
 
Contents
 
9
 
Driving:
 
Ignition lock65
Starting the engine and driving 
off66
Switching off the engine68
Parking brake68
Manual transmission69
Sequential M gearbox with 
Drivelogic*70
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp 
flasher75
Washer/wiper system/Rain 
sensor*76
Cruise control77
 
Everything under control:
 
Odometer79
Tachometer79
Engine oil temperature79
Fuel gauge80
Engine coolant temperature 
gauge80
Service interval display81
Check Control81
Clock82
Computer83
 
Technology for safety and 
driving convenience:
 
Park Distance Control (PDC)*85
Dynamic Stability Control 
DSC86
Flat Tire Monitor87
M Engine dynamics control90
Brake force display90
 
Lamps:
 
Parking lamps/Low beams91
Instrument lighting92
High beams/Standing lamps92
Fog lamps93
Interior lamps93
Reading lamps93
 
Controlling the climate for 
pleasant driving:
 
Automatic climate control96
 
Interior conveniences:
 
Glove compartment101
Storage compartments101
Cellular phone*102
Ashtray, front*103
Ashtray, rear*103
 
Loading and transporting:
 
Ski bag*104
Cargo loading106
Roof-mounted luggage rack for 
the hardtop*108
 
Operation, maintenance
 
Special operating instructions:
 
Break-in procedures112
General driving notes113
Antilock Brake System 
(ABS)114
Brake system114
Hardtop*115
 
Wheels and tires:
 
Tire inflation pressure118
Tire condition118
Tire replacement119
Wheel and tire 
combinations121
Winter tires122
Snow chains*122
 
In the engine compartment:
 
Hood123
Engine compartment 
essentials124
Washer fluids126
Engine oil126
Coolant128
Brake fluid129
 
Maintenance:
 
The BMW Maintenance 
System130
 
Laws and regulations:
 
California Proposition 65 
warning132
OBD interface socket132
 
Controls and features 

 
15
1Parking lamps/Low beams91
2
 
>
 
Turn signal indicators75
 
>
 
Standing lamps92
 
>
 
High beams92
 
>
 
Headlamp flasher75
 
>
 
Computer83
3Washer/wiper system/Rain 
sensor76
4Hazard warning flashers
5Rear window defroster99
6
 
>
 
Initiating an emergency call146
 
>
 
Mobile Service146
7Central locking system30
8Horn: the entire surface
9Steering wheel adjustment53
10 Fog lamps93
 
Cockpit
 
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex 

25
Close the gas cap carefully after 
refueling until a click is heard. 
While closing, be sure not to squeeze 
the strap which is fastened to the cap. 
A loose or missing cap will activate the 
CHECK GAS CAP* lamp.<
Fuel tank capacity>Approx. 16.6 gal./63 liters, of which
>approx. 2.1 gal./8 liters are reserve 
capacity.
Do not drive to the last drop of 
fuel. This can prevent the engine 
from operating properly and result in 
damage.<
Fuel specificationsThe engine uses lead-free gasoline 
only.
Required fuel:
>Premium Unleaded Gasoline, 
min. 91 AKI. 
AKI = Anti Knock Index
Never use leaded fuel, as it would 
cause permanent and irreversible 
damage to the oxygen sensor and the 
catalytic converter.<
Tire inflation pressureChecking tire pressuresTire pressures in psi/kilopascal are 
shown on the driver's door post and are 
visible when the door is open.
Only check the tire inflation pressures 
of cold tires. This means after driving a 
maximum of 1.25 miles/2 km or after 
the vehicle has been parked for at least 
2 hours. Warm tires have higher infla-
tion pressures.
In the following tire inflation pressure 
table, all pressures are specified in the 
standard units of pressure, psi and kilo-
pascal, and apply to cold tires, i.e. tires 
at ambient temperature.
After correcting the tire inflation pres-
sure, reinitialize the Flat Tire Monitor so 
that it can monitor the tire inflation 
pressure, refer to page 87.
Refueling
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex 

