AUDI S4 2015 Owners Manual
Manufacturer: AUDI, Model Year: 2015, Model line: S4, Model: AUDI S4 2015Pages: 304, PDF Size: 74.86 MB
Page 91 of 304

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@ Tips 
For safety reasons, the  par king  brake  is reĀ
leased au tomatically  only  when  the  dr ivĀ
er 's safety  belt  is engage d in the  buckle. 
Starting  off  with  a trailer 
To prevent  rolling  back unintentionally  on an 
incline , do the  following: 
~ Keep the  switch @Ā¢ page  87, fig . 101 
pulled  and depress the  accelerator.  The 
park ing  brake stays app lied and  prevents 
the  vehicle  from  rolling  backward. 
~ You can release the  switch  @once you are 
sure that  you  are develop ing  enough  dr iv ing 
force  at  the  wheels  by depress ing the  accelĀ
erator . 
Depending  on the  weight  of  the  r ig (vehicle 
and trailer)  and the  severity  of  the  incl ine, you 
may roll  backwards  as you  start . You can preĀ
ve nt  rolling  backwards  by holding  the  parking 
b rake sw itch @pulled out  and accelerating  -
jus t as you would  whe n starting  on  a hill  with 
a conventional  hand  brake. 
Emergency braking 
In  the  event  that  the  conventional  brake  sys Ā
tem  fails  or locks. 
~ I n  an eme rgency, pull  the  sw itch @ 
Ā¢page  87,  fig.  101 and  continue  to  p ull it 
to  s low your  vehi cle down  wi th the  pa rk ing 
brake . 
~ As soon as you  release the  switch  @ or  ac-
ce lerate,  the  braking  process stops. 
I f  you pull  the  switch  @and  ho ld  it  above a 
speed of  about  5 mph  (8  km/h),  the  emergen Ā
cy braking  function  is initiated . The vehicle  is 
braked at  a ll four  wheels  by activating  the  hyĀ
draulic  brake system.  T he brake performance 
is similar  to  making  an emergency  stop  ¢ 
&. . 
In  order  not  to  activate  the  emergency  brak Ā
ing  by m istake,  an a udible  warning  tone  (buzĀ
zer) sounds when  the  switch @is pulled.  As 
soon as the  switch @ is released,  or the  accel-
On  th e ro ad  89 
erator peda l is depressed,  eme rgency  braking 
stops. 
A WARNING 
Emergency braking  should  only  be used in 
an emergency,  when  the  norma l foot  brake 
has fa iled or the  brake  pedal  is obstructed. 
Using the  parking  brake to  perform  emerĀ
gency  b rak ing will  slow  your  vehicle  down 
as if  you  had made  a full  bra ke application . 
T he laws of  physics cannot  be suspended 
even with  ESC and its  asso ciated  compoĀ
nents  (ABS, ASR , EDS) . In  corners  and 
when  road  or weathe r conditions  are bad, 
a full  brake application  can ca use the  vehiĀ
cle to  sk id or  the  rear end to  break  away  -
risking  an accident. 
Speed  warning  system 
Overv iew 
The speed  warning system  helps you  to  keep 
your  driving speed  below  a set  speed  limit. 
The speed warn ing system  warns  if  the  driver 
exceeds a previous ly stored  max imum  speed. 
A war ning tone  w ill  so und as soon as the  vehiĀ
cle  speed exceeds the  set speed  by about  3 mph  (3  km/h).  At  the  same  time,  a warn ing 
symbol  appears  in  the display.  The symbo l's 
appearance  might  be different  in some  mod Ā
els. 
T he speed wa rn ing system  has one or  two* 
warning  thresholds  that  func tion  independ Ā
en tly of  each othe r and that  have somewhat 
different  purposes: 
Speed warning  1 
You can  use speed warn ing  1 to  set the  maxiĀ
mum  speed while  you are d riving.  This se tting 
will  re ma in  in  effec t unti l yo u t urn 
off the  ig niĀ
tion,  assuming  that  yo u have no t changed  or 
reset  the  setting. 
T he .  (USA models)/ . (Canada models) 
speed wa rning  sym bol in the  warn ing  1 dis-
play appears w hen you  exceed the  maximum  ..,.  
