
Adjustments
24
Adjustments
Sitting safely 
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed driving that is as fatigue-free 
as possible. The sitting position plays an impor-
tant role together with the safety belts, head 
restraints and airbags in providing occupants 
with maximum levels of passive safety in an 
accident. Therefore, observe the following 
instructions, as otherwise the protective func-
tion of the safety systems may be impaired.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page31. 
Airbags 
Always maintain an adequate distance 
between yourself and the airbags. Always 
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at 
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms 
in the event of airbag deployment. 
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant. 
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the 
front passenger side as a storage area. Make 
sure that the front passenger is correctly seated 
and does not place feet or legs against the 
instrument panel, as otherwise leg injuries can 
result if the front airbag is triggered. Never let an 
occupant's head rest near or on a side airbag 
because the inflating airbag could cause a seri-
ous or fatal injury.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot 
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may 
provoke a mild – usually temporary – hearing 
loss in extremely sensitive individuals.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page31.
Safety belts 
Make sure the safety belts are worn in all occu-
pied seats every time you drive. Although air-
bags enhance safety by providing added pro-
tection, they are not a substitute for safety 
belts.
Your vehicle has five seats that are all equipped 
with a safety belt.
Occupants should sit upright and be 
properly restrained at all times: infants 
and small children in appropriate child-restraint 
systems; larger children and adults using the 
safety belts.
Never allow more than one person to wear a sin-
gle safety belt. Infants and children must not 
ride on a lap.
Expectant mothers should always wear their 
safety belts, taking care to position the lap belt 
against the lower hips, where it will not exert 
pressure against the abdominal area. The 
safety belt must not rest against the neck, nor 
be wedged in any way or permitted to rub 
against sharp edges. Avoid twisting the belt 
while routing it snugly across the hips and 
shoulder, as close to the body as possible, with-
out resting against hard or fragile objects. Oth-
erwise, in the event of a frontal impact, a loose 
lap belt could slide over your hips, leading to 
abdominal injury. Avoid wearing clothing that 
prevents the belt from fitting properly and pull 
the shoulder belt upward periodically to read-
just the tension across your lap in order to avoid 
a reduction in the restraining action of the 
safety belt.<
If the middle safety belt in the rear is used, then 
the wider backrest must be secured, refer to 
page67, otherwise, the safety belt cannot exert 
any restraining action.
For fastening safety belts, refer to page27. 

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
 51
The display consists of two stages: 
>Normal braking: 
The brake lamps 1 and the center brake 
lamp light up.
>Heavy braking and braking with ABS:
The brake lamps 1 and 2 light up together 
with the center brake lamp. 
Airbags 
The following airbags are located beneath the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags for driver and front passenger
2Head airbags in front and rear
3Side airbags in front and rear
*
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimal protection, 
please follow the instructions on page24.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and 
front passenger by responding to frontal 
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the 
head and side airbags help provide protection in 
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-bag supports the side upper body area. The 
respective head air bag supports the head.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in 
every impact situation, e.g. less severe acci-
dents, certain roll-over situations or rear-end 
collisions.
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 deacti-
vated, please contact your BMW Sports Activity 
Vehicle Center.<
For information on the correct sitting position, 
refer to page24.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the 
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or 
modify them in any other way. 
Do not attempt to remove the airbag retention 
system from the vehicle. Never modify or 
tamper with either the wiring or the individual 
components in the airbag system. This cate-
gory includes the upholstery in the center of the 
steering wheel, on the instrument cluster, the 
side trim panels on the doors, and the roof pil-
lars along with the sides of the headliner. Do not 
attempt to remove or dismantle the steering 
wheel.
Do not touch the individual components 
directly after the system has been triggered, 
because there is a danger of burns. When there 
are malfunctions, when deactivating, or after 
the triggering of the airbag restraint system, 
have the testing, repair, removal, and disposal 
of the airbag generators executed only by your 
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or at a 
workshop that works according to BMW repair 
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel and has the required explosives 
licenses. Unprofessional attempts to service 
the system could lead to failure in an emer-
gency or undesired airbag activation, either of 
which could result in personal injury.<
Airbag warning information is also provided on 
the sun visors. 

