Seat Ateca 2016 Owner's Manual page 264

Driving with a trailer
Adjusting the headlights
When towing a trailer, the front part of the ve-
hicle could lift up, and if the dipped beams
are on, this could dazzle other drivers. Use
the headlight range control to lower the cone
of light. If you do not have headlight range
control, have the headlights adjusted by a
specialised workshop.
Special characteristics of driving with a trail-
er
● If your trailer has an overrun brake, brake
gently at first and then rapidly. This will pre-
vent the jerking that can be caused by the
locking of trailer wheels.
● Due to the gross combination weight of the
towing vehicle and trailer, the braking dis-
tance increases.
● When going down a slope, go into lower
gear (if using a manual gearbox or the Tip-
tronic automatic gearbox) to take advantage
of the braking power provided by the engine.
Otherwise, the braking system could over-
heat and even fail.
● The trailer weight, as well as the gross com-
bination weight of the towing vehicle and
trailer, change the centre of gravity and the
properties of the vehicle.
● If the towing vehicle is empty and the trail-
er is loaded, then the load distribution is in-
262
Operation
correct. Under these conditions, drive slowly
and with extra caution.
Hill starts with a trailer
Depending on the slope of the hill and the
combination weight of the towing vehicle
and trailer, the vehicle might start rolling
backwards slightly when you first start up.
For hill-starting with a trailer, do the follow-
ing:
Press and hold the brake pedal.
●
● Press the  button to disconnect the elec-
›››
tronic parking brake page 170.
● If the vehicle is equipped with a manual
gearbox, push the clutch pedal all the way
down.
Put the vehicle into first gear or turn the se-
●
›››
lector lever to position D/S page
● Pull out the  button and hold it in that
position to stop the towing vehicle and trailer
with the electronic parking brake.
● Release the brake pedal.
● Start driving slowly. To do this, in the case
of a manual gearbox, slowly release the
clutch pedal.
Do not release the  button until the en-
●
gine has sufficient force to start driving.
WARNING
If a trailer is pulled incorrectly, this may lead
to loss of control of the vehicle and serious
injury.
● Driving with a trailer and transporting
heavy or large objects will change the vehicle
handling and braking distances.
● Always drive cautiously and carefully.
Brake earlier than usual.
Adapt your speed and driving style at all
●
times to suit visibility, weather, road and traf-
fic conditions. Slow down, especially when
driving down hills or slopes.
● Accelerate with particular care and caution.
Avoid sudden braking and manoeuvres.
● Take great care when overtaking. Reduce
speed immediately if you notice that the trail-
er is swaying, however slightly.
● Never attempt to "straighten" the towing
176.
vehicle and trailer while accelerating.
Take into account the speed limit for vehi-
●
cles with a trailer, as it could be lower than
for vehicles without a trailer.
Stabilisation of the towing vehicle
and trailer
The stabilisation of the towing vehicle and
trailer together is an additional function of
the electronic stability control (ESC).