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Reference
77
The system requests you to
intervene by braking or with an
evasive maneuver. The display
flashes. The active cruise con-
trol cannot automatically
restore the distance to the vehicle driving
ahead. You will find more detailed informa-
tion on page 80.
Automatic intervention by ABS
or DSC, or you actuate the
parking brake while driving. The
active cruise control now only
intervenes by braking.
Operating the active cruise control
1Activate system,
store and increase desired speed
2Activate system,
store and decrease desired speed
3Deactivate system
4With system deactivated:
Briefly press the button to recall the
stored speed and distance
4With system activated:
Increase desired speed by 1 mph
(1 km/h) with each press of the button
5Select distance to vehicle driving
ahead. You can choose from four avail-
able distance settings. You will find
more detailed information on page 78
Adjust your desired speed to the
traffic conditions and remain ready to
brake at all times. Great differences in
speed to the vehicles driving ahead, e.g.
when quickly approaching a truck or when
another vehicle swerves into your lane,
cannot be compensated for by the
system.<
Activate system
From approx. 20 mph (30 km/h) you can
activate the system by pressing the lever
forward or pulling it back:
The current driving speed is stored as a
desired speed and briefly displayed in the
speedometer, see arrow.
If the system cannot be activated, the
display ACC --- mph (km/h) briefly
appears in the speedometer. The system
may have been automatically deactivated,
refer to Deactivate system, or a malfunction
has occurred.
To call up Check Control messages, refer
to page 86.<
1 Desired speed store and increase
Press the lever forward:
The system adopts and stores your current
speed as a desired speed. The speedom-
eter indicates this speed.
Subsequently pressing forward increases
the desired speed to the next 5-mile place
(10 km/h).
Each time the lever is pressed forward
again, the desired speed is increased by
another 5 mph (10 km/h) until a maximum
of 110 mph (180 km/h) is reached. The

Driving
78 speed then displayed is stored and
reached on a clear road.
2 Desired speed store and decrease
Pull back the lever:
The current driving speed is rounded off to
the next 5-mile place (10 km/h), displayed
and stored.
Each time the lever is pulled back again,
the desired speed is decreased by another
5 mph (10 km/h) until the minimum speed
of 20 mph (30 km/h) is reached. The speed
then displayed is stored and reached on a
clear road.
3 Deactivate system
Press the lever up or down while the
system is active. The displays in the speed-
ometer disappear. You can use the system
again as required.
In addition, the system is deactivated auto-
matically:
>when you apply pressure to the brake
pedal
>when you select the automatic trans-
missionÕs neutral range N
>when you deactivate the Dynamic Sta-
bility Control DSC
>when you actuate the parking brake
during driving
>when the system reduces the speed to
below 20 mph (30 km/h) due to a traffic
situation.
The system deactivates automatically
when the speed is set to below
20 mph (30 km/h). A gong sounds and a
message appears in the Check Control.
The active intervention of the driver is
required.<
Background lighting
You can switch off the background lighting
of the speedometer and tachometer
>when you have deactivated the system
>when the prewarning field in the
tachometer has gone out, refer to
page 82 >when the destination guidance system
of the navigation system is deactivated.
Press the lever up or down for approx.
1 second.
4 Resume to stored desired speed
and distance setting
Press button 4:
The displays appear in the speedometer.
The system is reactivated and uses the last
stored desired speed and distance setting.
4 Fine adjustment of desired speed
In the activated state, the desired speed
increases by 1 mph (1 km/h) each time
button 4 is pressed briefly.
5 Select distance
You can choose from four distance steps.
>Rotary switch upward:
Increase distance
>Rotary switch downward:
Decrease distance.
The selected distance is displayed in the
speedometer.
Distance 1
Distance 2

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Reference
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Distance 3
Distance 4
This distance is always set
when the system is used for the
first time after starting the
engine. Use good judgment to select the
appropriate following distance given
road conditions, traffic, applicable laws
and driving recommendations for safe fol-
lowing distance.<
Things to know about active cruise control
As with conventional cruise control
systems, active cruise control in no
way diminishes or substitutes for the
driverÕs own personal responsibility, alert-
ness and awareness in adjusting speed,
braking or otherwise controlling the
vehicle. The driver should decide when to
use the system on the basis of road, traffic,
visibility, and weather conditions. Active
cruise control is intended for use on
highway-type roadways where traffic is
moving relatively smoothly. Do not use this
system in city driving; heavy traffic such as
during rush hour; on curvy, winding roads,
slippery roads or roads with sharp curves
such as highway off-ramps; during
inclement weather such as snow, strong
rain or fog; or when entering interchanges,
service/parking areas or toll booths. It is
also important to regulate your vehicle's
speed and distance setting within appli-
cable legal limits. Always be ready to take
action or apply the brakes if necessary,
especially when the system is actively fol-
lowing a vehicle in front of you.<
Always remember that the range and
ability of the system does have phys-
ical limitations. It will not apply the brakes or decelerate your vehicle when there is a
slow-moving vehicle, stopped vehicle or
stationary object ahead of you, as for
example, at a traffic light or a parked
vehicle. Also, the system does not react to
oncoming traffic, pedestrians or other type
of potential traffic such as a rider on horse-
back. It is also possible that the system
may not detect smaller moving objects
such as motorcycles or bicycles. Be espe-
cially alert when encountering any of these
situations as the system will neither auto-
matically brake, nor provide a warning to
you. Also, be aware that every decrease in
the distance setting allows your vehicle to
come closer to a vehicle in front of you and
requires a heightened amount of alert-
ness.<
If while your vehicle is actively following a
vehicle in front of you and the vehicle
ahead speeds up or the lane ahead
becomes clear, then your vehicle will
accelerate to the speed you have selected.
Be aware that changing to a clear, unob-
structed lane will also result in your vehicle
accelerating.

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Reference
81
braking system capacity and does not uti-
lize the full capacity of the vehicle braking
system. Therefore, the system cannot
decrease your speed for large differences
in speed between your vehicle and the
vehicle ahead. Examples: during emer-
gency braking, when you approach a
vehicle traveling at a much lower speed
than your own speed such as approaching
a toll booth or when a much slower vehicle
cuts in front of you at close range.<
Whenever active cruise control
recognizes a situation that
requires driver braking because
the system capacity has been
reached or has been exceeded,
the system alerts the driver by flashing this
symbol in the instrument cluster and
sounding a chime.
Swerving vehicles
When a vehicle moves from an adjacent
lane into your lane, active cruise control will
not recognize this vehicle until it is fully in
your lane ahead of your vehicle.
Malfunctions
The build-up of foreign material Ð e.g.,
snow, ice, dirt, road debris, etc. Ð can lead
to reduced detection performance of active
cruise control. You should check the
sensor under the front bumper and clean it
as necessary prior to driving your vehicle. If
the sensor becomes covered by foreign
material or has a malfunction, it is possible
that the sensor will no longer be able to
detect vehicles in front of you. After the
system recognizes that the sensor is no
longer functional, a message is displayed
in the Check Control and an acoustic signal is emitted, refer to page 85. Also observe
the additional information provided in the
Control Center.

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Reference
83
normal operating temperature. The seg-
ments disappear in sequence as the engine
warms to its normal operating temperature.
Avoid allowing the engine speed to rise as
far as the orange warning sector whenever
possible.
Service Interval Display
Info Display screen contents
The distance/period remaining until your
next service briefly appears when you
switch on the ignition.
The Info Display immediately
switches to its computer mode when
you press one of the two buttons in the turn
signal lever, refer to page 86.<
Control Display screen contents
You can view additional information on ser-
vice and maintenance procedures by
selecting the "Car data" menu. 1.Select and confirm
2.Select "Service" and confirm
3.The display shows a list of selected ser-
vice and maintenance procedures, as
well as legally-mandated official
inspections.
Red sectors
The service deadline has already passed.
Yellow sectors
The deadline for service or an official
inspection is approaching. Please contact
your BMW center for an appointment.
Green lamps
No service is currently required. If you
desire, certain maintenance operations can
be carried out at the next service at the
customer's request.
You can request more detailed information
on every entry.
Turn the controller to scroll through the list,
then confirm the selected entry.
Confirm to exit the list.

