
Controls
 57Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
3.Allow the belt strap to retract and pull it taut 
against the child-restraint system.
The safety belt is locked.
To unlock the safety belt
1.Open the belt buckle
2.Remove the child-restraint system.
3.Allow the safety belt strap to retract all the 
way.
LATCH child-restraint fixing 
system
LATCH: Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHil-
dren.
To install and use the LATCH child 
restraint system, follow the operating and 
safety instructions provided by the manufac-
turer of the system, otherwise the protective 
function of the seat may be compromised.<
Before installing the child seat, pull the belt out 
of the area for the child-restraint fixing system.
Ensure that both lower LATCH anchors 
are correctly engaged and that the child 
restraint system is resting firmly against the 
backrest, otherwise the protective function of 
the seat may be compromised.<
The anchor points for the lower LATCH 
anchors are located behind the labeled protec-
tive caps.
Coupe: child-restraint system with 
tether strap
Use the top tether anchors to secure 
child-restraint systems only, otherwise 
the anchors could be damaged.
Coupe: placement of the tether strap
Make sure the upper retaining strap does 
not run over sharp edges and is not 
twisted as it passes to the top anchor. Other-
wise the strap will not properly secure the child-
restraint system in the event of an accident.<
1Direction of travel
2Head restraint
3Hook for upper retaining strap
4Anchor
5Rear window shelf
6Seat backrest
7Upper retaining strap of child-restraint sys-
tem
If necessary, fold the anchors upward before 
use.
1.Push the head restraint upward.
2.Guide the upper retaining strap between 
the head restraint holders.
3.Use the hook to clip the retaining strap to 
the anchor.
4.Push the head restraint into its lowermost 
position. 

Controls
 61Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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, excessive force on 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 
page62.
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. Removing the remote control from 
the ignition lock, refer to page59.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + – 

Controls
 89Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
until "PDC" is selected and press the con-
troller.
6.Select "PDC display on" and press the con-
troller.
 The PDC screen is activated.
The display is shown on the Control Display as 
soon as PDC is activated.
System limitations
Even with PDC, final responsibility for 
estimating the distance between the 
vehicle and any obstructions always remains 
with the driver. Even when sensors are pro-
vided, there is a blind spot in which objects can 
no longer be detected. The system is also sub-
ject to the physical limits that apply to all forms 
of ultrasonic measurement, such as those 
encountered with trailer towbars and hitches, 
thin or wedge-shaped objects, etc. Low objects 
that have already been displayed, e. g. curbs, 
can disappear again from the detection area of 
the sensors before or after a continuous tone 
sounds. Higher, protruding objects, e.g. ledges, 
cannot be detected. Therefore, always drive 
cautiously, otherwise there is a risk of personal 
injury or property damage.
Loud sound sources outside or inside the car 
can drown out the PDC signal.<
Driving stability control 
systems
Your BMW has a number of systems that help 
to maintain the vehicle's stability even in 
adverse driving conditions.
ABS Antilock Brake System
ABS prevents locking of the wheels during 
braking. Safe steering response is maintained 
even during full braking. Active safety is thus 
increased.
The ABS is operational every time you start the 
engine. Braking safely, refer to page126.
Electronic brake-force distribution
The system controls the brake pressure in the 
rear wheels to ensure stable braking behavior.
DBC Dynamic Brake Control
When you apply the brakes rapidly, this system 
automatically produces the maximum braking 
force boost and thus helps to achieve the short-
est possible braking distance during full brak-
ing. This system exploits all of the benefits pro-
vided by ABS.
Do not reduce the pressure on the brake for the 
duration of the full braking application.
DSC Dynamic Stability Control
DSC prevents the driving wheels from losing 
traction when you pull away from rest or accel-
erate. The system also recognizes unstable 
driving conditions, for example if the rear of the 
car is about to swerve or if momentum is acting 
at an angle past the front wheels. In these 
cases, DSC helps the vehicle maintain a safe 
course within physical limits by reducing engine 
output and through braking actions at the indi-
vidual wheels.
The laws of physics cannot be repealed, 
even with DSC. An appropriate driving 
style always remains the responsibility of the 
driver. Therefore, do not reduce the additional 
safety margin again by taking risks, as this could 
result in an accident.< 

