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The indicator lamp lights up: 
DTC is activated. 
Deactivating DTC
Press the button again; the DTC indicator lamp 
in the instrument cluster goes out.
xDrive*
xDrive is the 4-wheel drive system of your 
BMW. The combined effects of xDrive and DSC 
further optimize the traction and dynamic driv-
ing characteristics. The 4-wheel drive system 
xDrive variably distributes the drive torque to 
the front and rear axle depending on the driving 
situation and prevailing road conditions.
HDC Hill Descent Control*
The concept
HDC is a system for driving downhill in steep 
terrain. This system reduces vehicle speed on 
steep downhill gradients, thus allowing you to 
maintain even better control of your BMW 
under these conditions. The vehicle moves at 
approximately twice walking speed without 
active intervention from the driver.
HDC is available for activation at vehicle speeds 
below approx. 22 mph/35 km/h. When driving 
down steep hills with a speed below approx. 
22 mph/35 km/h, the vehicle reduces speed 
automatically down to approximately twice nor-
mal walking speed, approx. 7 mph/12 km/h, and 
then keeps this speed constant.
You can use the accelerator or brakes to vary 
this automatically controlled speed within a 
range extending from approx. 3 mph/5 km/h to 
15 mph/25 km/h.
You can specify a target speed within the same 
range by using the lever of the cruise control
*.
Activating HDC
You can activate HDC:
>with the programmable buttons on the 
steering wheel, refer to page56
>using iDriveiDrive, 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.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the 
controller until "HDC" is selected and press 
the controller.
6.Select "HDC on" and press the controller.
HDC is shown in the instrument cluster.
If the vehicle applies the brakes, a message is 
displayed on the Control Display for approx. 
20 seconds.
Deactivating HDC
When you use the programmable buttons on 
the steering wheel or via iDrive, the HDC display 
goes out.
HDC is automatically deactivated at speeds 
greater than approximately 37 mph/60 km/h.
Using HDC
Manual transmission:
Use HDC in low gears and reverse gear.
Automatic transmission:
You can use HDC in every drive position. 

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Sports Wagon: self-leveling 
suspension
Malfunction
The warning lamp for self-leveling sus-
pension lights up yellow and a message 
is shown on the Control Display. A mal-
function has occurred in the self-leveling sus-
pension. Stop and check the vehicle. If it is con-
siderably lower at the rear than at the front, and 
possibly also on one side – rear left compared to 
rear right –, go to the nearest BMW center or a 
workshop that works according to BMW repair 
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel. Drive with appropriate caution in the 
meantime. The vehicle has reduced ground 
clearance and driving comfort may be notice-
ably reduced. Even if the position of the vehicle 
is normal, go to the nearest BMW center or a 
workshop that works according to BMW repair 
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel.
FTM Flat Tire Monitor*
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor detects a pressure loss in 
one tire by comparing the speeds of the individ-
ual wheels during driving.
In the event of a pressure loss, there is a change 
in the rolling circumference and therefore the 
rotation speed of the corresponding wheel. The 
system detects this change and reports it as a 
flat tire.
Functional requirement
In order to ensure that a flat tire is reported cor-
rectly, the system must be initialized while the 
tires have the correct inflation pressure.
The initialization must be repeated after 
each time the tire inflation pressure is cor-
rected and after every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot indicate sudden 
severe tire damage caused by outside factors 
and does not detect a natural, even pressure 
drop in all four tires.
In the following situations, the system could be 
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
>Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels, 
high lateral acceleration
>Driving with snow chains
*
When you are driving with the compact wheel* 
the Flat Tire Monitor is unable to function.
Initializing system
The initialization finishes during driving, 
which can be interrupted at any time. 
When driving resumes, the initialization is con-
tinued automatically. The system is initialized 
after this activation phase. When driving with 
snow chains
*or a compact tire*, the system is 
not initialized.<
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.Turn the controller until "Settings" is 
selected and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller. 

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TPM Tire Pressure Monitor*
The concept
TPM checks the tire inflation pressure in the 
four mounted tires. The system reports when 
the tire inflation pressure has dropped consid-
erably in one or several tires.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat 
tire, the system must be reset at the correct tire 
inflation pressure.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics, oth-
erwise fault-free operation of the system is not 
ensured.
Reset the system again after each correc-
tion of the tire inflation pressure and after 
every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
TPM cannot announce sudden serious tire 
damage caused by external influences.
The system does not function properly if it has 
n o t  b e e n  r e s e t ,  e . g .  a  f l a t  t i r e  i s  r e p o r t e d d e s p i t e  
correct tire inflation pressures.
The system is inactive and cannot display a flat 
tire if a wheel has been mounted without TPM 
electronics, e.g. a compact wheel, or if TPM is 
temporarily interfered with by other systems or 
devices which use the same radio frequency.
Status display on Control Display
The tire and system status is indicated by the 
color of the tires.
TPM takes the fact that the tire pressure 
changes during driving into account. A correc-
tion is only required if requested by TPM with 
the color.
Green
The tire pressure matches the learned set state.
"TPM active" appears on the Control Display.
One wheel is yellow
Flat tire or a major drop in inflation pressure in 
the indicated tire. A message appears on the 
Control Display.
All wheels are yellow
Flat tire or a major drop in inflation pressure in 
several tires. A message appears on the Control 
Display.
Gray
The system cannot detect a flat tire.
Reasons for this can be:
>TPM is being reset
>Temporary interference due to systems or 
devices which use the same radio fre-
quency
>Malfunction
Resetting system
Reset the system again after each correc-
tion of the tire inflation pressure and after 
every tire or wheel change.<
Resetting finishes during driving, which can be 
interrupted at any time. When driving resumes, 
resetting is continued automatically. Do not 
reset the system when driving with a compact 
wheel
*.
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. 