Page 92 of 304

90  On  the  road 
speed. It goes  out  when  t he speed  fa lls  below 
the  stored  maximum  speed . 
The  speed  warning  symbo l w ill  also  go  out  if 
the  speed 
exceeds the  s to red  m ax imum  speed 
by more  than  about  25  mph  ( 40  km/h)  for  at 
least  10  seconds.  The  stored  maximum  speed 
is deleted. 
Sett ing  speed  wa rning  1 
~ page 90. 
Speed warning  2* 
Storing  warning  2  is recommended  if you alĀ
ways 
want  to  be  reminded  of a  certa in speed, 
for  examp le  when  you  a re  traveling  in a  counĀ
try  that  has  a  general  maximum  speed  limit, 
or  if you  do  not  want  to  ex ceed  a spec ified 
speed  for  winter  tires. 
The . (USA models)  /.  (Canada  mode ls) 
speed  warning  2  symbo l appears  in the  disĀ
p lay when  you  exceed  the  stored  speed  limit . 
Unlike warning  1,  it  will not  go  out  until  t he 
vehicle  speed  drops  below  the  stored  speed 
limit. 
Sett ing  speed  wa rning  2 
~ page 90. 
@ Tips 
Even  tho ugh  your  vehicle  is equipped  wi th 
a  speed  wa rni ng  sys tem,  you  s hou ld  s till 
watch  the  speedometer  to  make  sure  you 
are  not  drivi ng faster  than  the  speed  limit. 
Speed warning  1 : setting  a speed  limit 
Warning  threshold  1 is set  by the I SET ! butĀ
ton . 
Fig.  102  SET button  in the  inst rum en t  cluste r 
Storing  the  ma ximum  speed 
.,. Dr ive  at  the  desired  maximum  speed  . 
.,.  Press  the 
ISETI button  in the  instrument 
panel  display ~ 
fig.  102 for  1 second. 
Resett ing the  maximum  speed 
.,.  Dr ive the  veh icle  at  a  speed  of at  least 
3  mph  (5  km/h) 
.,.  Press  the 
I SET  I but ton  for  more  than  2  sec-
onds. 
T he .  (USA models)/ . (Canada  models) 
speed  w arning  symbo l w ill  appe ar briefly  in 
the  d isplay  when  you  release  the 
ISETI button 
to  indicate  t hat  the  maximum  speed  has  been 
stored  successfully . 
T he  maxim um  speed  remai ns stored  un til it  is 
changed  by pressing  the 
! SE T! button  again 
briefly  or  until  it  is deleted  by a  lengthy  push 
on  the  button . 
Speed warning  2:  setting  a speed  limit 
Applies  to  veh icles: w it h  trip  co mputer 
The radio or  MMI* control  unit  is used  to set, 
change  or delete  warning  threshold  2. 
.,.  Sele ct: !CAR  I func tion  button > Instrument 
cl uster > Speed warnin g. 
Or 
.,.  Select: 
!CARI function  button >  Car  system s* 
contro l button >  Dri ver a ssist  > Speed warnĀ
ing . 
Warning  threshold  2  can  be  set  in the  speed 
range  starting  from  20  mph  to  150  mph  (30 
km/h  to  240  km/h) . Settings  can  each  be  adĀ
justed  in intervals  of  6  mph  (10  km/h).  
Page 93 of 304

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Cruise  control 
Switching  on 
The cruise  control  system  makes  it  possible  to 
drive  at  a constant  speed starting  at  20  mph  (30  km/h). 
0 
f 
~ 
0 
Fig . 103  Contro l lever wi th push-but ton 
Fig . 104 Display: Se lected  speed 
.,.  Pull the  lever  to  position(!)~ fig. 103 to 
swit ch the  system  on. 
.,.  Drive at  the  speed  to  be  controlled. 
.,.  Press  button @ to  set  that  speed . 
., 
;1; 9 a: ., 
"' 
The stored  speed  a nd the  green  symbol 
[ij;(i )~14 (US model)/  .. (Canadian  model)  are 
shown  in the  display~ 
fig.  104 . The  display 
may vary,  depending  on  the  type  of display  in 
your  vehicle. 