Controls
 97Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags, front and rear
3Side airbags in the seat backrests
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on 
page45 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and 
front passenger by responding to frontal 
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the 
head and side airbags help provide protection in 
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The 
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags have been designed to not be trig-
gered in every collision situation, e.g. not in 
minor accidents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the 
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or 
modify them in any other way. Do not attach 
seat covers, cushions or other objects not spe-
cifically approved for seats with integral side air-
bags to the front seats. Do not hang items of 
clothing such as coats or jackets over the back-
rests. Do not attempt to remove the airbag 
retention system from the vehicle. Do not mod-
ify the individual components of the system or 
its wiring in any way. This includes the uphol-
stered covers on the steering wheel, instrument 
panel, seats and roof posts, as well as the sides of the roof lining. Do not attempt to remove or 
dismantle the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components imme-
diately after the system has been triggered, 
because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation or 
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have 
the testing, repair, removal and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center 
or a workshop that works according to repair 
procedures of BMW with correspondingly 
trained personnel and that has the required 
explosives licenses. Unprofessional attempts to 
work on the system could lead to failure in an 
emergency or to undesired airbag activation, 
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warning notices and information about the air-
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the front 
passenger airbags
An analysis of the impression in the front pas-
senger seat cushion determines whether and 
how the seat is occupied. The front and side air-
bags for the front passenger are activated or 
deactivated by the system accordingly.
The indicator lamp above the interior 
rearview mirror shows the current status 
of the front passenger airbags, deactivated or 
activated, refer to Status of front passenger air-
bags below.
Before transporting a child on the front 
passenger seat, read the safety precau-
tions and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, refer to page56. 

Controls
 99Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The protection bars behind the rear head 
restraints deploy within fractions of a second.
As a supplementary system to the reinforced 
windshield frame, the rollover protection sys-
tem ensures that the necessary headroom is 
maintained for all vehicle occupants.
Always keep the area of movement of the 
rollover protection system clear.
In minor accidents, you are protected by the 
fastened safety belt and, depending on acci-
dent severity, by the safety belt tensioner and 
multi-phase airbag retention system.<
Resetting
If the rollover protection system was not 
impacted after being automatically activated, it 
can be reset by lowering the protection bars to 
their original positions. This does not require 
tools.
1.Push the locking lever to one side and hold 
it there.
2.Push the protection bar halfway down from 
above.
3.Release the locking lever.
4.Push the protection bar down until it snaps 
into place.5.Repeat the procedure for the other protec-
tion bar.
Have the rollover protection system checked 
after an unexpected activation.
Never move the retractable hardtop when 
the rollover protection system is in the 
activated position.
Do not make any modifications to the individual 
components of the rollover protection system 
or its cabling.
Work on the rollover protection system should 
only be performed by a BMW center.
Incorrectly performed work on the system may 
lead to system failure or incorrect operation.
To check the system and ensure flawless long-
term operation, always observe the service 
intervals, refer to page79.< 

