
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Contents
The fastest way to find information on a partic-
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to 
page252.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
6Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
23Voice command system
Controls
28Opening and closing
43Adjustments
52Transporting children safely
56Driving
71Everything under control
85Technology for driving comfort and 
safety
96Lamps
100Climate
106Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
120Things to remember when driving
Navigation
128Starting the navigation system
130Destination entry
143Destination guidance
152What to do if …
Entertainment
156On/off and settings
160Radio
166Satellite radio
169CD player and CD changer
175AUX-In port
176USB-audio interface
Communications
182Telephoning
197BMW Assist
Mobility
206Refueling
208Wheels and tires
221Under the hood
226Maintenance
228Replacing components
235Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
242Technical data
247Short commands for the voice command 
system
252Everything from A - Z 

Voice command system
24 item on the Control Display.
To have the possible commands read out to 
you:
For instance, if you have selected "CD", the 
commands available for operating the CD 
player and CD changer are read out
*.
Opening help
Using alternative commands
There are often a number of commands to run a 
function, e.g.: 
Calling up functions immediately via 
short commands
Short commands enable you to perform certain 
functions immediately, irrespective of which 
menu item is selected, refer to page247.
Opening the start menu
Example: selecting a track
1.If necessary, switch on entertainment audio 
output.
2.Press the   button on the steering wheel. {Options}
{Help}
{Radio on} or {Turn radio on} 
{Main menu}
3.{Entertainment}
The system says: 
{{Entertainment}}
4.{CD}
The system says: 
{{CD on}} 

Controls
 35Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Make sure that the closing path of the 
luggage compartment lid/tailgate is clear, 
otherwise injuries may result.<
Sedan
Sports Wagon
Sports Wagon: opening and closing the 
rear window
Small items can be loaded and unloaded 
quickly when the rear window is opened sepa-
rately.
The roll-up cover is raised when the rear 
window is opened. Before closing the rear 
window, press the roll-up cover downward until 
it engages.<
Press the button: the rear window opens 
slightly. It can now be swung upwards.Press the window shut to close it.
Make sure that the corners of any pointed 
or sharp-edged cargo are padded if they 
could bump against the rear window while the 
vehicle is in motion, otherwise the heating ele-
ments of the rear window could be damaged.<
Alarm system*
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the luggage com-
partment lid/tailgate is opened
>To movements inside the vehicle: Interior 
motion sensor, refer to page36
>When the car's inclination changes, for 
instance if an attempt is made to jack it up 
and steal the wheels or to raise it prior to 
towing away
>When there is an interruption in the power 
supply from the battery
The alarm system signals unauthorized entry 
attempts for a short time by means of:
>An acoustic alarm
>Switching on the hazard warning flashers
>Flashing the high beams
Arming and disarming
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either with 
the remote control or at the door lock, the alarm 
system is armed or disarmed at the same time.
You can open the luggage compartment lid/tail-
gate even when the alarm system is armed, by 
pressing the   button on the remote control, 
refer to page30. The lid is locked and moni-
tored again as soon as you close it.
Panic mode*
You can trigger the alarm system if you find 
yourself in a dangerous situation:
Press the   button for at least three seconds.
To switch off the alarm: press any button. 

Controls
 51Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Steering wheel buttons" and press 
the controller.
A list showing various functions is dis-
played:
>"Navigation voice instructions" 
Voice messages from the navigation 
system
*
>"Air recirculation on / off" 
Permanent shut-off of outside air, refer 
to AUC Automatic recirculated-air con-
trol on page102
>"Mute on / off" 
To mute the audio sources
>"Monitor on / off" 
To switch the Control Display on/off
>"Telephone list"
*
To show/hide the phone book or last dis-
played list of stored phone numbers
>"Next entertainment source"
To change the audio source
5.Select the desired function and press the 
controller.6.Select a button, if appropriate, and press 
the controller.
You can operate the selected function using the 
corresponding button.
Operating a function
Briefly press the appropriate button on the 
steering wheel.
If you have programmed "Navigation voice 
instructions" for one of the buttons:
>Switch voice instructions on/off:
Press the button for a longer period.
>To repeat the last voice instruction:
Press the button briefly.
>To cancel a voice instruction during an 
announcement:
Press the button briefly. 

Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Displays in the instrument cluster
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.
>Before moving the lever away from P or N 
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the 
brake; otherwise the selector lever will 
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping 
after you select a driving position, 
depress the brake until you are ready to 
start.<
A lock prevents you from inadvertently engag-
ing selector lever positions R and P. To cancel 
the lock, press the button on the front of the 
selector lever, see arrow.
P Park
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary. 
The rear wheels are locked.
R Reverse
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral, idle
You can select this in a car wash, for example. 
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you are driving in posi-
tion D.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables you to achieve maximum 
performance. 
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Sport program and manual operation 
M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The sport program is activated and DS is dis-
played on the instrument cluster. This position 
is recommended for a performance-oriented 
driving style.
To use the automatic mode again, move the 
selector lever to the right into position D.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
When you press the selector lever forwards or 
backwards, the manual mode is activated and 
Steptronic changes gear. M1 through M6 are 
displayed on the instrument cluster. 

