
 
Contents
 
© 2001 Bayerische Motoren Werke
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the 
written consent of BMW AG, Munich. 
Order No. 01 41 0 156 156
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
Opening and closing Ð via the 
door lock31
Opening and closing Ð from the 
inside32
Tailgate33
Rear window34
Cargo area35
Alarm system35
Electric power windows37
Sliding/tilt sunroof38
 
Adjustments:
 
Correct sitting posture40
Seats40
Manual seat adjustment41
Power seat adjustment42
Lumbar support42
Head restraints43
Safety belts44
Seat and mirror memory45
Seat heating46
Steering wheel46
Mirrors47
 
Passenger safety systems:
 
Airbags48
Transporting children safely51Vehicle Memory, Key 
Memory54
 
Driving:
 
Ignition lock55
Starting the engine55
Switching off the engine56
Parking brake57
Manual transmission57
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic58
Indicator/Headlamp flasher60
Washer/Wiper system/Rain 
sensor61
Cruise control63
 
Everything under control:
 
Odometer65
Tachometer65
Energy control65
Fuel gauge66
Coolant temperature gauge66
Service Interval Display66
Check Control67
Clock67
Computer68
 
Technology for safety and 
driving convenience:
 
Park Distance Control (PDC)70
Automatic Stability Control plus 
Traction (ASC+T)71
Dynamic Stability Control 
(DSC)73
 
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 additional information on trans-
porting 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 an infant or small child to ride in a 
passenger's lap. Avoid twisting the belt 
while routing it firmly across the hips 
and shoulder, wear it as snugly against 
your body as possible. Do not allow the 
belt to rest against hard or fragile 
objects. 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 loose 
or bulky clothing. You should remember 
to retension the lap belt periodically by 
pulling the shoulder strap to take up 
any slack in the mechanism. In the 
event of a frontal impact, a loose lap 
belt could slide over your hips, leading 
to abdominal injury. In addition, the 
safety belt's restraint effectiveness is 
reduced if the belt 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 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 unexpected move-
ment, and the ensuing loss of vehicle 
control could lead to an accident. Never 
ride with the backrest reclined to an 
extreme horizontal angle (important for 
front passengers to remember). Keep 
the backrest relatively upright to mini-
mize the risk of sliding under the safety 
belt and sustaining injury in an acci-
dent.<
Seat adjustment>Manual seat adjustment, refer to 
page 41
>Power seat adjustment, refer to 
page 42
>Head restraint, refer to page 43 

44n
Safety beltsDrive with your safety belt onEven though there is an airbag, wear a 
safety belt every time you get in the 
vehicle, because airbags enhance 
safety by providing added protection.To closeMake sure you hear the lock engage in 
the belt buckle.To open1. Press the red button in the buckle
2. Hold the belt
3. Guide belt into its inertia reel.
The rear belt buckle with the word 
CENTER embossed on its surface 
is intended exclusively for the use of 
the center passenger.<
To adjust shoulder strap heightUse the height-adjustment feature to 
adjust the belt to the best position for 
your own body size:
>Slide the button up or down.
Please observe the instructions for 
adjusting your seat 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.< 

49n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags
The airbags do not respond to 
minor collisions, rear impacts, or 
to some kinds of vehicle rollovers.<
For your safety, comply with the 
following instructions for the 
airbags. If you do not, the airbags may 
not be able to provide their maximum 
protection. All passengers in the vehicle 
should be aware of and comply with 
this information: 
The airbags are supplemental restraint 
devices designed to provide extra 
protection; they are not a substitute for 
safety belts. Wear your safety belt at all 
times. The airbags will not be triggered 
in the event of a minor accident, a 
vehicle rollover, or collisions from the 
rear. In these instances, the safety belt 
provides optimal protection. 
Airbags are located under cover panels 
in the steering wheel, in the instrument 
panel, in the side trim panels in the 
front and rear
*, in the roof panels, and 
in the sides of the inside roof lining. 
Adjust your seat to a position that 
provides maximum distance between 
you and the steering wheel, the instru-
ment panel and the door while still 
allowing comfortable and safe access 
to all vehicle controls. 
To avoid sustaining hand and arm inju-
ries, always grasp the steering wheel 
on the rim with the hands at the 9 and 
3 o'clock positions. Do not place your 
hands on the center pad. 
Never allow any objects to obstruct the 
area between the airbag and an occu-
pant. 
Do not use the cover panel above the 
passenger-side airbag as a storage 
area. 
Do not apply adhesive materials to the 
cover panels of the airbags, cover them 
or modify them in any other way. 
Do not install a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the front passenger 
seat of this vehicle. 
Children under 13 years of age and less 
than 5 ft (150 cm) tall should ride only in 
the rear seat. 
Infants or small children should never 
be held on the lap of a passenger. 
If your vehicle is equipped with side 
airbags in the rear passenger area
*, be 
sure that child restraints are mounted 
correctly with the greatest-possible 
distance between them and the airbags 
in the side trim panels. Do not allow 
children to lean out of the child's seat in 
the direction of the side trim panels. If 
they do so, serious injuries can occur if 
the airbag is triggered.
(infants and small children in appro-
priate child-restraint systems; larger 
children and adults using the safety 
belts). Never let an occupant's head 
rest near or on a side airbag because 
the inflating airbag could cause a 
serious or fatal injury. Please note that 
the word Airbag imprinted on the door 
trim panel indicates the airbag's loca-
tion. 
Accident research shows that the 
safest place for children in an 
automobile is in the rear seat. However, 
a child sitting in the rear seat and not 
properly restrained may place his or her 
head on or near the airbag, if so 
equipped. For example, a child Ñ even 
though belted Ñ may fall asleep with his 
or her head against the side airbag. It 
may be difficult for a driver to ensure 
that children in the rear seat will remain 
properly positioned at all times and not 
place their heads on or near the side 
airbag. 
Therefore, we recommend that the 
rear-seat side airbags, if installed in the 
vehicle, be deactivated if children will 
travel in the rear seat. 
The rear side airbags may already have 
been deactivated, either at the time of  

50n
Airbagsmanufacture or by a BMW center. 
Labels in the door opening should indi-
cate the status of your rear side 
airbags. If you are uncertain of their 
status, or wish to have the airbags acti-
vated or deactivated, please contact 
your BMW center.<
Even when all these guidelines are 
followed, there is still a small residual 
risk of injuries to the face, hands and 
arms occurring from airbag deployment 
in isolated instances. The ignition and 
inflation noise may provoke a mild 
temporary hearing loss in extremely 
sensitive individuals.This is the right way a child should sit in 
a child restraint when rear side airbags 
(arrow) are provided.
This is the right way a larger child 
should sit wearing the safety belt when 
rear side airbags (arrow) are provided. 

51n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyLATCH child-restraint mounting 
systemThe illustration shows the right rear seat 
as an example
The anchorages for the LATCH child-
restraint system are located beneath 
the plastic covers (arrows), where they 
remain invisible when the child-restraint 
devices are not installed.
Always follow all manufacturer's 
instructions and observe all safety 
precautions when installing the LATCH 
child-restraint system.<
Child safety locksSlide down the safety lever on the rear 
door:
The door can now be opened from the 
outside only. 

52n
Transporting children safelyCommercially available child seats 
complying with the legal standards are 
designed to be secured with a safety 
belt or with the safety belt portion of a 
combination lap/shoulder belt. Improp-
erly or inadequately installed restraint 
systems can increase the risk of injury 
to children. Always read and follow the 
instructions that come with the system.
If you use a child-restraint system with 
a tether strap, three additional tether 
anchorage points (refer to the arrows in 
the illustration) have been provided. 
Depending on the location selected 
for seating in the rear passenger area, 
attach the tether strap to the 
corresponding anchorage point to 
secure the child-restraint system. 
Remove the cover first on the middle 
location.
If the respective seating position is 
fitted with a headrest lift the headrest 
and pass the tether strap between the 
headrest and the backrest.
Adjust the tether strap according to the 
child-restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Before installing any child-restraint 
device or child seat, please read 
the following: 
Never install a rear-facing child-restraint 
system in the front passenger seat of this 
vehicle. 
Your vehicle is equipped with an airbag 
supplemental restraint system for the 
front passenger. Because the backrest 
on any rear-facing child-restraint system 
(of the kind designed for infants under 1 
year and 20  lbs/9  kg) would be within the 
airbag's deployment range, you should 
never mount such a device in the front 
passenger seat, as the impact of the 
airbag against the child restraint's back-
rest could lead to serious or fatal injuries. 
If it is necessary for a child (not an infant) 
to ride in the front seat, certain precau-
tions should be taken. First, move the 
passenger seat as far away from the 
instrument panel as possible. This 
important precaution is intended to 
maximize the distance between the 
airbag and the child. Older children 
should be tightly secured with the safety 
belt. Younger children should be 
secured in an appropriate forward-
facing child-restraint system that has 
first been properly secured with a safety 
belt. Never install a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the front passenger 
seat. 
We strongly urge you to carefully read 
and observe the instructions for installa-
tion and use provided by the child 
restraint's manufacturer whenever you 
use such a device. 
Always ensure that all occupants (of all 
ages) remain properly and securely 
restrained at all times.<
All rear seating positions in your vehicle 
meet the recommendations of 
SAE J1819, an industry standard 
recommended practice for securing 
child-restraint systems in motor vehi-
cles. 

53n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyChild seat securityAll of the rear belt retractors and the 
front passenger's safety belt can be 
locked for mounting and securing child-
restraint systems.
A label with the appropriate instructions 
for this is located in the immediate 
vicinity of the buckle latch of each 
safety belt.
To lock the safety beltExtract the entire length of the belt from 
the inertia reel mechanism. Allow the 
reel to retract the belt somewhat and 
engage the buckle, then tighten the belt 
against the child-restraint system. The 
retraction mechanism is now locked. 
The belt cannot be extracted further. 
Always observe the installation instruc-
tions provided by the manufacturer of 
the child-restraint system.
To unlock the safety beltRelease the safety belt, remove the 
child's seat and retract the safety belt to 
its end position on the belt retractor.