The  speed  is  kept  constant  by modifying  enĀ gine  power  or through  an  active  brake  interĀ
vention. 
A WARNING 
- Always  pay attention  to  the  traffic  around  you  when  the  cruise  control  is in 
operation . You are  always  responsib le for 
your  speed  and  the  distance  between 
your  vehicle  and  other  vehicles. 
On  th e  road  91 
-For reasons  of safety,  cruise  control 
should  not  be  used  in the  city,  in stopĀ
and-go  traffic,  on  twisting  roads  and 
when  road  conditions  are  poor  (such  as  ice, fog,  gravel,  heavy  ra in and  hydroĀ
plan ing)  -risk of  accident . 
- Turn  off  the  cruise  control  temporarily  when  enter ing  turn  lanes,  highway  exit 
lanes  or  in construction  zones. 
- Please  note  that  inadvertently  ''resting"  your  foot  on  the  accelerator  pedal  causes 
the  cruise  control  not  to  brake.  This  is 
because  the  cruise  control  is  overridden 
by the  driver's  accelera tion. 
- I f a  brake  system  malfunction  such  as 
overhea ting  occurs  when  the  cruise  conĀ
trol  system  is  switched  on,  the  braking 
function  in the  system  may  be  switched 
off . The  other  cruise  contro l functions  reĀ
main  active  as  long  as  the  indicator  light 
lij;(i )~14 (US models) ;a (Canad ian  modĀ
els)  is  on. 
(D Tips 
- Vehicles  with  manual  transmission:  You 
can  attain  the  set  speed  only  if the  gear 
that  is  currently  engaged  will allow  it,  or 
if it  does  not  tax  the  engine  and  allows  it 
to  run  smoothly . Therefore  shift  into  a 
higher  or  lower  gear  in a  timely  manner  . 
- The  brake  lights  illuminate  as  soon  as 
the  brakes  apply  automatically. 
Chang ing speed 
.,.  To increase/decrease  the  speed  in increĀ
ments,  tap  the  lever  in the 
0 10 direction 
~ page  91, fig.103 . 
.,. To increase/decrease  the  speed  quick ly, hold 
the  lever  in the 
0 10 direction  until  the  deĀ
sired  speed  is displayed. 
You can  also  press  the  accelerator  pedal  down 
to  increase  your  speed,  e.g . if you  want  to 
pass  someone . The  speed  you  saved  earlier 
will  resume  as  soon  as  you  let  off  of the  acce l-
erator  pedal.  .,..  
Page 94 of 304

92  On  the road 
If,  however, you exceed your  saved speed by 
6 mph  (10  km/h)  for  longer  than  5 minutes, 
the  cruise contro l will  be turned  off  temporaĀ
rily. The green symbol  in the  display  turns 
white.  The saved speed remains  the  same. 
Presetting  your  speed 
You can preset  your  desired  speed  while  the 
vehicle  is not  moving . 
..  Switch  on the  ignition  . 
..  Pull  lever  into  position @Ā¢ 
page  91, 
fig.  103 . 
..  Press the  lever  in the 0 or 0 direction  to 
increase or  decrease your  speed . 
..  Release the  lever  to  save that  speed . 
This funct ion makes it  possible,  for  example, 
to  save the  speed you want  befo re driving  on 
the  hig hway . Once on the  hig hway, activate 
the  cruise cont ro l by pull ing the  lever towa rd 
@ . 
Switching  off 
Temporary deactivation 
⢠ Press the  bra ke peda l, or 
⢠ Manual  transmission : Keep  the  clutch  ped al 
pressed down 
longer , or 
..  Press the  lever  into  position @ (not clicked 
into  p lace) 
c:> page  91,  fig . 103, or 
..  Drive for  longer  than  5  minutes  at  more 
t h an 6 mph  (10  km/h)  above the  stored 
speed. 
Switching  off  completely 
..  Press  leve r into  position  @(clicked  into 
place), o r 
..  Switch  the  ign ition  off. 
The speed yo u saved w ill be re tained if  the 
cr uise control  has bee n switched  off  tempora Ā
rily. To resume the  saved speed,  let  up on the 
brake or  cl utch  peda l and pull  the  lever to  poĀ
si tion @. 
Switching  the  ignition  off  erases the  saved 
speed. 
A WARNING 
You shou ld only  return  to  the  saved speed 
i f  it  is not  too  fast  for  the  current  traffic 
conditions  - r isk of  an accident!  
Page 95 of 304

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Transmission Manual  transmission 
Gearshift  lever 
App lies  to  vehicles: with  manual transmission 
The clutch pedal  must  be depressed  all the 
way before  you  can start  the  engine. 
T he manual  transmission  in your  Audi  is 
equipped  with  an 
interlock-feature. 
~ Depress the  clutch  pedal all  the  way. 
~ Start  the  eng ine with  the  gearshift  lever  in 
Neutral  and the  clutch  pedal  depressed. 
(D Note 
Always  depress the  clutch  pedal fully  when 
changing  gears . Do not  hold  the  vehicle  on 
a hill  with  the  clutch  pedal  partially  deĀ
pressed. This may cause  premature clutch 
wear  or  damage . 
@ Tips 
-Resting your  hand  on the  gearshift  lever 
knob  while  driving  will  cause premature 
wear  in the  transmission. 
- The back-up lights  go on when you shift 
into  Reverse w ith  the  ignition  on. 
Gearshift  pattern  (6-speed  manual 
transmission) 
Applies  to vehicles: with  manual  transmission 
Fig. 105 Gearshift  pattern : 6-speed  manual transmisĀ
sio n 
Engaging  reverse gear  (R) 
~ Move the  shift  lever all the  way to  the  left, 
press  it down,  then push  it  forward .  Transmission 
93 
Especially  after  driving  forward,  stop  the  vehiĀ
cle  completely,  shift  into 
Neutral and rest  the 
shift  lever  br iefly  in  Neutral  before  shift ing  inĀ
to 
Reverse. 
multitronic.,  S  tronic., 
tiptronic 
Introduction 
Applies  to  vehicles:  with multitronic/S  tronic/tiptronic 
The automatic  transmission  is controlled  elec Ā
tronically.  The transmission  upshifts or  downĀ
shifts  automatically  depending  on which  drive 
program  is selected . 
When  a 
moderate  driving  style is used, the 
transmission  selects the  most  economical 
driving  mode.  It  will  then  change  up early  and 
delay the  downshifts  to  give  better  fuel  econ Ā
omy . 
The transmission  switches  to  a sporty  mode 
after  a kick-down  or when  the  driver  uses a 
sporty  driving  style characterized  by  quick acĀ
celerator  pedal movements,  heavy acceleraĀ
t ion, frequent  changes  in speed and trave ling 
at  the  maximum  speed. 
If  desired,  the  driver  can also select  the  gears 
manually (tiptronic  mode)~ page  93 . 
Various  automatic  transmissions  may be inĀ
stalled,  depending  on the  model: 
multitronic  transmission 
The multitronic  transmission  is a continuously 
variable  transmission.  Power  is transferred  usĀ
ing  a multidisk  clutch.  In  contrast  to  convenĀ
tional  automatic  transmissions  using  shifting 
operations,  the  transmission  ratio  in the  conĀ
tinuously  var iable  transmission  is changed 
continuously . This optimizes  the  comfort  level 
and  conserves  fuel. 
S tronic transmission 
The S tronic  is a dual-clutch  transmission . 
Power is transferred  using two  clutches  that 
work  independently  from  one  another_ They 
replace  the torque  converter  used in convenĀ
tiona l automatic  transmissions  and allow  the  ..,_  
Page 96 of 304

94  Transmi ssion 
vehicle  to  accelerate  without  a  noticeable  inĀ
terruption  in traction. 
tiptronic  tran smission 
In the  tiptronic  transmission,  power  is transĀ
ferred  by a torq ue converter. 
Selector  lever positions 
Applies  to vehicles: with  multitronic/5  tronic/tiptronic 
Fig. 106 D isplay in the  instrume nt duste r: selector 
lever  in position  P 
The  se lector  lever  position  engaged  appears 
next  to  the  selector  lever  as  well  as  in the  inĀ
strument  cluster  display. 
