AUDI S8 2014 Owners Manual

@ Tips
-Side assist is not active while you are
making the adjustment.
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist switches off by itself, the LED in
the button turns off and a message will ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display:
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
The radar sensors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the sensors with bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c> page 107, fig. 111 .
Audi side assist: Currently unavailable
Side assist cannot be switched on temporarily
because there is a malfunction (for example,
the battery charge level may be too low).
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guarantee that it will de ­
tect vehicles correctly and it is switched off .
The sensors have been displaced or are faulty.
Have the system checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
soon.
Audi side assist: Unavailable when towing.
Side assist switches off automatically when a
factory-installed trailer hitch is connected to
the electrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guarantee the system will switch off when
using a retrofitted trailer hitch. Do not use
side assist when towing a trailer.
Audi side assist 109

110 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
ence diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttin gs i n o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
Comfort ,
Auto
and Dynamic modes in the M MI to
switch between a sporty and a comforta ble
driving mo de.
You c an a lso a djust the setti ng according to
your p re ferences in the
individual mo de. For
examp le, you ca n combine settings such as a
sporty en gine t uning with comfortab le steer­
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the A udi drive select can
cause collisions, ot her acc idents and se ri­
ous pe rsonal injury.
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the veh icl e's featu res. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, stee ring, reve rsible sa fe ty belt tension­
e rs a nd adap tive air su spension are alw ays in­
volved.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the e ng ine and the
tra nsmission respond quic ker or i n a more bal­
an ced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts. In the sporty dyn ami c mode, the
tra nsmission sh ifts at highe r RP Ms.
Air suspension
The adaptive air suspens ion/adaptive air sus­
pe nsion spor t*
(Air suspension in the MM I) is
an elec tronic ally con trolled air suspensio n and
da mpi ng sys tem. They are adjus ted depend­
ing on the se lected driving mode, the drive r's
steering, braking and acceleration input and
the road s urface, ve hicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used i n ve hicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*. T
he vehicle clea rance varies depending on the
se lected mo de an d the speed .
T he highw ay setting is activate d automatically
whe n you dr ive above 7 5 mph (120 km/ h) for
more than
3 0 seconds in the auto or dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
T he s teering adap ts i n t erms of s teer ing effor t
and stee ring ratios . Indirect stee ring that
moves easily, like the steer ing in comfo rt
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides
sporty, direct steer ing .
The following app lies to vehi cles with dynamic
stee ring* : the steer ing rat io changes based on
vehicle speed in order to ma inta in optimum
steering effort for the drive r at all times. This
sets the stee ring to be less sens itive at h igher
s p eeds in order to provide improved vehicl e
control. At r educed speeds, howeve r, steer ing
is mo re dir ect i n order to keep the stee ring ef­
f o rt as minima l as po ssible when the drive r is
mane uveri ng the veh icle. At low and average
speeds, dynamic steering ad dit iona lly pro ­
vides more responsive steering pe rformance .
Sport differential*
As a compone nt o f the all whee l dr ive system
(quat tro)
r:!> page 204, the Spor t differen tia l*
dis tributes t he d riving power to the rear ax le
depen ding on the sit uat io n. The distrib ution
of power var ies depending on the se lected
mode, from ba lanced (comfort) to agile (dy­
nam ic). The goal is a high level of agility and
ability to accelerate on curves . The vehicle is
very res pons ive to stee ring .
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves.
The pivoting act ion and the lighting are also
adapted to the mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
T he be hav ior when ac celera ting can be adjust­
ed from comforta ble to sporty, de pending on ..,.

the drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control
also responds to the driving behavior of the
veh icle ahead in a more conservative or sporty
manner.
Engine sound*
The sound of the engine is adapted to the se­
l ected mode and ranges from subtle to sporty.
(D Note
- Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the vehicle when park­
i ng. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i­
tions and changes to the dr iv ing modes,
which can affect clearance.
- When transporting the veh icle on a car
carrier, tra in, ship or by other means, on­
ly tie the veh icle down at the running
surface of the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Secur ing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or towing eyes is not permitted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport . The vehicle
may not be sec ured s ufficient ly if this
happens.
- If you are going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
C? poge 212.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
- Selecting the
dynamic mode results in
sporty shifting characteristics . The S
gear position engages automatically.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopping the engine. Th is does not indi­
cate a problem.
Audi drive select 111
-In vehicles w ith sport differential*, the
dynamic mode is deactivated when tow­
ing a trailer.
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fig . 1 13 MMI: Drive select
.,. To select the mode, se lect the following in
the MMI:
I CARI f unction button > Comfort,
Auto , Dynamic
or Individual.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented ve hicle
setup and is suited for long drives on h igh­
ways .
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
namic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
use.
dynamic -gives the driver a sporty driving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driv ing style.
individual-¢page 112.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi drive select to prevent potential risk
of an accident.

