Things to remember when driving
124 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.
When vehicle is parked
Condensation forms in the automatic climate
control system during operation, and then exits
under the vehicle. Traces of condensed water
under the vehicle are therefore normal.
Before driving into a car wash
Fold in the exterior mirrors, refer to page48,
otherwise they could be damaged due to the
width of the vehicle.
General information on the care and mainte-
nance of your BMW is contained in the Caring
for your vehicle brochure.
Rear window wiper
The rear window wiper can be damaged in car
washes. Take appropriate protective measures;
ask the car wash operator if necessary.
With comfort access*
Insert the remote control into the ignition lock.
The engine can be switched off in transmission
position N. Also refer to page36.
Loading
To avoid loading the tires beyond their
approved carrying capacity, never over-
load the vehicle. Overloading can lead to over-
heating and increases the rate at which damage
develops inside the tires. The ultimate result
can assume the form of a sudden blow-out.<
Determining loading limit
1.Locate the following statement on your
vehicle's placard
*:
The combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed
YYY lbs. or XXX kg. Otherwise, this could
damage the vehicle and produce unstable
vehicle operating conditions.<
2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from YYY lbs. or XXX kg.
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the YYY amount equals
1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs.:
1,400 lbs. minus 750 lbs. = 650 lbs.
5.Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity calculated
in step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, part of
the load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult the manual for
transporting a trailer to determine how this
may reduce the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
Driving tips
125Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Load
The permissible load is the total of the weight of
occupants and cargo/luggage. The greater the
weight of occupants, the less cargo/luggage
can be transported.
Stowing cargo
>Load heavy cargo as far forward and as low
as possible, placing it directly behind the
backrest.
>Cover sharp edges and corners.
>For very heavy cargo when the rear seat is
not occupied, secure each safety belt in the
opposite buckle.
>Do not pile objects higher than the top edge
of the backrest.
>Use the separation net to protect the occu-
pants, refer to page116. Make sure that
objects cannot penetrate through the sepa-
ration net.
Wrap sharp-edged or pointed objects
which could strike the rear window while
driving.
Securing cargo
>Use the luggage net*, retaining straps*, or
securing straps to hold down small and
lightweight luggage and cargo.
>For larger and heavier pieces, heavy-duty
cargo straps
* are available from your BMW
Sports Activity Vehicle Center. Four lashing
eyes mounted in the cargo bay are used to
secure these heavy-duty cargo straps, refer
to illustration.
>Please observe the special instructions
supplied with the heavy-duty cargo straps.
Position and secure the cargo as
described above, so that it cannot endan-
ger the car's occupants, for example if sudden
braking or evasive maneuvers are necessary.
Use only the lashing eyes to secure heavy-duty
cargo straps, refer to illustration, otherwise the
cargo straps could become detached or the
vehicle could be damaged.
Never exceed either the approved gross vehicle
weight or either of the approved axle loads, refer
to page244, as excessive loads can pose a
safety hazard, and may also place you in viola-
tion of traffic safety laws.
You should never transport unsecured heavy or
hard objects in the passenger compartment, as
they could fly around and pose a safety hazard
to the vehicle's occupants during abrupt brak-
ing or evasive maneuvers.<
Things to remember when driving
126
Roof-mounted luggage rack*
A special rack system is available as an option
for your BMW. Please comply with the precau-
tions included with the installation instructions.
Loading roof-mounted luggage rack
Because roof racks raise the vehicle's center of
gravity when loaded, they have a major effect on
its handling and steering response. You should
therefore always remember not to exceed the
approved roof load capacity, the approved
gross vehicle weight or the axle loads when
loading the rack.
You can find the specified weights under
Weights on page244.
The load on the roof must be evenly distributed
and must not extend outward beyond the limits
of the loading surface. Always stow the heaviest
pieces on the bottom. Be sure that adequate
clearance is maintained for raising the pan-
orama glass sunroof, and that objects do not
project into the opening path of the liftgate.