70
Sequential M gearbox with Drivelogic*The conceptThe sequential M gearbox with 
Drivelogic is an automated manual 
gearbox with which clutching and shift-
ing is assumed by an electro-hydraulic 
system.
The SMG  Drivelogic is operated via two 
shift paddles on the steering wheel and 
the selector lever in the center console.
It offers the following functions:
>Sequential and automated shifting 
mode
>Ability to choose between different 
driving programs – Drivelogic
>Gradient assistance, refer to page 73
>Upshift display and shift lights, refer 
to page 74
>RPM matching on downshifts
>Driving dependent functions:
The respective driving situation, e.g. 
cornering, mountain driving or brak-
ing, is detected by sensors and taken 
into account for shifting, e.g. to 
achieve optimum gear selection dur-
ing deceleration and subsequent 
acceleration
>Slip recognition at the rear axle for 
increasing driving stability, e.g. dur-
ing downshifting on slippery road 
surfaces>Operating safety through protection 
against misshifting.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel 
consumption is lowest when driving in 
the first driving program of the auto-
mated shifting mode.
Selector lever positionsR: Reverse position
N: Neutral position
Forward position with one-touch mode:
>S: sequential mode
>D: automated mode
>+: upshifting in sequential mode
>–: downshifting in sequential mode.
The SMG Drivelogic is ready for opera-
tion from ignition key position two or 
higher.
For your safety, it is only possible to 
engage a driving position with the vehi-
cle stopped approx. two seconds after 
engaging position N with the footbrake 
depressed – shift-lock function. 

72
Shifting gears with shift paddles on 
steering wheel:
>To upshift, briefly pull the right pad-
dle +
>To downshift, briefly pull the left pad-
dle –.
Shift paddles with various widths 
matched to the shape of your 
hand are available from your BMW cen-
ter.<
Shifting gears with selector lever:
>To upshift, pull the selector lever 
backward in the '+' direction
>To downshift, push the selector lever 
in the '–' direction.
No automatic upshifting is carried out in 
the sequential mode.
You accelerate from higher gears, e.g. 
during passing, by manually downshift-
ing.
In the following situations the 
SMG Drivelogic anticipates your 
actions in the sequential mode:
>Upshifts and downshifts are only exe-
cuted at appropriate combinations of 
engine rpm and vehicle speed. For 
instance, downshifts that would 
result in excessive engine speed are 
not executed
>During a stop the gearbox is auto-
matically downshifted into the first 
gear so that, e.g. before a traffic light, 
it is only necessary to accelerate to 
continue driving
>As speed diminishes, the gearbox 
downshifts automatically, without you 
taking any action, just before the 
vehicle slows to below each gear's 
minimum speed.D - Automated modeEach time the engine is started, the 
automated mode is activated as soon 
as you move the selector lever into the 
forward driving position.
In the automated mode all forward 
gears are shifted automatically.To switch from sequential to automated 
mode: tap the selector lever to the right 
toward 'D'. Watch the display in the 
instrument cluster, refer to page 71.
For rapid acceleration, e.g. during 
passing, depress the accelerator pedal 
completely – kickdown. The gearbox 
now downshifts depending on the 
selected driving program.
Even in the automated mode, you can 
help specify the shifting point: if a gear-
dependent minimum speed is 
exceeded, you can upshift by slowly 
reducing pressure on the accelerator 
pedal. In the process, the respective 
driving situation is detected by sensors 
and taken into account.
Sequential M gearbox with Drivelogic* 

76
Washer/wiper system/Rain sensor*0Wipers retracted
1Intermittent mode or rain sensor
2Normal wipe
3Fast wipe
4Brief wipe
5Rotary dial for control of the wipe 
interval or the sensitivity of the rain 
sensorIntermittent modeNot on vehicles with rain sensor.
You can select any of four sweep inter-
vals with rotary dial 5. In addition, the 
wipe interval varies automatically 
depending on road speed.
Rain sensorThe rain sensor is located on the wind-
shield directly behind the rearview mir-
ror.
To activate the rain sensor:
>With the ignition key in position 1 
or higher, move the lever to 
position 1. The wipers travel once 
across the windshield, regardless of 
the weather
>You can leave the lever in position 1 
at all times. With the ignition key in 
position  1 or higher, all you then need 
to do to activate the rain sensor Acti-
vate by briefly turning rotary dial 5.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain sen-
sor: turn rotary dial 5.
To switch off the rain sensor: put lever 
in position 0.
Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes. Failure to do so 
could result in damage caused by 
undesired wiper activation.
wipe – not on vehicles with rain sensor.
Fast wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the wip-
ers operate at normal speed – not on 
vehicles with rain sensor. 