P - Park 
In th is selector  lever  pos it ion  the  transmisĀ
sion  is  mechanically  locked.  Engage  P only 
when  the  vehicle  is 
completely  stopped ¢ & 
in Driving the  automatic  transmission  on 
page  96. 
To shift  in  or  o ut  of  pos ition  P, you  must first 
press  and  hold  the  brake  pedal and  then press 
the  release  button  in the  selector  lever  handle 
while  moving  the  se lector  lever  to  or  from  P. 
You can  shift  out  of  this  position  only  with  the  ignition  on . 
R-Re verse 
Select  R only  when  the  vehicle  is at  a full stop 
and  the  engine  is running  at  idle  speed ¢ & in 
Driving the  automatic  transmission  on 
page  96. 
Before  you  move  the  selector  lever  to  R, press 
both the  release  button  in the  handle  of  the 
selector  lever 
and the  brake  pedal  at  the  same 
time.  When  the 
ignition  is on,  the  backup  lights  i llu Ā
minate  when  the  selector  lever  is  moved  into 
R . 
N  -Neutral 
The  transm iss io n  is  in  neut ral  i n this  pos ition. 
S hi ft  to  this  position  fo r standing  with  the 
brakes  applied  ¢ 
& in Driving the  automatic 
transmission  on page  96. 
When  the  vehicle  is  stat ionary  or  a t speeds 
below  1  mph  (2  km/h),  yo u must  always  app ly 
the  footbrake  before  and  whi le  moving  the 
lever  o ut  of  N . 
D/S - Normal  position for  driving  forward 
In  the  D/S  pos ition,  the  transmission  can  be 
opera ted  ei ther  in  the  norma l mode  D or  in 
the  sport  mode  S . To select  the  sport  mode  S, 
pull  the  selector  lever  back  briefly.  P ulling  the 
lever  back  again  will  se lect  the  normal  mode 
D. The  instrument  cluster  disp lay shows  the 
selected  driving  mode. 
In  the 
normal mode D, the  transmission  autoĀ
matically  selects  the  suitable  gear  ratio. 
It deĀ
pends  on  engine  load,  vehicle  speed  and  drivĀ
ing  style. 
Se lect  the 
s port  mode S for  sporty  dr iving. 
T he  vehicle  makes  full  use  of  the  engine's 
power.  Shift ing  may  become  noticeable  when 
acce lerating. 
When  the  vehicle  is stationary  or  at  speeds  below  1 mph  (2  km/h),  you  must  always  app ly 
the  foot  brake  before  and  while  moving  the  lever  to  D/S out  of  N. 
A WARNING 
Read  and  follow  all  WARNINGS ¢ .& in 
Driving the  automatic  transmission  on 
page  96 . 
(D Note 
Coasting  downhill  with  the  transm ission  in 
N and  the  engine  not  running  will  result  in 
damage  to  the  automatic  transmission 
and  possibly  the  cata lytic  conve rter.  .,..  
Page 97 of 304

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@ Tips 
-On vehicles  with  drive  select*,  you  can 
adjust  the  sporty  shift  characteristics  in 
the 
Dynamic driving  mode.Swill  appear 
i n the  instrument  cluster  display  instead 
ofD. 
- If you  accidentally  select  N while  driv ing, 
take  your  foot off  the  acce lerator  pedal 
i mmediately  and  wait  for  the  engine  to 
s low down  to  idle  before  selecting  D/S. 
- If there  is a  power  failure , the  selector 
l ever  will  not  move  out  of t he  P position . 
The  eme rgency  release  can  be  used  if 
th is  happens ~ 
page  100. 
Automatic  Shift  Lock (ASL) 
Applies to  vehicles: with  multitronic/5  tronic/tiptron ic 
The Automatic  Shift  Lock safeguards  you 
against  accidentally  shifting  into  a forward  or 
the  reverse gear  and  causing  the  vehicle to 
move  unintentionally. 
F ig.  10 7 Sh ift gate:  selecto r lever  lock posit io ns  and 
release  butto n highlighted 
The  selector  lever  lock is released  as  fo llows: 
...  Turn  the  ign ition  on . 