Secure roof-mounted cargo correctly and
securely to prevent it from shifting or falling off
during the trip.
Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden acceleration and
braking maneuvers. Take corners gently.
Driving on poor roads
Your X5 is at home on all roads and surfaces.
It combines a 4-wheel drive system with the
advantages of a normal passenger car.
Driving on unpaved terrain can cause
damage to the vehicle.<
When you are driving on poor roads, there are a
few points which you should strictly observe for
your own safety, for that of your passengers,
and for the safety of the vehicle:
>Familiarize yourself with the vehicle before
driving off and avoid taking risks at all costs.
>Adapt your driving speed to the road condi-
tions. The steeper and rougher the road
surface is, the lower the speed should be.>You can operate your vehicle on uphill and
downhill gradients with a maximum slope of
50 %. If you want to drive on uphill or down-
hill gradients of this kind, make sure before-
hand that the engine oil and coolant levels
are near the MAX mark, refer to page225.
>Use the HDC Hill Descent Control when
driving down extremely steep grades, refer
to page85. It is possible to start off on
grades of up to 33 %.
The permissible body roll is 50 %.
>While driving, watch carefully for obstacles
such as rocks or holes. Try to avoid these
obstacles whenever possible.
>Please make sure that the undercarriage
does not touch the ground, for example on
crests and bumpy roads. The ground clear-
ance of the vehicle is a maximum of approx.
8.0 in/20 cm. Please note that the ground
clearance can vary depending on loading
and the driving conditions of the vehicle.
>Only drive through water on roads up to a
maximum depth of 20 in/50 cm and only at
walking speed, making sure not to stop in
the process.
>After driving through water at low speed,
lightly press the brake pedal several times
to dry the brakes and to prevent the braking
effect from being reduced by wetness.
>Depending on the condition of the surface,
it may be practical to briefly activate DTC,
refer to DTC Dynamic Traction Control on
page85.
>If the drive wheels spin on one side, depress
the accelerator pedal sufficiently so that the
driving stability control systems can distrib-
ute the drive forces to the individual wheels.
Please note the following points after driving on
poor roads to maintain the driving safety of your
BMW:
>Clean the coarsest dirt from the body.
>Clean mud, snow, ice etc. from the wheels
and tires and check the tires for damage.
Navigation
Driving tips
131Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Destination entry
In entering your destination you can select from
among the following options:
>Entering a destination manually, see below
>Entering destination via voice*, 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 page139
>Selecting home address, refer to page141
After selecting your destination you can pro-
ceed to start the destination guidance, refer to
page143.
You can also store a navigation destination on
the programmable memory/direct selection
buttons, refer to page 21.
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 can endanger the vehicle occupants
and other road users.<
iDrive, for explanation of concept, refer to
page16.1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the right to open
"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/cities, 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.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Navigation" is selected and
press the controller.
"New destination" is selected.
Destination entry
132 2.Press the controller.
3.Select "Enter address" and press the con-
troller.
The system also supports you with the follow-
ing features:
>If you do not enter a street, the system will
guide you to the downtown area of a town or
city.
>You can skip the entry of country and town/
city if the current entries should be retained
for your new destination.
Selecting country
1.Select "State / Province" or the displayed
country and press the controller.
The list of available countries appears on
the display.2.Select the country of destination and press
the controller.
In order to be able to start the destination guid-
ance, at least the town/city of the destination or
its zip code must be entered.
Entering destination via town/city
name
1.Select "Town / City" or the displayed town/
city and press the controller.
2.Select the starting letter and press the con-
troller.
A list of all towns/cities starting with this let-
ter appears on the Control Display.
3.To delete the letter entered if necessary:
>Delete individual numbers or letters:
Move the controller to the right to select
and press the controller.
>Delete all numbers or letters:
Move the controller to the right to select
and hold down the controller.
4.If necessary, enter more letters.
The list gradually grows smaller each time
you enter a new letter.
