Adjustments
28
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital contri-
bution 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 acci-
dent. To ensure that the safety systems operate
with optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to
observe the instructions contained in the follow-
ing section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page33.
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. Ensure
that the front passenger is correctly seated, e.g.
that no feet or legs are propped against the
dashboard. Otherwise, leg injury could result if
the front airbag suddenly deployed.
Make sure that passengers do not lean their
heads against the side airbags, otherwise seri-
ous 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 circumstances.
The ignition and inflation noise may provoke a
mild hearing loss in extremely sensitive individ-
uals. This effect is usually only temporary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page57.
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 page30.
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.
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 fragile objects or be pinched. Fasten the
safety belt so that it is pulled taut across the lap
and shoulder, fitting the body snugly without
any twists. Otherwise the belt could slide over
the hips in the event of a frontal collision and
injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing bulky cloth-
ing and regularly pull the belt in the upper-body
area taut, otherwise its restraining effect could
be impaired.<
Safety belts, refer to page30.
Seats
Note before adjusting
Never attempt to adjust your seat while
the vehicle is moving. The seat could
respond with unexpected movement, and the
ensuing loss of vehicle control could lead to an
accident.
On the front passenger seat as well, do not
ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
31
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.
Closing
Make sure you hear the lock engage in the belt
buckle.
The upper belt anchor is suitable for adults of
any stature as long as the seat is adjusted prop-
erly, page28.
Opening
1.Grasp the belt firmly.
2.Press the red button in the buckle.
3.Guide the belt into its reel.
Seat belt reminder
Front seats
The indicator lamps come on and an
acoustic signal sounds. Check whether
the safety belt has been fastened cor-
rectly. The 'Fasten safety belts'
reminder is issued when the driver's safety belt
has not been fastened. The 'Fasten safety belts'
reminder is also activated at road speeds above
approx. 5 mph or 8 km/h if the front passenger's
safety belt has not been fastened, if objects are
placed on the front passenger seat, or if driver or
front passenger unfasten their safety belts.
Damage to safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or stressed
in an accident: have the safety belt system
and its seat-belt tensioners replaced and the
belt anchors checked. Have this work carried out only by a MINI Dealer or by a workshop that has
specially trained personnel working in accor-
dance with the specifications of the MINI manu-
facturer, otherwise correct operation of these
safety systems is not ensured.<
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The front passenger's mirror is more con-
vex 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;
otherwise there is an increased risk of an acci-
dent.<
1Adjusting the left or right exterior mirror
2Folding mirrors in and out
*
Manual adjustment
The mirrors can also be adjusted manually: press
the edge of the glass.
Folding mirrors in and out*
Turn the knob beyond the pressure point in
direction 2. The mirrors can be folded in at road
speeds up to approx. 20 mph/30 km/h.
This can be beneficial in narrow streets, for
example, or for moving mirrors that were folded
in by hand back out into their correct positions.
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.
ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
35
Driving
Ignition lock
Insert the key all the way into the ignition lock.
>Radio readiness
Individual electrical consumers can operate.
>The electric steering wheel lock disengages
audibly.
Insert the key into the ignition lock before
you move the vehicle, otherwise the elec-
tric steering wheel lock will not disengage and
you will not be able to steer the car.<
Removing the key from the ignition lock
Press in the key briefly. It is ejected slightly.
At the same time:
>The ignition is switched off if it was on
beforehand.
>The electric steering wheel lock engages
audibly.
Automatic transmission
You cannot take out the key unless the selector
lever is in the P position: interlock.
Start/stop button
Briefly press the start/stop button to switch radio
readiness or the ignition on or off. Do not
depress the brake or clutch while doing so.
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 outside temperature are displayed in
the tachometer.
Radio readiness is switched off automatically:
>When the key is removed from the ignition
lock
>When using convenient access
* by pushing
the button on the door handle or the
button on the remote control, refer to Lock-
ing on page24
Ignition on
Most indicator and warning lamps in indicator
area 1 of the displays, page13, light up for vary-
ing lengths of time.
When the engine is off, turn off the igni-
tion and any unnecessary electrical con-
sumers in order to preserve the battery.<
Radio readiness and ignition off
All indicator and warning lamps in the displays
go out.
ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
37
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it
brakes the rear wheels.
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, excessive force could lead to over-
braking and loss of traction, i.e. fishtailing, at the
rear axle.<
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 the fully automatic mode, you can
shift gears manually using Steptronic, page38.
Parking the vehicle
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, always
select position P and apply the parking
brake before leaving the vehicle with the engine
running.<
Removing the key
1.Move the selector lever to position P.
2.Switch off the engine.
3.Remove the key.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in the tachometer
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.
Driving
40
Indicating a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for
as long as you wish to indicate a turn.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
Turn signal flashes once.