...  Step  on  t he  brake  pedal. 
At  the  same  time 
press  and  hold  the  release  button  on  the 
side  of  the  gea r se lector  knob ¢ 
fig. 107 
with  yo ur t hu mb  until  you  have  moved  the 
sele ctor  lever to  the  des ired  position . 
Automatic  selector  lever lock 
The selector  lever  is locked  in the  P and  N  poĀ· 
sitions  when  the  ignition  is turned  on . You 
must  press  the  brake  pedal  and  the  release 
button  to  select  another  posi tion.  As a  reĀ· 
m inder  to  the  driver,  the  fo llow ing  warning 
Transm ission  95 
appears  in the  ins trument  cluster  display 
whe n the  selector  is in P and  N: 
When  stationary  appl y brake  pedal  while  se Ā
lec ting  gear 
The Automatic  Shift  Lock only funct ions  when 
the  ve hicl e  is stationary  or at  speeds  be low 
1 m ph  (2  km/h) . 
At speeds  above  about  1  mph  (2  km/h)  the 
Automat ic Shift  Lock is automatically  deact iĀ
vated  in the  N position . 
A time  delay  element  prevents  the  selector  lever  from  lock ing  when  it  is  moved  through 
the  N pos ition  (going  from  R to  D/S) . The  lockĀ
ing  element  w ill lock t he  selec to r l ever  if the 
lever  is  left  in  N (Neutr al) for  more  than  apĀ
proximate ly 2  seconds,  wi tho ut  the  brake  pedĀ
al  being  pressed. 
Release button 
The  release  button  on  the  se lector  lever  preĀ
vents  the  lever  from  be ing  acciden tally shifted 
in to  certa in  positions.  Depending  on  the  d irecĀ
t ion  of the  shift,  the  sele ctor  leve r locks  at  difĀ
ferent  positions.  The  positions  are  highlig hted 
in the  illust ration¢ 
fig . 107. 
Ignition  key safety  interlock 
T he  key cannot  be  removed  from  the  ign ition 
u nless  the  selector  lever  is  in  the  P par k posiĀ
tion . When  the  ignit ion  key  is  removed,  the 
selector  lever  will  be  loc ked  in the  P position . 
Driving  the  automatic  transmission 
Applies to  vehicles;  with  mult itronic/S  tronic/tiptronic 
Fig.  108 Sh ift  gate  on the ce nter  console:  selector  lev-
er  w it h  re lease  butto n  ..,_  
Page 98 of 304

96  Transmission Starting  the  engine 
.. The selecto r lever  must  be  in P or N. 
Starting  off 
.. Press  and  hold  the brake  pedal. 
..  Press  and  hold  the  release  button  in theseĀ
lector  lever handle,  se lect  t he des ired selecĀ
tor  lever  position  such  as  D/S and release 
the  button . 
..  Wait  briefly  unti l the  transmission  has  shift Ā
ed  (you will feel  a slight  movement) . 
..  Remove your foot  from  the  brake pedal  and 
acce lerate. 
Stopping  temporarily 
..  Keep  the vehicle  stationary  usin g the  brakĀ
ing  peda l, for  examp le at  traffic  lights . 
..  Do not  press the  accelerator  pedal when  doĀ
ing this . 
..  To prevent  the  veh icle from  rolling  when  you 
start  driving,  set  the  parking  brake  when 
stopping  on  steep  inclines 
c> _&  . 
.. The  parking  brake  will  release automatically 
and  the  vehicle w ill start  moving  once you 
press  the  accelerator  pedal. 
Stopping/parking 
If the  selector  lever is not  in the  P position 
when  you open  the  dr iver's  door,  the  vehicle 
could  roll. The  message 
Transmission:  Car 
may  roll!  Shift  to  park! 
appears. 
..  Press  and  hold  the  brake  pedal  until the  ve-
hicle  has come  to a complete  stop . 
..  Apply the  parking  brake 
c> page  88,  Parking  . 
.. Select  the P selector  lever  position c> _&. 