>Enter blank space if necessary:
Select the symbol and press the con-
troller.
Navigation
Driving tips
133Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
5.Change to the third field from the top if nec-
essary. Turn the controller until the town or
city name is selected from the list and press
the controller.
Entering destination via 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.
>Enter a blank space:
Select the symbol and press the con-
troller.
>Delete individual numbers or letters:
Move the controller to the right to select
and press the controller.
>Delete all numbers or letters:
Move the controller to the right to select
and hold down the controller.
3.Select the zip code and press the controller.
The corresponding destination is displayed.
4.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until the destination is
selected and press the controller.
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 displayed street and
press the controller.
2.Enter the street.
The street is entered exactly like the desti-
nation.
The intersection is entered in the same way as
the street.
Entering a street without entering a
town/city of destination
You can also enter a street without entering a
town/city of destination. In this case all streets
of the entered country are offered for selection.
The related town/city is displayed after the
street name.
If a town/city has already been entered, you can
undo this entry. This may be practical if the
desired street does not exist in the entered des-
tination, because, for example, it belongs to
another part of the town/city.
Navigation
Driving tips
135Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Selecting country
1.Wait for the system to request the country
of destination.
Say the name of the country of destination in
the language of the voice command system.
Entering destination
The destination can be spelled or entered as an
entire word.
Spelling destination
To enter the destination, spell it using the
orthography of the country of destination.
Say the letters smoothly and at normal volume,
avoiding excessive emphasis and pauses.
The system can suggest up to 20 desti-
nations that match your entries. Up to
6 entries are displayed at once on the Con-
trol 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*
Destinations and streets in the same language
area as the language of the voice command
system can be spoken as an entire word.
Example: To enter a destination located in the
US as an entire word, the language of the sys-
tem must be English.
The condition for this is the use of a suitable
navigation DVD.
Speak smoothly and at normal volume, avoiding
excessive emphasis and pauses.
1.Wait for the system to request the destina-
tion.
The system can suggest up to 6 destina-
tions that match 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 country of destina-
tion.
1.Spell town/city name:
Say at least the first three letters of the
destination. The more letters you say,
the more exactly the system recognizes
the town/city.
A destination is suggested by the system.
2.Select city/town:
>Choose selected city/town: {Yes}
>Select other city/town: {No}
>Select entry, e.g. {Entry 3}
>Display additional entries of the list:
{Next page}
>Spell the city/town again: {Repeat}
2.Say the name of the destination.
A destination is suggested by the system.
3.Select city/town:
>Choose selected city/town: {Yes}
>Select other city/town: {No}
>Select entry, e.g. {Entry 3}
>Enter city/town again: {Repeat}
>Enter destination by spelling it:
{Spell}
Destination entry
136 Destinations that sound the same which
cannot be differentiated by the system
are summarized in a separate list and shown as
a destination followed by three dots.
Select this entry with {Yes} if necessary. Then
select the desired city/town in this list.<
Entering street and house number
The street is entered in the same way as the
destination.
To enter the house number:
Up to 4-digit house numbers can be entered.
Say the house number as individual numbers.
Starting destination guidance
Destination guidance starts immediately.
Saving destination
The destination is added to the destination list
or can be stored in the address book.
Selecting destination via map
If you only know the location of the town/city or
street of the destination, then you can enter the
destination by using a map. You can use the
cursor to select the destination on the map and
then apply it in the destination guidance.
1.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
"New destination" is selected.2.Press the controller.
3.Select "Input map" and press the controller.
A section of a map is displayed on the Con-
trol Display:
>During destination guidance, around the
current destination
>With the destination guidance deacti-
vated, around the last destination
entered
4.Select destination with cursor.
>Changing scale: turn the controller.
>Moving map: move the controller in the
corresponding direction.
The controller can be moved to the left,
right, forward, backward and also diago-
nally. 1.{House number}
2.Say the house number.
{Start guidance}
{Add to destination} or
{Add to address book}