
 
Contents
 
Operation, maintenance
 
Special operating instructions:
 
Break-in procedures120
General driving notes121
Antilock Brake System 
(ABS)121
Brake system122
 
Wheels and tires:
 
Tire inflation pressure124
Tire condition124
Tire replacement125
Wheel and tire 
combinations127
Winter tires127
 
In the engine compartment:
 
Hood129
Engine compartment 
essentials130
Washer fluids132
Engine oil132
Coolant134
Brake fluid134
 
Maintenance:
 
The BMW Maintenance 
System136
 
Laws and regulations:
 
California Proposition 65 
warning138
OBD interface socket138
 Owner service procedures 
Replacement procedures:
 
Onboard tool kit142
Windshield wiper blades142
Lamps and bulbs143
Changing a wheel147
Run Flat tires*150
Battery151
Fuses151
 
Giving and receiving 
assistance: Receiving assistance152
Jump-starting153
Towing the vehicle154 
Technical data
 
Engine data160
Dimensions161
Weights162
Capacities163 

41
Floor matYou can turn the floor mat over to trans-
port soiled objects, etc. The rubber-
coated side is suitable for washing and 
is also designed to inhibit sliding.
The fittings at the corners of the lug-
gage compartment provide you with a 
convenient means of attaching luggage 
compartment nets* and flexible straps 
for securing luggage.
Refer also to Cargo loading on 
page 114.
Alarm system*The conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the lug-
gage compartment lid is opened
>To movement inside the vehicle – 
interior motion sensor
>To variations in the vehicle's tilt angle 
such as those occurring during 
attempts to steal the wheels or tow 
the vehicle – tilt alarm sensor
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized 
vehicle entry and attempted theft by 
simultaneously activating the following:
>The acoustic alarm sounds for 
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>The high beams flash on and off in 
rhythm with the hazard warning flash-
ers.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 also open the luggage com-
partment lid when the system is armed 
by pressing the remote control button, 
refer to page 34. The lid is once again 
secured when it is closed.
Extended pressure on the button sets 
off the alarm – Panic mode, refer to 
page 34.
Luggage compartment
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70
RReverseSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary.NNeutralAlways engage before starting the 
engine, refer to Starting the engine on 
page 66.Sequential modeEach time the engine is started, the 
sequential mode is activated as soon as 
you move the selector lever into the for-
ward driving position while the brake is 
depressed.
The gears are shifted via the shift pad-
dles or the selector lever.
It is also possible to drive off in second 
gear, e.g. on snow-covered roads.DDrive modeIn the drive mode all forward gears are 
shifted automatically. 
To switch from sequential to drive 
mode: tap the selector lever to the right 
toward D.
For rapid acceleration, e.g. during 
passing, depress the accelerator pedal 
completely: kickdown.To switch back to sequential mode: tap 
the selector lever again to the right 
toward D or change the current gear via 
the shift paddles or the selector lever.
KickdownYou can achieve maximum acceleration 
using kickdown.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the 
increased resistance point at the full-
throttle position.
Shifting gearsWith selector lever:
>To upshift, tap the selector lever 
toward +
>To downshift, tap the lever toward —.
With shift paddles on steering wheel:
>To upshift, pull one of the shift pad-
dles
>To downshift, push the paddle.
You accelerate from higher gears, e.g. 
during passing, by manually downshift-
ing.
In the following situations, the SMG in 
the sequential mode assists you:
>The transmission will only execute 
upshifts and downshifts that will 
result in an appropriate combination 
of vehicle speed and engine rpm. For 
Sequential manual gearbox SMG* 

