
Cockpit
10
Cockpit
All around the steering wheel: controls and displays
1Roller sun blind for rear window*112
2Rear window safety switch40
3Power windows40
4Exterior mirrors505Parking brake58
6Parking lamps99
Low beams99
Automatic headlamp control99
Adaptive Head Light
*100
High-beam assistant
*100 

At a glance
 13Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
When the engine is started or the ignition is 
switched on, some lamps are checked for 
proper operation and light up briefly in the pro-
cess.
Explanatory text messages
Text messages on Info Display explain the 
meaning of the indicating and warning lamps 
shown.
You can view additional information, e.g. 
regarding the cause of a malfunction and the 
corresponding action to take, in the Check Con-
trol, refer to page80.
When the situation is urgent, this information is 
displayed immediately when the associated 
lamps light up.
Indicator lamps without text messages
The following indicator lamps in the display 
area1 indicate that certain functions are active:
Turn signals65
With parking brake released59
With parking brake set59
Warning lamp on Canadian models
Front fog lamps101 
DTC Dynamic Traction Control88 
High beams/headlamp flasher100 
High-beam assistant
* 
DSC Dynamic Stability Control, 
flashes88  

iDrive
18 5Help
>Brief help text displays20
>Menu name for menu change19
6Entertainment
>Radio155
>CD player
*162
>CD changer
*164
>DVD changer
*168
It is only possible to play a DVD on the 
rear seat screen, refer to Rear seat 
screen
* on page21.<
7Settings
>Parking brake58
>PDC Park Distance Control86
>EDC Electronic Damping Control89
>Programmable buttons52
>FTM Flat Tire Monitor
*90
>TPM Tire Pressure Monitor
*91
>Time and date84
>Language84
>Units of measure and display format84
>Brightness85
>Rear seat screen
*21
8Climate
>Intensity of AUTO program104
>Air volume106
>Heated seats
*49
>Parked car ventilation109
>Extra, e.g. rear air conditioner108
Basic operation
Once the radio ready position is reached, the 
following message appears on the Control Dis-
play:
To clear the message:
Press the controller.
This displays the start menu.
The message automatically disappears after 
approx. 25 seconds.
Start menu
You can access all functions of iDrive via eight 
menu items.
Opening start menu
Press the   button.
Opening the start menu from a menu:
>Move the controller toward the currently 
active menu.
>Move the controller twice in one direction. 

Controls
 57Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Driving
Ignition lock
Insert the remote control all the way into the 
ignition lock. Radio ready state is switched on. 
Individual electrical devices are ready for use.
Start/Stop button
Briefly pressing the Start/Stop button several 
times switches the radio ready state or the igni-
tion on and off.
Briefly pressing the Start/Stop button 
with the brake pedal depressed starts the 
engine.<
Radio ready state
Individual electrical devices are ready for use. 
The time and outside temperature appear on 
the Info Display.
Ignition switched on
All vehicle systems are ready for operation.
When the engine is not running, please 
switch off the ignition and nonessential current-consuming devices in order to mini-
mize the drain on the battery.<
Ignition off
All of the indicator lamps on the Info Display go 
out. Only the selector lever indicator of the 
automatic transmission is still briefly displayed.
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. 
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, always 
select position P on the selector lever and 
engage the parking brake before leaving the 
vehicle with the engine running. Note the infor-
mation provided on the Info Display.<
1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Briefly press the Start/Stop button.
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. 

