
Controls
 105Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
remote control so that children cannot operate 
the cigarette lighter and burn themselves.<
Ashtray, rear
Opening
Push the ridge on the cover.
Emptying
Lift out the insert.
Connecting electrical 
appliances
In your BMW, when the engine is running or the 
ignition is switched on, you can use electrical 
devices such as a flashlight, car vacuum 
cleaner, etc., up to approx. 200 watts at 
12 volts, as long as one of the following sockets 
is available. Avoid damaging the sockets by 
attempting to insert plugs of unsuitable shape 
or size.
Cigarette lighter socket*
To access the socket: ta ke the cigarette lighter 
out of the socket.
Socket in the center armrest
External audio device, refer to page 103.
Sockets in the rear center console*
Remove corresponding cover.
Socket in the cargo bay*
Sedan
Sports Wagon
Open the cap.
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Driving tips
 117Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
When the vehicle is parked
Condensation forms while the automatic cli-
mate control is in operation, and then exits 
under the vehicle. Traces of condensed water 
under the vehicle are therefore normal.
Before driving into a car wash
General information on caring for your BMW 
can be found on page218.
Sports Wagon: re ar window wiper
Driving through an automatic car wash can 
result in damage to the rear window wiper. If 
necessary, ask the operator of the car wash 
about protective measures you should take.
With convenient access and automatic 
transmission
Insert the remote control into the ignition 
switch.
The engine can be switched off when the selec-
tor lever is in position N. Refer also to page 218.
Cargo loading
To avoid loading the tires beyond their 
approved carrying capacity, never over-
load the vehicle. Overlo ading can lead to over-
heating and increases the rate at which damage 
develops inside the tires. This can ultimately 
result in a sudden blow-out. <
Make sure that no liquids are spilled or 
leak from their containers in the cargo 
bay, as this could result  in damage to the vehi-
cle. <
Determining loading limit
1. Locate the following statement on your 
vehicle's placard
*:
The combined weight of occupants 
and cargo should never exceed 
XXX kg or YYY lbs. Otherwise, overloading 
can result in damage to the vehicle and 
unstable driving conditions.<
2. Determine the combined weight of the 
driver and passengers that will be riding in 
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver 
and passengers from XXX kilograms or YYY 
pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the available 
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. 
For example, if the YYY amount equals 
1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage  load capacity is 
650 lbs: 
1,400 lbs. minus 750 lbs. = 650 lbs.
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage 
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That 
weight may not safely  exceed the available 
cargo and luggage load capacity calculated 
in step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, part of 
the load from your tra iler will be transferred 
to your vehicle. Consult the manual for 
transporting a trailer to determine how this 
may reduce the availa ble cargo and luggage 
load capacity of your vehicle.
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Navigation
Driving tips
 133Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Destination guidance
Starting destination 
guidance
1."Navigation"
2. "Enter address"
3. Select the destination.
4. "Start guidance"
After the route is calculated, the route is dis-
played in the map on the Control Display.
Terminating destination 
guidance
1. "Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. Select the   symbol
Continuing destination 
guidance
If the destination was not reached at the end of 
the last trip, the system asks whether it should 
continue destination guidance.
Select "Resume guidance" or "Stop guidance".
Route criteria
General information
You can influence the calculated route by 
choosing certain route criteria. You can change 
the route criteria as often as you like during des-
tination entry or during  destination guidance.
The route is planned acco rding to fixed rules. 
The type of road is taken into account, e.g. 
whether it is a highway or a winding road. As a 
result, the routes recommended by the naviga-
tion system may not alwa ys be the same ones 
that you would choose ba sed on personal expe-
rience. The settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Changing route criteria
1.
"Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. "Route preference"
4. Selecting a criterion:
>"Fast route": time-optimized route, 
which is a combination of the shortest 
possible route and the fastest roads
> "Efficient route": optimized combination 
of the fastest and shortest roads
> "Short route": short distance, irrespec-
tive of how fast or slow progress will be
> "Alternative routes ": other suggested 
alternative routes
5. Select additional route criteria, if desired. 
Where possible, the sele cted criteria will be 
avoided on the route.
