
Lamps
102 of the road surface. Depending on the steering 
angle and other parameters, the light from the 
headlamp follows the course of the road.
In tight curves at speeds up to 40 mph/70 km/h, 
e.g. on mountainous roads or when turning, an 
additional, corner-illuminating lamp is switched 
on that lights up the inside area of the curve.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
With the ignition switched on, turn the light 
switch to position 3, refer to page100. 
The corner-illuminating lamp is switched on 
automatically, depending on the steering wheel 
angle or turn signal indicator.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adaptive 
Head Light directs light towards the front pas-
senger side when the vehicle is at a standstill. 
When you are reversing, only the corner-illumi-
nating lamps are active and switched on on 
both sides.
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. Adaptive Head Light is 
malfunctioning or has failed. Have the system 
checked as soon as possible.
High beams/roadside parking 
lamps
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Roadside parking lamps
*
Roadside parking lamps, left or right*
There is an additional option of switching on the 
lamps on the side of the car facing the road 
when parked.
Switching on
After parking the vehicle, press the lever up or 
down beyond the pressure point for a longer 
period, arrow 3.
The roadside parking lamps drain the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for 
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the 
engine.<
Switching off
Press the lever in the opposite direction to the 
pressure point, arrow 3.
Fog lamps
The parking lamps or low beams must 
be switched on for the fog lamps to 
operate. The green indicator lamp in 
the instrument cluster lights up whenever the 
fog lamps are on.
The fog lamps are switched off while you acti-
vate the headlamp flasher or switch on the high 
beams.
If the automatic headlamp control is acti-
vated, the low beams will come on auto-
matically when you switch on the fog lamps.< 

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 

Practical interior accessories
114
LED hand lamp
In a holder on the left side of the glove compart-
ment.
Insert the hand lamp into the holder with 
the lens pointing toward the passenger 
compartment to ensure that the lamp cannot be 
switched on accidentally.<
Center armrest
Storage compartment
The center armrest between the front seats 
contains either a compartment or the cover for 
the snap-in adapter
*, depending on the equip-
ment version. For more information about this 
mobile phone base plate refer to the separate 
Owner's Manual.
Convertible: when you lock the vehicle from the 
outside, the center armrest is locked as well.
Opening
Press the button, see arrow.
Ventilated storage compartment
The storage compartment in the center armrest 
can be ventilated: slide the switch backwards.
The temperature is controlled via the knurled 
wheel for adjusting the temperature of air venti-
lating the rear of the passenger compartment, 
refer to page108.
Connection for external audio device
You can connect an external audio device such 
as a CD or MP3 player and play audio tracks 
over the car's loudspeaker system:
>AUX-In port, refer to page179
>USB-audio interface
*, refer to page180
Storage compartments inside 
the vehicle
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, you 
will find compartments beside the steering col-
umn
*, in the front doors and in the center con-
sole
*. 
There are netson the front-seat backrests.
Storage compartments in the rear 
console
Depending on your vehicle's equipment ver-
sion, the following storage compartments can 
be found in the rear console: 

Destination entry
138 the controller.
The destination is stored in the destination 
list, refer to page141.
Entering a destination by 
voice commands*
You can enter a desired destination via the 
voice command system. During the destination 
input, you can switch between voice entry and 
entry via iDrive at any time. To do so, reactivate 
the voice command system if necessary.
You can have the possible commands 
read aloud via {Options}.<
1.Press the   button on the steering wheel 
or in the center console.
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 a 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*
The names of towns/cities and streets located 
in the region in which the language of the voice 
command system 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.
Speak smoothly and at normal volume, and 
avoid excessive emphases and pauses. 2.{Enter address}
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.Select 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} 

Navigation
Driving tips
 151Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Repeating or canceling voice 
instructions
With the programmable buttons on the steering 
wheel, you can also execute the following func-
tions, refer to page54:
>Repeat the voice instruction:
Press the button.
>Switch voice instructions on/off:
Press the button for a longer period.
Adjusting volume for voice instructions
The volume can be adjusted only while a voice 
instruction is being issued.
1.Have the last voice instruction repeated, if 
necessary.
2.Turn the button during the voice instruction 
to select the desired volume.
This volume is independent of the volume of the 
audio sources.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Changing a route
During destination guidance, you can revise the 
navigation system's route recommendations to 
avoid particular stretches of road. Enter the 
number of miles/kilometers that you want to 
travel before returning to the original route.1.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
2.Move the highlight marker to the third field 
from the top. Turn the controller until "New 
route" is selected and press the controller.
3.Turn the controller to enter the desired 
number and press the controller.
The route is recalculated.
To exit from the menu without changing the 
route:
Select the   arrow and press the controller.
Traffic information*
In many metropolitan areas you can receive 
traffic information broadcast by radio stations. 
The traffic conditions are monitored by traffic 
control centers and the traffic information is 
updated periodically. 
During destination guidance, the traffic infor-
mation relevant to the route you are planning to 
take is automatically shown and taken into 
account in route planning. Whether destination 
guidance is active or not, you can have the traf-
fic information displayed in the map view or in 
the traffic info list.
Switching reception of traffic 
information on/off
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu. 

