,.
73

-Always hold the steering whee l with your
hands in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of injury if the airbag
deploys.
- Never hold the steer ing wheel in the 12
o'clock position or with both hands on the
rim or the center of the steer ing wheel.
Holding the steering wheel incorrectly s ig­
nificantly increases the risk of in jury to the
hands, arms and head if t he a irbag dep loys.
Starting and stopping
the engine (vehicles with an ignition lock)
Starting the engine
A pp lies to: ve hicles with ignitio n lock
The ignition is switched on and the engine start­
ed with the key in the ignition .
Fig. 84 Ignit io n lock: posit io n of the ignit io n key
Switching the ignition on /off
• To switch the ign ition on, turn the ign ition key
to posit io n
CI) . Vehicles without the Start/Stop
system*: the needle in the tachometer moves
into the
READY position.
• To switch the ign ition off, turn the ignit io n key
to posit ion @. The needle in the tachometer
moves into the
OFF position .
Starting the engine
• Press the brake pedal and move the se lector
lever to the "P" or "N" position.
• Turn the key briefly to position @. The ignition
~ key automatically returns to position CI) . Do not
~ press the acce lerato r pedal when doing this .
N ..... 0 N > co
Drivi ng
Equipment that uses a lot of e lectricity is switch­
ed off temporarily when you start the engine .
If the engi ne does not start immediately , stop
the starting p rocedure by turning the ign it ion key
to posit ion @ and repeat after 30 seconds .
Start/Stop system*
See the information in Q page 79 , Start/Stop
system.
_&. WARNING
- T o redu ce the r is k of po iso ning, never allow
t he engi ne to run in confined sp aces.
- Never remove the ignition key from the ig ni­
t ion lock while the vehicle is moving. Other ­
wise the steer ing lock will engage and yo u
will not be ab le to steer the vehicle, which
increased the risk of an acc ident.
(D Note
Avo id high engine s peed, fu ll th rottle, and
heavy engine load i f th e e ngine has not
reached operating temperat ure yet . You could
damage the eng ine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the engine run w hile parked to
warm up. Beg in driving immediate ly . Th is re­
d uces unnecessary emissions.
@ Tips
- If it is d ifficult to turn the key to pos ition
CI) , turn the steering wheel back and forth
slightly to release t he steering whee l lock .
- S ome noise after start ing the e ngine is no r­
ma l and is no cause for co ncern.
Stopping the engine
Applies to: vehicles wi th ignition lock
Stopping the engine
• Bring the vehicle to a full stop .
• Turn the key to position @. The needle in the
tachometer moves into the
OFF pos ition.
Engaging the steering lock
Requireme nt: the se lector lever must be in P .
75

Driving
,.. Remove the ignition key in position @
9 page 76, fig. 85 9 ,&..
,.. Turn the steering wheel until you hear the
steering wheel lock.
The locked steering helps prevent vehicle theft.
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. The full func­
tion of the brake booster and the power
steering is not guaranteed. You must use more force to turn or brake . Because you
cannot steer and brake as you usually
would, this co uld lead to accidents and seri-
. . . ous mJunes .
-Never remove the ignit ion key from the ign i­
t ion loc k while the vehicle is moving. Other­
wise, the steering lock could suddenly en­
gage and you would not be able to steer the
vehicle.
- If you leave the veh icle, switch the ignit ion
off and take the vehicle key with you. Other­
wise, the engine could be started or electri­
cal equipment such as the power windows
could be operated. This can lead to serious
injury.
- For safety reasons, always park the vehicle
with the selector lever in the P position.
Otherwise, there is the risk that the vehicle
could roll unintentionally .
(D Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of t ime, heat builds up in
the engine compartment after the engine is
switched off and there is a risk of damaging
the engine . For this reason, let the engine run
for at idle
for approximately two minutes be­
fore shutting it
off.
@ Tips
For up to 10 minutes after stopping the en­
gine, the radiator fan may turn on again auto­
matically or it may continue to run (even if
the ignition is sw itched
off) for the following
reasons:
76
- The coolant temperature is increasing due
to trapped heat.
- If the engine is warm and the engine com­
partment also heats up from strong sun­
light.
Starting and stopping
the engine (vehicles with
convenience key)
Starting the engine
App lies to : vehicles wit h co nvenience key
The I START ENGINE STOP I button switches the
ignition on and starts the engine.