Driving
58
Special starting conditions
In the following situations, press the gas pedal 
halfway down when starting:
>The engine fails to start on the first attempt, 
for instance if it is very hot or cold.
>The engine is being started at extremely low 
temperatures below + 57/– 156, or at 
high altitudes above 3,281 ft/1,000 m.
Avoid frequent starts in rapid succession 
or repeated starting attempts in which the 
engine does not start. Otherwise, the fuel is 
either left unspent or is insufficiently burned 
and there is a risk of overheating and damaging 
the catalytic converter.<
Switching off engine
When leaving the vehicle, always take the 
remote control with you.<
With the vehicle stationary, briefly press the 
Start/Stop button. Radio ready state is switched 
on.
The transmission automatically shifts to 
position P: interlock.
Before driving into a car wash
The transmission remains in position N and the 
vehicle can roll when you perform the following 
sequence:
1.With Comfort Access: insert remote control 
into ignition lock.
2.With the engine running, shift transmission 
into position N.
3.Switch engine off.
4.Leave the remote control in the ignition 
lock.
The transmission will shift into position P:
>automatically after approx. 30 minutes
>if you remove the remote control from the 
ignition lock
Observe the messages on the Info Display.
Removing remote control from ignition 
lock
Press in the remote control briefly; it pops part-
way out. This procedure will also switch off the 
ignition if it is on.
Comfort function
To switch off the engine when the vehicle is sta-
tionary, press the Start/Stop button for longer 
than approx. 2 seconds. The remote control 
pops partway out.
Parking brake
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with an electromechan-
ical parking brake.
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked.
You can use the parking brake in two ways:
>Manually, by briefly pressing the button
>Automatically, by activating the Automatic 
Hold mode, refer to page59.
An electrohydraulic mechanism then engages 
the parking brake to prevent the rear wheels 
from turning whenever you switch off the 
engine. 
When the engine is running, parking brake 
engagement is controlled by the brake sys-
tem's hydraulic circuits, which act on the disc 
brakes in the front and rear wheels.
Brake pedal feel
The hydraulic brake system can produce a 
slightly different braking feel. Engagement may 
also be accompanied by activation noise – this 
is normal. 

Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Manual engagement
Briefly press the button, the word PARK 
appears on the Info Display.
When the parking brake is engaged, the indica-
tor lamp   on the Info Display lights up red, 
refer to page12.
The remote control does not have to be 
inserted into the ignition lock for the parking 
brake to be set.
It is only possible to disengage the parking 
brake with the ignition on.
If exceptional circumstances should make it 
necessary to engage the parking brake while 
the vehicle is in motion, maintain pressure on 
the button. 
The indicator lamp on the Info Display lights up 
in red and a chime sounds, the brake lamps light 
up. 
The vehicle continues to brake forcefully for as 
long as you maintain pressure on the button. 
When you brake the vehicle almost to a stop, 
i.e., down to a speed of approximately 2 mph/
3 km/h or below, the parking brake remains 
engaged.
Manual release
Briefly press the button with the ignition 
switched on.
The indicator lamp  on the Info Display goes 
out.
As long as the remote control is inserted 
into the ignition lock, you can also release 
the parking brake after the engine has been 
switched off. This function is useful, for exam-
ple, in automatic car washes, refer to 124<
When leaving the vehicle, always bring 
the remote control with you; this precau-tion prevents children from disengaging the 
parking brake, etc.<
Automatic Hold
You can activate the system after starting the 
engine; it then remains operational until the 
next time the engine is switched off.
This feature provides additional assistance dur-
ing vehicle operation by automatically engaging 
and releasing the parking brake during stops at 
traffic lights, in stop-and-go traffic, etc. The 
vehicle is automatically held in place so as to 
suppress the tendency to creep when the 
transmission is in drive.
It also prevents the vehicle from rolling back-
ward during uphill starts. 
The parking brake engages automatically when 
you stop the vehicle and switch off the engine.
You can activate or deactivate Automatic Hold 
via the "Settings" menu in iDrive.
Activation/deactivation
iDrive, for principle details, refer to page16.
1.Press the   button to open the start 
menu.
2.Move the controller toward "Settings".
3.Select "Vehicle" and press the controller.
4.Select "AUTO P". Press the controller to 
activate/deactivate the desired function.
>Automatic Hold is activated. 
The green AUTO P status message on the 
Info Display indicates that the system is 
ready for operation.
>Automatic Hold is deactivated. 
The green AUTO P status message disap-
pears from the Info Display. 

