
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 
page242.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
6Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
21Letters and numbers
22Voice activation system
Controls
26Opening and closing
42Adjustments
52Transporting children safely
55Driving
69Everything under control
82Technology for driving comfort and 
safety
93Lamps
97Climate
102Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
116Things to remember when driving
Navigation
124Navigation system
125Destination entry
135Destination guidance
141What to do if …
Entertainment
144On/off and tone
147Radio
150Satellite radio
152CD player and CD changer
159Music collection
163AUX-IN port
164USB-audio interface/mobile phone audio 
interface
Communications
170Telephone
181Contacts
183BMW Assist
Mobility
192Refueling
194Wheels and tires
206Under the hood
211Maintenance
213Care
217Replacing components
224Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
232Technical data
236Short commands for the voice activation 
system
242Everything from A - Z 

 5Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The individual vehicle
When you ordered your BMW, you chose vari-
ous items of equipment. This Owner's Manual 
describes the entire array of options and equip-
ment available with a specific BMW model.
Please bear in mind that the manual may con-
tain information on accessories and equipment 
that you have not specified for your own vehicle. 
Sections describing options and special equip-
ment are marked by asterisks
* to assist you in 
identifying possible differences between the 
descriptions in this manual and your own vehi-
cle's equipment.
If equipment in your BMW is not described in 
this Owner's Manual, please refer to the accom-
panying Supplementary Owner's Manuals.
Editorial notice
BMW pursues a policy of continuous, ongoing 
development that is conceived to ensure that 
our vehicles continue to embody the highest 
quality and safety standards combined with 
advanced, state-of-the-art technology. For this 
reason, it is possible in exceptional cases that 
features described in this Owner's Manual 
could differ from those on your vehicle.
For your own safety
Maintenance and repair
Advanced technology, e.g. the use of 
modern materials and powerful electron-
ics, requires specially adapted maintenance 
and repair methods. You should therefore have 
the corresponding work on your vehicle per-
formed only by your BMW center or at a work-
shop that works according to BMW repair pro-
cedures with correspondingly trained 
personnel. If this work is not carried out prop-
erly, there is a danger of subsequent damage 
and related safety hazards.<
Parts and accessories
For your own safety, use genuine parts 
and accessories approved by BMW.
When you purchase accessories tested and 
approved by BMW and Original BMW Parts, you 
simultaneously acquire the assurance that they 
have been thoroughly tested by BMW to ensure 
optimum performance when installed on your 
vehicle.
BMW warrants these parts to be free from 
defects in material and workmanship.
BMW will not accept any liability for damage 
resulting from installation of parts and accesso-
ries not approved by BMW.
BMW cannot test every product made by other 
manufacturers to verify if it can be used on a 
BMW safely and without risk to either the vehi-
cle, its operation, or its occupants.
Original BMW Parts, BMW Accessories and 
other products approved by BMW, together 
with professional advice on using these items, 
are available from all BMW centers.
Installation and operation of non-BMW 
approved accessories such as alarms, radios, 
amplifiers, radar detectors, wheels, suspension 
components, brake dust shields, telephones, 
including operation of any mobile phone from 
within the vehicle without using an externally 
mounted antenna, or transceiver equipment, for 
instance, CBs, walkie-talkies, ham radio or sim-
ilar accessories, may cause extensive damage  

At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
9Instrument cluster12
12Ignition lock55
13Buttons on the steering wheel15Horn, the entire surface
16Adjusting the steering wheel50
18Releasing the hood206
19Opening the luggage compartment lid31 8
Turn signals59
High beams, headlamp flasher95
Roadside parking lamps
*95
Computer70
Settings and information about the 
vehicle72
Instrument lighting95
10
Windshield wipers60
Rain sensor
*60
11Switching the ignition on/off and 
starting/stopping the engine55
Telephone
*:
>Press: accepting and ending a 
call; dialing
* the selected 
phone number; redialing if no 
phone number is selected
>Press longer: redialing
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing radio station
Selecting music track
Scrolling through phone book and 
lists with stored phone numbers
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode99
14
Steering wheel heating
*51
17
Cruise control
*61
Active cruise control
*63 

At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Coupe: microphone for voice activation 
system
* and for telephone in hands-free 
mode
*
Convertible: microphone on steering col-
umn
2SOS: initiating an Emergency Request 
call
*224
3Reading lamps96
4Coupe: glass roof, electric
*37
5Interior lamps96
6Passenger airbag status lamp
*91
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Dynamic Traction Control DTC83
10Central locking system30
11Automatic climate control
12CD/DVD drive15213Changing the audio and entertainment 
sources
14Selecting AM or FM waveband
15Changing
>Radio station147
>Track152
17Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
18Buttons on the controller16
Selecting menus directly
20Programmable memory keys20
21Switching audio sources on/off and adjust-
ing volume144
22Ejecting CD/DVD152 Air distribution to the 
windshield98
Air distribution to the upper body 
area98
Air distribution to the footwell98
Automatic air distribution and flow 
rate98
Cooling function100
Automatic recirculated-air control 
AUC99
Recirculated-air mode99
Maximum cooling98
Residual heat mode99
Air flow rate99
Defrosting windows99
Rear window defroster100
16
Heated seats*47
Park Distance Control PDC
*82
Coupe: 
Roller sun blind
*105
Coupe: 
Hill Descent Control HDC
*84
19Convertible:
Opening and closing retractable 
hardtop38 