Fig. 85 Center conso le: STAR T ENGINE ST OP button
Plug-in hybrid drive*: refer to the information for
start ing the veh icle under
9 page 94.
Starting the engine
.,. Press the brake pedal and move the selector
lever to the "P" or "N" position .
.,. Press the I START ENGIN E STOP I button briefly .
The engine will start.
Equipment that uses a lot of electricity is switch­
ed
off temporarily when you start the engine .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
the starting procedure by pushing the
I START ENGINE STOP! button again and repeat
after 30 seconds .
Switching the ignition on/off
If you would like to switch the ignition on with­
out starting the engine, follow these steps:
.,. Press the I ST AR T ENGINE ST OP ! button with-
out
pressing the brake pedal. Vehicles without .,,.

Drivin g
for at idle fo r approximately two minutes
before shutting it off.
(D Tips
For up to 10 m inutes after stopp ing the en­
gine, the rad iator fan may t urn on again auto­
matically or it may continue to run (even if
the ignition is sw itched off) for the following
reasons:
- The coolant temperature is increasing due
to trapped heat.
- If the engine is warm and the engine com­
partment also heats up from strong sun­
li ght.
Messages
Engine runn ing. W arning! Turn off ignition be ·
fore le aving vehicl e
This m essage appears and a warning tone sounds
if you open the driver 's door when the engine is
running .
Press ing start /stop button again will swi tch off
engine.
This message appea rs when you press the
IS TAR T ENG IN E STOP I* button wh ile d riving
¢ page 77, Emergency off function.
Engine start system: malfunction! Ple ase con­
tact S ervice
The engine automatic start system has a mal­
function . Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to
have the ma lfunct ion co rrected. To sta rt the en­
g ine , turn the key to pos it io n @ ¢
page 75 or
p ress and ho ld the
I S TART ENGINE ST OP ! button
until the engine is running .
DJ Key not r ecogniz ed . See own er' s manual
This message appears if there is no convenience
key inside the vehicle or if the system does not
recognize the key . T he conven ience key may not
be recognized, for examp le, if it is cove red by an
object that
disrupts the s ignal (s uch as a b rief ­
case), o r if the key ba tte ry is weak. Elect ronic de ­
vices s uch as cell phones can also interfere wit h
the signal.
78
To still be ab le to start or stop the engine, re fer
to
¢ page 79.
DJ Re mo te c ontro l ke y: hold back of ke y
again st the de signated ar ea . S ee owner 's man­
ual
If the indicato r light turns on and this message
appea rs, there is a ma lfunction ¢
page 79.
Ill Key not in v ehicle?
Ill Remote control ke y: key not r ecogni zed. Is
t he key still in the vehicle ?
The Ill indicator light turns on and this message
app ears if the conv eni ence k ey was r emoved from
the veh icle when the engine was running.
If the
convenience key is no longer in the ve hicle, you
cannot sw itch the ignition on or start the eng ine
once you stop it . You also cannot lock the vehicle
from the outside .
Please press the bra ke pedal
This message appears if you do not step on the
brake peda l to start the engine on a vehicle with
an automat ic transmission.
Plea se select N or P
This message appears w hen start ing or stopping
t h e engine if t he se lecto r lever is not in t he "N " or
"P " pos ition. The eng ine will not sta rt/stop.
Turn off igniti on befor e le av ing vehicle . Batter y
i s di sc harging
This message appears and a warning tone sounds
i f you open the driver's door w hen the ign it ion is
switched on . Sw itch the ignit ion off so that the
vehicle battery will not discharge.
S hift to P , othe rwi se vehicle can roll aw ay.
Door s do not lo ck if l ever is not in P
This message appears for safety reasons if the
selector lever for the automa tic transmission is
not in the P position after the ignition is switched
off . Move the selector lever to the P posit ion .
Otherwise the ve hicle is not protected from roll­
i ng and it cannot be locked .

LL co .... N
" N .... 0 N > co
Starting the engine
when there is a
malfunction
Applies to: vehicles with conven ience key
It may not be possible to start the engine under
certain circumstances, for example, if the bat ­
tery in the vehicle key is drained, if interference is
affecting the key or if there is o system mo/func­
tion.
