Get Driving -> Automatic gearbox Guide for Volkswagen Touareg SUV Third Generation (2018-2025)

In some cases it may be necessary to

switch the engine back to manual

operation.

The brakes may overheat and possibly fail. Use

the brakes only when it is necessary to slow

down or stop

Please note the message that appears on the

screen of the instruction box. Please note the

message that appears on the display of the

instruction box.

Shifting gears in case of automatic

transmission

the Start-Stop system

Always switch off

manually

Please note and at the beginning of this

chapter on page 176.

when passing through water.

Automatic gearbox

Introduction to the topic

WARNING

Rapid acceleration can cause loss of traction

and skidding, especially on slippery roads. This

could result in loss of vehicle control, an

accident and serious injury.

Fig. 134 Automatic gear selector lever with locking

● Never kick-down or accelerate sharply if

visibility, weather, road and traffic conditions

do not allow it, or if it endangers other road

users.

button (arrow).

When the ignition is switched on, the

instrument cluster display shows the selected

gear ratio, the gear engaged or the driving

program of the transmission.

- Parking lock

WARNING

The driving wheels are mechanically locked.

mind. Select this position only when the vehicle

is stationary. To remove the selector lever from

this position, depress the brake pedal with the

ignition on and press the lever lock button.

Never "file" the brakes too often or for too long,

and never press the brake pedal too often or

for too long. Constant braking causes the

brakes to overheat. This can significantly reduce

the braking power, considerably increase the

braking distance and, under certain

- Reverse gear

circumstances, lead to the failure of the entire

brake system.

Reverse gear is engaged. Select this

position only when the vehicle is in its final

position.

NOTICE

- Neutral

● Never "file" the brakes by depressing the

pedal lightly unless it is really necessary to

do so. This increases wear.

The change is in the neutral position. It is not

transmits no movement to the wheels and the

engine brake effect is not available.

● On a long journey with a steep downhill

gradient, downshift to a lower gear or select a

lower gear ratio. This takes advantage of the

engine braking effect and reduces the

demand on the brakes. Otherwise, the

brakes could be overloaded.

- Permanent forward position

: Normal programme

176

Instruction manual

All upshifts and downshifts are performed

automatically. Shift timing is a function of

engine load, individual driving style and driving

speed.

WARNING

If the selector lever is placed in the wrong

position, loss of control of the vehicle could

result in an accident and serious injury.

: Sports programme

● Never accelerate when changing the

It automatically shifts later to a higher gear and

earlier to a lower gear than when the selector

lever is in position D in order to make full use of

the engine's power reserves. The timing of

shifting depends on engine load, individual

driving style and speed.

lever position.

● With the engine running and a gear ratio

engaged, the vehicle will move as soon as

the brake pedal is released.

● Never engage reverse gear and never

move the selector lever to position P

while driving.

- Gear ratio change

Shifting between the gear ratios D and S is

is done by pushing the selector lever gently

backwards once from the D/Sposition.

→ The selector lever always returns to the D/S

position.

WARNING

Any accidental movement of the vehicle can

cause serious injury.

This function allows the Tiptronic track to be

reached from both the sport programme S and

the normal programme D → page 178.

● As the driver, never leave your seat with

the engine running and a gear ratio

engaged. If you have to leave the vehicle

while the engine is running, always engage

the electronic parking brake and always

move the selector lever to position P.

Selector lever lock

The selector lever lock prevents the selector

lever from being inadvertently shifted in the P

and N positions and thus preventing the vehicle

from moving unintentionally.

● With the engine running and the selector

lever in the D, S or R position, the vehicle

must be held with the foot brake. Even at

idling speed, the power transmission is not

completely interrupted and the vehicle

continues to move slowly.

To release the selector lever lock:

– Switch on the ignition.

– Depress the brake pedal.

– Press the locking button on the selector

lever knob in the direction of rotation → fig.

134 .

● Never engage reverse gear or place the

selector lever in position P when the

vehicle is in motion.

● Never leave the vehicle with the selector

lever in position N. The vehicle will roll

downhill whether the engine is running or

not.

If the selector lever is shifted quickly through N

(e.g. from reverse to D), the lever does not lock.

This makes it possible, for example, to pull out a

stuck vehicle by "swinging" it. If the brake lever

remains in the N position for more than approx.

1 second without the brake pedal being

NOTICE

depressed or when driving at a speed of less

than approx. 5 km/h (3 mph), the lever locks.

If the electronic parking brake is not engaged

when the vehicle is stationary and the brake

pedal is released with the selector lever in

position P, the vehicle may move a few

centimetres forwards or backwards.

If, while driving, you inadvertently switch to

N, stop accelerating. Wait in neutral for the

re-engaging a gear ratio

engine to idle before

Driving

177

Using the Tiptronic with the selector lever

Shifting gears with Tiptronic

– Starting from the D/S position, move the

selector lever to the right to the Tiptronic se-

lection track.

Please note and at the beginning of this

chapter on page 176.

– To shift to a higher or lower gear, push the

selector lever lightly

forward

- → fig. 135 .

backwards

When the selector lever is pushed lightly into

the Tiptronic selector track, the selector lever

locking button does not have to be pressed.

Using the Tiptronic with the gearshift paddles

– Pull the right-hand cam → fig . 136 forwards

to change up to a higher gear.

– Pull the left-hand cam towards the steering

wheel to shift to a lower gear.

– To exit Tiptronic mode, pull the right-hand

lever towards the steering wheel for about

1 second.

Fig. 135 Selector lever in Tiptronic position.

If the cams are not operated for some time

and the selector lever is not in the Tiptronic

selection track, Tiptronic mode is automatically

exited.