Controls
 103Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Instrument lighting
You can adjust the brightness of the instrument 
lighting only when the parking lamps or the low 
beams are switched on.
1.Push button 1 up or down repeatedly until 
the appropriate symbol appears in the dis-
play, accompanied by the brightness set-
ting and scale the word "SET".
2.Press button 2.
3.Push button 1 up or down to select the 
desired brightness level.
4.Press button 2 in the turn indicator lever.
The display again shows the outside tem-
perature and the time.
Interior lamps
The interior lamps, footwell lamps*, entry 
lamps
*, cargo bay lamp and courtesy lamps* 
are controlled automatically.
The LEDs for the courtesy lamps
 are set in the 
door handles and illuminate the ground in front 
of the doors.
To avoid draining the battery, all lamps 
inside the car are switched off about 8 minutes after the ignition is switched off, refer 
to Start/stop button on page59.<
Switching interior lamps on/off 
manually
Interior lamps, front and rear*:
To switch on and off, press the button.
To switch off the interior lamps, footwell 
lamps
*, entry lamps* and courtesy lamps* per-
manently, press the button for the front interior 
lamps for about 3 seconds.
Reading lamps
There are reading lamps at the front and rear*, 
next to the interior lamps. To switch on and off, 
press the button. 

Controls
 107Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Left-hand LED on, AUC mode: a sensor 
detects pollutants in the outside air. If nec-
essary, the system blocks the supply of out-
side air and recirculates the inside air. As 
soon as the concentration of pollutants in 
the outside air has decreased sufficiently, 
the system automatically switches back to 
outside air supply.
>Right-hand LED on, recirculated-air mode: 
the supply of outside air is permanently 
shut off. The system then recirculates the 
air currently within the vehicle.
If condensation starts to form on the 
inside window surfaces during operation 
in the recirculated-air mode, you should switch 
it off while also increasing the air flow rate as 
required. 
The recirculated-air mode should not be used 
over an extended period of time, otherwise the 
air quality inside the car will deteriorate contin-
uously.<
Via the button* on the steering wheel
You can switch quickly between the recircu-
lated-air mode and the previous mode using an 
individually programmable button
 on the steer-
ing wheel, refer to page11.
Residual heat
The heat stored in the engine is 
used to heat the passenger com-
partment, e.g. while stopped at a 
school to pick up a child.
The function can be switched on when the fol-
lowing conditions are met:
>Up to 15 minutes after the engine has been 
switched off
>While the engine is at operating tempera-
ture
>As long as battery voltage is sufficient
>At an outside temperature below 777/
256
The LED is lit when the function is on.
As of radio readiness, you can set the interior 
temperature, the air flow rate and the air distri-
bution.
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation
Quickly removes ice and conden-
sation from the windshield and 
front side windows.
Switch on the cooling function as well.
Switching cooling function on/off
The cooling function cools and 
dehumidifies the incoming air 
before reheating it as required, 
according to the temperature setting. This 
function is only available while the engine is 
running.
The cooling function helps prevent condensa-
tion on the windows or removes it quickly.
Depending on the weather, the windshield may 
fog over briefly when the engine is started.
The cooling function is automatically switched 
on along with the AUTO program.
Rear window defroster
The defroster is switched off auto-
matically after a certain time. 
Depending on your vehicle's 
equipment, the upper wires serve as an antenna 
and are not part of the rear window defroster.
Ventilation
1Use the knurled wheels to smoothly open 
and close the air vents
2Use the lever to change the direction of the 
airflow
3Knurled wheel for more or less cool air from 
the vents for the upper body area 

Controls
 115Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Storage tray
>Storage compartment with cover
>Cup holders
Coupe: clothes hooks
Press the upper edge to flip open.
Items of clothing hung from the hooks 
must not obstruct the driver's view. Do 
not hang heavy objects from the hooks, other-
wise they could endanger the car's occupants, 
e.g. in case of heavy braking or sudden swerv-
ing.<
Cup holders
Use lightweight and shatterproof contain-
ers and do not transport hot beverages, 
otherwise there is an increased risk of injury in 
the event of the accident. Do not force contain-
ers that are too large into the cup holders, oth-
erwise damage could result.<
Front
Opening
Briefly press the center of the cover.
Closing
Briefly press the cover in the center and push in 
the cup holder.
Coupe: rear
There are two additional cup holders in the rear 
center armrest.
Press the front of the armrest.
Convertible: rear
There are two additional cup holders in the rear 
console.
Press the button to open.