Fig. 86 Steering col umn/remote co ntro l key: starting the
eng ine if there is
a malfunction
As long as the message II Key not recognized.
See owner's manual or
II Remote control key:
hold back of key against the designated area.
See owner's manual
appears, you can start the
vehicle with the emergency starting function .
.. Press the brake pedal.
.. Hold the master key in the location indicated in
the illustration
y>l) c> fig. 86.
.. Press the I START ENGINE STOPI button c> .& in
Starting the engine on page
77 . The engine will
start.
.,. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
@ Tips
You can display the message that appears
during an emergency by pressing the
!START ENGINE STOPI button.
l) Market -spe cific
Driving
Start/Stop system
Description
Applies to: vehicles wit h Start/Stop system
The Start/Stop system can help increase fuel
economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
In Start/Stop mode, the engine shuts off auto ­
matically when the vehicle is stopped, such as at
a traffic light. The ignition remains switched on
during this stop phase. The engine w ill restart
automat ically when needed.
The Start/Stop system is automatically activated
as soon as the ignition is switched on.
Basic requirements for Start/Stop mode
-The driver's door must be closed .
- The driver's seat belt much be fastened.
- The hood must be closed.
- The vehicle must have driven faster than
2 mph
(3 km/h) since the last time it stopped.
(D Note
Always switch the Start/Stop system off when
driving through water
c> page 81.
(D Tips
The engine stops shortly before the vehicle
comes to a stop
ll. The full function of the
brake booster and the power steering is still
available.
Stopping/starting the engine
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Fig. 87 Instrument cluster: eng ine switched off (stop
phase)
79

Drivin g
~ Brake the vehicle to a stop . The engine stops
shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop or if
the ve hicle is stationary
1>. Keep your foot on
the brake pedal. The
D] ; D] ind icator light ap ­
pears in the display. The need le in the tachome­
ter also moves into the
READ Y position .
~ The engine starts again when you take your
foot off the brake pedal. The ind icator light
tu rns off.
Add ition al informa tion
The engine stops in the "P", "N" and "D" selector
lever positions .
If you select the "R" selector lever position during
a Stop phase, the engine will start again.
Shift to "P" quickly to prevent the engine from
starting unintentiona lly when shifting t hrough
IIRII.
You can determ ine for you rself if the engine will
stop or not by reducing or increasing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex­
ample, if you only light ly press on the brake ped­
al in stop-and-go traff ic or when turning, the en­
g ine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta­
tionary . As soon as you press the brake down
harder, the eng ine will switch off .
(D Tips
-Press the brake pedal during a Stop phase
to keep the veh icle from roll ing.
- The ignition will turn off if you press the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button* during a
stop phase . The needle in the tachometer
moves into the
OFF pos it ion .
General information
App lies to: ve hicles w ith Sta rt/Stop system
Engine does not switch off
Before and during each stop phase, the system
checks if certa in cond itions have been met. If the
fjj i ndicato r light appears in the instr ument clus­
t er d isp lay, the engine w ill no t be s topped, for
examp le in the fo llowing situations:
1) Ma rket -spe cific
80
- T he engine has not reached the minim um re­
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode.
- The interior temperature selected by the cli-
mate control system* has not been reached.
- The ou tside tempe rat ure is extremely high/low.
- The windsh ield is being
defrosted® .
-The parking system* is switched on .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low .
- The steering wheel is turned at a sharp angle or
is moving.
- After engaging the reverse gear.
- On sharp inclines .
- At high altitudes .
Engine automaticall y restarts
The standard Start/Stop mode w ill be canceled
d u ring a stop p hase in the following situat ions.
The eng ine res tarts witho ut any act ion by the
drive r.
- The vehicle ro lls, for example while on a slope .
- The interior temperature differs from the tem -
peratu re selected in the A/C system .
- The windsh ield is being
defrosted® .
-The brake pedal is pressed several times in a
row.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- Power consumption is hig h.
The eng ine ca n tur n off aga in when the cond i­
t ions for Sta rt/S top mode a re met
l ).
Ignition is switched off automaticall y
To prevent the vehicle battery from dra ining, the
i gnition will sw itch off
a ut omaticall y under the
fo llow ing cond it ions:
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine .
- The vehicle is stationary.
- You exited the vehicle .