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
 65
Storage compartment in the 
instrument panel*
Opening
Press the button in the direction of the arrow.
Closing
Fold the cover down.
Storage package* 
Your convenience is enhanced by:
>Armrest, front
>Sliding lashing eyes in cargo area, refer to 
page69
>Floor cover in cargo area that can be used in 
two positions, refer to page69
>Nets in cargo area, on rear side of front seat, 
and in passenger footwell
Clothes hooks 
When suspending clothing from the 
hooks ensure that it will not obstruct the 
driver's vision. Do not hang heavy objects on 
the hooks. If you do so, they could cause endan-
ger passengers during braking or evasive 
maneuvers.< 
Ashtray* 
Press the edge of the opened cover: the ashtray 
moves up and can be removed.
On vehicles with the non-smoking package, the 
insert is removed in the same way. 
Lighter* 
Press in the cigarette lighter1. 
The lighter can be removed as soon as it pops 
out. 
Hold or touch the hot cigarette lighter by 
the knob only. Holding or touching it in 
other areas could result in burns. 
The cigarette lighter remains operational when 
the ignition key has been removed. For this rea-
son, do not leave unsupervised children in the 
vehicle.< 
Power socket 
The cigarette lighter socket can be used as a 
power socket to plug in hand flashlights, car 
vacuum cleaners, etc., with power ratings of up 
to approx. 200 W at 12 V. Avoid damage to the 
socket caused by inserting plugs of a different 
shape or size. With the non-smoker's equip-
ment package the socket is covered with a 
removable cap. 

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
 117
Glove compartment64
Grills, refer to 
Ventilation57,61
Gross vehicle weight, refer to 
Weights112
Ground clearance76
H
Halogen lamps96
Handbrake35
– indicator lamp35
Hands-free microphone, refer 
to Car phone preparation66
Hands-free system66
Hazard warning flashers10
HDC Hill Descent Control48
Head airbags51
Headlamp control, 
automatic53
Headlamp flasher38
– indicator lamp12
Headlamps96
– care, refer to the Caring for 
your vehicle brochure
– replacing bulbs95
Headlamp washer 
reservoir90
– capacity, refer to Filling 
capacities112
Headlamp washer system90
– headlamp washing39
– washer fluid90
Head Light, refer to Adaptive 
Head Light53
Head restraints25
Heated mirrors29
Heated rear window
– air conditioner57
– automatic climate control61
Heated seats27
Heated steering wheel28
Heater
– rear window57,61
– windshield washer jets39Heating
– exterior mirror29
– seats27
– steering wheel28
Heating and ventilation56,59
Heavy cargo, refer to Cargo 
loading74
Height, refer to 
Dimensions111
Height adjustment
– seats25,26
– steering wheel28
High beams54
– headlight flasher54
– indicator lamp12
– replacing bulbs96
High Performance Synthetic 
Oil91
Hill-climbing ability, refer to 
Driving on poor roads76
Hill descent assistance, refer 
to HDC Hill Descent 
Control48
Hill Descent Control HDC48
Hills74
Holder for cups63
Hood88
Horn10
Hotel function16
Hot exhaust system73
Hydraulic brake assistant, 
refer to DBC Dynamic Brake 
Control47
Hydroplaning73
I
Ice warning44
Ignition34
Ignition key16
Ignition lock34
Imprint2
Index113Indicator/warning lamp
– airbags52
– alarm system22
– automatic transmission with 
Steptronic38
– brakes92
– coolant temperature42
– DSC47
– engine temperature42
– Flat Tire Monitor50
– fog lamps54
– front passenger airbags52
– reserve42
– safety belt warning27
Indicator/warning lamps, 
overview11
Individual settings, refer to 
Vehicle Memory, Key 
Memory30
Inflation pressure, refer to Tire 
inflation pressure82
Inflation pressure monitoring, 
refer to Flat Tire Monitor49
Inside rearview mirror, 
automatic dimming 
feature73
INSPECTION message43
Instrument cluster11
Instrument lighting54
Instrument panel, refer to 
Cockpit10
Integrated universal remote 
control62
Interior lamps55
– remote control17
Interior motion sensor23
– switching off17,23
Interior rearview mirror29
Interlock34
Intermittent operation, 
wipers38
Interval indicator, Service43