You can set whether the turn signal is to flash
once or three times.
1.Switch on the ignition, refer to page35.
2.Briefly press the button in the turn indicator
lever repeatedly until "SET/INFO" is dis-
played.
3.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.
4.Briefly press the button repeatedly until the
symbol and "SET" are displayed.
5.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.6.Briefly press the button repeatedly until the
display shows the illustrated symbol, arrow.
7.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.
8.Briefly press the button to select:
>
Brief indication of a turn.
>
Triple turn signal.
9.Press and hold the button until the display
changes. The setting is stored.
Wiper system
0Wipers parked
1Intermittent wipe or rain sensor
*
2Normal wiper speed
3Fast wiper speed
4Switching off wipers or brief wipe
5Cleaning windshield and headlamps
*
Intermittent wipe or rain sensor*
If the car is not equipped with a rain sensor, the
intermittent-wipe time is a preset.
Driving
42
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.<
Washer fluid reservoir
Fill with water and, if required, with a washer
antifreeze, according to manufacturer's recom-
mendations.
Mix the water and antifreeze before filling
the washer fluid reservoir to make sure
the correct concentration is maintained.<
Capacity
Approx. 2.6 US quarts/2.5 liters.
With headlamp washer system:
Approx. 4.8 US quarts/4.5 liters.
Cruise control*
The concept
Cruise control is available for use at speeds
above approx. 20 mph or 30 km/h. The car then
stores and maintains the speed that you specify
using the button on the steering wheel.
Do not use cruise control when driving at
constant speed is prevented by adverse
conditions, e.g. winding roads, dense traffic or
poor road conditions due to, e.g., snow, rain, ice
or loose surfaces. Otherwise you could lose con-
trol of the vehicle and cause an accident as a
result.<
Activating
1Resuming cruise control
2Activating/deactivating cruise control
3Maintaining, storing and increasing speed
4Maintaining, storing and decreasing speed
The indicator lamp in the speedometer comes
on. Cruise control is ready and can be activated.
Activating/deactivating cruise control
Press button 2.
In addition, the system is automatically deacti-
vated:
>When the brakes are applied
>When the clutch is depressed
>When the automatic transmission is in selec-
tion lever position N
>When the driving stability control system is
active
Cruise control is not deactivated by depressing
the accelerator pedal. Once the accelerator
pedal is released, the stored speed is achieved
again and maintained.
The stored speed is cleared when the ignition is
switched off.
Maintaining current speed
Press button3.
The system maintains and stores the current
vehicle speed.
If, on a downhill grade, the engine braking effect
is not sufficient, the controlled speed may be
exceeded. On uphill grades vehicle speed may
drop if the engine output is insufficient.
ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
43
Increasing speed
Press button3 repeatedly until the desired
speed is reached. Every time you press the but-
ton, the speed increases by approx. 2 mph or
2km/h.
Accelerating using the button
Press and hold button3.
The vehicle accelerates without pressure on the
accelerator pedal. After the button is released,
the driving speed is maintained and stored.
Decreasing speed
Press button4 repeatedly until the desired
speed is reached.
The functions here are the same as for increas-
ing the speed or accelerating, except that the
speed will be decreased.
Resuming a speed stored beforehand
Press button 1.
The last speed stored is achieved again and
maintained.
The stored speed is cleared when the ignition is
switched off.
Everything under control
44
Everything under control
Odometer, outside tem-
perature display, clock
1Outside temperature display and clock or
current speed
2Odometer and trip odometer
3Resetting the trip odometer
Units of measure
Select the respective units of measure, miles or
km for the odometer as well as 7 or 6 for the
outside temperature, page47.
Outside temperature display, time
Setting the time, refer to page50.
Outside temperature warning
When the displayed temperature sinks to
approx. +377/+36, a signal sounds and a
warning lamp lights up. There is an increased
risk of black ice.
Black ice can also form at temperatures
above +377/+36. You should therefore
drive carefully on bridges and shaded roads, for
example, otherwise there is an increased risk of
an accident.<
Current vehicle speed
To have the current speed shown in the upper
display for the outside temperature and time.
Press and hold the button in the turn indicator
lever until the display changes.The outside temperature then appears in the
bottom display.
Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting the trip odometer
With the ignition switched on, press knob 3 in
the tachometer.
When the vehicle is parked
To display the time, outside temperature and
odometer briefly after the key is removed from
the ignition lock:
Press knob 3 in the tachometer.
Tachometer
Never operate the engine with the needle in the
red overspeed zone of the gauge. In this range,
the fuel supply is interrupted to protect the
engine.
Coolant temperature
A warning lamp will come on if the coolant, and
therefore the engine, becomes too hot.
Check coolant level, refer to page96.