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DTC Dynamic Traction Control
DTC is a version of DSC in which the drive out-
put is optimized for particular road conditions,
e.g. unplowed snow-covered roads. The sys-
tem assures the maximal drive output, but with
reduced driving stability. It is therefore neces-
sary to drive with appropriate caution.
You may find it useful to briefly activate DTC
under the following special circumstances:
>When driving in sand, on snowy inclines, in
slush or on unplowed, snow-covered road
surfaces
>When rocking a stuck vehicle free or start-
ing off in deep snow, sand or on loose
ground
>When driving with snow chains
*
Activating DTC
Press the button briefly; the DTC indicator lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up.
For better control
The indicator lamp flashes:
DTC controls the drive forces and
brake forces.
The indicator lamp lights up:
DTC is activated.
Deactivating DTC
Press the button again; the DTC indicator lamp
in the instrument cluster goes out.
xDrive
xDrive is the 4-wheel drive system of your X5.
The combined effects of xDrive and DSC fur-
ther optimize the traction and dynamic driving
characteristics. The 4-wheel drive system
xDrive variably distributes the drive forces to
the front and rear axle depending on the driving
situation and prevailing road conditions.
HDC Hill Descent Control
The concept
HDC is a system for driving downhill in steep
terrain. This system reduces vehicle speed on
steep downhill gradients, thus allowing you to
maintain even better control of your BMW
under these conditions. The vehicle moves at
approximately walking speed without active
intervention from the driver.
HDC is available for activation at vehicle speeds
below approx. 22 mph/35 km/h. When driving
down steep hills with a speed below approx.
22 mph/35 km/h, the vehicle reduces speed
automatically down to approximately walking
speed, approx. 5 mph/8 km/h, and then main-
tains this speed at a constant.
Only use HDC in transmission position D or R.
Increasing or reducing speed
You can use the accelerator or brakes to vary
this automatically controlled speed within a
range extending from approx. 3 mph/5 km/h to
15 mph/25 km/h.
You can specify a target speed within the same
range by using the lever of the cruise control.
1Increasing speed
2Reducing speed
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>Normal:
The LED in the button goes out.
The selection of the chassis and suspension
tuning setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Self-leveling suspension*
Malfunction
The warning lamp for self-leveling
suspension lights up yellow and a
message is shown on the Control
Display. A malfunction has occurred in the self-
leveling suspension. Stop and check the vehi-
cle. If it is considerably lower at the rear than at
the front, and possibly also on one side – rear
left compared to rear right –, proceed to the
nearest BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or
a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with correspondingly trained
personnel. Drive with appropriate caution in the
meantime. The vehicle has reduced ground
clearance and driving comfort may be notice-
ably reduced. Even if the orientation of the vehi-
cle is normal, when a malfunction is indicated
on the display, you should proceed to the near-
est BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or a
workshop that works according to BMW guide-
lines and uses appropriately trained personnel.
FTM Flat Tire Monitor*
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor keeps track of the infla-
tion pressures in the tires as you drive. The sys-
tem provides an alert whenever the inflation
pressure drops significantly in relation to the
pressure in another tire.
In the event of a pressure loss, the rolling radius
and therefore the rotation speed of the wheels
change. This change is detected and is
reported as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat
tire, the system must be initialized for the cor-
rect tire inflation pressure.
The initialization must be repeated after
each time the tire inflation pressure is cor-
rected and after every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot indicate
sudden severe tire damage caused by
outside factors and does not detect a natural,
even pressure drop in all four tires.<
In the following situations, the system could be
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
>Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels,
high lateral acceleration
>Driving with snow chains
*
When you are driving with the compact wheel*
the Flat Tire Monitor is unable to function.
Initializing system
The initialization finishes during driving,
which can be interrupted at any time.
When driving resumes, the initialization is con-
tinued automatically. Do not initialize the sys-
tem when driving with snow chains
* or with the
compact wheel
*.<
iDrive, for explanation of concept, refer to
page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
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Activity Vehicle Center or a workshop that
works according to BMW repair procedures
with correspondingly trained personnel and has
the required explosives licenses. Unprofes-
sional attempts to service the system could
lead to failure in an emergency or undesired air-
bag activation, either of which could result in
personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and
side airbags on the front passenger side are
activated or deactivated accordingly by the sys-
tem.
The current status of the front passenger
airbags, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front
passenger airbags in the following.<
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, observe the safety infor-
mation and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, refer to page52.