71
instance, downshifts that would 
result in excessive engine speed can-
not be executed
>When you brake the car to a stop, the 
transmission automatically shifts 
down to first gear
>As speed diminishes the transmission 
will shift down automatically, without 
any action on your part, just before 
the vehicle slows to below each 
gear's minimum speed.
Available displaysR N 1 2 3 4 5 6
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6
The currently engaged gear, the 
selected mode, and any malfunctions 
are displayed in the instrument cluster.Indicator lamp
If the indicator lamp comes on, 
there is a malfunction in the 
transmission system.
All selector lever positions can still be 
engaged, but in the forward driving 
positions only certain gears are actually 
available when the vehicle is driven.
Avoid extreme loads and proceed to 
the nearest BMW center.
For information on jump-starting and 
towing the vehicle, refer to page 153.Warning toneAn acoustic signal sounds if the SMG 
gearbox overheats; if possible you 
should either stop or increase your pull-
away speed so that the system can 
cool down.
Sequential manual gearbox SMG*
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73
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 –. Whenever you want to use 
automatic again, just move the selector 
lever toward the right to position D.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel 
consumption is lowest when driving in 
position D.Selector lever positions P R N D M/S + –Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in selec-
tor lever positions P – for Park – or N – 
for Neutral.
Range selectionA catch prevents inadvertent movement 
of the selector lever to positions R and 
P. To deactivate the catch, press the 
button on the front of the selector lever 
knob, see arrow.
While the vehicle is stationary and 
before shifting out of Park or Neu-
tral, depress the footbrake in order to 
disengage the selector lever's lock 
mechanism – Shiftlock.<
Hold the footbrake down until 
starting off. The vehicle will other-
wise '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 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 safety hazard.<
PParkSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary. Transmission locks to prevent rear 
wheels from turning.RReverseSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary.NNeutralSelect only when stopping for an 
extended period.DDrive – automatic shift programThis position is designed for driving 
under all normal operating conditions. 
All forward gears are available.
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74
KickdownIn the kickdown mode, you achieve 
maximum acceleration and top speed 
in position D.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the 
increased resistance point at the full-
throttle position.
M/S manual operation 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 mode.
This mode allows you to execute 
upshifts manually by tapping the lever 
toward +, while downshifts are selected 
by tapping in the – direction. The dis-
plays M1 through M5 appear in the dis-
play panel to indicate your current gear 
selection.
The transmission will only execute 
upshifts and downshifts that will result 
in an appropriate combination of vehi-
cle speed and engine rpm. For 
instance, downshifts that would result 
in excessive engine speed are not exe-
cuted. The desired, then the actual 
gear, briefly appear in the instrument 
cluster.
To accelerate quickly in the man-
ual mode for maneuvers such as 
passing 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.
Automatic transmission with Steptronic* 

75
Available displaysP R N D SD M1 M2 M3 M4 M5Electronic transmission control 
module
If the indicator lamp comes on, 
there is a malfunction in the 
transmission system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the 
transmission selector lever to P. Set the 
parking brake and turn 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 per-
formance has been restored. You may 
continue to drive as usual.
If the indicator lamp does not go out, 
you can place the selector lever in all 
positions. However, the vehicle will now 
only operate in 3rd and 4th gear.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine 
loads and consult the nearest autho-
rized BMW center.
Never work in the engine com-
partment when a drive gear – for-
ward or reverse – is engaged. If you do 
this, the vehicle could move.<
For towing or jump-starting, refer to the 
information beginning on page 153.
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*
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84
Computer*Mode selectionWith the ignition key in position 1 or 
higher, you can use the button in the 
turn signal lever to request information 
from the computer. Each time you 
press the button briefly toward the 
steering column, a new function is 
called up in the display.
The displays appear in the following 
order:
Time of day, outside temperature, aver-
age fuel consumption, cruising range, 
average vehicle speed.
With the ignition key in position 1 or 
higher, the last active setting is dis-
played.
Outside temperatureYou can change the units of measure 
6/7 for the outside temperature dis-
play by pressing the right-hand reset 
button in the instrument cluster while 
the temperature display is active. The 
units of measure 6/7 in the tempera-
ture display of the automatic climate 
control change automatically, see 
page 102.Ice warningIf the outside temperature drops to 
about 37.57/+36, then the computer 
will automatically switch to a display of 
the outside temperature. In addition, a 
signal sounds as a warning and the dis-
play flashes for a brief period.
After giving an ice warning, the 
display returns to the previous 
setting.<
The ice warning does not alter the 
fact that surface ice can form at 
temperatures above 37.57/+36, on 
bridges or shaded road surfaces, for 
instance.<