Stopping  on  an incline 
.. Always press  the  brake  pedal  to  hold the  veĀ
hicle  in place  and  prevent  it from  "rolling 
back" 
c> _& . Do not try  to prevent  the  vehiĀ
cle  from  "roll ing  back" when  a gear  is  enĀ
gaged  by increasing  the  eng ine speed 
c> (D. 
Starting  on  an incline 
.. Activate  the  parking  brake. 
..  With  the  driving  gear  se lected,  press  the  acĀ
celerator  pedal carefully.  The park ing  brake  will release  automatically  if your  seat 
belt is 
fastened  . 
Under  certain  circumstances,  such  as  driving 
in the  mo untains,  it  may  be usefu l to  switch 
temporarily  to  the  manual  shift  program in orĀ
der  to  adjust  the  gears to  the  driving cond iĀ
tions  by hand 
c> page  98. 
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  . 
Vehicles with  multitronic  transmission: Your 
vehicle  is equipped  with 
hill  hold  assist allowĀ
ing  you to  start  while on  an  incline. The sysĀ
tem  is activated  when  the  brake  pedal  is 
pressed  down  and  he ld 
for  a few  seconds . The 
brake  pressure  will  hold for 
a moment after 
the  brake  pedal  loosens  to  prevent the  vehicle 
from  roll ing  backwards  wh ile starting  up . 
A WARNING 
-The  vehicle  can  also  roll when the engine 
is  stopped. 
- Unintended  vehicle movement  can cause 
serious  injury. 
- Never leave  your vehicle  with  the  engine 
r un ning while  in gear.  If  you must  leave 
your veh icle when  the engine  is running, 
activate  the  parking  brake  and  move the 
selecto r lever  to  P. 
- Power  is still  transmitted  to  the  wheels 
when  the engine  is  running  at  idle. To 
prevent  the  vehicle  from  "creeping", you 
must  keep your  foot  on  the  brake when 
the  engine  is running  and  the selector 
lever  is  in D/S or  R or  "tiptronic"  mode  is 
selected . 
- Do not  press  the  accelerator  pedal  when  changing  the  selector  lever  position 
while  the  veh icle  is stationary  and  the 
engine  is running. 
- Never  shift  into  R or  P while  driving. 
- Before driving  down  a steep  s lope,  re-
duce  your  speed  and  shift  into  a  lower 
gear  with  "tiptronic".  
Page 99 of 304

"" N 
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,...., 
-Do not  ride the  brakes or  press the  brake 
pedal too  often  or too  long  when  driving 
down  a hill.  Constant  braking  causes the 
brakes to  overheat  and  substantially  reĀ
duces braking  performance,  increases 
braking  distance  or  causes complete  failĀ
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. 
- Never hold  the  vehicle  on an  incline with 
a slipping  clutch. The clutch  opens  autoĀ
matically  when  it  becomes too  hot  from 
the  overload.  An indicator  lamp 
mJ illuĀ
minates  and a driver  message appears 
Ā¢ page  99 when the  clutch  is overloadĀ
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 set 
Ā¢ page  212. Otherwise,  any  increase in 
engine  speed may set the  vehicle  in  moĀ
tion,  even with  the  parking  brake apĀ plied . 
0 Note 
-S tronic- and tiptronic  transmission: 
When  stopping  on an incline,  do not  try 
to  hold  the  vehicle  in place by pressing 
the  accelerator  pedal while  a driving  gear 
is  selected.  This can cause the  transmisĀ
sion  to  overheat  and can damage  it.  ActiĀ
vate the  parking  brake or  press the  brake 
pedal to  prevent  the  vehicle  from  rolling. 
- S tronic- and tiptronic  transmission:  AlĀ
lowing  the  vehicle  to  roll  when the  enĀ
gine  is stopped  and the  selector  lever  is  in  N will  damage  the  transmission  beĀ
cause it  is not  lubricated  under  those  cirĀ
cumstances . 
(D Tips 
For safety  reasons, the  parking  brake is reĀ
leased automatically  only  when  the  driv Ā
er's  safety  belt  is engaged  in  the buckle. 
Transmission  97 
Hill descent  control 
App lies to  vehicles : wi th  mult itronic/ S tro nic/tiptro nic 
The hill descent  control system  assists  the 
driver when  driving down  declines . 