The front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side can be deactivated for teenagers and
adults in certain sitting positions; then the indi-
cator lamp for the front passenger airbags lights
up. In these cases, change the sitting position
so that the front passenger airbags are acti-
vated and the indicator lamp goes out. If the
desired status cannot be produced by changing
the sitting position, transport the correspond-
ing person on the rear seat. Do not fit seat cov-
ers, seat cushion padding, ball mats or other
items onto the front passenger seat unless they
are specifically recommended by BMW. Do not
lay objects under the seat which could press
against the seat from below. Otherwise a cor-
rect evaluation of the occupied seat surface
cannot be ensured.<
Operating state of front passenger
airbags
Depending on the vehicle's equipment, the
arrangement of the switches and indicator
lamps may differ somewhat.
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operating status of the front
and side airbags on the front passenger side
depending on the seat occupation. The indica-
tor lamp shows whether the front passenger
airbags are activated or deactivated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in
a child restraint system intended for the
purpose is properly detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are not activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when,
for example, a correctly seated person of
sufficient height is detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when
the seat is empty.
However, the front and side airbags on the
front passenger side are not activated.
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Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lights off and daytime running lamps*
1Parking lamps and daytime running lamps*
2Low beams and courtesy lamps
3Automatic headlamp control
*, daytime run-
ning lamps
*, courtesy lamps, Adaptive
Head Light
*
Parking lamps
In position1, the front, rear and side vehicle
lighting is switched on. You can use the parking
lamps for parking.
The parking lamps drain the battery. Do
not leave them switched on for long peri-
ods of time, otherwise it may no longer be pos-
sible to start the engine. It is better to switch on
the roadside parking lamps on one side, refer to
page99.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
If the light switch remains in position 2, the
exterior lamps are switched off automatically
when the driver's door is opened while the igni-
tion is off.
Switch on the parking lamps if required as
described under Parking lamps.
Automatic headlamp control*
With the daytime running lamps activated, refer
to page98, the daytime running lamps are
switched on in position3 with the ignition
switched on. The system automatically
switches over to the low beams depending on
the ambient light, e.g. in a tunnel, at dawn and
dusk and in case of precipitation. The LED next
to the symbol lights up when the low beams are
on.
When driving into a tunnel with bright overhead
lighting, switching on of the lights may be
delayed.
A blue sky with the sun low on the horizon can
cause the lights to be switched on.
The low beams remain switched on inde-
pendent of the ambient lighting condi-
tions when you switch on the fog lamps
*.<
If desired, the light switch can be left in
position3. The exterior lighting is automatically
switched off after parking the vehicle.
The automatic headlamp control cannot
serve as a substitute for your personal
judgment in determining when the lamps
should be switched on in response to ambient
lighting conditions. For example, the sensors
cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To avoid
safety risks, you should always switch on the
low beams manually under these conditions.<
Courtesy lamps
If, when parking the vehicle, you leave the light
switch in position2 or3, the parking lamps and
the interior lamps light up for a certain time
when the vehicle is unlocked.
Pathway lighting
When you activate the headlamp flasher after
parking the vehicle and switching off the lamps,
the low beams will come on for a brief period.
You can set the duration or deactivate the func-
tion via iDrive.
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1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the left to open
"Climate".
3.Select "Automatic programs" and press the
controller.
4.Select the desired intensity and press the
controller.
The marked intensity of the automatic
program is switched on.
Temperature
Set the desired temperature indi-
vidually on the driver's and front
passenger side.
The automatic climate control
adjusts this temperature as quickly as possible
at any time of year, if necessary with the maxi-
mum cooling or heating capacity, and then
keeps it constant.
When switching between different tem-
perature settings in rapid succession, the
automatic climate control does not have suffi-
cient time to adjust the set temperature.<
Adjusting temperature
The highest cooling output of the automatic cli-
mate control is a temperature of 607/166
and the highest heating output at 847/286.
For cooling with the highest temperature
setting, select an interior temperature of
837/27.56, as at 847/286 the automatic
climate control operates with the highest heat-
ing output.<
Adjusting temperature in upper body
region
1.Open the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the left to open
"Climate".
3.Select "Vent settings" and press the con-
troller.
4.Move the controller to select the field.
5.Turn the controller to adjust the tempera-
ture.
Defrosting windows and removing
condensation
Quickly remove ice and condensa-
tion from the windshield and front
side windows.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster
switches off automatically after a
while.
