Page 4 of 200

Contents© 2004 Bayerische Motoren Werke
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts,
only with the written consent of
BMW AG, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 158 701
US English IX/04
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper,
bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling.Notes
Overview
Controls and features
About this Owner's Manual8
Symbols used8
Your individual vehicle8
Status at time of printing9
For your own safety9
Symbol on vehicle parts10
Service and Warranty10
Reporting safety defects11Cockpit14
Instrument cluster15
Indicator and warning lamps19
Buttons on steering wheel23
Warning triangle24
First-aid kit24
Refueling24
Fuel specifications26Locks and security systems:
Keys30
Central locking system30
Opening and closing:
from outside31
Opening and closing:
from inside34
Liftgate35
Tailgate36
Alarm system38
Windows39
Panorama glass sunroof41
Adjustments:
Sitting safely43
Seats44
Mechanical seat adjustment45
Power seat adjustment46
Head restraints47
Power rear-seat backrest
adjustment48
Safety belts49
Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory50
Heated seats52
Steering wheel52
Steering wheel heater53
Mirrors54
Page 15 of 200
15n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
1 Fuel gage78
2 Indicator lamp for turn signals223 Speedometer
4 Indicator and warning lamps19
to225 Tachometer77
Energy control77
6 Coolant temperature gage79Instrument cluster X5 3.0i, 4.4i
530us233
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16n
Instrument cluster X5 3.0i, 4.4i 7 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
8 Reset button for trip odometer76
9 Indicator for Check Control80
10 Odometer and trip odometer7611 Display for computer;
operation via turn signal lever,
refer to page82:
>Outside temperature
>Average fuel consumption
>Cruising range
>Average speed12 Service Interval Display79
13 Selector lever and program display
for automatic transmission
*
67
14 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
530us234
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17n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Instrument cluster X5 3.0i, 4.4i
*
1 Fuel gage78
2 Indicator lamp for turn signals22
3 Speedometer
4 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
5 Tachometer77
Energy control77
6 Coolant temperature gage797 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
8 Reset button for trip odometer76
9 Service Interval Display79
10 Indicator for
>Trip odometer/odometer76
>Outside temperature76
11 Indicator for Check Control8012 Selector lever and program display
for automatic transmission
*
67
13 CHECK button80
14 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
530us251
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18n
Instrument cluster X5 4.8is 1Fuel gage78
2 Indicator lamp for turn signals22
3 Speedometer
4 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
5 Tachometer77
Engine oil thermometer
6 Coolant temperature gage797 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
8 Reset button for trip odometer76
9 Service Interval Display79
10 Indicator for
>Trip odometer/odometer76
>Outside temperature76
11 Indicator for Check Control8012 Selector lever and program display
for automatic transmission67
13 CHECK button80
14 Indicator and warning lamps19
to22
530us252
Page 59 of 200

59n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags Transporting children safely Operational readiness of airbag
system
As of ignition key position 1, the
warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up for a short time,
thus indicating the operational readi-
ness of the entire airbag system and the
safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
A fault has occurred in the air-
bag system:
>Warning lamp does not light up as of
ignition key position 1
>Warning lamp lights up permanently.
Have the airbag system checked
immediately if a malfunction
occurs, as otherwise there is a danger
of the system failing to respond in the
expected manner to an impact occur-
ring within its normal response range.<
The right place for children Children always in the rear:
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in a vehicle is in
the rear seat.
Older children should be tightly secured
with a safety belt, after they have out-
grown a booster seat that is appropriate
for their age, height and weight.
If your vehicle is equipped with
rear side airbags, do not allow
children to lean towards the door trim,
as serious injuries could occur if the
side airbags were deployed and chil-
dren are too close to the airbags.<
Deactivate rear side airbags:
Labels in the rear door opening should
indicate the status of your rear seat side
airbags. If you are uncertain of their sta-
tus, or wish to have the airbags acti-
vated or deactivated, please contact
your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter.
Child-restraint systems in the rear
Children under 13 years of age
and children less than 5 ft/150 cm
tall should always ride in the rear and
the restraint systems should be prop-
erly restraint.<
Younger children should be secured in
an appropriate child-restraint system
that has been first properly secured to
the vehicle.
All rear sitting positions in your vehi-
cle meet the recommendations of
SAE J1819, an industry-recommended
practice for securing child-restraint sys-
tems in motor vehicles.
Exception for front passenger
seat
Should it become necessary to
use a child-restraint system on the
front passenger seat, the front passen-
ger airbags must be deactivated. Your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center will
be happy to advise you on this sub-
ject.<
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66n
Handbrake Manual transmissionThe handbrake is primarily intended to
prevent the vehicle from rolling while
parked; it brakes the rear wheels.EngagingThe lever engages automatically when
you pull it up and the indicator lamp
comes on in the instrument cluster in
ignition key position 2, refer to
pages19, 21.Releasing Pull up slightly on the lever, press the
button and lower the lever. 530de262
If exceptional circumstances
should make it necessary to
engage the handbrake while the vehicle
is in motion, do not pull it too strongly.
In doing so, continuously press the but-
ton of the handbrake lever.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction – fishtailing
– at the rear axle.
The brake lamps do not light up when
the handbrake is applied.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always engage the handbrake when
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces. Even placing the gearshift lever
in 1st gear or reverse may not provide
adequate resistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in Park.<
To avoid corrosion, apply the hand-
brake lightly from time to time when
coasting to a standstill at a traffic signal,
for instance, provided that it is safe to
do so.
Press the clutch pedal all the way down
each time you shift, pressing the gear-
shift lever into its proper end position.
Depress the clutch when starting the
vehicle, too, otherwise, the interlock will
prevent the engine from starting if the
clutch is not depressed.
While shifting in the 5th/6th gear
lane, press the selector lever
toward the right, as otherwise acciden-
tal shifting into the 3rd or 4th gear could
result in engine damage.< 380de044
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
69n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
M/S manual operation and
Sport Program Shift selector lever from position D
toward the left into the shifting slot M/S:
the Sport Program is activated and D S
appears in the instrument cluster. This
position is recommended for a perfor-
mance-oriented driving style.
When you briefly press the selector
lever in the + or – direction, manual
operation is activated and Steptronic
changes the gear The following appears
in the instrument cluster depending on
the model
>1 to 5 or 1 to 6
>M1 to M5 or M1 to M6. 530de264
Upshifts and downshifts are executed
only when they will result in a plausible
combination of engine and vehicle
speed; thus, for example, a downshift
that would cause the engine to overrev
will not be executed by the system. The
gear selected will appear briefly in the
instrument cluster followed by the cur-
rent gear.
In order to go back to using automatic,
move the selector lever toward the right
into position D.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up or
the message TRANS.FAILSAFE
PROG appears in the Check
Control. A malfunction has occurred in
the transmission system. Avoid heavy
loads.
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the
transmission selector lever to P. Set the
handbrake and switch 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 indica-
tor lamp does not go out, you can place
the selector lever in all positions. How-
ever, the vehicle will now only drive for-
ward with limited gear selection.
Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
Information on jump starting, tow-start-
ing and towing begins on page171.