> "Avoid highways"
> "Avoid toll roads"
> "Avoid ferries"
> "Avoid area": define an area that the 
route is to avoid
The setting applies to the current route and to 
the planning of future routes.
Dynamic destination guidance
"Dynamic guidance" is switched on:
The route is automatically  changed in the event 
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Navigation
Driving tips
 135Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
1."Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. Select the   symbol
 The voice instructions are switched on.
For rapid access, the feature can be stored on a 
programmable memory  key, refer to page20.
Repeating a voice instruction
1."Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. Select the  symbol twice.
Adjusting volume fo r voice instructions
The volume can be adjust ed only while a voice 
instruction is being issued.
1. Have the last voice in struction repeated, if 
necessary.
2. Turn the button during the voice instruction 
to select the desired volume.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Map display
Map display
You can have your current position displayed on 
a map. After starting th e destination guidance, 
the planned route is shown on the map. 1.
"Navigation"
2. "Map"
The following functions are directly available in 
the map display:
1 Starting/stopping destination guidance
2 Switching voice instructions on/off
3 Changing route criteria or selecting route 
alternatives
4 Special destinations
5 Displaying traffic bulletins
6 Interactive map
7 Settings for the map display
8 Changing scale
Information in the map display:
> Time, entertainment source, sound output, 
map orientation
> Distance from destination, estimated time 
of arrival, if destinat ion guidance is active.
> Any traffic obstructions are highlighted in 
color.
Viewing the map
1.Select the    symbol.
2. Select a setting:
> "View facing north"
> "View in direction of travel"
> "Perspective view"
> "Arrow display"
3. Press the controller.
Changing scale
1.Select the   symbol.
2. Turn the controller to adjust the scale.
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On/off and tone
142
On/off and tone
The following audio and video sources share 
the same control elements and adjustments:
>Radio
> CD player
> CD changer
*
>Video
> External devices, e.g. MP3 player
Controls
The audio and video sources can be controlled 
using the:
>Buttons near the CD player
> iDrive
> Buttons on the steeri ng wheel, refer to 
page 11
> Programmable memory  keys, refer to 
page 20
> Voice activation system
Buttons near 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.
2  Eject the CD
3 CD/DVD drive
4FM/AM:  change the radio station wave-
band 5MODE
: change the audio and video 
sources
6  Station scan/track search
> Change radio station.
> Select track for CD player and CD 
changer.
Switching on/off
In order to switch the entertainment sound out-
put on and off:
Press button 1 next to the CD player.
 This symbol on the  Control Display indi-
cates that sound output is switched off.
If equipped with a single  drive, the sound output 
is available for approx. 20 minutes after the igni-
tion is switched off.
For sound output, switch the unit back on.
Adjusting volume
Turn button 1 next to the CD player until the 
desired volume is obtained.
You can also adjust the  volume with buttons on 
the steering wheel, refer to page 11.
With the ignition at ra dio readiness or beyond, 
the setting is stored fo r 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 ra dio readiness or beyond, 
the settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
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Radio
146
4.
Select the desired  memory location.
The station is stored.
The stations are stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Via programmable memory keys
You can store a station on the programmable 
memory keys, refe r also to page20.
1. Select a station.
2.  ...   Press the desired button 
for a longer period.
Radio Data System RDS
On the FM waveband, additional information is 
broadcast via RDS. If the reception conditions 
are good, the station names are shown on the 
Control Display. Where re ception is poor or in 
the event of interference, it may take some time 
before the station names  will appear in the dis-
play.
Switching RDS on/off*
1. "FM"
2. Open "Options".
3. "RDS"
The setting is stored fo r the remote control cur-
rently in use.
High Definition Radio*
Many stations transmit analog and digital sig-
nals. You can receive these stations digitally for 
improved sound quality. A digital radio network mu
st be available to be 
able to receive digital stations.
Switching digital radio reception on/off
iDrive, for operating pr inciple refer to page16.
1. "FM" or "AM"
2. Open "Options".
3. "HD radio"
 This symbol is displa yed when a station is 
received digitally.
Some stations do not transmit the digital and 
analog signals simultaneously. If you are in an 
area in which digital re ception of the selected 
station is not possible continuously, reception 
will alternate between analog and digital. This 
can cause repetitions or interruptions. In this 
case it may be preferable  to switch off digital 
reception.
