
At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for hands-free mode for tele-
phone
* and for voice command 
system
*24
2Reading lamps113
3SOS: initiating
 an emergency request253
4Interior lamps112
5Glass sunroof
*, electric43
Panorama glass sunroof45
6Passenger airbag status lamp101
7Control Display16 
Displays for menu navigation
8Hazard warning flashers
9Central locking system35
10Automatic climate control114
11Changing
>radio station172
>track168
12Ejecting
>navigation DVD
*142
>audio CD182
13Programmable memory buttons22
14Drive for navigation DVDs
*14215Drive for audio CDs182
16Switching Entertainment sound output on/
off and adjusting volume168
18Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
19Opening start menu on Control Display17
20Selecting AM or FM waveband
21Selecting radio, CD and CD changer Temperature setting, left/
right115
Automatic air distribution and 
volume115
Cooling function117
AUC Automatic recirculated-air 
control117
Recirculated-air mode117 
Maximum cooling117
Air volume116
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation116
Rear window defroster116
17
Heated seats*53
Active seat ventilation
*54
Adjusting active backrest 
width
*49
Active seat
*54
PDC Park Distance Control
*90
DTC Dynamic Traction Control92
Opening luggage compartment lid/
tailgate
*36,37 

Controls
 47Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Adjusting
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the 
interaction with the safety belts, the head 
restraints and the airbags, the sitting position 
plays an important role in an accident. To 
ensure that the safety systems operate with 
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to 
observe the instructions contained in the fol-
lowing section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page58.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance 
between yourself and the airbags. Always 
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at 
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms 
in the event of airbag deployment. 
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant. 
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the 
front passenger side as a storage area. Make 
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly 
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument 
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the 
front airbags are triggered. 
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head 
on the side or head airbags, otherwise injuries 
can occur if the airbags are triggered.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot 
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may 
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page100.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the 
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center 
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is 
increased danger of injury in the event of an 
accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page51.
Safety belts
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts 
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a 
substitute.
Your vehicle is provided with five seats, which 
are all equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to 
wear a single safety belt. Never allow 
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's 
lap. Make sure that the belt lies low around the 
hips in the lap area and does not press on the 
abdomen. The safety belt must not lie across 
the neck, rub against sharp edges, be routed 
over solid or breakable objects or be pinched. 
Wear the safety belt without twisting, snugly 
across the lap and shoulders, as close to the 
body as possible. Otherwise the belt can slip 
over the hips in the lap area in a frontal impact 
and injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing 
that prevents the belt from fitting properly and 
pull the belt in the upper body area periodically 
to readjust the tension, in order to avoid a 
reduction in the restraint of the safety belt. 
Sports Wagon: if the center safety belt in the 
rear is used, the larger backrest half must be 
locked, refer to page128, otherwise the middle 
safety belt has no restraining action.<
Safety belts, refer to page52. 

Transporting children safely
58
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the 
vehicle, otherwise they could endanger 
themselves and other persons, e.g. by opening 
the doors.<
Children always in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest place 
for children is on the rear seat.
Children younger than 13 years of age or 
with a height under 5 ft/150 cm may only 
be transported in the rear in child restraint sys-
tems which correspond to the age, weight and 
height of the child. Otherwise there is an 
increased danger of injury in an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must wear a 
safety belt as soon as a suitable child restraint 
system can no longer be used due to their age, 
size and weight.
Exception for front passenger seat
Should it ever be necessary to use a child 
restraint system on the front passenger 
seat, the front and side airbags on the passen-
ger side must first be deactivated. Otherwise, 
there is an increased risk of injury for the child if 
the airbags are triggered, even with a child 
restraint system.<
For more information on automatic deactivation 
of the front passenger airbags, refer to 
page101.
Installing child restraint 
systems
Observe the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions for selection, 
installation and use of the child restraint sys-
tems. Otherwise the degree of protection may 
be reduced.<
Backrest width* on front passenger 
seat
Open the backrest width setting of the 
front passenger seat all the way. After 
mounting the child's seat, deactivate the active 
backrest width adjustment and do not call up 
any memory position. Otherwise this limits the 
stability of the child's seat on the front passen-
ger seat.<
1.After unlocking the vehicle, sit on the front 
passenger seat and close the door to call up 
the memory position.
2.Completely open the backrest width adjust-
ment, refer to page48.
3.Deactivate active backrest width adjust-
ment, refer to page49.
4.Install child's seat.
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the 
front passenger can be locked against pulling 
out to secure child restraint systems.
Locking safety belt
1.Secure the child restraint system with the 
belt.
2.Pull out the belt webbing completely.
3.Allow the belt webbing to retract and pull 
taut against the child restraint system. The 
safety belt is locked. 