On/off and settings
160
On/off and settings
The following audio sources have shared con-
trols and setting options:
>Radio
>CD player
>CD changer
*
Controls
The audio sources can be operated using:
>Buttons near the CD player
>iDrive
>Buttons
 on the steering wheel, refer to 
page11
>Programmable memory keys, refer to 
page21
Buttons on the CD player
1Sound output for entertainment on/off, vol-
ume
>Press: switch on/off.
When you switch on the unit, the last set 
radio station or track is played.
>Turn: adjust volume.
2Drive for audio CDs
3 Eject CD.
4 Station scan/track search
>Change radio station.
>Select track for CD player and CD 
changer.
5Drive for navigation DVD
Operation via iDrive
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to call up 
"Entertainment".
You have the following choices:
>"FM" and "AM": radio reception
>"SAT": satellite radio
*
>"CD": CD player or changer
>"AUX": AUX-In port, USB-audio interface
>"Set": depending on the audio source, 
other adjustments can be made, e.g. with 
the radio: update station with strongest 
reception, store station, tone control, sam-
ple stations.
From another menu, you can switch 
directly to the screen last displayed, refer 
to Convenient call-up of menu items on 
page18.<
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
the selected audio source is stored for the 
remote control currently in use.
Switching on/off
In order to switch the entertainment sound out-
put on and off:
Press button1 on the CD player.
 This symbol on the Control Display indi-
cates that sound output is switched off. 

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 161Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Adjusting volume
Turn knob1 on the CD player until the desired 
volume is obtained.
You can also adjust the volume with buttons on 
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
the setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Tone control
You can alter various tone settings, e.g. treble 
and bass or the speed-dependent volume 
increase.
The tone settings are applied to all audio 
sources.
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
the settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Changing tone settings
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is 
selected and press the controller.
4.Select "Audio" and press the controller.
The tone settings can also be selected if you 
have called up "Entertainment" in the start 
menu:
Select "Set" and then "Tone", pressing the 
controller after each selection.
Treble and bass
1.Select "Treble / Bass" and press the con-
troller.
2.Move the controller to the left or right to 
select "Treble" or "Bass".
3.Turn the controller until the desired setting 
is selected.
Balance and fader
You can adjust the volume distribution in the 
same manner as "Treble / Bass".
>"Balance": left/right volume distribution
>"Fader": front/rear volume distribution
Speed-dependent volume control
The speed-dependent volume control auto-
matically increases the volume with increasing 
driving speed. You can set various stages for 
the increase in volume. 

Radio
164
Radio
Your radio provides reception of the FM and AM 
wavebands.
Listening to the radio
Press the button if the sound output is switched 
off.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to call up 
"Entertainment".
3.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Select "FM" or "AM".
4.Press the controller.
Stations are shown on the Control Display on 
the basis of various selection criteria, e.g. "Pre-
sets".
If "Autostore" does not show a station in the AM 
waveband or if the displayed stations are no 
longer receivable, update the stations with the 
best reception, refer to page165.
Changing stations
Turn the controller.
Buttons on the CD player
 Press the button for the corre-
sponding direction.
The system switches to the next displayed sta-
tion.
You can also change the station with the but-
tons on the steering wheel, refer to page11.
Changing selection criteria
In addition to the stations currently displayed, 
you can have stations with another selection 
criterion displayed.
You can choose from the following selection 
criteria:
>"All stations"
*:
Stations that can currently be received on 
the "FM" waveband.
>"Autostore":
Stations with the best reception on the 
"AM" waveband. 
For High Definition Radio: stations with the 
best reception on the "FM" waveband.
>"Presets":
Stations you have previously stored, refer to 
page166.
>"Manual":
To set stations that can be received in addi-
tion to those already being displayed, refer 
to Selecting the frequency manually, 
page165.