Controls
 89Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
after approx. 2 seconds and the car will start to 
roll backwards.<
Flat Tire Monitor FTM*
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor detects pressure loss in a 
tire by comparing the rotating speeds of the 
individual tires while moving.
In the event of pressure loss, the rolling circum-
ference changes and, thus, the rotating speed 
of the affected wheel. 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 system must be reinitialized each 
time a tire inflation pressure has been cor-
rected or a wheel or tire has been changed.<
System limitations
The Flat Tire Monitor is unable to warn 
the driver of sudden, severe tire damage 
caused by external factors, nor can it identify 
the gradual loss of pressure that will inevitably 
occur in all four tires over a lengthy period of 
time.<
In the following situations, the system could be 
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
>Performance-oriented style of driving: slip 
in the drive wheels, high lateral acceleration
>Snow chains are attached
Initializing the system
The initialization is completed during driv-
ing, which can be interrupted at any time. 
When driving resumes, the initialization is con-
tinued automatically. 
Do not initialize the system while snow chains 
are attached.
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.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "FTM" is selected and press the con-
troller.
6.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
7.Select "Reset" and press the controller.
8.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
9.Start to drive.
Initialization is completed while the car is on 
the move, without any feedback. 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
90
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamps come on in yellow 
and red. A message appears on the 
Control Display. In addition, an 
acoustic signal sounds. There is a flat 
tire or substantial loss of tire pressure.
1.Cautiously reduce speed to below 50 mph 
or 80 km/h. Avoid sudden braking and 
steering maneuvers. Do not exceed a speed 
of 50 mph or 80 km/h.
If the car is not equipped with Run-
Flat Tires, refer to page219, the stan-
dard equipment by design, do not continue 
driving. Otherwise a severe accident could 
result if you continue driving.<
2.At the next opportunity, check the air pres-
sure in all four tires.
If all four tires are inflated to the cor-
rect pressures, the Flat Tire Monitor 
might not have been initialized. The system 
must then be initialized.<
3.In the event of complete tire pressure loss, 
0 psi/0 kPa, you can estimate the possible 
distance for continued driving on the basis 
of the following guidelines:
>With a light load: 
1 to 2 persons without luggage: 
approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With a medium load: 
2 persons, cargo bay full, or 4 persons 
without luggage: 
approx. 90 miles/150 km
>With a full load or when towing a trailer: 
4 or more persons, cargo bay full: 
approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive cautiously and do not exceed a 
speed of 50 mph or 80 km/h, otherwise 
there is a risk of an accident. In the event of 
pressure loss, vehicle handling changes. This 
includes reduced tracking stability in braking, 
extended braking distance and altered natural 
steering characteristics.
If unusual vibration or loud noises occur during 
the journey, this may be an indication that the 
damaged tire has finally failed. Reduce your 
speed and pull over as soon as possible at a suitable location. Otherwise parts of the tire 
could come loose, resulting in an accident. Do 
not continue driving. Instead, contact your 
BMW center.<
Malfunction
The warning lamps come on in yel-
low. A message appears on the Con-
trol Display. The Flat Tire Monitor has 
a malfunction or has failed. Have the 
system checked as soon as possible.
Tire Pressure Monitor TPM*
The concept
TPM checks the inflation pressures of the four 
mounted tires. The system notifies you if there 
is a significant loss of pressure in one or more 
tires.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat 
tire, the system must be reset while all tire infla-
tion pressures are correct.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics. Oth-
erwise, the system may malfunction.
Each time a tire inflation pressure has 
been corrected or a wheel or tire has been 
changed, reset the system.<
System limitations
TPM cannot warn you in advance of sud-
den severe tire damage caused by out-
side influences.<
The system does not work correctly if it has not 
been reset; for example, a flat tire may be indi-
cated even though the tire inflation pressures 
are correct.
The system is inactive and cannot indicate a flat 
tire if a wheel without TPM electronics, such as 
a compact spare wheel, has been mounted, or if 
TPM is temporarily malfunctioning due to other 
systems or devices using the same radio fre-
quency. 

Controls
 91Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Status indicator on the Control Display
The color of the tires represents the status of 
the tires and the system.
TPM takes into account that tire pressures 
change while the vehicle is being driven. The 
tire pressures do not need to be corrected 
unless the TPM instructs you to do so by means 
of color indicators.
Green
The tire inflation pressure corresponds to the 
established target value.
"TPM active" appears on the Control Display.
One wheel yellow
There is a flat tire or substantial loss of tire pres-
sure in the indicated tire. A message appears on 
the Control Display.
All wheels yellow
There is a flat tire or substantial loss of tire pres-
sure in several tires. A message appears on the 
Control Display.
Gray
The system cannot detect a puncture.
Possible reasons for this:
>TPM is being reset
>Temporary malfunction caused by systems 
or devices using the same radio frequency
>Malfunction
Resetting the system
Each time a tire inflation pressure has 
been corrected or a wheel or tire has been 
changed, reset the system.<
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button 
The start menu is called up.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "TPM" is selected and press the con-
troller.
6.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
7.Select "Reset" and press the controller.
8.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
9.Start to drive.
The tires are shown in gray and "Resetting 
TPM..." is displayed.
After driving a few minutes, the set inflation 
pressures in the tires are accepted as the target 
values to be monitored. The system reset is 
completed during your drive, and can be inter-
will be adapted
will be adapted