At a glance
 17Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Buttons on the controller
Operating principle
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
refer to page55, the following message is dis-
played on the Control Display:
To hide the message: 
Press the controller.
The main menu is displayed.
The message is automatically hidden after 
approx. 10 seconds.
Opening the main menu
Press the MENU button.
The main menu is displayed.All iDrive functions can be called up via the main 
menu.
Selecting a menu item
The menu items shown in white can be 
selected.
1.Turn the controller until the desired menu 
item is highlighted.
2.Press the controller.
A new menu is displayed or the function is exe-
cuted.
Menu items in the Owner's Manual
In the Owner's Manual, menu items that can be 
selected are set in quotation marks, e.g.
"Settings"
Changing between panels
After selecting a menu item, e.g. "Radio", a new 
menu is displayed on a panel. The panels can 
overlap.
ButtonFunction
MENU Open the main menu
RADIO Open the Radio menu
CD Open the CD/Multimedia menu
NAV Open the Navigation menu
TEL Open the Telephone menu
BACK Display the previous menu
OPTION Open the Options menu 

At a glance
 19Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
4.Turn the controller until "Time:" is high-
lighted, and then press the controller.
5.Turn the controller to set the hours and 
press the controller.
6.Turn the controller to set the minutes and 
press the controller.
Status information
1Time
2Display for:
>Reception strength of the wireless 
network, depends on the mobile phone
>Incoming, outgoing or missed call
>SMS
* received
3Display for:
>Entertainment:
Radio, CD/DVD, external devices, TV
*
>Telephone*:
Name of the mobile phone paired with 
the vehicle4Sound output is switched off or
 display for traffic bulletins
*:
>"TI": 
Traffic bulletins are switched on.
>No display: 
Traffic bulletins are switched off.
Other displays:
Status information is temporarily hidden during 
Check Control message displays or entries via 
the voice activation system
*.
Switching the control display 
on/off
1.Press the OPTION button.
2."Switch off display"
Press the controller to switch on.
Split screen
Additional information can be displayed on the 
right side of the split screen, e.g. information 
from the computer.
In the divided screen view, the so-called split 
screen, this information remains visible even 
when you change to another menu.
Switching the split screen on and off
1.Press the OPTION button.
2."Split screen"
 The split screen is activated.
Selecting the display for the split 
screen content
When the split screen is switched on, you can 
select the content displayed on the screen. 

iDrive
20 1.Move the controller to the right repeatedly 
until the split screen content is selected.
2.Select the display.
Programmable memory keys
Certain iDrive functions can be stored on the 
programmable memory keys and called up 
directly, e.g. radio stations, navigation destina-
tions, phone numbers and entry points into the 
menu.
Storing functions
1.Highlight the function via the iDrive.
2. ...   Press the desired key for 
longer than two seconds.
Example for programmable memory 
keys
Switch the voice instructions for the navigation 
on/off.
1."Navigation"
2."Map"
3.Select the   symbol using the controller.
4. ...   Press the desired key for 
longer than two seconds.
Executing a function
 ...   Press the button.
The function is executed immediately. This 
means, for example, that the number is dialed 
when a phone number is selected.
Displaying memory key assignments
Touch the button with a finger. Do not wear 
gloves or use objects.
Displaying brief information
 ...   Touch the button.
The key assignment is displayed at the top 
edge of the screen.
Displaying detailed information
 ...   Press the button for an 
extended period. 

At a glance
 23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
In dialogs that call for a text of your choice, the 
procedure can only be canceled using the but-
ton on the steering wheel.
Possible commands
The commands available in each case depend 
on the menu item selected on the Control Dis-
play.
To have the available commands read aloud:
For example, if "CD/DVD" is selected, the com-
mands for operating CD/Multimedia are read 
aloud
 .
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 page236.
Example: selecting the track of a CD
1.If necessary, switch on entertainment audio 
output.
2.Press the   button on the steering wheel.
Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the 
standard dialog or a shorter variant. In the 
shorter variant of the voice dialog, the prompts 
and responses from the system are abbrevi-
ated.
1."Settings"
2."Language/Units"3."Speech mode:"
4.To select the setting:
>"Default"
>"Short"
Notes
For information on voice control of the 
telephone, refer to page177.<
For voice commands, bear in mind the follow-
ing:
>Do not use the voice activation system to 
initiate an Emergency Request. In stressful 
situations, the voice and vocal pitch can 
change. This can unnecessarily delay the 
establishment of a telephone connection.
>Pronounce the commands and digits 
smoothly and at normal volume, avoiding 
excessive emphases and pauses. This also 
applies when spelling out and saying a full 
word during destination entry.
>When selecting a radio station, use the 
standard pronunciation of the station name.
>For entries in the voice-activated phone 
book, only use names in the language of the 
voice activation system and no abbrevia-
tions.
>Keep the doors, windows and glass roof 
closed to prevent interference from outside 
noise.
>Avoid ambient noise in the vehicle while 
speaking. {Voice commands}
{Radio on} or {Radio}
3.Select the music track, e.g.: 
{CD track 4}
System says: 
{{Track 4}}