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With the comfort seat, use the shoulder support
to set the distance to the back of the head.
Adjusting side extensions in comfort
seat
You can fold the side extensions on the head
restraint forward for increased lateral support in
the resting position.
Front head restraints, active*
The comfort seats are equipped with an active
head restraint.
In the event of a rear-end collision of sufficient
severity, the active head restraint reduces the
distance to the head.
Do not use seat or head restraint covers
and do not hand objects, e.g. clothes
hangers, on the head restraints or attach any
accessories to the seat or head restraint. Other-
wise the protective function of the active head
restraints will be impaired and personal safety
endangered.<
Rear seats: height adjustment
>To raise: pull up.
>To lower: press the button, arrow1, and
push the head restraint downward.
Safety belts
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please observe the adjustment instructions on
page45.<
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.
Fastening
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage in
the belt buckle.
Safety belt memory for driver's seat
and passenger seat*
The indicator lamp lights up and a sig-
nal sounds. A message also appears on
the Control Display. Please check
whether the safety belt is correctly positioned.
The safety belt memory is operative at speeds
above approx. 5 mph/8 km/h. It can also be acti-
vated if objects are placed on the passenger
seat.
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Active seat ventilation*
The system progresses one step through the
control sequence each time you press the but-
ton.
To switch off: press the button longer.
The highest position with three LEDs is
used for rapid cooling, e.g. when the vehi-
cle has gotten heated up. After a short time, the
system is automatically switched down one
position in order to prevent excessive cooling.<
Active seat*
The seat cushion is actively varied by alter-
nately raising and lowering the right and left half
of the seat cushion. This reduces muscular ten-
sion and fatigue to help prevent lower back
pain.
Press the button to switch on; the LED lights
up.
If you switch off the active seat, it can take up
to 1 minute before the two halves of the seat
cushion have returned to their initial position.
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The mirror on the passenger's side is
more curved than the driver's mirror.
Objects reflected in the mirror are closer than
they appear. Do not estimate the distance of
following traffic based on what you see in the
mirrors, otherwise there is an increased acci-
dent risk.<
1Adjustments
2Switching to the other mirror or to the auto-
matic parking function
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat, mir-
ror and steering wheel memory on page47.
Manual adjustment
You can also adjust the mirrors manually by
pressing against the outer edges of their mirror
glass.
Folding mirrors in and out
To prevent the exterior mirrors on this
vehicle from being damaged, always fold
them in by hand before entering an automatic
car wash.<
Automatic heating
Below a certain outdoor temperature, both
exterior mirrors are automatically heated when
the motor is running or the ignition is switched
on.
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Programmable buttons* on steering
wheel
You can program the buttons individually.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.
4.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Steering wheel buttons" is
selected and press the controller.
A list of different functions appears:
>"Navigation voice instructions"
Voice instructions for the navigation
system
*
>"Air recirculation on / off"
Permanently shutting off outside air,
refer to AUC Automatic recirculated air
control on page108>"Mute on / off"
Mutes the audio sources
>"Monitor on / off"
Switches the Control Display on/off
>"Telephone list"
*
Display/hide phone book or last list of
stored phone numbers
>"HDC on / off"
Switches HDC Hill Descent Control
* on/
off
>"Next entertainment source"
Changes audio source
>"Night Vision on / off"
Switches BMW Night Vision
* on/off
5.Select the desired function and press the
controller.
6.Select the button if necessary and press the
controller.
You can operate the selected function using the
corresponding button.
Operating function
Press the corresponding button on the steering
wheel.
If you have programmed "Navigation voice
instructions" for one of the buttons:
>To switch voice instructions on/off:
Hold the button down.
>To repeat the last voice instruction:
Press the button.
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Locking safety belt
1.Secure the child restraint system with the
belt.
2.Pull out the belt webbing completely.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in and
pull taut against the child restraint system.
The safety belt is locked.
Unlocking safety belt
1.Open the belt buckle.
2.Remove the child restraint system.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in com-
pletely.
Child restraint system with tether strap
Sedan
There are three additional mounting points for
child restraint systems with a tether strap, refer
to arrows. Fold the corresponding mounting
point upward before using.
Sports Wagon
Only use the teather-strap mounting
points to secure child restraint systems,
as otherwise the mounting points could be
damaged.<
Three are three additional mounting points for
child restraint systems with a tether strap, refer
to arrows, under covers in the cargo area floor.
Before using, remove the corresponding cover
with a screwdriver.
Placement of tether strap
Outer seats:
1.Pull the head restraint upward.
2.Guide the tether strap through the bracket
of the head restraint.
3.Slide the head restraint into the bottom
position.
4.Hook in the tether strap on the mounting
point.
Center seat:
1.Fold the center armrest somewhat toward
the front.
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On trips
If the vehicle is equipped with rear side
airbags, make sure that children do not
lean out of the child's seat towards the door
panels. Otherwise injuries can be caused if the
side airbags are triggered.<
Child-safety locks for rear doors
Slide down the safety lever on the rear doors:
the door can now be opened from the outside
only.
Safety switch for power windows
Always press the safety switch for the power
windows, refer to page41, when children are
riding in the rear of the vehicle.
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Starting engine
Do not run the engine in closed rooms,
otherwise the inhaling of toxic exhaust
gases can cause unconsciousness and death.
The exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide,
an odorless and colorless, but highly toxic gas.
Never leave an unattended vehicle with the
engine running, as such a vehicle represents a
potential safety hazard.
Before leaving the vehicle with the engine run-
ning, set the selector lever to the idling or the
P position and set the handbrake, otherwise the
vehicle can begin to roll.<
When starting the engine, do not press the
accelerator pedal.
Do not allow the engine to warm up by leaving it
running while the vehicle remains stationary.
Instead, begin to drive immediately at a moder-
ate engine speed.
Do not press either the brake or the clutch
pedal as long as you do not want to start
the engine. The engine starts immediately
when you briefly press the Start/Stop button
and press the brake pedal with an automatic
transmission
* or the clutch pedal with a manual
transmission.<
Manual transmission
1.Apply the handbrake.
2.Depress the clutch pedal and select the
idling position.
3.Briefly press Start/Stop button.
The system responds by automatically engag-
ing the starter for a certain period and automat-
ically disengaging it as soon as the engine
starts.
Automatic transmission*
1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Place selector lever in position P or N.
3.Briefly press Start/Stop button.
The system responds by automatically engag-
ing the starter for a certain period and automat-
ically disengaging it as soon as the engine
starts.
SMG Sequential Manual
Transmission*
1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Engage selector lever position N and make
sure that this position is also indicated in
instrument cluster.
3.Briefly press Start/Stop button.
The system responds by automatically engag-
ing the starter for a certain period and automat-
ically disengaging it as soon as the engine
starts.
If the engine fails to start, depress the
brake pedal and press the selector lever
to the right then engage the position N. Watch
the display in the instrument cluster while doing
so.<
Special starting conditions
Depress the accelerator pedal half way when
starting the engine in the following situations:
>The engine fails to start on the first attempt,
e.g. if it is very hot or cold.
>The engine is started at very low tempera-
tures, below approx. + 57/– 156, at high
altitudes, over approx. 3,300 ft/1,000 m.
Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion or repeated starting attempts in
which the engine does not start. Otherwise, the
fuel is not burned or inadequately burned and
there is a danger of overheating and damaging
the catalytic converter.<
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Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
When pressing the gearshift lever to the left,
overcome some resistance.
SMG Sequential Manual
Transmission*
The concept
The SMG Sequential Manual Transmission is
an automated manual transmission in which an
electrohydraulic system handles the clutching
and gear changes.
The SMG is operated with the selector lever
and two shift paddles on the steering wheel.
It offers you the following functions:
>Optional manual or automatic operation:
Sequential mode or Drive mode
>You have a choice of two driving programs:
Normal or Sport, refer to Dynamic Driving
Control page62
>Automatic downshifting and prevention of
incorrect shifting even in Sequential opera-
tion
>Acceleration assistant, refer to page63.
Selector lever positions
>R: Reverse gear
>N: Neutral
>One-touch functions for Sequential mode:
+: manual upshifting
–: manual downshifting
>D: activate/deactivate the Drive modeThe transmission automatically shifts
into N if the driver's door is opened with
the engine running and neither the pedals, the
shift paddles nor the selector lever are oper-
ated.
This is signaled by an acoustic signal and the
flashing display N in the instrument cluster; a
message appears on the Control Display.<
Gear display
R N 1 to 6
The currently engaged gear is displayed, pre-
ceded by a D in Drive mode.
It is only possible to recognize whether
the desired selector lever position is
engaged with this display.<
Shiftlock
Press the brake pedal before shifting out of N;
the shift command will not be executed unless
the brake is applied.
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
Sequential mode
After every engine start, as soon as the selector
lever is pushed to the right and the brake pedal
is pressed, the Sequential mode is activated.
You can shift up and down using the shifting
paddles or the selector lever. You do not need
to remove your foot from the accelerator to do
so.
It is also possible to start off in second gear, e. g.
in slippery conditions.
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Acceleration assistant
The acceleration assistant enables optimized
vehicle acceleration at racing car level on road
surfaces with good adhesion when starting off.
Do not use the acceleration assistant too
often, otherwise components will wear
prematurely.<
1.Activate the Dynamic Driving Control.
2.Deactivate DSC, refer to page87.
3.Quickly press accelerator pedal all the way
down: kick-down. The ideal starting-off
engine speed is set.
To maintain the vehicle stability, reacti-
vate DSC afterward.<
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*
In addition to fully automatic operation, you can
also manually shift with the Steptronic, refer to
page64.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in instrument cluster
P R N D DS M1 to M6
The selector lever position is indicated, and in
the manual mode the gear currently engaged.
Changing selector lever positions
>Only move the selector lever from posi-
tion P when the engine is running: interlock.
>With the vehicle stopped, press the brake
before shifting out of P or N, otherwise the
selector lever is blocked: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position,
maintain pressure on the brake pedal until
you are ready to start.<
A lock prevents accidentally shifting into the
selector lever positions R and P. To cancel the
lock, press the button on the front of the selec-
tor lever, refer to arrow.
P Park
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
The rear wheels are locked.
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
Can, for example, be engaged in automatic car
washes. The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are available.
Under normal operating conditions, the fuel
consumption is lowest when driving in posi-
tion D.