Contents
© 2001 Bayerische Motoren Werke
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the
written consent of BMW AG, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 156 190
US English VIII/01
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper
(bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling).
Overview
Controls and features
Cockpit14
Instrument cluster15
Indicator and warning lamps17
Multifunction steering wheel
(MFL)21
Hazard warning triangle22
Refueling22
Fuel specifications23
Tire inflation pressures24
Opening and closing:
Keys28
Central locking system28
Opening and closing
Ð via the remote control29
Ð via the door lock31
Ð from the inside32
Luggage compartment lid33
Luggage compartment35
Alarm system36
Electric power windows38
Manual convertible top39
Fully-automatic convertible
top42
Wind deflector46
Adjustments:
Correct sitting posture48
Seats48
Adjusting electric power
seats49
Lumbar support50
Head restraints50
Entering the rear51
Safety belts52
Seat and mirror memory53
Seat heating54
Steering wheel54
Mirrors55
Passenger safety systems:
Airbags56
Transporting children safely59Rollover protection system61
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory63
Driving:
Ignition lock64
Starting the engine64
Switching off the engine65
Parking brake66
Manual transmission66
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic67
Indicator/Headlamp flasher69
Washer/Wiper system/
Rain sensor70
Cruise control72
Everything under control:
Odometer74
Tachometer74
Energy control74
Fuel gauge75
Temperature gauge75
Service Interval Display75
Check Control76
Computer76
Technology for safety and
driving convenience:
Park Distance Control (PDC)79
Automatic Stability Control plus
Traction (ASC+T)80
Contents
16n
Instrument cluster
7 Indicator and warning
lamps17 to 20
8 Reset trip odometer to zero74
9 Indicator for Check Control7610 Display for
>
Trip odometer/Odometer74
>
Clock76
>
Service Interval75
>
Computer7611 Selector lever and program display
for automatic transmission18, 69
12 Control button for the clock76
13 Indicator and warning
lamps17 to 20
37n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Alarm system
*
Indicator lamp displays>The indicator lamp below the interior
rearview mirror flashes continuously:
the system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes during
arming: the door(s), the hood or the
luggage compartment lid are not
completely closed. Even if you do not
close the alerted area(s), the
remaining areas are secured, and the
indicator lamp will flash continuously
after 10 seconds. However, the inte-
rior motion sensor is not activated
>The indicator lamp goes out when the
system is disarmed: no manipulation
or attempted intrusions have been
detected in the period since the
system was armed
>The indicator lamp flashes for
10 seconds when the system is
disarmed: an attempted entry has
been detected in the period since the
system was armed.
Following triggering of an alarm, the
indicator lamp will flash continuously.Avoiding unintentional alarmsThe tilt alarm sensor and interior motion
sensor may be switched off at the same
time. You can do this to prevent a false
alarm from being triggered in garages
with elevator ramps, for instance, or
when the vehicle is transported by
trailer or train:
Lock the vehicle twice (= arm the
system). Press the button on the
remote control twice in succession or
lock the vehicle twice with the key.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and
then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm
sensor and the interior motion sensor
are deactivated as long as the system is
armed.
Interior motion sensorDeactivate the interior motion sensor
(refer to Avoiding unintentional alarms
in the previous column) if children or
animals are to remain in the vehicle.For US owners onlyThe transmitter and receiver units
comply with part 15 of the FCC (Federal
Communication Commission) regula-
tions. Operation is governed by the
following:
FCC ID: LTQSDR2G5
Compliance statement:
This device complies with part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
>This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
>this device must accept any interfer-
ence received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modifications to
these devices could void the
user's authority to operate the equip-
ment.<
56n
Mirrors AirbagsInterior rearview mirror with
automatic dimming featureThis mirror automatically dims through
an infinitely-variable range. It returns to
its clear, undimmed mode whenever
you engage reverse.
To ensure that the mirror continues to
operate efficiently, ensure that the
photocells remain clear and unob-
structed. One photocell is integrated in
the mirror's lens (arrow), while the other
is located at an offset position on the
rear of the mirror. Refrain from attaching
stickers to the windshield in the area
immediately in front of the mirror.
1 Front airbags on the driver and
passenger sides
2 Side airbags on the driver and
passenger sides (front and rear
*)
Protective effectThe front airbags supplement the safety
belts by providing additional protection,
in the event of a severe frontal collision
in which the protection afforded by the
belts alone may no longer be sufficient.
The head protection system and side
airbags help provide protection in the
event of a collision from the side. Each
of the side airbags is designed to help
support the seat occupant's upper
body.
For information on the correct sitting
posture refer to page 48.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp displays the
operational status of the airbag
system from ignition key posi-
tion 1.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
when you turn the ignition key to
position 1 or higher.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to go out
after the engine has been started, or
comes on again during normal
driving.