In this case, the activated low beam is rep laced
by the pa rking light . The parking lights wi ll
switch off after approximately 30 minutes or
when you lock the veh icle.
.,.

LL co .... N
" N .... 0 N > co
If the Start/Stop system has not turned off the
engine or if you have switched the Start/Stop sys­
tem off manually, the ignition will not be auto­ mat ically switched off and the engine w ill contin­
ue to run
c:> ,1. .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
If you select the "D" or "N" selector lever pos i­
tion in a veh icle with an automatic transmis­
sion after shifting into reverse, the vehicle
must be dr iven faster than 6 mph (10 km/h)
in order for the engine to sw itch off again.
Manually switching the Start /Stop system
on /off
Appl ies to: ve hicles with Sta rt/Stop system
If you do not wish to use the system, you can
switch it off manually.
F ig. 88 Center co nsole: Start/Stop system button
-
.. To switch the Start/Stop system off/on man­
ually, press the
l(A) ~I button. The LED in the but­
ton turns on when the system is sw itched off .
(D Tips
If
you switch the system off during a stop
phase, the engine will start again automati­
cally.
Messages in the instrument cluster display
App lies to: ve hicles with Start/Stop system
ma Sta rt /s top sy ste m: dea ctivated. Plea se sta rt
e ngine manually D
rivi ng
This message appears when spec ific conditions
are not met du ring a stop phase . The Start/Stop
system will
not be ab le to restart the engine. The
engine must be started manua lly.
ma Sta rt/stop sy stem : ma lfunction! Function
una vailable
T he re is a m alfu nction in the Start/Stop system.
Drive the vehicle to an authorized Aud i dea ler or
authorized Service Facility as soon as possible to
have the malfunction corrected.
Electromechanical
parking brake
F ig . 8 9 Cen ter console : park ing brake
ra 0 > (IO m
Your vehicle is equipped with an electromechani ­
ca l parking brake
(D c:> fig. 89 . The parking brake
is des igned to prevent the veh icle from rolling
unintentionally and replaces the hand brake.
Sett ing /manuall y releasing the parking
brake
.. Pull the(®) switch to set the parking brake. The
LED in the switch turns on. The
-(USA mod­
els)/ . (Canada models) ind icator light also
turns on in the instrument cluster disp lay .
.. To release the park ing brake man ually, press
the bra ke or accelerator peda l wh ile the ign i­
tion is sw itched on and press the
(®) switc h at
the same time. The LED i n the bu tton and the
ind icator light in the d isplay turn off.
Releas ing the parking brake automatically
Requireme nt: the driver's door must be closed
and the parking brake must be se t.
81

Drivin g
~ To start driving and re lease the parking brake
automatica lly, press the acce lerator pedal as
usua l.
I n addition to re leasing the par king brake auto ­
matica lly, other convenience and sa fety functions
are available when you start driving
r=;, poge 83,
Starting from a stop.
Pre venting th e automatic parking bra ke
r el eas e
The vehicle could begin ro lling unintentiona lly,
dep ending on the hill or if towing a trailer .
~ To preve nt the parking b rake from releasing au­
tomatica lly, pull and hold the
®l switch and
press the acce lerator pedal. The parking brake
remains set and pr events the vehicle from ro ll­
ing backward.
~ You can re lease the(®) switch again once you
are sure that you are g iv ing enough dr iv ing
force to the wheels by pressing the accelerator pedal.
Emergenc y bra king function
You can use the emergency brak ing funct ion in an
emergency situation, or if the standard brake op­
eration malfunctions or is disabled .
~ Pull and hold the(®) switch.
~ As soon as you release the (®) switch or acceler-
ate, the brak ing stops .
Pu lling and holding
the(®) switch while driving
the vehicle activates the emergency braking f unc ­
tion . The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by
activating the hydraulic brake system. The brak­
ing effect is s imilar to heavy braking
r=;, .,&. .
To reduce the risk of activating the emergency
braking by mistake, a warn ing tone (bu zzer)
sounds when the
®l swi tch is pulled. Emergency
braking stops as soon as the
®l switch is released
or the accelerato r pedal is pressed .
Parking
~ Press the brake peda l to stop the vehicle.
~ Pull the C® switch to set the parking brake.
~ Place the selector lever in the P pos ition.
