
Controls
 71Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
One lever for all functions
1Maintaining, storing and increasing speed
2Maintaining speed, storing speed, and 
decelerating
3Interrupting and deactivating system
4Resuming stored speed
Maintaining, storing and increasing 
speed
Press lever to resistance point, arrow 1: 
The speed currently being driven is maintained 
and stored. The display1 in the speedometer, 
see below, indicates this regulated speed. 
Every time you press the lever, the vehicle's 
speed increases by roughly 1 mph/1 km/h.
Press lever to resistance point for a longer time: 
The vehicle accelerates without pressure on 
the accelerator pedal. The system maintains 
and stores your current speed as soon as you 
release the lever.
Press the lever beyond the resistance point: 
The speed is increased to the next fives posi-
tion in the mph display or the next tens position 
in the km/h display.
Press and hold the lever beyond the resistance 
point: 
The vehicle accelerates more quickly.
Maintaining speed, storing speed, and 
decelerating
Pull the lever, arrow2: 
Functions are the same as1; the speed is 
reduced.
Interrupting system
Press the lever up or down, arrow3: the 
display1 in the speedometer changes color.
In addition, the system is interrupted:
>when you apply the brakes, even with the 
handbrake
>when you shift very slowly, when you shift 
the manual transmission into idling mode, 
or when you shift the automatic transmis-
sion into the N position
>when DTC is activated or DSC is deacti-
vated
>when the DSC comes on
Resuming stored speed
Press button4: 
The stored speed is resumed and maintained.
Deactivating system
>Press the lever up or down twice, arrow3
>Switch off the ignition
The speed stored in the memory is deleted.
Displays in instrument cluster
1Stored speed
2Selected speed is displayed briefly
Active cruise control*
With active cruise control you can select a 
desired speed which is then automatically 
maintained when driving on open roadways and 
is varied to maintain a selected distance setting 
to slower moving vehicles ahead. 

Controls
 75Reference
At a glance
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Mobility
If you are stopped behind a vehicle with the 
brake pedal depressed and the system is inter-
rupted or deactivated:
1.Press button4 to activate a stored desired 
speed or select a desired speed with the 
lever, arrow1 or arrow2.
2.Release the brake pedal.
3.If the vehicle in front of you drives off, briefly 
depress the accelerator pedal or press 
button4.
Deactivating system
>Press the lever upward or downward twice 
while driving.
>When stopped, do the same with the brake 
pedal depressed.
>Switch off the ignition.
The displays turn off, and the stored desired 
speed and distance are deleted.
Displays in instrument cluster
1Stored desired speed
>Green: the system is active.
>Orange: the system is interrupted.
2Lights up yellow: vehicle detected ahead
Display also used for warnings, please read 
all information on warnings
3Selected distance to vehicle ahead
The indicator lights up as soon as the sys-
tem is activated
The bars roll: the vehicle in front of you has 
driven off
4Brief display of stored desired speedIf the display --- mph/--- km/h appears 
briefly, the conditions necessary for oper-
ation may currently not be met.<
Warning lamps
The indicator2 continuously 
flashes yellow.
The prerequisites for operating the 
system are no longer met, e.g. as a 
result of ABS or DSC interven-
tions. The system brakes until you actively take 
over.
The indicator2 flashes red; a sig-
nal sounds.
The system indicates that you 
must brake and/or maneuver the 
vehicle yourself. The system can-
not automatically restore the distance to the 
vehicle driving ahead. 
However, this display cannot relieve the driver 
of the responsibility for adjusting the desired 
speed and driving style to the traffic conditions.
Radar sensors
1Long-range sensor
2Location of the short-range sensors behind 
the bumper
3Location of the short-range sensors behind 
the bumper with the M sports package
*
Heavy rain and also dirt, snow or ice can limit 
the detection of vehicles ahead. If needed, 
clean the radar sensor under the front bumper 
as well as the bumper area covering the short 
range sensors. When doing so, be particularly 
careful in removing layers of snow and ice. 

