
 
Contents
 
© 2001 Bayerische Motoren Werke 
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the 
written consent of BMW AG, Munich. 
Order No. 01 41 0 156 213
US English VIII/2001
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper 
(bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling). 
Overview
Controls and features
 
Cockpit14
Instrument cluster15
Indicator and warning lamps19
Steering wheel with multifunction 
buttons22
Warning triangle23
First-aid kit23
Refueling24
Fuel specifications25
Tire inflation pressure26
 
Locks and security systems:
 
Keys32
Central locking system32
Opening and closing Ð via the 
door lock33
Opening and closing Ð via the 
remote control34
Opening and closing Ð from the 
inside37
Luggage compartment lid/
Tailgate38
Rear window40
Luggage compartment42
Alarm system42
Electric power windows44
Sliding/tilt sunroof46
 
Adjustments:
 
Correct sitting posture48
Seats48
Manually-adjusted seat49
Electric power seats50
Head restraints52
BMW actice seat52
Safety belts53
Seat, mirror and steering wheel 
memory54
Seat heating55
Adjusting steering wheel56
Heated steering wheel56
Mirrors57
 
Passenger safety systems:
 
Airbags58
Transporting children safely61
Vehicle Memory, Key 
Memory64
 
Driving:
 
Steering/Ignition lock66
Starting the engine66
Switching off the engine68
Parking brake68
Manual transmission69
Automatic transmission70
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic73
Indicator/Headlamp flasher76
Washer/Wiper system/Rain 
sensor76
Cruise control78
 
Everything under control:
 
Odometer, outside temperature 
display80
Tachometer81
Energy control81
Fuel gauge81
Coolant temperature gauge82
Service Interval Display82
Check Control83
Computer86
Multi-Information Display 
(MID)87
Digital clock in the MID89
Computer in the MID91
 
Contents 

48n
For 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 61.
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 58.
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. Avoid wearing 
bulky clothing and pull on the lap belt 
periodically to retention 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 pres-
sure against the abdominal area.<
For information on using the safety 
belts refer to page 53.
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), otherwise, there is a risk 
that you will slide under the safety belt 
in an accident, thus negating the 
protection the safety belt provides.
Do not move the seats to the rear when 
the vehicle is at an extreme angle (on 
garage ramps or steep slopes, for 
example). If you do so, the automatic 
safety belt height adjustment can be 
disengaged.<
Seat adjustment>Manually-adjusted seat, refer to 
page 49
>Electric power seats, refer to page 50
>Head restraints, refer to page 52
>BMW active seat, refer to page 52
Correct sitting posture Seats 

53n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Safety beltsDrive with your safety belt onAlways 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 the red button in belt buckle
2. Hold the end of the belt
3. Guide belt back into the inertia reel.
The shoulder belt anchor automatically 
adjusts to continue providing an 
optimum fit when you move the seat 
forward or back.390de653
The rear belt buckle with the word 
"CENTER" is intended exclusively 
for the passenger sitting in the middle.
Sedan with through-loading system
*: 
please comply with the instructions for 
the center safety belt on page 119.
sport wagon: if it is not possible to 
extract the center belt, this indicates 
that the detent for the larger backrest is 
not securely engaged, refer to 
page 123.<
If the safety belt system has been 
subjected to the stresses involved 
in an accident or otherwise damaged: 
to ensure that the safety belts continue 
to provide effective protection, always 
have the entire safety belt mechanism 
replaced and the belt anchorages 
inspected at your BMW center.
If a child-restraint system was in the 
vehicle during an accident, consult the 
manufacturer's instructions regarding 
replacement.c 