~ T urn the eng ine off r=;, .,&. .
82
~ Turn the steering w hee l when parking on in­
clines so that the w heels wi ll roll into the curb
if the vehicle starts moving .
A WARNING
- Do not press the acce lerator pedal inadver­
tently if a gear is selected when the vehicle
is stationary and the eng ine is running . Oth­
erwise, the vehicle will start to move imme­
d iate ly and this could resul t in an accident.
- Emerge ncy brak ing should only be used in
a n emergency, when the norma l bra ke pedal
has fa iled or the bra ke peda l is obstr ucted.
D ur ing eme rgency bra king, you r vehicle w ill
brake s imilar to he avy braking. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, AS R, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics.
Around curves and when road or weather
conditions a re bad, a full brake applicat ion
can cause the veh icle to skid or the rear end
to swerve, wh ich increases the risk of an ac­
cide nt.
- If the power supply fails, you cannot set the
parking brake if it is released. In this case,
pa rk the veh icle on leve l ground and secure
it by p lac ing the sele cto r leve r in the P pos i­
tion. See an au thor ized A udi dealer or au ­
thor ized A udi Se rvi ce Fa cility for assis tan ce.
- I f you leave the vehi cle, sw itch the ignition
off and take the veh icle key wi th yo u. Thi s
app lies pa rticular ly when children remain in
the vehicle. Otherwise, chi ld ren co uld start
the engine, release the parking brake or op ­
erate e lectr ica l equipment s uch as power
w indows, wh ich increases the r isk of an acci­
dent.
- No one, especially c hildren, should rema in
in the vehicle when it is locked. Locked
doors make it more difficu lt for emergency
workers to get into the vehicle, which puts
lives at ris k.
(D Tips
When stopp ing at a traff ic signa l or stopp ing
i n city traffic, you can set the park ing brake
manually . The veh icle does not have to be
h eld with the brake pedal. The par king b rake
e liminates t he tendency to creep when a

selector lever position is engaged. As soon as
you press the accelerator pedal, the parking brake releases automatically and your vehicle
starts to move
¢ page 83.
(D Tips
- Occasional noises when the parking brake is
set and re leased are normal and are not a
cause for concern.
- The parking brake goes through a self-test
cycle at regular intervals when the vehicle is
stopped. Any noises associated with this are normal.
- If there is a power failure, the parking brake will not set if it is released, and it will not
release if it is
set¢&. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility for assistance .
Starting from a stop
Various convenience and safety functions may be
available when the vehicle begins driving, de­
pending on vehicle equipment.
Starting on hills with the parking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed.
~ To start driving comfortably when on a hill, set
the parking brake and begin driving as usual.
The braking force of the parking brake does not release automatically until the wheels build up
enough driving force .
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on hills.
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the engine must be running.
~ To activate hill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seconds. The vehicle
must be in an uphill direction of travel.
After releasing the brake pedal, the braking pow­
er is maintained for a brief
moment ¢.&. to pre­
vent the vehicle from rolling back when starting.
::li During this time, you can eas ily beg in to move .-<
~ your vehicle.
N .-< 0 N > 00
Driving
A WARNING ,-
Applies to: ve hicles with h ill ho ld assist
- If you do not begin driving immediately or
the engine stalls after releasing the brake
pedal, your veh icle may begin to roll back ­
ward. Press the brake pedal or set the park­
ing brake immediately.
- The intelligent technology of hill hold assist
cannot overcome the limitations imposed by
natural physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by hill hold assist should not cause
you to take safety risks.
- Hill hold assist cannot hold the vehicle in
place on all hills (for example, if the ground
is slippery or icy).
- To reduce the risk of an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
while stationary.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmiss ions
T he automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically . Upshifting and downshifting occur au­
tomatically.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transm ission selects the most economica l dr iv ing
mode. The transmission upshifts at a lower RPM
and downshifts at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency.
In the "S" selector lever position, the transm is­
sion switches to a sporty mode after a kick-down
or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style
characterized by quick accelerator pedal move­
ments, heavy acce leration, frequent changes in
speed and traveling at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) ¢ page 88, Manual
shifting (tiptronic mode).
The S tronic is a dual-clutch transmission. Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde­
pendently from one another. They replace the
torque converter used in conventional automatic
.,.
83