
Controls
119Reference
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Communications
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Driving tips
123Reference
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Mobility
vehicle electronics and mobile communication
device can influence one another. In addition,
there is no assurance that the radiation which
results from transmission will be dissipated
from the vehicle interior.<
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This situation, known as hydroplaning,
means that the tire can completely lose contact
with the road surface, so that neither the car can
be steered nor the brake be properly applied.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases with declin-
ing tread depth on the tires, refer also to Mini-
mum tread depth on page211.
Driving through water
Drive through water on the road only if it is
not deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only
at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the
vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the
transmission may be damaged.<
Use the parking brake on inclines
On inclines, do not hold the vehicle with
the clutch; use the parking brake. Other-
wise greater clutch wear will result.<
For more information about the drive-off assis-
tant, refer to page89.
Braking safely
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as a standard
feature. Applying the brakes fully is the most
effective way of braking in situations in which
this is necessary. Since the vehicle maintains
steering responsiveness, you can still avoid
possible obstacles with a minimum of steering
effort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal, combined with
sounds from the hydraulic circuits, indicate that
ABS is in its active mode.
Driving in wet conditions
When roads are wet or there is heavy rain,
briefly exert gentle pressure on the brake pedal every few miles. Monitor traffic conditions to
ensure that this maneuver does not endanger
other road users. The heat generated in this
process helps dry the pads and rotors to ensure
that full braking efficiency will then be available
when you need it.
Hills
To prevent overheating and the resulting
reduced efficiency of the brake system,
drive long or steep downhill gradients in the
gear in which the least braking is required. Even
light but consistent brake pressure can lead to
high temperatures, brake wear and possibly
even brake failure.<
You can increase the engine's braking effect by
shifting down, all the way to first gear if neces-
sary. This strategy helps you avoid placing
excessive loads on the brake system. Down-
shifting in manual mode of the automatic trans-
mission, refer to page60.
Never drive with the clutch held down,
with the transmission in idle or with the
engine switched off; otherwise, engine braking
action will not be present or there will be no
power assistance to the brakes or steering.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any other
objects to protrude into the area around the
pedals, otherwise pedal function could be
impaired.<
Corrosion on brake rotors
When the vehicle is driven only occasionally,
during extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all, and in operating conditions where
brake applications are less frequent, there is an
increased tendency for corrosion to form on
rotors, while contaminants accumulate on the
brake pads. This occurs because the minimum
pressure which must be exerted by the pads
during brake applications to clean the rotors is
not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake rotors, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating
effect that even extended application will fail to
cure.

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Load
The permissible load is the total of the weight of
occupants and cargo/luggage. The greater the
weight of the occupants, the less cargo/lug-
gage can be transported.
Stowing cargo
>Position heavy objects as low and as far for-
ward as possible, ideally directly behind the
respective seat backrests.
>Cover sharp edges and corners.
>For very heavy cargo when the rear seat is
not occupied, secure each safety belt in the
opposite buckle.
Sedan
Sports Wagon
>Use the partition net to protect passengers,
refer to page115. Make sure that objects
cannot penetrate the partition net.
>Do not stack cargo higher than the upper
edge of the backrests.
>Place protective material around any
objects which could bump against the rear
window while the vehicle is in motion.
Securing cargo
>Secure smaller and lighter items using
retaining straps, a cargo-bay net
* or draw
straps
*.
>Heavy-duty cargo straps
* for securing
larger and heavier objects are available at
your BMW center. Four lashing eyes are
provided for attaching the cargo straps.
Two are located on the cargo-bay sidewalls
1, two more are on the rear cargo-bay panel
2.
Please comply with the information sup-
plied with the cargo straps.
Always position and secure the cargo as
described above, so that it cannot endan-
ger the car's occupants, for example if sudden
braking or swerves are necessary.
Never exceed either the approved gross vehicle
weight or either of the approved axle loads, refer
to page239, as excessive loads can pose a
safety hazard, and may also place you in viola-
tion of traffic safety laws.
Heavy or hard objects should not be carried
loose inside the car, since they could be thrown
around, for example as a result of heavy braking,
sudden swerves, etc., and endanger the occu-
pants.<

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Navigation
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Mobility
Destination entry
In entering your destination you can select from
the following options:
>Entering a destination manually, see below
>Entering a destination by voice com-
mands*, refer to page134
>Selecting destination using information,
refer to page137
>Selecting destination from a list, refer to
Destination list, page138
>Selecting destination from address book,
refer to page138
>Selecting home address, refer to page140
After selecting your destination you can pro-
ceed to start the destination guidance, refer to
page143.
Operating navigation system
Enter data only when the vehicle is sta-
tionary, and always give priority to the
applicable traffic regulations in the event of any
contradiction between traffic and road condi-
tions and the instructions issued by the naviga-
tion system. If you do not observe this precau-
tion, you may be in violation of the law, and can
endanger vehicle occupants and other road
users.<
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the right to call up
"Navigation".3.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
Entering a destination
manually
The system's word-matching principle makes it
easier for you to enter the names of streets or
towns, refer to page142. This allows you to
enter different spellings and completes your
entry automatically so that stored names can be
called up quickly.
1.If necessary, move the highlight marker to
the uppermost field. Turn the controller
until "Navigation" is selected and press the
controller.
"New destination" is selected.
2.Press the controller.

