
 
Contents
 
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index
 
Replacement procedures:
 
Onboard tool kit124
Windshield wiper blades124
Lamps and bulbs125
Changing a wheel129
Battery133
Fuses133
 
Assistance, giving and 
receiving:
 
Jump-starting134
Towing the vehicle135Engine data140
Dimensions141
Weights142
Capacities143Everything from A to Z146 

35n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Cargo area Alarm system
*
Luggage strapsUse the retaining straps on the cargo 
area floor to secure smaller items of 
luggage.
Movement is reduced when objects are 
placed on the straps.
To secure your luggage, use the 
luggage nets
* or flexible straps that you 
can attach to the fittings at the inner 
corners of the cargo area.
Refer also to Cargo loading on page 99.
For additional details in the cargo area 
and for the cargo area cover, please 
refer to Cargo area beginning on 
page 97.
The conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood, the tailgate 
or the rear window is opened
>To movement inside the vehicle (inte-
rior motion sensor)
>To variations in the vehicle's tilt angle 
such as those occurring during 
attempts to steal the wheels or tow 
the vehicle
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized 
vehicle entry and attempted theft by 
simultaneously activating the following:
>Sounding an acoustic alarm for 
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>Flashing the high beams on and off 
in rhythm with the hazard warning 
flashers.
To arm and disarm the alarm 
systemWhen the vehicle is locked or unlocked 
via the driver's door lock or with the 
remote control, the alarm system is also 
simultaneously armed or disarmed.
You can have different acknowl-
edgment signals set to confirm 
arming and disarming.<
You can use the button on the remote 
control to open the rear window even 
when the alarm is armed, refer to 
page 30. The alarm will start monitoring 
the window again as soon as it is 
reclosed. 

58n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
You can drive as with a normal auto-
matic transmission. In addition, you can 
also shift manually.
When you move the selector lever from 
the "D" position to the left into the M/S 
range, the performance-oriented shift 
programs of the automatic transmission 
are engaged. Steptronic enters the 
manual selection mode and executes 
the desired shift whenever you tap the 
selector lever in the direction indicated 
by "+" or "Ð". Whenever you want to use 
automatic again, just move the selector 
lever toward the right to position D.
Range selection
P R N D M/S + Ð
Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in 
selector lever positions P ("Park") or N 
("Neutral").Range selectionA detent prevents inadvertent shifts to 
the "Reverse" or "Park" selector lever 
positions. To disengage the detent, 
press the button on the front side of 
the selector lever button (arrow).
While the vehicle is stationary and 
before shifting out of "Park" or 
"Neutral", depress the footbrake in 
order to disengage the selector lever's 
lock mechanism (Shiftlock).
Hold the footbrake down until starting 
off. The vehicle will otherwise "creep" 
when a drive position is engaged.< 
To prevent the vehicle from 
starting off on its own, always 
move the selector lever to position P 
or N and engage the parking brake 
before leaving your vehicle with the 
engine running.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended 
with the engine running. An unattended 
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<
P  ParkSelect only when the vehicle is 
stationary. Transmission locks to 
prevent rear wheels from turning.R  ReverseSelect only when the vehicle is 
stationary. 

59n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
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.KickdownIn 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. 

60n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
Indicator/Headlamp flasher 
Possible 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, select trans-
mission position "P", engage the 
parking brake  and switch 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. Drive 
off normally.
If the indicator lamp does not go out, all 
selector lever positions can still be 
selected; however in the forward posi-
tions the vehicle has limited perfor-
mance as it drives only in 3
rd and 4
th 
gear.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine 
loads and consult the nearest BMW 
center.
Never 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 134.
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.< 

68n
Computer
*
Mode selectionFrom ignition key position 1, you can 
call up information from the computer 
using the button in the turn signal lever. 
By pressing the button briefly toward 
the steering column, you can call up a 
new function for display.
The displays appear in the following 
order:
Time of day, outside temperature, 
average fuel consumption, cruising 
range, average vehicle speed.
Starting with ignition key position 1, 
the last active setting is displayed.
Outside temperatureYou can change the units of measure 
(6/7) for the outside temperature 
display by pressing the right-hand reset 
button in the instrument cluster while 
the temperature display is active.
Ice warningIf the outside temperature drops to 
about 37.5 7 (+3 6), then the 
computer will automatically switch to a 
display of the outside temperature. In 
addition, a signal sounds as a warning 
and the display flashes for a brief 
period.
The ice warning does not alter the 
fact that surface ice can form at 
temperatures above  37.5 7 (+3 6), on 
bridges or shaded road surfaces, for 
instance.< 