112 Audi drive select
Adjusting the Individual mode
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
• Se lect : I CAR ! function button > Set individu­
al
control button. You can now adjust the in­
dividual systems.
The
individual driving mode will automatical­
ly be activated when you have finished config­
uring the settings .
Systems Comfort
Engine
and Transmission balanced
Air suspension comfortable
Steering comfortable The equipment
in your vehicle will determine
which settings you can adjust. The following
table provides an overview of the characteris­
tics of each driving mode.
Auto Dynamic
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
Dynamic steering* comfortable/indirect balanced/direct sporty/direct
Sport differential * balanced agile sporty
Curve light* comfortable balanced sporty
Belt
tensioner Standard Standard Deployment time
adapted
Adaptive cruise control* comfortable
balanced sporty
Engine
sound* subtle subtle/sportya> sporty
a) Subt le in th e d riv ing posi tion D an d sp or ty in the driving pos itio n S
(D Tips
Your individual mode settings are auto­
matically stored and assigned to the re­
mote control key being used.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
Raising the vehicle
You can raise your vehicle temporarily, for ex­
ample to drive over a tall curb .
• Se lect the following in the MMI:
I CAR I func­
tion button
> Raise control button.
• Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to reach its final po­
sition .
Lowering the vehicle
• To lower the veh icle, select the following in
the MMI:
ICARI function button > Lower con­
tro l button. •
Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to lower comp lete­
ly.
0 Note
- Remember that your vehicle is not suita­
ble for driv in g offroad even when it is
raised. There is not enough ground clear­
ance.
- If the vehicle is raised, it will lower auto­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/
h) or faster .
Driver messages
Air suspension: vehicle currently too low.
Level control running
Air suspension: vehicle currently too high.
Level control running
The driver message switches off when the lev­
el control process is complete .

Night vision assistant
Description
Appl ies to vehicles: with night v isio n ass istant
Fig. 114 Display: night v ision assistan t
"Night vis ion assistant with pedestrian detec­
tion" uses an infrared camera to mon itor the
area in front of your vehicle at night . Within
the limits of the system, it can display objects
up to about 1000 feet (300 mete rs) away. The
h eat image of a pedestrian detected by the
camera is shown in the instrument cluster dis­
p lay
¢ fig. 114. Warm areas appear lighter
and cold areas appear darker.
Pedestrian detection
Applies to vehicles: with night v isio n ass istant
Fig. 115 D isplay: yellow pedestrian marking
Fig. 116 Display: symbol when in frared image is not
v is ibl e
Night vision assistant 113
Night vision assistant can detect pedestrians
that are between about 50 and 300 feet (15
and 90 meters) in front of the vehicle, under
ideal conditions . If a pedestrian is detected
when it is dark outside and the vehicle head­
light s are switched on, the pedestrian is high ­
lighted in yellow
~ fig. 115, ¢page 114,
General information .
If another display such
as navigat ion replaces the image from the
night vis ion assistant , the symbo l~,, appears
in a tab
¢fig. 116.
(D Tips
If the night v is ion assistant image does
not appear when the system is switched
on, you can access it with the buttons on
the mu ltifunction steering wheel
¢ page 25.
Pedestrian warning
Applies to vehicles: wit h night vision assistan t
Fig.117 D isp lay: pedestr ian wa rning
Fig. 118 Disp lay : pedestrian warnin g wit h anot her dis ­
play
If a pedestr ian is detected in an area in front
of the vehicle that the system considers criti­
cal, the pedestrian is highlighted in red
¢fig . 117 and a warning tone sounds. This
area is based on the vehicle speed and

