
At a glance
This overview of buttons, switches and displays
is intended to familiarize you with your vehicle's
operating environment. The section will also
assist you in becoming acquainted with the
control concepts and options available for
operating the various systems.
At a glance 

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 

iDrive
16
iDrive
iDrive integrates the functions of a large num-
ber of switches. This allows these functions to 
be operated from a single central position. The 
following section provides an introduction to basic menu navigation. The control of the indi-
vidual functions is described in connection with 
the relevant equipment.
Controls
1Control Display
2Controller with buttons
You can use the buttons to open the menus 
directly. The controller can be used to 
select the menu items and create settings.
>Move in four directions, arrow3
>Turn, arrow 4
>Push, arrow 5
Operate the controller only when traffic 
and road conditions allow this, to avoid 
endangering the car's occupants and other 
road users by being distracted.< 

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 

Opening and closing
34 the interior motion sensor are switched off until 
the next time the vehicle is unlocked and subse-
quently locked again.
Convenient access*
Convenient access enables you to enter your 
vehicle without needing to hold the remote con-
trol in your hand. All you need to do is wear the 
remote control close to your body, e.g. in your 
jacket pocket. The vehicle detects the corre-
sponding remote control within the immediate 
vicinity or in the passenger compartment.
Convenient access supports the following 
functions:
>Unlocking/locking the vehicle
>Unlocking the luggage compartment lid 
separately
>Engine starting
>Convenient closure
Functional requirement
>The vehicle or the luggage compartment lid 
can only be locked when the vehicle detects 
that the remote control currently in use is 
outside of the vehicle.
>The vehicle cannot be locked or unlocked 
again until after approx. 2 seconds.
>The engine can only be started when the 
vehicle detects that the remote control cur-
rently in use is inside the vehicle.
Comparison to the standard remote 
control
In general, there is no difference between using 
convenient access or pressing the buttons on 
the remote control to carry out the functions 
mentioned above. You should therefore first 
familiarize yourself with the instructions on 
opening and closing starting on page26.
Special features regarding the use of conve-
nient access are described below.
If you notice a brief delay while opening or 
closing windows, the glass roof or retract-
able hardtop, the system is checking whether a remote control is inside the vehicle. Please 
repeat the opening or closing procedure, if nec-
essary.<
Unlocking
Grasp the handle on the driver's or front pas-
senger's door completely, arrow 1. This corre-
sponds to pressing the  button.
Locking
Touch the surface, arrow 2, with your finger for 
approx. 1 second. This corresponds to pressing 
the button.
To preserve the battery, please make 
sure that the ignition and all electrical 
consumers are switched off before locking the 
vehicle.<
Coupe: convenient closure
For convenient closure, keep your finger on the 
surface, arrow 2.
Convertible: window and convertible 
top operation
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
you can open and close the windows and the 
convertible top when a remote control is 
located inside the vehicle.
Unlocking the luggage compartment 
lid separately
Press the button on the outside of the luggage 
compartment lid. This corresponds to pressing 
the button.
If the vehicle detects that a remote con-
trol has been accidentally left inside the 
locked vehicle's cargo bay after the luggage  

Controls
 35Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
compartment lid is closed, the lid will reopen. 
The hazard warning flashers flash and an 
acoustic signal
* sounds.<
Switching on radio readiness
Radio readiness is switched on by pressing the 
start/stop button, refer to page55.
Do not depress the brake or the clutch, 
otherwise the engine will start.<
Starting the engine
You can start the engine or switch on the igni-
tion when a remote control is inside the vehicle. 
It is not necessary to insert a remote control into 
the ignition switch, refer to page55.
Switching off the engine in cars with 
automatic transmission
The engine can only be switched off when the 
selector lever is in position P, refer to page56.
To switch the engine off when the selector lever 
is in position N, the remote control must be in 
the ignition switch.
Malfunction
Convenient access may malfunction due to 
local radio waves. If this happens, open or close 
the vehicle via the buttons on the remote con-
trol or using the integrated key. To start the 
engine afterward, insert the remote control into 
the ignition switch.
Warning lamps
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up when you attempt to 
start the engine: the engine cannot 
be started. The remote control is not inside the 
vehicle or is malfunctioning. Take the remote 
control with you inside the vehicle or have it 
checked. If necessary, insert another remote 
control into the ignition switch.
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up while the engine is 
running: the remote control is no 
longer inside the vehicle. After the engine is 
switched off, the engine can only be restarted 
within approx. 10 seconds.The indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster comes on and a message 
appears on the Control Display: 
replace the battery in the remote control.
Replacing the battery
The remote control for convenient access con-
tains a battery that will need to be replaced from 
time to time.
1.Take the integrated key out of the remote 
control, refer to page26.
2.Remove the cover.
3.Insert the new battery with the plus side fac-
ing up.
4.Press the cover on to close.
Take the old battery to a battery collec-
tion point or to your BMW center.<
Windows
To prevent injuries, watch the windows 
while closing them. 
Take the remote control with you when you 
leave the car, otherwise children could operate 
the electric windows and possibly injure them-
selves.< 

Controls
 47Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
rests so that they are locked in place. Otherwise 
there is a risk of accident due to an unexpected 
movement.<
Heated seats*
Press once for each temperature level. 
Three LEDs indicate the highest temperature.
To switch off:
Press button longer.
If you continue driving within approx. the next 
15 minutes, the seat heating is automatically 
activated at the previously set temperature.
The temperature is lowered or the heating is 
switched off entirely to save on battery power. 
The LEDs stay lit.
Seat and mirror memory*
You can store and call up two different combi-
nations of driver's-seat and exterior-mirror 
positions.
Settings for the backrest width and lumbar sup-
port are not stored in memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or the ignition, 
refer to page55.
2.Adjust the seat and exterior mirrors to the 
desired positions.
3.Press the   button.
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button 1 or 2: the 
LED goes out.
The driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions are stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Call-up
Do not call up memory while you are driv-
ing, otherwise unexpected seat move-
ment could result in an accident.<
Convenience mode
1.Unlock and open the driver's door or switch 
on radio readiness, refer to page55.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1 
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is halted immediately 
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or 
one of the memory buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off, refer to page55.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2 
and keep it pressed until the adjustment 
process has been completed.
If the   button was pressed accidentally:
Press the button again; the LED goes out.