Navigation
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ler until the city or town name is selected
from the list and press the controller.
Entering destination by zip code
1.Select "Town / City" and press the control-
ler.
2.Enter the zip code:
Select the desired digits and press the con-
troller.
>To enter spaces:
Select the symbol and press the con-
troller.
>To delete individual numbers or letters:
Move the controller toward the right to
select , and press the controller.
>To delete all numbers or letters:
Move the controller toward the right to
select , and hold the controller
down.
3.Select the zip code and press the controller.
The corresponding destination is displayed.
4.Move the highlight marker to the third field
from the top. Turn the controller until the
destination is selected and press the con-
troller.
Entering street, house number and
intersection
After the street you can also enter the intersec-
tion or the house number.
Entering street and intersection
1.Select "Street" or the street displayed and
press the controller.
2.Enter the street.
The street is entered in the same manner as
the town or city.
The intersection is entered in the same way as
the street.
Entering a street without entering a
town/city
You can also enter a street without specifying a
town/city. In this case, all streets of the same
name in the designated country are offered.
The corresponding town/city is displayed after
the street name.
If a town/city has already been entered, you can
negate this entry. This could be helpful in
instances where the desired street does not
exist in the entered town/city because it
belongs to another suburb, for example.

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Selecting country
1.Wait for the system to ask for the country of
destination.
Say the name of the destination country in the
language of the voice command system.
Entering destination
The destination can be spelled or entered as an
entire word.
Spelling the destination
To enter a destination, spell it in the way it is
commonly spelled in the destination country.
Pronounce the letters smoothly and at normal
volume, avoiding excessive emphases and
pauses.
The system can suggest up to 20 destina-
tions that meet your entries. Up to 6 entries
at a time appear on the Control Display.The town/city can also be selected from the list
via iDrive:
Turn the controller until the destination is
selected and press the controller.
Entering the destination as an entire
word*
Towns/cities and streets located in the region
where the language of the voice command sys-
tem is spoken can be entered as an entire word.
Example: to enter a U.S. destination as an entire
word, the system language must be English.
A prerequisite is the use of a suitable navigation
DVD.
Speak smoothly and at normal volume, and
avoid excessive emphases and pauses.
1.Wait for the system to ask for the town/city
of destination.
The system can suggest up to 6 destina-
tions that meet your entries.
The town/city can also be selected from the list
via iDrive:
Turn the controller until the destination is
selected and press the controller. 2.Say the name of the destination coun-
try.
1.To spell the name of a town/city:
Say at least the first three letters of the
town/city. The more letters you say, the
more accurately the system will recog-
nize the town/city.
The system suggests a location.
2.Selecting location:
>To select highlighted town/city:
{Yes}
>To select other town/city: {No}
>To select an entry, e.g. {Entry 3}
>To show other entries in the list:
{Next page}
>To respell the town/city: {Repeat}
2.Say the name of the destination town/
city.
The system suggests a location.
3.Selecting location:
>To select highlighted town/city:
{Yes}
>To select other town/city: {No}
>To select an entry, e.g. {Entry 3}
>To reenter the town/city: {Repeat}
>To enter the town/city by spelling:
{Spell}

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right, forwards, backwards and also
diagonally.
5.Press the controller to transfer the destina-
tion for destination guidance or to store it.
The selected destination and other menu
items are displayed.
6.Select the desired menu item:
>"Start route guidance" starts destination
guidance.
>"Show current position" places your
current position at the center of the map.
>"Show destination position" places the
current destination at the center of the
map.
>"Return to map" changes back to the
"Input map".
> Exit the menu.
7.Press the controller.
The map for destination entry can also be called
up in the map display:
Select the symbol and press the controller.
Selecting destination using
information
You can have a list of selected destinations dis-
played, e.g. hotels, sights or hospitals, and
transfer them for destination guidance.1.Select "Information" and press the control-
ler.
2.Selecting location:
>"On destination"
>"On location"
>"On a new destination"
3.Press the controller.
4.Make your selection, e.g. "Hotels and res-
taurants", and press the controller.
Destinations are shown on the Control Dis-
play.
5.Select a destination and press the control-
ler.
6.Select a menu item:
>To transfer the address to the destina-
tion list and start destination guidance: