
Opening and closing
42
Opening and closing the sunroof and 
sliding visor at the same time
Press the switch twice in quick succession 
beyond the resistance point.
Pressing the switch again stops the operation.
After switching off the ignition
When the remote control is removed or the igni-
tion is switched off, you can still operate the 
sunroof for approx. 1 minute as long as no door 
has been opened.
Pinch protection system
If the panorama glass roof or the sliding visor 
encounters an obstruction while closing from a 
position about two-thirds closed, or during 
closing from the raised position, the closing 
movement is interrupted and the panorama 
glass roof and the sliding visor are opened again 
slightly.
Despite the pinch protection system 
check and clear the sunroof's travel path 
prior to closing it, otherwise the safety system 
might fail to detect certain kinds of obstruc-
tions, such as very thin objects, and the sunroof 
would continue closing.<
Closing without pinch protection
If there is an external danger, push the switch 
past the resistance point and hold it there. The 
roof closes without pinch protection.
Following interruptions in electrical 
power supply
After a power failure, there is a possibility that 
the panorama glass roof can only be raised. The 
system must be initialized. BMW recommends 
having this work done by your BMW center.
Closing manually
In the event of an electrical malfunction, you can 
move the panorama glass roof manually:1.Unclip the front of the cover of the interior 
lamps using the screwdriver from the 
onboard tool kit, refer to page221.
2.Insert the screwdriver into the openings on 
each side to press the clips.
3.Remove the control unit.
4.Unplug the motor. Considerably less effort 
will be required for manual operation.
5.Insert the Allen wrench supplied with the 
onboard tool kit, refer to page221, into the 
ProCarManuals.com 

Adjustments
44
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In con-
junction with the safety belts, the head 
restraints and the airbags, the seated position 
has a major influence on your safety in the event 
of an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we 
strongly urge you to observe the instructions 
contained in the following section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page53.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance 
between yourself and the airbags. Always 
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your 
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, 
to minimize the risk of injury to the hands or 
arms in the event of the airbag being triggered 
off. 
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 sitting correctly, 
e.g. not resting feet or legs on the dashboard, 
otherwise leg injuries can occur if the front air-
bag is triggered.
Make sure that passengers do not lean their 
heads against the side or head airbags, other-
wise serious injuries could result if the airbags 
suddenly deployed.<
Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries 
resulting from contact with airbags cannot be 
fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may 
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page95.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the 
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way 
that its center is at approx. ear level. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the 
event of an accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page46.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants 
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the 
safety belt as an additional safety device, but 
they do not represent a substitute.
Your vehicle has five seats, each of which is 
equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to 
wear a single safety belt. Never allow 
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's 
lap. Make sure that the belt in the lap area sits 
low across the hips and does not press against 
the abdomen. 
The safety belt must not rest against the throat, 
run across sharp edges, pass over hard or frag-
ile objects or be pinched. Fasten the safety belt 
so that it sits as snugly as possible against the 
lap and shoulder without being twisted. Other-
wise the belt could slide over your hips and 
injure your abdomen in the event of a frontal 
collision. 
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and regularly pull 
the belt in the upper-body area taut, otherwise 
its restraining effect could be impaired.
Sports Wagon: if the rear center safety belt is 
used, the wider backrest must be locked in 
place, refer to page115. Otherwise the safety 
belt will have no restraining effect.<
Safety belts, refer to page49.
ProCarManuals.com 

Adjustments
48
Heated seats*
Press once for each temperature level. 
Three LEDs indicate the highest temperature.
To switch off:
Press button longer.
If you continue driving within approx. the next 
15 minutes, the seat heating is automatically 
activated at the previously set temperature.
Seat and mirror memory*
You can store and call up two different combi-
nations of driver's-seat and exterior-mirror 
positions.
Settings for the backrest width and lumbar sup-
port are not stored in memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or the ignition, 
refer to page57.
2.Adjust the seat and exterior mirrors to the 
desired positions.
3.Press the   button.
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button 1 or 2: the 
LED goes out.The driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions are stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Call-up
Do not call up memory while you are driv-
ing, otherwise unexpected seat move-
ment could result in an accident.<
Convenience mode
1.Unlock and open the driver's door or switch 
on radio readiness, refer to page57.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1 
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is halted immediately 
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or 
one of the memory buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off, refer to page57.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2 
and keep it pressed until the adjustment 
process has been completed.
If the   button was pressed accidentally:
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
Call-up with the remote control
The driver's seat position last stored is stored 
for the remote control currently in use.
You can select the occasion on which the seat is 
reset to that position.
>Call-up when the vehicle is unlocked
>Call-up when the driver's door is opened.
When this Personal Profile function is 
used, first make sure that the footwell 
behind the driver's seat is free of obstacles. 
Failure to do so could cause injury to persons or 
damage to objects as a result of a rearward 
movement of the seat.<
The adjusting procedure is halted immediately 
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or 
one of the memory buttons.
ProCarManuals.com 