Hill  descent  control  is activated  when  theseĀ
lector lever  is in  D/S and you  press the  brake 
pedal.  The transmission  automatically  selects 
a gear that  is suitable  for  the  incline.  Hill  deĀ scent control  tries  to  maintain  the  speed achĀ
ieved  at  the  time  of  braking,  within  physical 
and technical  limitations.  It may still  be necĀ
essary to  adjust  the  speed with  the  brakes. 
Hill  descent  control  switches  off  once the  deĀ
cline  levels  out  or you  press  the accelerator 
pedal. 
On vehicles with  the  cruise control  system* 
Ā¢ page  91 , hill descent control  is also activatĀ
ed when  the  speed is set. 
.&_ 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 .  
Page 100 of 304

98  Transmission 
Manual  shift  program 
Appl ies  to vehicles:  with  multitronic/5  tronic/t iptronic 
Using the  manual  shift  program  you  can 
manually  select  gears . 
Fig . 10 9 Center  co nsole: s hifti ng t he gears  manu ally 
Fig . 110 Stee ring w hee l: shi ft  paddle s⢠
Gear selection with  selector  lever 
"' N 
N 
~ 
" a> CD 
The tiptron ic mode  can be selected  e ither  with 
the  vehicle  stationa ry or on  the  move. 
⢠ Push the  selector  lever to  the  right  from  0/ 
S. An  M appears  in the  instrument  cl uster 
display  as soon as  the transmission  has 
shifted. 
⢠ To u pshi ft, p ush the  selec tor  leve r forward 
to  the pl us posi tion 
0 r:::, fig . 109. 
⢠ To downshift,  push the  leve r to  the  minus 
p osit ion 
0 -
Gear selection with  shift  paddles* 
The s hift  padd les are a ct ivated  when  theseĀ
l ec to r  lever  is  in  0/5  or  the  t ip tron ic manu al 
shift  program . 
⢠ To ups hift,  touch  the  shift  paddle  on  the 
right G)Ā¢fig.110. 
⢠To downshift,  touch t he shift  p add le on t he 
l eft 
0 . 
⢠If  you do  not  press a shift  pa ddle  within  a 
sho rt  time  whi le in the  0/5  position,  t he  transmission  will  return  to  a
utomatic  mode . 
To  keep shifting  using  t he sh ift  paddles, 
move  the  selector  lever to  the  r ight  out  of 
the  0/5  pos ition. 
T he transm iss io n  automatically  sh ifts  up  or 
down  before  critical  engine  speed  is reached . 
T he  tra nsm iss io n  only  a llows m anual  sh ifting 
when  the  eng ine speed  is w it hi n the  pe rm it Ā
ted  range . 
@ Tips 
- When you s hift  into the  ne xt  l ower  ge ar, 
the  transmissi on will  downshift  only 
w hen the re  is no  poss ib ility  of  ove r-revĀ
ving  the  engine . 
- W hen the  kic k-down  comes on,  the 
transm ission w ill shift  dow n to  a lower 
gear, depending  on vehicle  and engine 
speeds . 
- Tip tro ni c is  inoperative  when the  trans Ā
m ission  is  in the  fai l-safe  mode . 
Kick-down 
Applies to  vehicles : wit h mult itronic/5  t ro ni c/tip tro nic 
Kick-down  enables  maximum  acceleration. 
Applies to  vehicles with  a multitronic 
transmission 
W hen you  depress the  accelerator  peda l be Ā
yond  the  res istance  point,  the  transm ission 
downsh ifts  into  a  lower  gear  ratio  depend ing 
on the  vehicle  speed  and engine  speed. As 
lo ng as the  accelerator  pedal  is depressed,  the 
engine  speed  is automatically  regu lated  for 
maximum  acceleration . 
Applies to  vehicles with  a S tronic-/ 
tiptronic  transmission 
When  you depress the  accelerator  peda l beĀ
yond  the  resistance  point,  the  automatic  transmission  downsh ifts  into  a  lowe r gear, deĀ
pend ing on veh icle  s peed an d eng ine speed . 
T he upsh ift  into  t he nex t  higher  gea r takes 
place once the  max imum  speci fied  engine 
s p eed is  reached.