NOTICE

● When accelerating, the gearbox automatically

shifts up to the next higher gear shortly

before the maximum permissible revs are

reached.

● If a manual downshift is made, the gear is

changed when it is no longer possible to

exceed the maximum engine speed.

The engine's

Fig. 136 Behind the steering wheel: gearshift paddles

for Tiptronic.

Driving

transmission

with

a u t o m a t i c

The Tiptronic allows you to change gear

manually during automatic gear changes.

Please note and at the beginning of this

chapter on page 176.

When switching to the Tiptronic programme, the

currently engaged gear is retained. This is the

case until the system automatically changes gear

due to the current gear situation.

Shifting to a higher or lower gear is automatic.

Lowering slopes

The steeper the descent, the shorter the selected

gear must be. Shorter gears increase the effect

of the engine brake.

Never let the vehicle roll downhill with the

selector lever in the N position.

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Instruction manual

– Reduce speed.

When the accelerator pedal is fully depressed, the

automatic transmission downshifts to a lower

gear, depending on the speed and engine speed.

In this way, the vehicle's maximum acceleration is

utilised.

– Starting from the D/S position, move the

selector lever to the right to the Tiptronic →

p. 178 se- lection track.

– Push the lever gently backwards to

When the accelerator pedal is fully depressed

(kick-down), automatic up-shifting to the next

higher gear only takes place once the preset

maximum engine speed has been reached.

downshift.

– OR: downshift with the gearshift paddles on

the steering wheel → page 178.

Stopping and starting uphill

WARNING

The steeper the climb, the shorter the gear

selected.

Rapid acceleration can cause loss of traction

and skidding, especially on slippery roads. This

could result in loss of vehicle control, an

accident and serious injury.

When stopping the vehicle with the engine

running or when driving uphill, you should use

the hill start assist → p. 180.

● Always adapt your driving style to the

traffic.

Vehicles without hill start assist: When stopping

the vehicle uphill with a gear ratio engaged,

always prevent the vehicle from rolling

backwards by depressing the brake pedal or

engaging the electronic parking brake. Do not

release the brake pedal or the electronic

● Never accelerate hard (kick-down) or

abruptly if visibility, weather, road and traffic

conditions do not permit it, or if you

endanger other road users with this

acceleration and driving style.

until you have started to drive →

parking brake

● Never endanger other road users by

vehicle acceleration and driving style.

Inertial displacement

● Be aware that the drive wheels may slip

when ASR is disengaged, especially on

slippery road surfaces.

This function uses the vehicle's inertia to save

fuel by anticipating driving. The engine is

disengaged and the vehicle is no longer braked,

but can continue to travel for a good distance

under its own inertia.

● After acceleration, switch the ASR back on.

Activation condition: the selector lever must be

in the D position.

Initiate inertial displacement

NOTICE

– Take your foot off the accelerator. The

engine disengages and idles. The vehicle

moves forward without the engine braking

effect.

● When stopping uphill with a gear ratio

engaged, do not depress the accelerator pedal

to prevent the vehicle from rolling

backwards. The automatic transmission could

overheat and be damaged.

Interrupt inertial displacement

● Never allow the vehicle to move with the

selector lever in the N position, especially when

the engine is switched off. The automatic

gearbox is not lubricated and may be damaged.

– Briefly depress the brake pedal, step on the

accelerator or pull the left shift lever towards

the steering wheel.

This function can be activated and deactivated in the

Volks- wagen information system settings menu →

p. 24.

Kick-down

The kick-down function enables maximum

acceleration with the selector lever in the

D/S or Tiptronic position.

Driving

179

vo with the green indicator light . To set the

selector lever lock, proceed as follows:

Problems and solutions

Please note and at the beginning of this

chapter on page 176.

Depress the brake pedal and release it again.

OR: move the selector lever to position P or N

and then select a gear ratio.

Emergency programme

When the automatic transmission is in the

emergency programme, this is indicated on the

instrument panel display by a message and the

yellow indicator light . The position of the

selector lever will continue to be displayed

depending on the fault in the system. The

message disappears after a few seconds. The

yellow indicator light will remain on until

the system failure to be rectified.

Fig. 137 Emergency release of the selector lever

lock.

Hill Start Assist

Hill-start assist helps you to start uphill while

actively holding the vehicle at a standstill.

Control lamps on the instrument panel

The control lamps light up.

The Hill Start Assist engages automatically if

the following conditions are met

There is a fault in the automatic

transmission. Contact a specialist workshop

immediately and have the system checked.

The following conditions must be met

The brake pedal is not depressed, e.g.

when trying to change the position

selector lever. To select a gear ratio,

depress the brake pedal. See also

Electronic parking brake.

at the same time

– The vehicle is held stationary with the brake

pedal or the electronic parking brake on a

slope until driving starts.

– The engine rotates correctly.

→

p. 231.

– All four wheels must have good contact with

the surface and the vehicle must not be

axle crossed.

The locking button on the selector lever is

not engaged. The vehicle is prevented

from moving forward. Engage the selector

lever lock → page 177.

– Gear ratio D is selected or reverse gear is

engaged.

The control lamps are flashing.

To start off, take your foot off the brake pedal or

release the electronic parking brake and

accelerate immediately. When driving off, the

brake is progressively released.

The locking button on the selector lever is

not engaged. The vehicle is prevented

from moving forward. Engage the selector

lever lock → page 17 7.

Problems and solutions related to selector

lever locking

In rare cases, the selector lever lock may not

engage. In this case, the traction is disengaged

to prevent the vehicle from moving

unintentionally. The indicator for the selector

lever position flashes on the instrument panel

display and an additional information text

appears on the display.

180

Instruction manual

Driving -> Automatic gearbox for Your Volkswagen Touareg SUV Third Generation (2018-2025)

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