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4 persons without luggage:
approx. 95 miles/150 km
>With a full load:
4 or more persons, cargo bay full:
approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive reservedly and do not exceed a 
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h. 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 vibrations or loud noises occur while 
the vehicle is being driven, this can indicate final 
failure of the damaged tire. Reduce speed and 
stop at a suitable location as soon as possible, 
otherwise pieces of the tire could become 
detached and cause an accident. Do not con-
tinue driving, but instead contact your BMW 
center.<
Malfunction
The yellow warning lamp flashes and 
then lights up continuously. The tires 
are shown in gray on the Control Dis-
play and a message is displayed. No flat tire can 
be detected.
A message like this is displayed in the following 
situations:
>In case of a malfunction;
have the system checked.
>If a wheel is mounted without TPM elec-
tronics.
>If TPM is temporarily interfered with by 
other systems or devices which use the 
same radio frequency.
Declaration according to NHTSA/
FMVSS 138 Tire Pressure Monitoring 
Systems
Each tire, including the spare, should be 
checked monthly when cold and inflated to the 
inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle 
manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label. If your vehicle has tires of a 
different size than the size indicated on the 
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, 
you should determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those tires. As an added safety fea-
ture, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire 
pressure monitoring system, TPMS, that illumi-
nates a low tire pressure telltale when one or 
more of your tires are significantly underin-
flated. Accordingly, when the low tire pressure 
telltale illuminates, you should stop and check 
your tires as soon as possible, and inflate them 
to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly 
underinflated tire causes the tire to overheat 
and can lead to tire failure. Underinflation also 
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and 
may affect the vehicle's handling and stopping 
ability. Please note that the TPMS is not a sub-
stitute for proper tire maintenance, and it is the 
driver's responsibility to maintain correct tire 
pressure, even if underinflation has not reached 
the level to trigger illumination of the TPMS low 
tire pressure telltale.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is combined 
with the low tire pressure telltale. When the sys-
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash 
for approximately one minute and then remain 
continuously illuminated. This sequence will 
continue upon subsequent vehicle startups as 
long as the malfunction exists. When the mal-
function indicator lights up, the system may not 
be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as 
intended. TPMS malfunctions may occur for a 
variety of reasons, including the installation of 
replacement or alternate tires or wheels on the 
vehicle that prevent the TPMS from functioning 
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction 
telltale after replacing one or more tires or 
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the 
replacement or alternate tires and wheels allow 
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Active steering*
The concept
The active steering is a system that actively var-
ies the steering angle of the front wheels in rela-
tion to the steering wheel movements.
When you are driving in the low road speed 
range, e. g. in a town or when parking, the steer-
ing angle increases, i.e. the steering becomes  