59n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags
Never apply stickers or adhesive-
backed objects of any kind to the 
airbag covers. Never attempt to reup-
holster the covers or modify them in any 
way. If the airbags deploy in response 
to an accident, if you note any signs of 
system malfunction, or if you wish to 
have any parts of the airbag passenger-
restraint system deactivated, always 
contact your BMW center, to whom we 
strongly urge you to entrust all testing, 
repair and dismantling operations. 
Never attempt to modify or tamper with 
either the system's electrical wiring or 
any of its individual components. 
System components include the uphol-
stered surfaces on the steering wheel, 
instrument panel, the trim panels on the 
front and rear doors (with rear airbags) 
and the roof braces as well as the sides 
of the headliner above the doors. 
Never attempt to remove or dismantle 
the steering wheel. 
To ensure compliance with official 
safety regulations, always entrust 
disposal of airbag generators to your 
BMW center. Attempts to carry out 
service procedures undertaken by 
anyone other than specially-trained 
professionals can result in system 
failure or undesired airbag deployment, 
both of which can lead to personal 
injury. If the airbags deploy in response 
to an accident, always remember to 
avoid all contact with system compo-
nents, as they are hot and can cause 
burns in the period immediately 
following deployment.<
All vehicle occupants should 
always sit upright and be properly 
restrained (infants and small children in 
appropriate child-restraint systems; 
larger children and adults using the 
safety belts). Never let an occupant's 
head rest near or on a side airbag: 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 automo-
bile 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 side airbag, if installed. For 
example, a child Ð even though belted Ð 
may fall asleep with his or her head 
against the side airbag. It may be diffi-
cult for a driver to ensure that children 
in the rear seat will remain properly 
positioned at all times and do not place 
their heads on or near the side airbag. 
Therefore, we recommend that the 
rear-seat side airbags, if provided, be 
deactivated if you plan to transport chil-
dren in the rear seat.
The rear-seat side airbags may already 
have been deactivated, either at the 
time of manufacture or by a BMW 
center. Labels in the rear 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 in isolated instances. 
The ignition and inflation noise may 
provoke a mild temporary hearing loss 
in extremely sensitive individuals.
Airbag warning information is also 
provided on the sun visors. 

61n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyCommercially-available child-restraint 
systems are designed to be secured 
with a lap belt or with the lap belt 
portion of a combination 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.380us123
If you use a child-restraint system with 
a tether strap, three additional tether 
anchorage points (refer to the arrows Ð 
the illustration shows the sport wagon) 
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 seat back.
Adjust the tether strap according to the 
child-restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.392au001
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  Ibs./9 kg) would be 
within the airbag's deployment range, 
you should never mount such a device 
in the front passenger seat, since 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 precautions should 
be taken. First, move the passenger 
seat as far away from the dashboard as 
possible. This important precaution is 
intended to maximize the distance 
between the airbag and the child.  

62n
Transporting children safelyOlder children should be tightly secured 
with a 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 comply with the instructions for 
installation and use provided by the 
child-restraint's manufacturer whenever 
you use such a device.
Be sure 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-recom-
mended practice for securing child-
restraint systems in motor vehicles.
Child-restraint installationAll of the rear belt retractors and the 
front passenger's safety belt can be 
locked for mounting and securing child-
restraint systems.
Information regarding this is located 
near the buckle latch of each safety 
belt.To lock the beltPull the entire length of the belt from 
the belt retractor. Allow the reel to 
retract the belt somewhat and engage 
the buckle, then tighten the belt against 
the child-restraint system. The retrac-
tion mechanism is now locked.365us146
To release the beltRelease the buckle, remove the child-
restraint device and allow the belt 
retractor to reel the belt completely in.  

63n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyLATCH child-restraint anchorage 
points
* Ð sedan
The anchorage points for the LATCH 
child-restraint system are located 
behind the upholstery at the positions 
indicated by the arrows.
The illustration shows the right rear seat 
as an example.
Snap the rear center lap belt into the 
buckle with the word "CENTER" and 
then pull the belt away from the area 
where the child restraint will be 
mounted.
Vehicles with through-loading 
system
*: use the small lock to join 
together the two sections of the belt, 
refer to page 119.<
390de786
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 help avoid damage to the uphol-
stery, you can obtain an insertion 
guide
* (funnel) at your BMW center.
Firmly press the insertion guide into the 
gap between the seat cushion and 
backrest, continuing until the two 
guides snap into place on the LATCH 
brackets in the seat.
390de787 

64n
Transporting children safely
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory
LATCH child-restraint anchorage 
points
* Ð sport wagon
Guide the child-restraint's brackets into 
the mounts in the rear seat (arrows), 
then slide the seat all the way back.
The illustration shows the left rear seat 
as an example.
Always follow all manufacturer's 
instructions and observe all safety 
precautions when installing the LATCH 
child-restraint system.<390de784
Child-safety locksInsert the key to the slot of a rear door 
lock and turn it outward:
The door can now be opened from the 
outside only.390de698
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 two personal adjustments for two 
different individuals into the system.463de029