Please respond to any malfunctions in
the system by immediately having it
inspected at your BMW center; other-
wise the airbag could fail to respond to
an accident in which both the angle and
the severity of the impact would
normally trigger airbag deployment.
The side airbags in the rear
passenger area
* of your vehicle
may already have been deactivated
either at the time of manufacture or by a
BMW center. You may have them acti-
vated if you desire to do so. Please
contact your BMW center for additional
information.<
62n
Rollover protection system2. Pull up on the lever (arrow) toward
the front of the vehicle and keep it in
this position
3. Keep pressing down on the protec-
tive bar 1 from on top until you hear it
click into place
4. Put the cover panel back in place
and press down firmly
5. Press the rear part of the head
restraint 2 to retract it.
Do the same for the second protective
bar. If you are not familiar with any of
the procedures, consult your BMW
center.
Have the rollover protection system
checked out by your BMW center after
it has been inadvertently triggered.
Do not move the convertible top
under any circumstances if the
rollover protection system has
extended.
Do not use the rear head restraints as
storage shelves.
Absolutely no modifications are to be
made to any of the rollover protection
system's individual components or any
of its wiring.
Only your BMW center is to carry out
any work on the rollover protection
system.
Work done on the system that is carried
out improperly could lead to failure in
an emergency or accidental activation.
Regarding having the system checked
to ensure long-term operation: be scru-
pulous in adhering to the Service
Interval Display for maintenance inter-
vals. Every 2 years at the latest, the roll-
over protection system must be
inspected at a BMW center.<
68n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
N NeutralSelect only when stopping for an
extended period.D Drive (automatic shift program)This position is designed for driving
under all normal operating conditions.
All forward gears are available.Kickdown modeIn the kickdown mode, you achieve
maximum acceleration and in
position D top speed.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
increased resistance point at the full-
throttle position.
M/S Manual mode and
Sport ProgramMove the selector lever from D to M/S
to activate the Sport Program; SD
appears in the display panel. The M/S
mode is recommended for perfor-
mance-oriented driving.
Once in the M/S mode you can tap the
selector lever to switch the automatic
transmission from the Sport Program to
its manual selection mode.
This mode allows you to execute
upshifts manually by tapping the lever
toward "+," while downshifts are
selected by tapping in the "Ð" direction.
The displays M1 through M5 appear in
the display panel to indicate your
current gear selection.
The Adaptive Transmission Control
(ATC) executes upshifts and downshifts
only when the new gear will provide a
suitable combination of engine and
road speed, for example ATC will not
execute downshifts if the engine speed
is too high. The desired, then the actual
gear, briefly appear in the instrument
cluster.
To accelerate quickly in the
manual mode (to pass another
vehicle), shift down manually or employ
the kickdown mode.<
Shifting from M/S to the selector lever
positions P, R and N is possible only by
going through D.
69n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
Indicator/Headlamp ßasher
Available displays
P R N D SD M1 M2 M3 M4 M5
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on,
there is a malfunction in the
transmission system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the
transmission selector lever to "P."
Engage the parking brake and turn the
engine off (ignition key to position 0).
Wait a few seconds, then start the
engine.
If the indicator lamp goes out after a
few seconds, normal transmission
performance has been restored. You
may continue to drive as usual.
If the indicator lamp does not go out,
you can place the selector lever in all
positions. However, the vehicle will now
only operate in 3rd and 4th gear.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine
loads and consult the nearest BMW
center.
Do not work in the engine
compartment when a drive gear
(forward or reverse) is engaged. If you
do this, the vehicle could move.<
For towing or jump-starting, refer to the
information beginning on page 140.
1 High beams (blue indicator lamp)
2 Headlamp flasher (blue indicator
lamp)
3 Turn signal indicator (green indicator
lamps accompanied by a periodic
clicking sound from the relay)To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond
the detent. It then returns to the center
position when released.
If the flashing of the turn signal
indicators and the clicking from
the relay are both faster than normal,
one of the turn signal indicators has
failed.<
74n
Odometer Tachometer Energy control 1 Odometer
2 Trip odometerOdometer You can activate the displays shown in
the illustration with the ignition key in
position 0 by pressing the button in the
instrument cluster.Trip odometerTo reset the trip odometer to zero,
press the button with the ignition key in
position 1 or higher.
Do not operate the engine with the
needle in the red overspeed zone of the
gauge.
To protect the engine, the fuel supply is
interrupted when you approach this
sector.
Indicates the current fuel consumption
in mpg (in liters/100 km on Canadian
models). This allows you to see whether
your current driving style is conducive
to fuel economy with minimum exhaust
emissions.
When the vehicle is stationary, the
display goes to "Maximum" (zero on
Canadian models).