Controls
 61Reference
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3.Sports Wagon: thread the retaining strap 
between the backrest and the roll-up cover. 
Make sure that the rear backrest is locked in 
position.
4.Attach the retaining strap hook to the 
mounting point.
5.Slide the head restraint into the bottom 
position.
6.Pull the retaining strap taut.
Center rear seat
1.Fold the center armrest somewhat toward 
the front.
2.Guide retaining strap through the opening.
3.Fold back the center armrest.
4.Sports Wagon: thread the retaining strap 
between the backrest and the roll-up cover. 
Make sure that the rear backrest is locked in 
position.5.Attach the retaining strap hook to the 
mounting point.
6.Pull the retaining strap taut.
On trips
If the vehicle is equipped with rear side 
airbags, make sure that children do not 
lean out of the child's seat towards the door 
panels. Otherwise injuries can be caused if the 
side airbags are triggered.<
Child-safety locks for rear doors
Slide down the safety lever on the rear doors: 
the door can now be opened from the outside 
only.
Safety switch for power windows
Always press the safety switch for the power 
windows, refer to page43, when children are 
riding in the rear of the vehicle. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
100 very direct. In the higher speed range, on the 
other hand, the steering angle is reduced more 
and more. This improves the handling capability 
of your BMW over the entire speed range.
In critical situations, the system can make tar-
geted corrections to the steering angle pro-
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehicle 
before the driver intervenes. This stabilizing 
intervention is simultaneously deactivated 
when DSC is switched off, refer to page92.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow and 
a message is shown on the Control Dis-
play. Active steering is malfunctioning 
or is temporarily deactivated. Greater steering 
wheel movements are required at low speeds, 
while the vehicle reacts more sensitively to 
steering wheel movements at higher speeds. The stability-promoting intervention can also 
be deactivated. Proceed cautiously and drive 
defensively. Have the system checked if the 
active steering is malfunctioning.
Brake force display
On the left: normal braking.
On the right: heavy braking.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags in front and rear
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, 
please observe the adjustment instructions on 
page47.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and 
front passenger by responding to frontal 
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-vide adequate restraint. When needed, the 
head and side airbags help provide protection in 
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The 
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in 
every impact situation, e. g. less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the 
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or 
modify them in any other way. Do not attempt to 
remove the airbag restraint system from the 
vehicle. Do not modify or tamper with either the 
wiring or the individual components in the air-
bag system. This category includes the uphol- 

Controls
 101Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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. 

Everything from A to Z
270
Everything from A to Z
Index
"..." Identifies Control Display 
texts used to select 
individual functions and 
refers you to the page where 
these texts can be found.
A
ABS Antilock Brake 
System91
– indicator lamp94
ACC, refer to Active cruise 
control71
Accepted calls202
Accessories6
Accident, refer to Emergency 
request253
Acoustic signal, refer to Check 
Control84
Activated-charcoal filter for 
automatic climate 
control118
"Activation time" for parked 
car ventilation119
Active cruise control71
– indicator lamp75
– radar sensors75
– selecting distance73
– warning lamps75
Active front head restraints51
Active seat54
Active seat ventilation54
Active steering99
– warning lamp100
Adapter for spare key30
Adaptive brake assistant92
Adaptive brake lamps, refer to 
Brake force display100
Adaptive Head Light110
"Add digits" in mobile phone 
mode202Additives
– coolant235
– engine oil, refer to Approved 
engine oils235
"Address book" in 
navigation152
Address for navigation
– deleting153
– entering144,147
– selecting153
– storing152
– storing current position152
"Add to address book"152
"Add to destination 
list"147,149
Adjusting active backrest 
width49
Adjusting interior 
temperature115
Adjusting the tone during 
audio operation, refer to 
Tone control169
Adjusting thigh support48
"After door opened"50
"After unlocking"
50
Airbags100
– indicator/warning lamp102
– indicator lamp for front 
passenger airbags101
– sitting safely47
Air distribution
– automatic115
– manual116
Airing, refer to Ventilation118
Air recirculation
– AUC Automatic 
recirculated-air control117
– recirculated-air mode117
Air recirculation, refer to 
Recirculated-air mode117
"Air recirculation on / off"57Air supply, automatic climate 
control114
Air volume116
AKI, refer to Fuel quality221
Alarm system39
– avoiding unintentional 
alarms40
– interior motion sensor40
– switching off alarm40
– switching off tilt alarm 
sensor and interior motion 
sensor40
– tilt alarm sensor40
"All channels"180
"All doors"33
Alloy wheels240
All-season tires, refer to 
Winter tires230
"All stations", requesting in 
radio mode172
All-wheel drive, refer to 
xDrive93
Alterations, technical, refer to 
For your own safety5
Altering stretch of road160
"AM", reception 
range168,172
Antenna for mobile phone194
Antifreeze
– coolant235
– washer fluid70
Anti-theft alarm system, refer 
to Alarm system39
Anti-theft system, refer to 
Central locking system32
Approved axle loads, refer to 
Weights263
Approved engine oils235
Approved gross vehicle 
weight, refer to Weights263
Armrest, refer to Center 
armrest, rear127