
 
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 

48n
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 59. 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 56.
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 
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 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 
your 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 pres-
sure against the abdominal area.<
For information on using the safety 
belts refer to page 52.
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>Power seat, refer to page 49
>Head restraint, refer to page 50
>Entering the rear, refer to page 51 

57n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags
The airbags do not deploy in 
response to minor collisions, rear 
impacts and certain kinds of vehicle 
rollover.<
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 
these directions: 
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, as 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 location. 
Accident research shows that the 
safest place for children in an auto-
mobile 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-seat side airbags may already 
have been deactivated, either at the 
time of manufacture or by a BMW  

58n
Airbagscenter. Labels in the door opening 
should indicate the status of your rear- 
seat side airbags. If you are uncertain of 
their status, or wish to have the airbags 
activated 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 for a child to sit in a 
child restraint when rear-side airbags 
(arrow) are provided.
This is the right way for a larger child to 
sit wearing the seat belt when rear-side 
airbags (arrow) are provided. 

59n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyLATCH child-restraint mounting 
system
*
The anchorage points for the child- 
restraint system are located behind the 
upholstery at the positions indicated by 
the arrows.
Carefully slide the brackets through the 
gaps in the upholstery at the indicated 
locations.
Always follow all manufacturer's 
instructions and observe all safety 
precautions when installing the LATCH 
child-restraint system.<
To avoid undesired movement at 
higher speeds, always store the 
rear safety belts in their retainers when 
they are not in use.<
Commercially available child seats 
complying with the legal standard are 
designed to be secured with a seat belt 
or with the seat belt portion of a combi-
nation lap/shoulder belt. 
Improperly 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 corre-
sponding anchorage point to secure the 
child-restraint system. Remove the 
center cover first. 

60n
Transporting children safelyIf the selected seating position is 
equipped with a head restraint, lift the 
head restraint and pass the tether strap 
between the head restraint and the 
backrest.
Adjust the tether strap according to the 
child restraint manufacturer's 
instructions.
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 
backrest 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 a 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 installed 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 recommended 
standard for securing child-restraint 
systems in motor vehicles.
Child-safety locksAll 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 
is located in the immediate vicinity of 
the buckle of each safety belt. 

61n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyRollover protection systemTo 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 release the safety beltRelease the safety belt, remove the 
child's seat and retract the safety belt to 
its end position on the belt retractor.In the event of an accident or some 
other critical driving situation (extreme 
tilting in the longitudinal or transverse 
axis, loss of contact with the ground), 
the rollover protection system will be 
automatically activated. The protective 
bars located in the rear head restraints 
extend within fractions of a second.
In addition to the integrated rollover bar 
in the windshield frame, the rollover 
protection system affords all the vehicle 
occupants necessary headroom.
Always keep the travel path for the 
rollover protection system free 
and clear. Under no circumstances 
should you cover the head restraints.
In the event of less serious accidents, 
the safety belt will protect you and, 
depending on the severity of the acci-
dent, so will the safety belt tensioner 
and the multi-stage airbag restraint 
system as well.<
If, after being automatically triggered, 
its protective function is not needed, 
then the rollover protection system can 
be lowered back into place. No special 
tool is needed for this.
1. Using a screwdriver from the on-
board tool kit, remove the cover 
panel; to do this, position the screw-
driver under the notch (arrow) 

Everything from A to Z
153n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
G 
Garage-door opener97 
Gasoline gauge75 
Glove compartment97 
Gross vehicle weight146 H 
Handbrake66 
Hands-free system100 
microphone100 
Hardtop110 
Hazard warning triangle22 
Head restraints50 
Headlamp cover, care131 
Headlamp flasher88 
Headlamp washer 
system120 
capacity147 
Headlight control87 
Heated seats54 
Heavy cargo103 
Height145 
High beams20, 69, 88 
bulb replacement131 
High Performance Synthetic 
Oil122 
Holder for canned 
beverages100 
Hood118 
Horn14 
I 
Ice warning77 
Icy roads77 
Ignition keys28 
Ignition lock64 
Imprint4 
Indicator lamps17 
Inflation pressures, 
tires24, 113 
INSPECTION75 
Instrument cluster15 
Instrument lighting88 
Instrument panel15 
Interface socket for onboard 
diagnostics (OBD)127 
Interior lamps30, 89 
remote control30 
Interior motion sensor36 
operating via remote 
control30 
switching off37 
Interior rearview mirror55 
with automatic 
dimming56 
Interlock64 
J 
Jack135 
Jump-starting140 K 
Key Memory63 
Key set28 
Keys28 L 
Lamps and bulbs, 
replacement131 
Lashing eyes104 
LATCH child-restraint 
system59 
Length145 
License plate lamps, bulb 
replacement134 
LIGHTS ON warning87 
Load-securing devices104 
Lock buttons32 
Low beams87 
bulb replacement131 
Lug wrench135 
Luggage compartment35 
capacity146 
enlarging35 
floor panel35 
secure separately33 Luggage compartment lid 
electrical malfunction33 
manual operation33 
operate via remote 
control30 
Luggage compartment 
lighting33 
Luggage compartment's 
interior, emergency 
release34 
Luggage rack105 
Lumbar support50 
M 
M+S tires117 
Maintenance125 
Malfunction displays76 
Manual closing 
fully-automatic convertible 
top44 
Manual convertible top39 
close41 
open39 
Manual operation 
doors31 
fuel filler door22 
luggage compartment 
lid33