Adjustments
50 not fastened, if heavy objects are placed on the 
front passenger seat, or if driver or front pas-
senger unfasten their safety belts.
Damage to safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or 
stressed in an accident: have the belt sys-
tem, including any belt tensioners or child-
restraint systems, replaced and the belt 
anchors checked. Have this work done only by 
your BMW center or at a workshop that works 
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel. Otherwise, it is 
not guaranteed that the safety devices will func-
tion properly.<
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The front passenger's mirror is more convex 
than the driver's mirror. The objects seen in the 
mirror are closer than they appear. Do not 
gauge your distance from traffic behind you on 
the basis of what you see in the mirror; other-
wise there is an increased risk of an accident.<
1Adjustments
2Switching to the other mirror or automatic 
curb monitor
*
3Folding mirrors in and out*
The settings for the exterior mirrors are stored 
for the remote control currently in use
*, refer to 
Personal Profile, page28. The stored positions 
are called up automatically when the vehicle is 
unlocked.
Manual adjustment
The mirrors can also be adjusted manually: 
press the edge of the glass.
Folding mirrors in and out*
At driving speeds up to approx. 12 mph/
20 km/h, you can fold the mirrors in and out by 
pressing button3. This can be beneficial in nar-
row streets, for example, or for moving mirrors 
that were folded in by hand back out into their 
correct positions. Mirrors that were folded in are 
folded out automatically at a speed of approx. 
25 mph/40 km/h.
Before entering an automatic car wash, 
fold in the exterior mirrors by hand or with 
button3, to prevent them from being damaged 
due to the width of the vehicle.<
Automatic heating*
At outside temperatures below a certain limit, 
both exterior mirrors are automatically heated 
while the engine is running or the ignition 
switched on.
Passenger-side mirror tilt function – 
automatic curb monitor*
Activating
1.Push the switch to the position for the 
driver's-side mirror, arrow 1.
2.Engage reverse gear or move the selector 
lever to position R.
The glass of the mirror on the passenger 
side tilts slightly down. This allows the 
driver to see the area immediately adjacent 
to the vehicle, e.g. a curb, when backing into 
a parking space.
ProCarManuals.com 

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 readiness switches on.
Individual electrical consumers can operate.
>The electric steering wheel lock disen-
gages audibly.
Insert the remote control into the ignition 
lock before you move the vehicle, other-
wise the electric steering wheel lock will not dis-
engage and you will not be able to steer the 
car.<
Removing the remote control from the 
ignition lock
Press the remote control in briefly; it is ejected 
part of the way.
At the same time:
>The ignition switches off if it was on before-
hand.
>The electric steering wheel lock engages 
audibly.
Automatic transmission
You cannot take out the remote control unless 
the selector lever is in the P position: interlock.
Start/stop button
Each time the start/stop button is briefly 
pressed, radio readiness or the ignition is 
switched on or off.
Briefly pressing the start/stop button 
while the brake or clutch is depressed 
starts the engine.<
Radio readiness
Individual electrical consumers can operate. 
The time and the outside temperature are dis-
played in the instrument cluster, refer to 
page72.
Radio readiness is switched off automatically:
>When the remote control is removed from 
the ignition lock
>In cars with convenient access
*, by touch-
ing the surface above the door lock, refer to 
Locking on page37
Ignition on
All electrical consumers can operate. The 
odometer and trip odometer are displayed in 
the instrument cluster, refer to page72.
W h e n  t h e  en g i n e  is  o f f ,  p l ea s e  t u r n  o f f  t h e  
ignition and any unnecessary electrical 
consumers in order to preserve the battery.<
Radio readiness and ignition off
All indicator and warning lamps as well as dis-
plays in the instrument cluster go out.
ProCarManuals.com 

Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it 
brakes the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp is lit, and when you 
drive off an acoustic signal sounds in 
addition. The parking brake is still 
applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and 
lower the lever.
In exceptional cases, if the parking brake 
has to be used to slow or stop the car, do 
not pull the lever up too hard. In doing so, con-
tinuously press the button of the parking brake 
lever. 
Otherwise, too violent an application of the 
parking brake can lock up the rear wheels and 
cause the rear of the car to swerve.<
To prevent corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing action, occasionally apply the parking 
brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly coming 
to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the park-
ing brake is applied.<
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, press 
the gearshift lever to the right. Otherwise 
the engine could be damaged if you inadvert-
ently shift into 3rd or 4th gear.<
Reverse gear
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary. 
When the gearshift lever is pressed to the left, a 
slight resistance has to be overcome.
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic*
In addition to fully automatic operation, you can 
also manually shift with the Steptronic, refer to 
page60.
Vehicle parking
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, 
always select position P and apply the 
parking brake before leaving the vehicle with 
the engine running.<
Disengaging the remote control
In order to remove the remote control from the 
ignition lock, you must first move the selector 
lever to position P and switch off the engine: 
interlock.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
ProCarManuals.com 

Driving
60
Displays in the instrument cluster
P R N D DS M1 to M6
The selector lever position is displayed, or the 
current gear in the manual mode.
Changing selector lever positions
>With the ignition switched on or the engine 
running, the selector lever can be moved 
out of position P: interlock.
>Before moving the lever away from P or N 
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the 
brake; otherwise the selector lever will 
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping 
after you select a driving position, 
depress the brake until you are ready to 
start.<
A lock prevents you from inadvertently engag-
ing selector lever positions R and P. To cancel 
the lock, press the button on the front of the 
selector lever, refer to arrow.
P Park
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary. 
The rear wheels are locked.
R Reverse
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral, idle
You can select this in a car wash, for example. 
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you are driving in posi-
tion D.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables you to achieve maximum 
performance. 
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Manual operation and Sport program 
M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The sport program is activated and DS appears 
in the instrument cluster. This position is rec-
ommended for a performance-oriented driving 
style.
To use the automatic mode again, move the 
selector lever to the right into position D.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
When you press the selector lever forwards or 
backwards, the manual mode is activated and 
Steptronic changes gear. The instrument clus-
ter shows M1 through M6.
ProCarManuals.com 

Controls
 63Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Activating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the but-
ton lights up.
Setting speed for intermittent wipe or 
sensitivity of the rain sensor
Turn knurled wheel5 up or down.
Deactivating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press the button again, arrow3. 
The LED goes out.
Deactivate the rain sensor before enter-
ing an automatic car wash. Failure to do 
so could result in damage caused by undesired 
wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
Pull the lever, arrow 4.
Washer fluid is sprayed onto the windshield and 
the wipers are operated for a short time.
When the vehicle lighting system is switched 
on, the headlamps are cleaned at regular and 
appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washers if there is any 
danger that the fluid will freeze on the 
windshield. If you do, your vision could be 
obscured. Antifreeze should therefore be 
added to the fluid, refer to Washer fluid. 
Do not use the washers when the washer fluid 
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage 
the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are heated 
automatically while the engine is running or the 
ignition is switched on
*.
Sports Wagon: rear window wiper
1Intermittent operation. When reverse gear 
is engaged, the system switches to contin-
uous operation.
2Cleaning the rear window
The rear window wiper does not move if the 
lever is in position 1 before the ignition is 
switched on.
To switch on the rear window wiper:
1.Move the lever to its home position.
2.Reselect the desired position.
Do not use the washers when the washer 
fluid reservoir is empty, otherwise you will 
damage the washer pump.<
Washer fluid
Washer fluid antifreeze is flammable. 
Always keep it well away from sparks and 
open flames, and store it in the tightly closed 
original container, well out of the reach of chil-
dren. Comply with the instructions on the con-
tainer.<
ProCarManuals.com