Contents
© 2001 Bayerische Motoren Werke
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the
written consent of BMW AG, Munich.
Order No. 01 40 0 156 144
deutsch 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
Opening and closing Ð via the
door lock31
Opening and closing Ð from the
inside32
Luggage compartment lid33
Luggage compartment35
Alarm system36
Electric power windows37
Sliding/tilt sunroof38
Adjustments:
Correct sitting posture40
Seats40
Manual seat adjustment41
Power seat adjustment42
Lumbar support42
Head restraints43
Entering the rear43
Safety belts44
Seat and mirror memory45
Seat heating46
Steering wheel46
Mirrors47
Passenger safety systems:
Airbags48
Transporting children safely51
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory53
Driving:
Ignition lock54
Starting the engine54
Switching off the engine55
Parking brake56
Manual transmission56
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic57
Indicator/Headlamp flasher59
Washer/Wiper system/Rain
sensor60
Cruise control62
Everything under control:
Odometer64
Tachometer64
Energy control64
Fuel gauge65
Temperature gauge65
Service Interval Display65
Check Control66
Computer66
Technology for safety and
driving convenience:
Park Distance Control (PDC)69
Automatic Stability Control plus
Traction (ASC+T)70
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)71
Tire Pressure Monitor (RDC)73
Flat Tire Monitor75
Contents
40n
Correct sitting posture SeatsFor relaxed and fatigue-free driving you
should select a sitting position that
reflects your personal requirements.
Correct posture combines with safety
belts and airbags to enhance occupant
safety in the event of an accident. To
ensure that the vehicle's safety systems
provide you with optimal protection, we
request that you direct your careful
attention to the following section.
For supplementary information on
transporting children, refer to page 51. Sitting correctly with airbags
Always maintain an adequate
distance between yourself and the
airbags. Always hold the steering wheel
by the rim to keep any chance of injury
to hands or arms to an absolute
minimum should the airbag be
deployed. Never allow any objects,
individuals or animals to obstruct the
areas between passengers and airbags.
Never use the front airbag's cover as a
storage tray or support for objects of
any kind. Never allow front passengers
to rest their feet or legs on the airbag
cover.<
For airbag locations and additional
information on airbags, refer to
page 48.
Safe with safety belts
Never allow more than one person
to wear a single safety belt. Never
allow infants or small children to ride in
a passenger's lap. Avoid twisting the
belt while routing it firmly across the
pelvis and shoulder, wear it as snugly
against your body as possible. Do not
allow the belt to rest against hard or
fragile objects in your pockets. Do not
route the belt across your neck, or run it
across sharp edges. Be sure that the
belt does not become caught or
jammed. Avoid wearing bulky clothing
and pull on the lap belt periodically to
retension it over your shoulders. In the
event of a frontal impact, a loose lap
belt could slide over the hips, leading to
abdominal injury. In addition, the safety
belt's restraint effectiveness is reduced
if it is worn loosely. Expectant mothers
should always wear their safety belts,
taking care to position the lap belt
against the lower hips, where it will not
exert pressure against the abdominal
area.<
For information on using the safety
belts, refer to page 44.
When adjusting your seat, always
observe the following precautions
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat
could respond with an unexpected
movement, and the ensuing loss of
vehicle control could lead to an acci-
dent. Never ride with the backrest
reclined to an extreme horizontal angle
(important for front passengers to
remember). Keep the backrest relatively
upright to minimize the risk of sliding
under the safety belt and sustaining
injury in an accident.<
Seat adjustment>Manual seat adjustment, refer to
page 41
>Power seat adjustment, refer to
page 42
>Head restraint, refer to page 43
>Entering the rear, refer to page 43
41n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Manual seat adjustmentSeat adjustment1 Forward/backward adjustment
Pull the lever and slide the seat to the
desired position.
After you release the lever, move the
seat forward or backward slightly so
that it engages fully
2 Cushion height
Pull the lever and apply weight to
or remove weight from the seat as
required
3 Backrest angle
Pull the lever and apply weight to or
remove weight from the backrest to
reach the desired position.
BMW sports seat
* adjustment
You can also adjust the tilt angle and
the thigh support:
1 To tilt up:
Pull the lever up repeatedly,
continuing until the seat reaches the
desired tilt angle
2 To tilt down:
Push the lever down repeatedly,
continuing until the seat reaches the
desired tilt angle
3 Thigh support:
Pull the lever and adjust the position
of the cushion for thigh support as
desired.
42n
Power seat adjustment
*
Lumbar support*
Seat adjustment1 Forward/backward adjustment
2 Cushion height
3 Backrest angle
The head restraint is adjusted manually,
refer to page 43.
Please refer to the adjustment
instructions on page 40 to reduce
the risk of personal injury.<
BMW sports seat
* adjustment
1 Tilt angle
2 Forward/backward adjustment
3 Cushion height
4 Backrest angle
The thigh support and the head
restraint are adjusted manually, refer to
pages 41, 43.
Please refer to the adjustment
instructions on page 40 to reduce
the risk of personal injury.<
To adjustYou can adjust the backrest's contour
for additional support in the curvature
of your spine's lumbar region.