Controls
 77Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
neutral/N, or deactivates DSC. After any inter-
ruption, the system will no longer automatically 
activate the vehicle brakes, which means the 
driver must intervene and resume manual brak-
ing. You should then reactivate the system only 
when you are fully aware of the prior speed and 
distance settings.<
Active cruise control may brake when you 
reduce the stored desired speed; however, the 
driver must constantly monitor traffic and inter-
vene if necessary.
When you switch off the engine or ignition, 
active cruise control is fully switched off, too, 
and any settings you have selected are can-
celed.
Unexpected lane change
If a vehicle in front of you is behind a stopped 
vehicle and unexpectedly changes lanes, you 
must react yourself, as the system does not 
react to stopped vehicles.
Swerving vehicles
When a vehicle swerves out of adjacent lanes 
into your lane, the system does not detect the 
vehicle until it is completely in your lane.
When a vehicle ahead suddenly swerves 
into your lane, the system may not be able to restore the selected distance automatically. 
This also applies to great differences in speed 
between your vehicle and vehicles ahead, e. g. 
when quickly approaching a truck. Once the 
system has established that a vehicle is indeed 
in front of you, it will indicate that you must 
brake and/or maneuver the vehicle yourself. 
Take action yourself, otherwise there is a risk of 
an accident.<
Behavior in curves
If the selected desired speed for a curve is too 
high, the system reduces the speed within a 
curve. However, it cannot detect curves in 
advance. Therefore, select a suitable speed at 
the start of a curve.
Because of the limited range of the system, it is 
possible that in curves or on the peaks and val-
leys of hilly roads, a vehicle ahead may be rec-
ognized late, or not at all. Therefore, it is up to 
the driver to select a speed that is prudent in 
view of the curves and terrain of the roadway.
In approaching a curve, it is possible that active 
cruise control might react briefly to a vehicle in 
the adjacent lane. In addition, the system can 
sense if your vehicle is in a curve and may not 
accelerate. If your vehicle decelerates in either  

Controls
 79Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Everything under control
Odometer, outside 
temperature display, clock, 
date
1Time, outside temperature and date
2Odometer and trip odometer
3Press button:
>with ignition switched on, trip odometer 
is reset
>with ignition switched off, time, outside 
temperature, and odometer are briefly 
displayed.
From radio readiness the outside temperature 
and the time are displayed.
Date retrieval: 
Press CHECK button on turn signal lever, refer 
to page85.
Time and date setting, refer to page87.
You can set the unit of measure 7 or 6 on the 
Control Display, refer to Units of measure on 
page89.
Outside temperature warning
If the display drops to +377/+36, a signal 
sounds and a warning lamp lights up. A mes-
sage appears on the Control Display. There is 
an increased danger of ice.
Even at temperatures above +377/
+36 ice can form. Therefore, drive care-
fully, e.g. on bridges and sections of road in the 
shade, otherwise there is an increased accident 
risk.<
Tachometer
Avoid engine speeds in the white-striped 
advance warning field, arrow1, if possible.
Be sure to avoid engine speeds in the red warn-
ing field, arrow2. At high revs in this range, the 
flow of fuel is interrupted to protect the engine.
Coolant temperature
Should the coolant, and with it the engine 
become too hot, a warning lamp lights up. In 
addition, a message appears on the Control 
Display.
Checking coolant level, refer to page235. 

Everything under control
82 3.Select "Car Data" and press the controller.
4.Select "Trip computer" and press the con-
troller.
>Departure time
>Driving time
>Distance traveled
>Average speed
>Average fuel consumption
Starting or stopping the trip computer, or reset-
ting all values:
1.Select "Set" and press the controller.
2.Select the desired menu item.
3.Press the controller.
Display options
You can display the computer or the trip com-
puter in the assistance window.
1.Move the controller to the right to change to 
the assistance window and press the con-
troller.
2.Select "Onboard info" or "Trip computer".3.Press the controller.
Service requirements
The remaining driving distance and the date for 
the next maintenance are displayed briefly with 
the ignition switched on.
Your BMW Service Advisor can deter-
mine your vehicle's current service 
requirements by reading out the data stored in 
the remote control.<
Additional information
You can select a display of more detailed infor-
mation on the maintenance scope on the Con-
trol Display. For operating principle refer to 
page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Info sources" and press the control-
ler.
4.Select "Service Info" and press the control-
ler. 