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stery in the center of the steering wheel, on the 
instrument panel, the doors and the roof pillars 
along with the sides of the headliner. Do not 
attempt to remove or dismantle the steering 
wheel. Do not touch the individual components 
immediately after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of burns. 
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or 
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have 
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center 
or a workshop that works according to BMW 
repair procedures with correspondingly trained 
personnel and has the required explosives 
licenses. Otherwise unprofessional attempts to 
service the system could lead to failure in an 
emergency or undesired airbag triggering, 
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also 
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front 
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and 
side airbags on the front passenger side are 
activated or deactivated accordingly by the sys-
tem.
The current status of the front passenger 
airbag, i.e. deactivated or activated, is 
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior 
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front 
passenger airbags in the following.<
Before transporting a child on the front 
passenger seat, observe the safety infor-
mation and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely refer to page58.
The front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side can be deactivated for teenagers and 
adults in certain sitting positions; then the indi-
cator lamp for the front passenger airbags lights 
up. In these cases, change the sitting position 
so that the front passenger airbags are acti-
vated and the indicator lamp goes out. If the 
desired status cannot be produced by changing 
the sitting position, transport the correspond-
ing person on the rear seat. Do not fit seat cov-ers, seat cushion padding, ball mats or other 
items onto the front passenger seat unless they 
are specifically recommended by BMW. Do not 
lay objects under the seat which could press 
against the seat from below. Otherwise a cor-
rect evaluation of the occupied seat surface 
cannot be ensured.<
Operating state of front passenger 
airbags
Depending on the vehicle's equipment, the 
arrangement of the switches and indicator 
lamps may differ somewhat.
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operating status of the front 
and side airbags on the front passenger side 
depending on the seat occupation. The indica-
tor lamp shows whether the front passenger 
airbags are activated or deactivated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in 
a child restraint system intended for the 
purpose is properly detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are not activated.
Most child's seats are detected by the 
system. Especially the child's seats 
required by the NHTSA at the time the vehicle is 
manufactured. After installing a child's seat, 
make sure that the indicator lamp for the front 
passenger airbags lights up. This indicates that 
the child's seat has been detected and the front 
passenger airbags are not activated.<
>The indicator lamp does not light up if, for 
example, the system detects a person of 
sufficient size seated correctly on the seat. 
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are activated. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
102 >The indicator lamp does not light up when 
the seat is empty.
However, the front and side airbags on the 
front passenger side are not activated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
From radio readiness, refer to page62, the 
warning lamp lights up briefly, indicating the 
operational readiness of the entire airbag sys-
tem and the safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up from radio 
readiness.
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately in case of a malfunction, otherwise 
there is a danger that the airbag system may not 
respond in the expected manner in an accident 
despite an impact of corresponding intensity.<
Head-Up Display*
The concept
With the Head-Up Display important informa-
tion is projected into the driver's field of view, 
e.g. navigation instructions. This enables you to 
take in this information without looking away 
from the road.
Switching on/off
Press the button.
1Navigation instructions
2Display
>Cruise control
>Active cruise control
>Leaving lane warning
3Speed
Selecting displays
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. 

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4.Select "Display settings" and press the 
controller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the 
controller until "Head-Up Display" is 
selected and press the controller.
6.Change into the second field from the top. 
Turn the controller until "Head-Up Display" 
is selected and press the controller.
7.Select desired information of Head-Up Dis-
play.
8.Press the controller.
 The information appears in the Head-
Up Display.
The settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Setting brightness
The brightness of the display is adapted to the 
ambient lighting conditions. However, you can 
change the basic setting. 
With the low beams switched on, the brightness 
can also be adjusted with the knurled wheel of 
the instrument lighting.
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 "Display settings" and press the 
controller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the 
controller until "Head-Up Display" is 
selected and press the controller.6.Change into the second field from the top. 
Turn the controller until "Brightness" is 
selected and press the controller.
7.Turn the controller until the desired setting 
is selected.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Notes
The visibility of the displays in the Head-Up Dis-
play is influenced by:
>Sunglasses with certain polarization filters
>Certain seating positions
>Objects on the cover of the Head-Up Dis-
play
>Wet road surface and unfavorable lighting 
conditions
 If the image is distorted, please have the basic 
setting checked at a BMW center.
Special windshield
The windshield is part of the system. The shape 
of the windshield complies with the require-
ments of the Head-Up Display to enable a pre-
cise display. A film in the windshield prevents 
the double images from being displayed. 
Windshield replacement should be carried out 
by a BMW center or a workshop that works 
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel.
Care instructions
You can find valuable information on this topic 
under Care, starting on page239. 

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>in dense fog, heavy rain or snowfall
>when displaying very hot objects such as 
transformers, car exhausts etc.
>when the image briefly freezes during nor-
mal system adjustment.
BMW Night Vision's potential benefits 
can be limited by the driving style of the 
driver, the size and relative temperature of the 
detected objects, dirt or contamination on the 
camera lens, adverse weather like snow, rain or 
fog, and other factors not mentioned here. It will 
always be the driver's responsibility to drive at a 
speed and in a manner that recognizes potential 
hazards and adjust accordingly. 
BMW Night Vision is not a substitute or replace-
ment for the driver's responsibility to adapt to 
visibility and traffic conditions. The forward view 
illuminated by the headlamps must always be 
the basis for making safe driving decisions, oth-
erwise a safety risk will result.<
Activating BMW Night Vision
1.Turn the light switch to position2 or3, refer 
to page108.
2.With low beams switched on:
>Press the   button. Depending on the 
vehicle's equipment, the location of the 
button may differ somewhat.
>Press one of the programmable buttons 
on the steering wheel, refer to page56.
The image will be displayed on the Control Dis-
play after a few seconds. Depending on the last 
mode selected, either the normal or full screen 
image will be displayed.Due to the system's need to adjust periodically, 
a still image is displayed at certain intervals for 
fractions of a second. This is normal and not an 
indication of a problem.
To prevent driving without headlamps, at a 
speed of more than approx. 3 mph/5 km/h and 
when dark, the thermal image on the Control 
Display is only shown when the low beams are 
on.
Deactivating BMW Night Vision
>Press the   button.
>Press the button on the steering wheel.
>Press the   button.
>Via iDrive, refer to Selecting settings.
Selecting settings
For iDrive details, refer to page16.
1.Activate BMW Night Vision.
2.Press the controller to display the menu 
items.