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Reference
85
Check Control
Info Display screen contents
Messages and status reports appear in text
form accompanied by an indicator lamp
symbol. The alert is accompanied by a
gong.
Status reports warning of system malfunc-
tions are assigned one of two priority rat-
ings:
Priority 1:
These status messages and malfunction
reports are signaled by a gong. Simulta-
neous defects will be displayed consecu-
tively. These messages cannot be deleted,
and they remain in the display until the
problem is corrected. Supplementary infor-
mation is also shown in the Control Display,
refer to Automatic display in the Control
Display.
Priority 2:
These status messages and malfunction
reports appear in the Info Display for
approx. 20 seconds.
Briefly press the CHECK button on the turn
signal indicator lever to cancel the mes-sage in the display, if allowed by priority
rating.
Selecting stored status reports for viewing
in the Control Display, refer to next page.
Check Control symbol and messages
in the Control Display
Depending on the status of the monitored
systems, the Check Control symbol
appears in different colors.
Green
No malfunctions are present in the moni-
tored systems.
Yellow or red
A defect or malfunction has been detected
in the monitored system. Depending upon
how serious the problem is, a supplemen-
tary message may also appear in the Con-
trol Display.
Selecting stored status reports for viewing
in the Control Display, refer to next page.
The symbol in the status line also indi-
cates the status of the Service Interval
Display, refer to page 24.<
Automatic display in the Control
Display
These supplementary messages are
intended to assist you in assessing the
severity of malfunctions; they provide you
with the information you need to decide on
the best way to respond.
Select and confirm to switch off the
display.

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Info Display screen contents
The display sequence:
>Fuel gauge, refer to next column
>Range and remaining distance, refer to
next colum and page88.
The display sequence:
>Odometer82 >Energy Control/ Current fuel
consumption88
>Average fuel consumption88
>Average speed88
>Time of arrival88.
Maintain pressure on button 1 to
cancel the display from the computer.
Press the button again to return to the last
display.
It will not be possible to cancel the display
if the fuel level has fallen into the reserve
range or if a Check Control status report is
currently on the screen.
Press the button again to view the last dis-
play.<
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge mode appears automati-
cally once the fuel level falls into the
reserve range. At the same time the words
"Fuel reserve" appear. The tank still con-
tains approx. 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of fuel.
It will not be possible to cancel the
computer display once the fuel level
drops into the reserve range. However, you
can still request a display of the travel
range. Computer, refer to page 86.<
Tank capacity: approx. 23.2 gallons
(88 liters).
If the tilt of the vehicle varies, when you are
driving in mountainous areas, for example,
the indicator may fluctuate slightly.
Refuel well before the tank is empty,
as otherwise engine functions will not
be ensured and damage can occur if you
drive down to the last drop.<
Cruising range
Displays the estimated cruising range
available with the remaining fuel. The
system calculates the cruising range based
on operating conditions and the amount of
fuel remaining in the tank. The basis for the
calculations is the average fuel consump-
tion over the preceding 20 miles (30 km).
Always refuel as soon as possible
once your cruising range falls to
below 30 miles (50 kilometers), as other-

Everything under control
88 wise engine functions are not ensured and
damage can occur.<
Refueling is only registered by the com-
puter for fuel amounts above approx.
1.3 gallons (5 liters).
Distance to destination
When you enter a destination in the naviga-
tion system or manually enter a distance in
the computer prior to departure, the
system can also display the distance
remaining to your destination, refer to
page 132 or 89.
The system automatically adopts the dis-
tance to your destination using the route
recommended by the navigation system.
When you enter a destination in the
navigation system, any manual
entries will be overwritten no later than
once 1,640 ft (500 meters) of the calcu-
lated distance have elapsed.<
Energy Control/
Current fuel consumption
Shows your current fuel consumption rate
in mpg Ð in liters/100 km on Canadian vehi-
cles. This allows you to see whether your
current driving style is conducive to fuel
economy with minimum exhaust emis-
sions.
When the vehicle is stationary the display
goes to the maximum reading, zero on
Canadian models.
Average fuel consumption
The average fuel consumption is calculated
for the time during which the engine is run-
ning.
You can use the Control Display to view
your fuel consumption rate over two dif-
ferent distances, refer to Computer or Trip
computer.
Average speed
Periods with the vehicle parked and the
engine off are not included in the calcula-
tions of average speed.
Time of arrival
A display of your estimated time of arrival is
available whenever you enter a destination
in the navigation system, refer to page 132,
or enter the distance manually in the com-
puter, refer to page 89, prior to departure.
This function is only available if the
time in the Control Display has been
correctly set, refer to page 91.<
Control Display screen contents
You can activate the computer function at
any time by selecting it from the "Car data"
menu.
The computer furnishes you with a choice
between two display options.
Computer
>Time of arrival
>Distance to destination.
Enter a destination in the navigation
system, or enter a distance in the
computer manually, refer to page 132
or 89
>Cruising range
>Average fuel consumption
>Average speed.
You can reset calculations of both
average speed and average fuel con-
sumption to zero. Select the menu entry
and confirm.<