Page 129 of 272

Driving tips
127Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Thinking ahead when driving
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking.
To do so, maintain the appropriate distance
from the vehicle in front of you. An anticipatory
and smooth driving style reduces fuel con-
sumption.
Avoiding high engine speeds
Use 1st gear only for starting off. Accelerate
rapidly in 2nd gear and above. Avoid high
engine speeds in doing so and shift into the
next gear early.
When you have reached the desired speed,
shift into the highest possible gear and drive
with the lowest possible engine speed while
maintaining a constant a vehicle speed.
In general: driving at a low engine speed
reduces fuel consumption and minimizes wear.
Taking advantage of coasting
When approaching a red light, let off the gas
and allow the vehicle to coast to a stop in the
highest possible gear.
On steep roadways, let off the gas and allow the
vehicle to roll in the appropriate gear.
The flow of fuel is interrupted when coasting.
Switching off the engine during longer
stops
Switch off the engine at longer stops such as
traffic signals, railroad crossings, or in traffic
jams. Even having the engine switched off for
approx. 4 seconds results in fuel savings.
Switching off functions currently not
required
Functions such as the cooling function of the
automatic climate control, seat heating or rear
window defroster draw large amounts of power
and consume additional fuel. Their influence is
particularly pronounced in city traffic and stop &
go operation. For this reason, it is a good idea to
switch these functions off when they are not
really needed.
Having maintenance carried out
Have the vehicle serviced regularly in order to
achieve the optimum economy and service life
of your vehicle. BMW recommends having the
maintenance performed by a BMW center. Also
please pay attention to the BMW maintenance
system, refer to page225.
General driving notes
Closing luggage compartment lid
Only drive with the luggage compartment
lid completely closed, otherwise exhaust
can penetrate into the passenger compart-
ment.<
If it is absolutely necessary to drive with the lug-
gage compartment lid open:
1.Coupe: close both windows and the glass
sunroof.
Convertible: with closed top, close all win-
dows.
2.Increase the air volume of the automatic cli-
mate control to a high level, refer to
page112.
Hot exhaust system
As in all vehicles, extremely high temper-
atures are generated on the exhaust sys-
tem. Do not remove the heat shields installed
adjacent to it, and never apply undercoating to
them. When driving, standing at idle and while
parking take care to avoid possible contact
between the hot exhaust system and any highly
flammable materials such as hay, leaves, grass,
etc. Such contact could lead to a fire, and with it
the risk of serious property damage as well as
personal injury. Do not touch hot exhaust tail
pipes. Otherwise there is a risk of burns.<
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This phenomenon is referred to as hydro-
planing, and is characterized by a partial or
complete loss of contact between the tires and
Page 131 of 272

Driving tips
129Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
You can find valuable information on this topic
under Care, starting on page227.
Sport automatic transmission
Insert the remote control into the ignition lock.
The engine can be switched off with the trans-
mission in neutral. Also refer to page40.
Cargo loading
To avoid loading the tires beyond their
approved carrying capacity, never over-
load the vehicle. Overloading can lead to over-
heating and increases the rate at which damage
develops inside the tires. The ultimate result
can assume the form of a sudden blow-out.<
Make sure that no fluids leak in the cargo
bay; otherwise the vehicle could be dam-
aged.<
Determining loading limit
1.Locate the following statement on your
vehicle's placard
*:
The combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed
XXX lbs. or YYY kg, as otherwise the vehicle
may be damaged and unstable driving con-
ditions may result.<
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 lbs. or YYY kg.
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the XXX amount equals 800 lbs. and there will be four 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
200 lbs.:
800 lbs. minus 600 lbs. = 200 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 trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult the manual for
transporting a trailer to determine how this
may reduce the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
Load
The permissible load is the total of the weight of
occupants and cargo/luggage. The greater the
weight of occupants, the less cargo/luggage
can be transported.
Stowing cargo
>Place heavy cargo as far forward and as low
as possible, placing it directly behind the
bulkhead behind the rear seats.
>Cover sharp edges and corners.
Page 133 of 272
Driving tips
131Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Page 135 of 272
Navigation
This chapter describes how you can enter
destinations and specify your route so that your
navigation system guides you reliably to your
destination.
Navigation
Page 136 of 272