Air volume, manual
You can vary the air volume by
pressing on the corresponding
side. You can reactivate the auto-
matic mode for the air volume with the AUTO
button.
Air distribution, manual
You can route the air flow out into the vehicle
interior with various programs.
Programs on driver's side:
>Upper body region
>Upper body region and footwell
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Rear automatic climate
control*
The control unit of the rear automatic climate
control is located in the center console in the
rear. The following settings and operating
modes can be selected and adjusted separately
for the left and right rear seating area:
1Temperature, left rear seating area
2AUTO program
3Display
4Temperature, right rear seating area
5Seat heating, right rear seat
6Air volume, manual
7Seat heating, left rear seat
The current setting for the temperature and the
air volume is shown on the display3.
Activating rear automatic climate
control
iDrive, for explanation of concept, refer to
page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the left to open
"Climate".
3.Select "Rear climate control" and press the
controller.4.Select the desired settings and press the
controller.
The rear automatic climate control is
activated and the settings of the automatic
climate control on the driver's side can be
applied if necessary.
The rear automatic climate control is not
ready for operation if the automatic cli-
mate control is switched off. When activating
the function of the automatic climate control for
defrosting the windows and removing conden-
sation, the rear automatic climate control is also
not ready for operation.<
AUTO program
The AUTO program assumes the
adjustment of the air distribution
toward the upper body and in the
footwell, as well as the air volume
for you. It also adapts your instruc-
tions for the temperature to outside influences
throughout the year.
Temperature
Set the desired temperature indi-
vidually on the left and right side.
The rear automatic climate control
adjusts this temperature as quickly
as possible at any time of year, if necessary with
the maximum cooling or heating capacity, and
then keeps it constant.
When switching between different tem-
perature settings in rapid succession, the
rear automatic climate control does not have
sufficient time to adjust the set temperature.<
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Setting language
You can set the language of the display.
Press the adjustment button for approx.
12-13 seconds. Briefly press the adjustment
button again to switch between English "E" and
German "O".
The setting is automatically stored after approx.
10 seconds.
Roller sun blinds for rear side
windows*
Pull the loop of the roller sun blind and hook
onto bracket.
With roller sun blinds attached, do not
open the windows during travel. The
blinds may otherwise be damaged by the
wind.<
Glove compartment
Opening
Press the button. The covers open upward and
downward and the lighting in the glove com-
partment switches on.
To prevent injury in the event of an acci-
dent while the vehicle is being driven,
close the glove compartment immediately after
use.<
Closing
Press one of the two covers closed; both covers
are closed.
Center armrest
A storage compartment is located under the
armrest between the front seats and, depend-
ing on the vehicle's equipment, also a cover for
the mobile phone bracket or snap-in adapter.
Also refer to page188.
Opening cover
Press the button; the respective cover folds
upward.
Connection for external audio device
You can connect an external audio device, e.g. a
CD or an MP3 player, and play the sound via the
vehicle loudspeakers, refer to page171.
Rechargeable flashlight*
The flashlight can remain plugged in continu-
ously. Pull the flashlight out of the socket when
needed.
To avoid possibly damaging the lamp,
always ensure that it is switched off
before inserting it in the socket.<
Storage compartments
There are other storage compartments in the
doors as well as in the front and rear center con-
sole
*.
Storage nets
* are located on the backrests of
the front seats.
Do not stow hard or sharp-edged objects
in the storage nets or the net, otherwise
there is an increased risk of injury in an acci-
dent.<
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Press the button. The ashtray insert raises
slightly and can be removed.
Rear
To empty, press open the cover completely.
The ashtray rises and can be removed.
Lighter
Front
Press in the lighter with the engine running or
the ignition switched on.
The lighter can be removed as soon as it pops
back out.
Hold or touch the hot cigarette lighter by
the knob only. Holding or touching it in
other areas could result in burns.Always take along the remote control when you
leave the vehicle, otherwise children could, for
example, use the lighter and burn themselves.<
Rear
Refer to Cigarette lighter, front.
Connecting electrical devices
Sockets
With the engine running or the ignition switched
on, the cigarette lighter socket can be used as a
power outlet for hand flashlights, car vacuum
cleaners, etc., with power ratings of up to
approx. 200 W at 12 V. Avoid damaging the
socket due to inserting plugs of different
shapes or sizes. The same is true for all power
outlets in the vehicle.
In cargo bay
Access to socket:
Fold open the cover.
In storage compartment under center
armrest
Access to socket*:
Pull off the cover.