77
0Wipers retracted
1Clean windshield and headlampsClean windshield and headlamps*
Do not use the washers if there is 
any danger that the fluid will 
freeze on the windshield, as your vision 
could be obscured. Always use a wind-
shield washer antifreeze in cold 
weather. Refer to page 126.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty. This could cause damage 
to the washer pump.<
The system sprays washer fluid against 
the windshield and activates the wipers 
for a brief period. 
When the vehicle's lighting system is 
switched on, the headlamps will also be 
cleaned at reasonable intervals.Windshield washer nozzlesThe windshield washer jets are warmed 
automatically when the ignition key is in 
position 2.
Cruise controlYou can store and automatically main-
tain any desired vehicle speed above 
approx. 20 mph / 30 km/h.
The cruise control is available whenever 
the engine is running and the system 
has been activated.To activate the systemIn ignition key position 2:
Press the button in the steering wheel. 
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster comes on, refer to page 20. You 
can now use the cruise control.
Do not use cruise control on twist-
ing roads, when high traffic den-
sity prevents driving at a constant 
speed, or when the road surface is slick 
– snow, rain, ice – or loose – rocks or 
gravel, sand.
ment cluster goes out.
Cruise control is also deactivated when 
the ignition key is in position 0.
Washer/wiper system/Rain sensor*
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex 

85 Technology for safety and driving convenience
Park Distance Control (PDC)*The conceptPDC assists you when you back into a 
parking space. Acoustic signals alert 
you to the momentary distance to an 
object behind your vehicle. To do this, 
four ultrasonic sensors in the rear 
bumper measure the distance to the 
nearest object. The range for the sen-
sors located at both rear corners ends 
approx. 2  ft/60  cm behind the bumpers. 
The range for the two middle sensors is 
slightly less than 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can 
identify objects if they are 
approached slowly, as is generally the 
case when parking. Avoid driving 
towards objects rapidly; due to underly-
ing physical principles, the system may 
otherwise alert you too late for you to 
take evasive steps.<
The system starts to operate automati-
cally approx. one second after you shift 
into Reverse or move the selector lever 
into the R position with the ignition key 
in position 2. 
Let this short period elapse before 
driving backwards.<
PDC is deactivated when you shift back 
out of Reverse.
You can have a signal set to con-
firm that the PDC has been acti-
vated. The signal then sounds when 
you shift into Reverse or move the 
selector lever into the R position.
intervals. As the distance between vehi-
cle and object decreases, the intervals 
between the tones become shorter. A 
continuous tone indicates the pres-
ence of an object less than 1 ft/30 cm 
away.
The warning signal is canceled after 
approx. three seconds if the distance to 
the object remains constant during this 
time – if you are moving parallel to 
a wall, for instance.
System malfunctions will be indicated 
by a continuous high-pitched tone 
when the system is activated the first 
time. Please have your BMW center 
resolve the problem.
PDC does not remove the driver's 
personal responsibility for evaluat-
ing the distance between the vehicle 
and any objects. Even when sensors 
are involved, there is a blind spot in 
which objects cannot be detected. This 
applies especially in those cases where 
the system approaches the physical 
limits of ultrasonic measurement, as 
occurs with tow bars and trailer cou-
plings, and in the vicinity of thin or 
wedge-shaped objects. Moreover, low 
objects that have already been 
detected – such as a curb edge – can 
disappear out of the detection range of 
the sensors before a continuous tone 
sounds.
Loud sources of sound from outside or 
inside the vehicle could drown out the 
PDC signal tone.<
Keep the sensors clean and free 
of ice or snow in order to ensure 
that they will continue to operate effec-
tively.
Do not apply high pressure spray to the 
sensors for a prolonged period of time. 
Always maintain a distance of more 
than 4 in/10 cm.<
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