70n
Park Distance Control (PDC)
*
The conceptPDC provides extra safety and conve-
nience during parking maneuvers by 
providing an acoustic signal to indicate 
the distance between your front and 
rear bumpers and the nearest object. 
The system features four ultrasonic 
sensors mounted in your rear bumper. 
The monitoring range for the two corner 
sensors extends outward roughly 2 ft 
(60 cm), while two centrally located 
sensors detect objects at distances of 
up to approx. 5 ft (1.5 m).
The system starts to operate automati-
cally approx. one second after you 
select reverse or move the selector 
lever into the "R" position with the igni-
tion key in position 2. PDC is deacti-
vated when you shift back out of 
reverse.
Acoustic signalsThe distance to the nearest object is 
indicated by a tone sounding at various 
intervals. As the distance between 
vehicle and object decreases, the inter-
vals between the tones become 
shorter. A continuous tone indicates the 
presence of an object less than 1 ft 
(30 cm) away.
The warning signal is canceled after 
approx. three seconds if the distance to 
the obstacle remains constant during 
this time (if you are moving parallel to 
a wall, for instance).
System malfunctions will be indicated 
by a continuous high-pitched tone 
when the system is activated the first 
time. Please refer the problem to your 
BMW center.The PDC does not remove the 
driver's personal responsibility for 
evaluating the distance between the 
vehicle and any obstacles. Even when 
sensors are involved, there is a blind 
spot in which objects cannot be 
detected. This applies especially in 
those cases where the system 
approaches the physical limits of ultra-
sonic measurement, as occurs with tow 
bars and trailer couplings, and in the 
vicinity of thin or wedge-shaped 
objects.
Certain sources of sound, such as a 
loud radio, could drown the PDC signal 
tone.<
Keep the sensors clean and free 
of ice or snow in order to ensure 
that they will continue to operate effec-
tively.
Do not apply high pressure spray to the 
sensors for a prolonged period of time.
Always maintain a distance of more 
than 4 in (10 cm).< 

86n
Air conditioningAir supply
You can select blower speeds 
from 1 to 4. The heating and 
ventilation become more and 
more effective as the air 
supply settings are increased. In 
position 0, the blower and the heater 
are switched off. The outside air supply 
is blocked in position 0.
Temperature
In order to increase the 
temperature of the passenger 
compartment, turn it to the 
right (red). The temperature of 
the incoming air is kept constant.
Air distribution
You can direct air to flow onto 
the windows  , toward the 
upper body   and into the 
footwell  . All intermediate 
settings are possible. In the   setting, 
there is a low flow of air onto the 
windows to keep them free of conden-
sation.
Rear window defroster
When the rear window defroster 
is activated, the indicator lamp 
comes on. The rear window defroster 
switches off automatically.
At outside temperatures colder 
than approx. 39 7 (+4 6) the 
rear window defroster automatically 
assumes operation within 5 minutes 
after the engine is started.<
Air conditioning
The air is cooled and dehumidi-
fied and Ð depending on the 
temperature setting Ð rewarmed when 
the air conditioning is switched on.
Depending on the weather, the wind-
shield may fog over briefly when the 
engine is started. Switching on the air 
conditioning will reduce condensation 
forming on the windows.
As the air-conditioning system 
operates, condensation forms 
within the system. This moisture is 
conducted to an outlet beneath the 
vehicle; it is thus not unusual for a small 
puddle to form under the car while the 
system is running.<
Recirculated-air mode
You can respond to unpleasant 
external odors by temporarily 
excluding the supply of outside air. The 
system then recirculates the air 
currently within the vehicle.
If the windows fog over in the 
recirculated-air mode, switch it off 
and increase the air supply as 
required.<