Driving
60 You can program the programmable but-
ton on the steering wheel with the Auto-
matic Hold function, refer to page52. This gives 
you the option of being able to quickly activate 
or deactivate Automatic Hold without distract-
ing your attention from the road.<
Driving
The parking brake engages automatically when 
the vehicle comes to a stop. 
The indicator lamp  on Info Display lights up 
green.
To start off again, simply press the accelerator 
pedal. The parking brake is released automati-
cally; the indicator lamp goes out.
Do not drive through an automatic car 
wash with the Automatic Hold on and the 
engine running. Otherwise, the system will 
engage the parking brake the moment the vehi-
cle comes to a stop.<
Parking
The parking brake engages automatically when 
you stop the vehicle and switch off the engine. 
The indicator lamp  changes from green to 
red.
You can also release the parking brake 
manually after the engine is switched off, 
as long as the remote control is in the ignition 
lock, refer to page59. You can use this function, 
for example, in a car wash. 
Automatic Hold is deactivated.<
When leaving the vehicle, release the 
remote control from the detent in the igni-
tion lock; this precaution prevents children from 
disengaging the parking brake etc.<
For your safety
Automatic Hold is automatically deactivated 
when:
>the engine is switched off
>the system detects that the driver's seat is 
not occupied while the engine is running
>the hood is opened while the engine is run-
ning>the luggage compartment is opened with 
the transmission in position R while the 
engine is running
>and when the parking brake is used to brake 
the vehicle to a stop during driving
The indicator lamp   changes from green to 
red, and the indication AUTO P on the Info Dis-
play disappears.
Before starting off again, briefly press the but-
ton to disengage the parking brake manually, 
refer to page59, or reactivate Automatic Hold, 
refer to page59.
Before leaving the vehicle with the engine 
running, always move the automatic 
transmission's selector lever to position P and 
ensure that the parking brake is engaged. The 
vehicle could start to roll if you fail to observe 
these precautions.<
Automatic Hold is automatically deacti-
vated whenever the system detects any 
tendency for the wheels to spin in response to 
slippery road surfaces. 
Observe the messages on the Info Display. For 
additional information, refer to Check Control 
on page80.<
Releasing parking brake manually
In the event of an electrical power loss or elec-
trical malfunction, you can release the parking 
brake manually.
Before manually releasing the parking 
brake and each time you park the vehicle 
without engaging the parking brake, make sure 
that the automatic transmission is in position P, 
refer to page62. Be sure to pay attention to the 
information on the Info Display. 
If circumstances should force you to park on a 
steeply inclined road surface, it is essential to 
take additional precautions against inadvertent 
rolling, e.g. by using the chock, refer to 
page209. Otherwise, there is the danger of the 
vehicle rolling, depending on the incline.<
If it becomes necessary to also unlock the 
transmission lock of the automatic transmis-
sion, follow this sequence: 

Controls
 61Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1.If necessary, start by releasing the parking 
brake manually.
2.Then release the automatic transmission's 
transmission lock manually, refer to 
page64.
Jump starting and tow starting, refer to 
pages213 and214.
What you will need
1Screwdriver handle
2Unlocking tool
310 mm open-end wrench
You will find the required tools in the onboard 
tool kit mounted on the inside of the luggage 
compartment lid, refer to page207.
Insert the release tool into the screwdriver han-
dle as shown in the illustration.
Releasing
1.Remove the floor mat and the cover above 
the spare tire.
2.With the attached screwdriver handle, 
insert the release tool into the opening, 
arrow1.
3.Fit the open-end wrench onto the hexago-
nal section of the release tool. 
Insert the release tool counter to the spring force until the stop is reached, press and 
rotate in the arrow direction2 until it notice-
ably engages and meets a perceptible 
resistance.
4.Without releasing, continue to turn counter 
to the mechanical resistance of the drive 
unit in the arrow direction 2 until you can 
feel a significant increase in the force of the 
resistance.
To prevent possible damage to the 
rear brakes, always make sure that 
the parking brake is completely released 
before driving the vehicle.<
5.Return the tools to their places.
6.Return the spare tire cover and the floor mat 
to their original locations.
Have a malfunction corrected only by a 
BMW center or a repair shop that works in 
accordance with BMW guidelines and uses 
appropriately trained personnel. Only techni-
cians can return the parking brake to normal 
operational status after it has been released 
manually in response to a malfunction.<
Following manual release, the actual sta-
tus of the parking brake may deviate from 
that displayed by the indicator lamp.<
Operation after interruptions in power 
supply
The parking brake can only be used again 
if it was manually released due to an inter-
ruption in the supply of electrical power. Other-
wise, the function of the parking brake is not 
guaranteed and there is a danger of the vehicle 
rolling despite the parking brake being 
engaged.<
Once the electrical power supply has been 
restored, you can again use the parking brake:
With the ignition on and the vehicle 
stationary, briefly press the button 
three times at intervals of approx. 
5 seconds. This executes the fol-
lowing initialization sequence:
>Initializing the disengaged setting.
>Engaging: the system registers the new 
status and the brake setting is initialized.