Driving
76 >When you select the automatic trans-
mission's neutral range N
>When you deactivate the DSC Dynamic
Stability Control
>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, otherwise there is an accident
danger.<
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 80
>when the destination guidance system
of the navigation system is deactivated.
Press the lever up or down for approx.
1 second.
4 Resuming 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 Selecting 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
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.<
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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 vehi-
cle. 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 high-
way-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, slip-
pery 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 applicable legal
limits. Always be ready to take action or
apply the brakes if necessary, especially
when the system is actively following 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 vehi-
cle. 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.
Be certain to deactivate the system
when you pull into an exit lane for a
highway off-ramp.<
Also, vehicles traveling in a staggered man-
ner on a highway may cause a delay in the
system's reaction to a vehicle in front of
you or may cause the system to react to a
vehicle actually in the lane next to you.
Always be ready to take action or apply the
brakes if necessary.
Active cruise control can only decelerate
the vehicle to approx. 20 mph/30 km/h. If
the system reduces vehicle speed below
20 mph/30 km/h or if DSC/ABS is engaged
while driving, the system will automatically
deactivate.
Remember, the system cannot stop
your vehicle. In addition, the system
is deactivated whenever the driver applies
the vehicle brakes, shifts the transmission
from drive/D to neutral/N, or deactivates
DSC. After any deactivation, the system
will no longer automatically activate the
Everything under control
80
Everything under control
Odometer, outside temperature display, clock
When the ignition is off you can briefly acti-
vate the time, outside temperature and
odometer displays by pressing the knob at
the upper left of the Info Display.
1 Outside temperature display, clock
The outside temperature and the time dis-
plays are active starting at the radio mode
in the ignition lock.
You can change the units of measure,
7/6, in the "Settings" menu, refer to
page 88.
Setting the clock, refer to page 88.
Ice warning
A warning signal sounds when the outside
temperature falls to roughly +37.57/+36;
this is accompanied by a message in the
Check Control.
Please bear in mind that the ice warn-
ing does nothing to alter the fact that
glare ice may be present on roads at tem-
peratures higher than +37.57/+36, for
instance, on bridges and shaded sur-
faces.<
2 Odometer
The odometer panel also provides displays
for the computer and the Check Control.
Regardless of the current display mode,
you can view the odometer reading for a
short period by pressing the knob at the
upper left of the Info Display. Check Control, refer to page 82.
Computer, refer to page 84.
3 Trip odometer
The trip odometer must be present in the
display before you can reset it to zero.
Reset by pressing the knob at the upper left
of the Info Display.
Tachometer
The orange warning sector gradually
moves upward as the engine warms to its
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.
Everything under control
86 >Computer
>Trip computer
It is best to use this for driving on vaca-
tion, as when you reset the values to
zero, all the functions are reset together
and then restart.
Computer
>Time of arrival
>Distance to destination.
Enter a destination in the navigation
system, or enter a distance in the com-
puter manually, refer to page 132 or 86
>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 item and
confirm.<
Trip computer
Reset all data to zero:
Select "START / RESET" and confirm.
>Time of departure
>Driving time
>Elapsed distance >Average fuel consumption since
"START / RESET"
>Average speed since "START /
RESET".
Entering a distance manually
1.Select computer "BC"
2.Select and activate the "Distance" entry
function. Turn the controller to the left
or right to select the distance to your
destination
3.Press the controller to confirm your
entry.
Speed limit
You can enter a speed and a Check Control
message indicates when you have reached
this speed. This enables you, for example,
to receive warnings if you exceed a speed
limit in an urban area.
You are only warned of reaching this speed
a second time if you again drive at least
3 mph/5 km/h slower.
Adjusting, changing
1.Select "Limit" and confirm
2.Select "SET" and confirm
Controls
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3.Turn the controller to the left or right to
select the preset speed
4.Press the controller to confirm your
entry. The speed limit function is now
active.
Switching on or off
1.Select "Limit" and confirm
2.Select "ON / OFF" and confirm. "ON /
OFF" is highlighted when the speed
limit function is activated.
Applying your current speed as the
limit
1.Select "Limit" and confirm
2.Select and confirm. The system
applies your current speed as the limit.
Limit in Info Display
If, for instance, the warning sector in the
tachometer is visible, refer to page 80, the speed limit will be indicated by a warning
sector in the speedometer, refer to arrow.
Stopwatch
Starting and stopping
1.Select and confirm
2.Select and confirm. The stopwatch
is reset to 0 and starts
3.Select and confirm. This stops the
timer.
Confirm again to reset the stopwatch to
zero.
Taking an intermediate time reading
Select "INTERM. TIME" and confirm. This
intermediate time appears below the ongo-
ing primary stopwatch count.
All of the remaining functions remain
available at all times while the stop-
watch is running. The stopwatch continues
operation in the background.<
Assistance window* for "Car data"
You can select any of the following com-
puter functions for display in the assistance
window:
>Computer >Trip computer
>Speed limit
>Stopwatch.
Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
90
Technology for comfort, convenience
and safety
PDC Park Distance Control*
The concept
The PDC assists you when you are parking.
Signal tones indicate the current distance
to an object behind or in front of your vehi-
cle. Four ultrasonic sensors in both the
bumpers monitor the distance to the near-
est object. The sensors at the front and at
the two rear corners have a range of
approx. 2 ft/60 cm; the rear middle sensors
have approx. 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate
objects when they are approached
slowly, as is usually the case when parking.
Avoid approaching an object at high speed,
as otherwise the physical circumstances
would mean that the system warning was
too late.<
Automatic function
Whenever the ignition is on the system
automatically assumes operational status
after a few seconds each time you engage
the transmission position R.
Wait this short period before revers-
ing.<
Manual activation
Press the button, the indicator lamp lights
up.
Manual deactivation
Press the button again; the indicator lamp
goes out.
Automatic deactivation
The system is automatically deactivated
once the vehicle travels approx. 165 ft/
50 m or exceeds a speed of roughly
20 mph/30 km/h; the indicator lamp goes
out. You can reactivate the system manu-
ally as needed.
Signal tones
The signal indicating the distance to the
nearest obstacle is directional. Thus, an
object detected to the left rear of the vehi-
cle will be indicated by a signal tone from
the left rear speaker, etc. As the distance
between vehicle and object decreases, the
intervals between the tones become
shorter. The signal tone becomes continu-
ous once the distance to the nearest object
falls to below roughly 1 ft/30 cm.
The warning signal is canceled after
approx. 3 seconds if you are moving paral-
lel to a wall.
Malfunctions
The indicator lamp within the button
flashes and a status message appears in
the Check Control.
Please take note of the additional informa-
tion on the Control Display.
Switch the system off and have the cause
of the malfunction corrected by your BMW
center.
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PDC with visual warning
You also enjoy the option of having the sys-
tem show distances to objects on the Con-
trol Display. The Control Display will also
indicate the presence of objects in green
before they are close enough to generate a
signal tone.
Select "PDC pic." from the "Settings" menu
and confirm. This activates the PDC dis-
play.
The display then appears on the Control
Display whenever the PDC is automatically
or manually activated.
The previous display automatically
reappears after the system is deactivated.
Confirming the menu item takes
you back to the previous display.<
Limits of the system
Even with PDC, final responsibility for
estimating the distance between the
vehicle and any obstructions always
remains with the driver. Even when sensors
are involved, there is a blind spot in which
objects cannot be detected. The system is
also subject to the physical limits that apply
to all forms of ultrasonic measurement,
such as those encountered with tow bars and trailer couplings, as well as thin and
wedge-shaped objects, etc. Low objects
already displayed, e.g. a curb, can also dis-
appear from the detection area of the sen-
sors again before a continuous tone
sounds.
Loud noises from outside and inside the
vehicle may prevent you from hearing
PDC's signal tone.<
Keep the sensors clean and free of ice
or snow in order to ensure that they
will continue to operate effectively.
Do not apply high pressure spray to the
sensors for a prolonged period of time.
Keep the spray at least 4 in/10 cm away
from the sensors.<
Driving stability control/
ABS Antilock Brake System
The concept
ABS enhances active safety by preventing
the wheels from locking under braking.
ABS incorporates CBC and EBV.
In case of malfunction
If the indicator lamp lights up in
yellow, this indicates that ABS has
been deactivated in response to a
system malfunction. Conventional braking
efficiency remains available without limita-
tions. Please have the system inspected at
your BMW center.
CBC Cornering Brake Control
CBC is a supplement to ABS. It provides
further enhancements in vehicle stability
and steering response during lane changes
and cornering at high rates of lateral accel-
eration.
EBV Electronic brake-force
distribution
EBV controls the brake system's applica-
tion pressure at the rear wheels to ensure
stable deceleration.
Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
92
In case of malfunction
If the brake system warning lamp
lights up in red, together with the
yellow indicator lamps for ABS and
DSC: the stability control is no
longer operational.
If all three lamps light up in yellow:
malfunction in the stability control
systems. The electronic brake-
force distribution is active.
While you may continue, you should
remember to proceed cautiously and drive
defensively while avoiding full brake appli-
cations.
Please have the system checked at the
nearest BMW center.
Check Control messages, refer to page 82.
Please take note of the additional informa-
tion on the Control Display.
Indicator and warning lamps on
Canadian models.
Driving stability control/
DSC Dynamic Stability
Control
The concept
DSC maintains vehicle stability, even in
critical driving situations.
The system optimizes vehicle stability dur-
ing acceleration and when starting from a
full stop, as well as optimizing traction.
The system recognizes any tendency for
the vehicle to assume an unstable attitude
such as oversteer or understeer; it then
counteracts this tendency with a combina-
tion of graduated reductions in engine
torque and selective braking intervention at
individual wheels. DSC provides optimized stability within the limits defined by the
laws of physics.
The DSC is operational every time you start
the engine. DSC includes the functionality
of the DTC Dynamic Traction Control and
DBC Dynamic Brake Control.
Indicator lamps
The indicator lamp in the Info Dis-
play goes out soon after you start
the engine.
If the indicator lamp flashes:
DSC controls the drive and braking forces.
The indicator lamp stays lit:
DSC has been switched off using the Con-
trol Center.
The indicator lamp and the brake
warning lamp remain on continu-
ously:
DSC, DTC and DBC have been
deactivated or a system malfunc-
tion is present.
When the system is off, the stability main-
tenance functions described above are no
longer available. The vehicle will remain
completely operational, however, without
DSC.
Please respond to any malfunctions by
referring the problem to your BMW center.
Indicator and warning lamps on
Canadian models.
DTC Dynamic Traction Control
In particular driving situations, in deep
snow, for example, DTC ensures the maxi-
mum forward momentum. The gain in for-
ward momentum in these situations
involves a reduction in vehicle stability.
DTC is active up to 45 mph/70 km/h.