Everything under control
86
Indication of malfunction urgency
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, the 
stored Check Control messages are also dis-
played with the following symbols:
No malfunctions are present in the moni-
tored systems.
Malfunctions are present in the moni-
tored systems. Depending on the mal-
function, supplementary information is 
shown on the Control Display.
The symbols also indicate the status of the ser-
vice requirements display, refer to page82.
Displays after completion of trip
Malfunction reports generated during the trip 
are shown consecutively when you switch off 
the ignition.
Before the display disappears, you can display 
the messages once again. Press the CHECK 
button for approx. 2 seconds. If several mes-
sages are present, you can continue to press 
the CHECK button to view them in succession.
The display goes out
>after a short time
>when you press the CHECK button again 
for approx. 2 seconds
Speed limit
You can enter a speed and a Check Control 
message indicates when you have reached this 
speed. This enables you, for example, to 
receive warnings if you exceed a speed limit in 
an urban area.
You are only warned of reaching this speed a second time if your vehicle speed falls below it 
again by at least 3 mph/5 km/h.
Displaying, setting or changing limit
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Open "Navigation".
Without navigation system
*:
Open "Car Data".
3.Select "Car Data" and press the controller.
4.Select "Limit" and press the controller.
5.Select the speed value and press the con-
troller.
6.Turn the controller to set the limit.
7.Press the controller to apply the setting.
The limit is activated.
Applying your current speed as limit
Select "Select current speed" and press the 
controller. The system adopts your current 
speed as the limit.
Activating/deactivating the limit
Select "On" and press the controller.
 The limit is activated.
Stopwatch
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Open "Navigation".
Without navigation system
*:
Open "Car Data".
3.Select "Car Data" and press the controller. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
90
Technology for comfort, convenience and 
safety
PDC Park Distance Control*
The concept
The PDC assists you when you are parking. 
Acoustic signals and an optical display
* alert 
you to the approach of an object from behind 
your vehicle. To measure the distance, there 
are four ultrasonic sensors in each bumper. 
The range of these sensors is approx. 7 ft/2 m. 
However, an acoustic warning first sounds for 
the sensors at the front and at the two rear cor-
ners at approx. 24 in/60 cm, and for the center 
rear sensors at approx. 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate 
objects when they are approached 
slowly, as is usually the case when parking. 
Avoid approaching an object at high speed, oth-
erwise the physical circumstances would mean 
that the system warning was too late.<
Automatic activation
The system starts to operate approx. one sec-
ond after you shift into reverse or move the 
selector lever into position R with the engine 
running or the ignition switched on.
Wait this short time before driving off.
Manual activation
Press the button; the LED lights up.
Manual deactivation
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
Automatic deactivation
After driving approx. 165 ft/50 m or at over 
approx. 20 mph/30 km/h, the system is 
switched off and the LED goes out. You can 
reactivate the system manually as needed.
Signal tones
When nearing an object, the position is corre-
spondingly indicated by an interval tone. Thus, 
an object detected to the left rear of the vehicle 
will be indicated by a signal tone from the left 
rear speaker, etc. As the distance between 
vehicle and object decreases, the intervals 
between the tones become shorter. If the dis-
tance to the nearest object falls to below 
roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a continuous tone 
sounds.
An intermittent tone is interrupted after approx. 
3seconds:
>if you remain in front of an object that was 
only detected by one of the corner sensors
>if you drive parallel to a wall
Malfunction
The LED in the button flashes and a message 
appears on the Control Display. PDC is mal-
functioning. Have the system checked.
To prevent this problem, keep the sensors 
clean and free of ice or snow in order to ensure 
that they will continue to operate effectively. Do 
not spray the sensors with high-pressure clean-
ing jets for long periods and maintain a distance 
of at least 4 in/10 cm to them.
PDC with visual warning*
You can also have the system show distances 
to objects on the Control Display. Objects that 
are farther away are already shown there before 
a signal tone sounds. The setting is stored for 
the remote control currently in use.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16. 

Lamps
108
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lights off and daytime running lamps*
1Parking lamps and daytime running lamps*
2Low beams and welcome lamps
3Automatic headlamp control
*, daytime run-
ning lamps
*, welcome lamps, Adaptive 
Head Light
* and high-beam assistant*
If you open the driver's door with the ignition 
switched off, the exterior lighting is switched off 
when the light switch is in position2 or 3. The 
daytime running lamps have already been 
switched off at the same time as the ignition.
For this reason, switch on the side marker 
lamps as needed, switch position1; otherwise, 
the vehicle is not lit.
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side 
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the 
parking lamps for parking.
The parking lamps drain the battery. Do 
not leave them switched on for long peri-
ods of time, otherwise it may no longer be pos-
sible to start the engine. It is preferable to 
switch on the roadside parking lamps on one 
side, refer to page110.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is 
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
Automatic headlamp control*
In switch position3, the system activates the 
low beams and switches them on or off in 
response to changes in ambient light condi-
tions, for instance, in a tunnel, at dawn and dusk 
and in case of precipitation. Adaptive Head 
Light
* is active. The LED next to the symbol 
lights up when the low beams are on. You can 
also activate the daytime running lamps, refer to 
page109. In the situations described above, 
the lamps then switch to low beams.
A blue sky with the sun low on the horizon can 
cause the lights to be switched on.
The low beams remain switched on inde-
pendent of the ambient lighting condi-
tions when you switch on the fog lamps
*.<
The automatic headlamp control cannot 
serve as a substitute for your personal 
judgment in determining when the lamps 
should be switched on in response to ambient 
lighting conditions. For example, the sensors 
cannot detect fog of hazy weather. To avoid 
safety risks, you should always switch on the 
low beams manually under these conditions.<
Welcome lamps
If you leave the light switch in position2 or 3 
when parking the vehicle, then when you unlock 
the vehicle, the parking lamps and interior light-
ing remain illuminated for a brief time.
Activating/deactivating welcome 
lamps
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
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.