The upper hips and spinal column
receive supplementary support to help
you maintain a relaxed, upright posture.
>Press front/rear of switch: increase/
decrease curvature
>Press the upper/lower end of the
switch: increase the upper/lower
curvature.
44n
Safety beltsAlways wear your safety beltAlways fasten your safety belt before
starting off. As supplemental restraint
devices, the airbags are designed to
enhance the effectiveness of the safety
belts, and not to replace them.To closeMake sure you hear the catch engage in
the belt buckle.To open1. Press red button in the belt buckle
2. Hold the end of the belt
3. Guide belt back into the inertia reel.
The rear belt buckle with the word
CENTER is intended exclusively for
the passenger sitting in the middle.<
Adjusting safety belt heightUse the height adjustment mechanism
to adapt the shoulder strap to the ideal
level for your own body:
>Slide button up or down.
Please refer to the seat adjustment
instructions on page 40.
If the safety belt system has been
subjected to the stresses involved
in an accident or otherwise damaged:
have the entire safety belt mechanism
replaced by your BMW center, including
the safety belt tensioner. In addition,
have your BMW center inspect the safety
belt anchors. If a child-restraint system
was in the vehicle during an accident,
consult the manufacturer's instructions
regarding replacement.<
45n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Seat and mirror memory
*
You can store and recall three different
driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions.
Memory will not retain the adjust-
ment made to the lumbar
support.
to the desired position
3. Press the
M
EMORY button: the indi-
cator lamp in the button lights up
4. Press memory button 1, 2 or 3, as
desired. Indicator lamp goes out.
To select a stored setting
Do not select a memory position
while the vehicle is moving. If you
do so, there is a risk of accident from
unexpected seat movement.<
Ignition key in position 1:
>Briefly press memory button 1, 2 or 3,
as desired.
Movement stops immediately when
one of the seat adjustment or
memory buttons is activated during
the adjustment process.
The driver's door is closed and the igni-
tion key is either removed or in posi-
tion 0 or 2:
>Press and hold the desired memory
button (1, 2 or 3) until the adjustment
process is completed.
If you press the
M
EMORY button
accidentally: press the button
again; the indicator lamp goes out.<
Your BMW center can adjust your
vehicle's systems in such a
manner that your personalized settings
are automatically set for the seat and
exterior mirror positions when you
unlock the vehicle with your personal
remote control.<
Before activating the programmed
adjustment feature ensure that the
footwell behind the driver's seat is
empty and unobstructed. If you fail to
do so, any persons or objects behind
the seat could be injured or damaged
by a rearward movement of the seat.<
47n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Mirrors To adjust exterior mirrors1 Switch for 4-way adjustment
2 Selection switch for changing
between mirrors
To adjust manuallyThe mirrors can also be adjusted by
hand:
Press the edge of the lens.
Storing mirror settings, refer to Seat
and mirror memory on page 45.
The mirror on the passenger's side
features a lens with a more convex
surface than the mirror installed on the
driver's side. When estimating the
distance between yourself and other
traffic, bear in mind that the objects
reflected in the mirror are closer than
they appear. This means that estimates
of the distance to following traffic
should not be regarded as precise. This
precaution also applies to the non-
spherical outer section of the lens.
Both mirrors are automatically heated
when you turn the ignition key to posi-
tion 2.
Interior rearview mirror To reduce glare from vehicles behind
you when you are driving at night, tilt
the lens by turning the button.
Vehicles without alarm system:
Tilt the small lever forward.
53n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory How the system functionsNo doubt you have reflected at one
time or another on how great it would
be if you could permanently configure
your vehicle's various features and
adjustments to mirror your own indi-
vidual preferences. In engineering your
vehicle, BMW has incorporated a
number of options for personal adjust-
ment that can be programmed into your
vehicle at your BMW center.
The available configuration data fall into
two categories, according to whether
their primary orientation is the vehicle
(Vehicle Memory) or the individual (Key
Memory). Provided that each person
has a separate remote-control key, you
can have your BMW center enter
adjustment data for as many as four
different individuals into the system.
The system then relies on a bilateral
data exchange to identify the individual
user and dial in the selected settings
whenever the remote control unit is
used to disengage the door locks.
Color-coded decals have been
provided to help you distinguish indi-
vidual keys with different settings.What the system can doYour BMW center can provide you with
details on the capabilities of the Vehicle
Memory and Key Memory systems. A
few examples follow below:
Examples for Vehicle Memory:
>Various signals as acknowledgment
when locking or unlocking your
vehicle, refer to page 29, 31
>Activates/deactivates the "Follow me
home" function, refer to page 77
>Activates/deactivates daytime driving
lamps, refer to page 77.Examples for Key Memory:
>Locks the vehicle when you start off,
refer to page 32
>Automatically adjusts the driver's
seat to the personal programmed
settings when the vehicle is
unlocked, refer to page 45
>Unlocks driver's door first, then
proceeds to disengage the vehicle's
remaining locks, refer to page 29.
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to
remind you at appropriate places of the
settings that are available to you.<