Displaying additional information
With digital stations, a dditional information on 
the current track can be  displayed, e.g. the 
name of the artist.
1. Open "Options".
2. "Station info"
Selecting a substation
1.Select a station.
2. Press the controller.
3. Select the substation.
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Entertainment
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Mobility
> Certain presettings ma y be necessary on 
some mobile phones: e.g. using the follow-
ing menu items:
> Bluetooth switched on
> Connection must be allowed without 
requiring further confirmation
> Reconnection
> Depending on the mobile phone type, the 
power-saving mode setting, for example, 
may result in a paired mobile phone not 
being detected by the vehicle.
> For pairing purposes, define any 4 to 16-
digit number as a Bluetooth passkey, 
e.g. 25081107. A long and complex number 
offers the best protection against unautho-
rized access. This Bluetooth passkey is no 
longer required after  pairing has been suc-
cessful.
> The ignition is switched on.
Pair the mobile phone with the vehicle 
only when the car is stationary, to avoid 
endangering the car's occupants and other 
road users by be ing distracted.<
Switch on ignition
1.Insert remote control  all the way into the 
ignition lock.
2. Switch on ignition without operating the 
brake or clutch or pressing the start/stop 
button.
Preparation via iDrive
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page 16.
3. "Telephone"
4. "Bluetooth"
5. "Add new phone" The Bluetooth name of the vehicle is dis-
played.
Preparation via the mobile phone
6.
Further steps must be carried out with the 
mobile phone and vary depending on the 
model. Please refer to your mobile phone's 
operating instructions,  e.g. under the topics 
of Searching for a Bluetooth device, Linking 
or Pairing. The Bluetooth name of the vehi-
cle also appears on the mobile phone dis-
play.
7. Select the Bluetooth na me of the vehicle on 
the mobile phone display.
Logging in
Depending on your mob ile phone, you will see 
messages, first on the mobile phone display or 
on the iDrive, requesting you to enter the same 
Bluetooth passkey previously determined by 
you.
8. Enter the Bluetooth passkey.
Depending on the mobile phone, you will 
have approx. 30 seco nds to enter your 
Bluetooth passkey on the mobile phone 
and the Control Display.
If pairing was successful, the mobile phone 
appears at the top of the mobile phone list.
As soon as a mobile ph one is detected by the 
vehicle, the phone book entries stored on the 
SIM card or on your mobile phone are transmit-
ted to the vehicle. This  data transfer depends 
on your mobile phone and can take several min-
utes; please refer to your mobile phone's oper-
ating instructions, if necessary.
If not all phone book entries are displayed:
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Entertainment
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Mobility
4. "Bluetooth"
Adjusting volume
Turn the knob during a call to select the desired 
volume.
This volume for the hands-free system is main-
tained, even if the other  audio sources are set to 
minimum volume.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Operation via iDrive
You can operate the following functions using 
iDrive:
> Accepting/rejecting calls
> Dialing phone numbers
> Selecting phone numbers from the phone 
book
> Selecting stored phone numbers, e.g. from 
the list of received calls
> Ending calls
When the ignition is switched off or in radio 
readiness, e.g. after ta king the remote control 
out of the ignition swit ch, you can continue an 
ongoing call via the hand s-free system for sev-
eral minutes.
Voice quality
If the person you are talk ing to is having difficul-
ties understanding you, this may be due to 
excessive background noise. The full mobile 
phone preparation pack age can compensate 
for these noises to a cert ain extent. To optimize 
voice quality during a call, we recommend that 
you:
> Reduce background noise, e.g. by closing 
the windows, reducing air flow from the 
automatic climate cont rol or pointing the 
open front air vents downward
> Reduce the volume of the hands-free sys-
tem
Requirements
>The mobile phone's pair ing data are stored 
by the vehicle and the mobile phone is oper-
ational.
> The engine is running or the ignition is 
switched on.
> The mobile phone is recognized by the 
vehicle.
Receiving calls
If you have the phone number of the caller 
stored in the phone b ook and the phone num-
ber has been transmitted, the name of the entry 
is displayed.
Accepting a call
Press the   button on  the steering wheel.
or
"Accept"
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