114 Night visi on assis tant
steering angle. The pedestrian warning
prompts you to pay even closer attention to
the area in front of the vehicle and to watch
out for pedestrians.
I f another display such as the tr ip computer
replaces the image from the night vision as­
sistant , the ind icator light turns red when
there is a pedestrian warning .
¢fig. 118 .
@ Tips
The pedestrian marking and warning tone
can be adjusted in the MMI r::!)poge
115.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 119 Front of the vehi cle: n ig ht v ision ass istant
camera
The following s ituations may affect the func­
tion of the night vision assistant system:
- poor vis ibility such as snow, ra in , fog or
heavy road sp ray
- dirty lens on the night vision ass istant cam -
era
M ake sure the night v ision assistant camera
¢ fig. 119 is not cove red by stickers, deposits
or any other obstruc tions because that can
p revent the camera from working p roperly.
F or information on cleaning the lens, refer to
r::!) page
216.
Pedestrian de tect ion depends on the differ­
ence in temperat ure between the person and
the background. Pedestrians may not be de­
tected if the temperature difference is too
smal l. The pedestrian highlighting feature is
deactivated at temperatures above 77 °F (25
0 () and when it is light outside.
A WARNING
--
Night vision ass istant has l imits and can­
not always detect pedestrians . Always pay
close attention to traffic and the area
a round your vehicle even when night vision
assis tant is sw itched on.
- Night vision assistant can only warn
about people located within the v isual
range of the infrared camera. The vis ual
ra nge corresponds to the image in the in­
strument cluster display.
- Night vision assistant may not detec t
peop le and highlight them if
- they are not in an upright posit ion, for
example if they are sitt ing, crouching
o r lying down and/or
- if the outline in the disp lay is incom­
plete or interrupted, for example be­
cause the perso n is part ial ly hidden by
a parked vehicle.
@ Tips
- Pedestrian detection and the pedestrian
warm ing are limited to objects that are
detected as pedest rians. The system
does not detect an imals. Even though
the shape and warmth radiated by each objec t detected is eval uated, the system
does have limitat io ns and it can g ive in­
correct warnings .
- For technical reasons, the image pauses
in split second in tervals.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 120 Area aro und the light switc h: ni ght v is ion as -
s ista nt button
Ill>

.. Swi tch the ign ition on and turn the lig ht
sw itch to the
AUTO pos ition or io .
.. To sw itch night vision ass istant on , press the
~ ,, button
i:> fig . 120. The image from the
night vision camera appea rs in the instru­
me nt cluster d isp lay .
.. Press t he button ~,, aga in to swi tc h ni ght vi­
s ion assistant off .
Settings in the MMI
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
F ig. 121 D isp lay: examp le of pedestr ia n detec tion and
warni ng tone sw itc hed off
.. Se lect: ICARI f unct ion but ton> Car systems
co ntrol button > Dr iver assist > Night vision
a ssist.
Highlight pedestrians -
You can switch pedes­
tr ian detection
on and off . If yo u sw itch pe­
destrian detect ion off, the p edestr ian war ning
tone also switches off . The symbols
II and ~
appe ar in the upper righ t area o f the ins tru­
men t clus ter display ~
fig. 121.
Warning tone -You can switch the to ne fo r
t he pedestrian warning
on and off . Whe n the
warn ing tone is swi tched off, a ye llow sym bol
fo r the de activa ted w arning tone with a line
throug h it appears in the upper right of the in­
strument cluster display ~
fig. 121 .
Contrast -When the nigh t vis ion assis tan t is
switche d on and the ima ge is visible in t he in ­
strument cluster disp lay, yo u can adjust the
contrast in the image from
Min to Max.
Driver messages
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Night vision assistant : system malfunction! Night
vision assistant 115
The system cannot work properly and is
sw itched off. See your authorized Audi dealer
for ass istance .
Night vision a ssistant: not available
The system cannot detect p roperly under cur­
rent cond itions and is swit ched off tempora ri­
ly.
Night vision assistant: only available in dark­
ness and with lights switched on
N ight vision assistant only works when it is
dark outside and the head lights are on .
Night vision assistant: pedestrian detection
not available
T he system has deactivated the pedestrian de ­
tection funct ion .

116 Automatic Transmission
Automatic
Transmission
tiptronic (8-speed
transmission)
Introduction
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronically controlled 8-speed automatic transmission .
Upshifting and downshifting occurs automati­
cally and is controlled electronically. The driv­
ing style continuously influences the selection
of the driving program .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical
driving mode. It will then change up early and
delay the downsh ifts to give better fuel econ­
omy .
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style 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 also select the gears
manually (ti ptronic mode)¢ page 119 .
Indicator in the display
Fig. 122 Display: selector lever posit io n
@ -The current selector lever position is dis­
played continuously. The gear is also dis­
played in manual mode M.
@ -This indicator appears temporarily if you
change the selector lever position or if you
press the button on the selector lever
¢ page 116, fig. 123 . The current selector
lever position is shown with a white back­
ground.
Selecting a selector lever position
Fig. 123 Selector lever
---p--- ---1
--- R--- --1
--- N--- --t
-D/S--
Fig. 124 Pressing the button o n the selector leve r
The current selector lever position is displayed
on the selector lever¢
fig. 123.
.. You may need to release the se lector lever
lock depending on which selector lever posi­
tion is selected and which one you would
like to select¢
page 117, Selector lever
lock .
.. To engage the nearest selector lever posi­
tion, move the selector lever forward/back
until you fee l the first pressure point. The
selector lever will return to its original posi­
tion .
.. To skip over one (or two) selector lever posi­
tions, move the selector lever past the first
(and second) pressure point into the desired
position. The selector lever will return to its
original position.
For example, to move directly from the D se­
lector lever position to P when stopping the
vehicle, you can shift past the N and R selector lever positions. .,,_

Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­l ecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever
c:> fig. 123 and/or press the
brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a
selector lever position when the engine is run­
ning while the vehicle is stationary. The ar­
rows
c:> fig. 124 indicate when you need to
press the button on the selector lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift
from D to R within one second. This allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is
stuck.
P- Park
The whee ls are locked in this position. Only
shift into park when the vehicle is stationary
c:> &. To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position .
You can only shift out of park when the engine
is running and you are pressing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to
release the parking lock and select the desired
selector lever pos ition .
P engages automatically when you switch the
engine off while D, Sor R is engaged or in
manual mode .
If you switch the engine off when N is engag ­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the emergency release proce­
dure to release the parking lock before towing
the vehicle
c:> page 121.
R - Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this position .
Only select reverse when the vehicle is sta ­
tionary and the engine is running at idle speed
c:> &. To engage the R selector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever, press
Automatic Transmission 11 7
the brake peda l and move the selector lever
into the R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the R selector lever position wh ile the engine
is running .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this pos it ion . To
engage the N selector lever posit ion, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
the N position.
If you switch the engine off when N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You cannot select the N position when the ig­
nition is switched off. When driv ing through
an automat ic car wash, first select the N posi ­
tion and then switch the engine off
c:> table on
page 218.
The veh icle cannot be locked when the selec­
tor lever is in the N position.
D/S - Posit ion for driv ing forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be
operated either in the normal mode D or in
the sport mode S . You can only select the S se­
lector lever position when Dis engaged. Move
the selector lever back to engage the S selec­
tor lever position. To select the D selector lev­
er position again when Sis engaged, move the
selector lever back
c:> .&. . To shift from N to D
when traveling at speeds below 1 mph (2km/
h), press the brake peda l and select the D se­
lector lever position
c:> .&. .
In the normal mode D, the transmission auto ­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio.
It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv­
ing style.
Se lect the
sport mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes f ull use of the engine's
power. Shift ing may become noticeab le when
accelerat ing.
The S selector lever position engages auto­
matically when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select.

118 Automatic Transm iss ion
& WARNING
-Never e ngag e R or P w hile driving. It
could cause a crash .
-
-Power is sti ll t ransmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is r unning at idle . To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions except P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will s tart to move immediate­
ly. This cou ld h appen even if the parking
brake is activa ted .
- Be fore opening the hood, select the P se­
le ctor lever position and set the par king
brake. This red uces the risk of a crash. Al­
ways read and follow the applicable
wa rnings
<=)page 231.
-Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
- If you mus t get out of the vehicle, move
the se lector lever securely into the P po ­
sit ion an d apply the park ing brake .
(D Tips
-If you u nin ten tio nally shift into the N se­
l ector lever posi tion while dr iv ing, ta ke
your foot off the acce lerator pedal and
wait for the e ngine to slow down until it
i s idling before you shift into Dor S.
Driving tips
The gears shi~ automatically .
Starting from a stop
"" Press and ho ld the brake pedal.
"" Sta rt the eng ine
c:> page 8 4.
"" Press the but ton on the se lector lever and
select the D, S or R selecto r leve r pos it ion
c:> page 116 .
""Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts. You w ill not ice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
"" Re lease the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal¢ ,& .
Stopping temporarily
""Press the brake pedal to s top the ve hicle, for
examp le a t a traffic light . Do not press the
accelerato r peda l when doing this.
"" To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when yo u
start dr iving, set the parking brake when
stopping on large incl ines
c:> ,& .
"" The parking brake will release automat ica lly
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
If the se lector lever is not in the P position
whe n you open the driver's door, the ve hicle
could roll. The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears .
"" Press and hold the brake pedal¢ ,& .
"" Set the park ing brake.
"" To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector leve r and
shift into the P posit ion
c:> page 116 .
Under certa in conditions suc h as dr iv ing in the
mountains or when towing a trailer, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode tempo rari ly
to shift
manually to adapt to the driving con­
di tions
c:> page 119.
On slopes, activate the parki ng bra ke first and
then move the selecto r leve r to the P position .
T his prevents too much st ress from be ing
pla ced o n the locking mec hanism.
& WARNING
R ead an d fol low all WAR NING S ¢.&. in Se­
lecting a selector lever position on
page 118.
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Do not press t he acceler ator pe dal when
chan ging the se lector leve r posi tion
while the veh icle is stationary and t he
engine is running . This cou ld result in a
crash.
- Never engage R o r P while driving .
It
could cause a crash.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
IJJ,,