cbl1

Sounds like United States doesn't get. If I'm not mistaken it is the (A) button below the (P) Parking Brake button. You'll see it in some pictures (I assume euro) and others not (US). US cars you see there is a blank below the (P) parking brake.

snagitseven

Hmm. As I recall, it didn't work that way on my MY2013 A6 when I experimented with it and was as I described. Maybe different models and years work in different ways. I'll have to play with it again.

EDIT: I just pulled out my manual and here's what it says:
"When starting on inclines, the starting assist prevents the vehicle from unintentional rolling back. The braking force of the parking brake is not released until sufficient driving force has been built up at the wheels".
(Italics mine).

Nothing stated of a time limit, just until you give it gas and only says rolling back, not forward. Perhaps yours works differently than mine.

snagitseven

True. That's why the limited hold operation for U.S. cars is sometimes referred to as hill hold "lite".

superswiss

What you are reading there is the automatic parking brake release. That's different from hill start. If you activate the parking brake, then it will auto release as soon as there is sufficient driving force. This also works if you are going backwards as long as you wear your seatbelt. The hill start is a different animal and doesn't use the parking brake. It holds the normal brakes for 2-3 seconds using the ABS pump. It is possible that your car doesn't have hill start due to the torque converter, because your drivetrain is never decoupled from the engine. Cars with the S-tronic like the S6, definitely have it, because they roll back immediately and you can't play with the clutch to hold the car.

Hill-start assist > Glossary > advice > Audi St. Lucia

Here's another description from Wikipedia:

The hill-start assist is a variant of hill-holder used by some semi-automatic, clutchless transmissions as well as newer manual transmissions. The system prevents the car from rolling away when trying to pull away on an up or down gradient, simulating a "handbrake hill start" manual drivers will be familiar with. The system engages automatically when a gradient of 3% or more is detected; it then acts to hold the car stationary for two seconds after the brake is released giving the driver time to apply the throttle.

For manual transmission cars, moving off a slope is done by careful clutch control.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill-start_assist

snagitseven

I understand the auto release when the parking brake is set (there is another paragraph in my manual discussing this).. And this is not the full hill hold found in ROW Audis. This is something different and simpler. My manual clearly states "when starting on inclines". With mine I don't have to set the parking brake, it does it automatically when facing up a hill just as the manual describes. I just release the brake pedal and the parking brake engages on its own until I hit the accelerator. That's all it does.

I think we've exhausted the subject. Mine does what it does and yours may do something else.

superswiss

I'm not trying to exhaust the subject with you. I'm trying to explain for OP's benefit. The hill start assist works as I described in the S6 and every other Audi with the S-tronic for that matter as well as NA models with manual transmissions such as the A4, S4 etc., not just my car. While it's interesting to know that the feature apparently works differently in the A6, differentiating factor is most likely the transmission, OP is asking in the context of the S6, not the A6.

goliath1

I wonder if this hill hold feature is the reason I experience a sudden surge after coming to a complete stop...hill or no. I have taken my S6 to dealer twice trying to explain the symptom. They duplicated it once with the tech driving and me in the passenger seat. It is annoying to brake, take foot off gas, and get a sudden surge

JohnnyG0925

I don't believe this is due to Auto Hold. I think that is just how DSG transmissions work. It is trying to find the point where the clutch is engaged just enough so that the car will creep forward if the brake pedal is released. It would be really difficult to pull into a parking spot if it didn't creep forward.

I do agree that sometimes the bump is unusually strong, I've had a few close calls with my garage shelving unit located in front of my car.