Starting navigation system
134
Starting navigation system
Your navigation system can use satellites to
ascertain the precise position of your vehicle
and guide you reliably to any destination you
enter.
Navigation DVD
The navigation system requires a special navi-
gation DVD. The latest version is available at
your BMW center.
Inserting navigation DVD
1.Insert the navigation DVD with the labeled
side up. The navigation DVD is retracted.
2.Allow several seconds for the system to
scan the data from the DVD.
Removing navigation DVD
1.Press button 1.
The DVD emerges slightly from the drive.
2.Remove the DVD.
If the DVD is not ejected from the drive, it is pos-
sible that it is blocked. In this case a message is
also shown on the Control Display.
Display in assistance window
You can display the route or the current position
in the assistance window. This display remains
visible even if you change to another applica-
tion.
1.Move the controller to the right to enter the
assistance window.
2.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
3.Select the desired route view or "Current
position".
4.Press the controller.
Displaying arrow view in map view*
If the navigation system suggests a change of
direction, the arrow view is briefly displayed.
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.
*
Page 137 of 272
Navigation
Driving tips
135Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
4.Turn the controller until "Language / Units"
is selected and press the controller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Languages" is selected and
press the controller.
6.Select "Arrow display pop-up instructions"
and press the controller.
The arrow view appears in the assistance
window.
Page 138 of 272

Destination entry
136
Destination entry
In entering your destination you can select from
among the following options:
>Entering a destination manually, see below
>Entering destination via voice*, refer to
page139
>Selecting destination using information,
refer to page142
>Selecting destination from a list, refer to
Destination list, page143
>Selecting destination from address book,
refer to page144
>Selecting home address, refer to page146
After selecting your destination you can pro-
ceed to start the destination guidance, refer to
page148.
You can also store a navigation destination on
the programmable memory buttons, refer to
page22.
Enter data only when the vehicle is sta-
tionary, and always give priority to the
applicable traffic regulations in the event of any
contradiction between traffic and road condi-
tions and the instructions issued by the naviga-
tion system. If you do not observe this precau-
tion, you can endanger the vehicle occupants
and other road users.<
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the right to open
"Navigation".
3.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
The Control Display shows:
>the arrow view or map view during destina-
tion guidance
>the destination list when destination guid-
ance is switched offEntering a destination
manually
The system's word matching principle makes it
easier for you to enter the names of streets or
towns, refer to page147. This allows you to
enter different spellings and completes your
entry so that stored names can be called up
quickly.
1.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Navigation" is selected and
press the controller.
"New destination" is selected.
2.Press the controller.
3.Select "Enter address" and press the con-
troller.
The system also supports you with the follow-
ing features:
>If you do not enter a street, the system will
guide you to the downtown area of a town/
city.
>You can skip the entry of country and local-
ity if the current entries should be retained
for your new destination.
Page 139 of 272

Navigation
Driving tips
137Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Selecting country
1.Select "State / Province" or the displayed
country and press the controller.
The list of available countries appears on
the display.
2.Select the country of destination and press
the controller.
In order to be able to start the destination guid-
ance, at least the town/city of the destination or
its zip code must be entered.
Entering destination via town/city
name
1.Select "Town / City" or the displayed town/
city and press the controller.
2.Select the starting letter and press control-
ler.
A list of all towns/cities starting with this let-
ter appears on the Control Display.
3.To delete the letter entered if necessary:
>Delete individual numbers or letters:
Move the controller toward the right to
select , and press the controller.
>Delete all numbers or letters:
Move the controller toward the right to
select and press and hold the con-
troller.4.If necessary, enter more letters.
The list gradually grows smaller each time
you enter a new letter.
>Enter blank space if necessary:
Select the symbol and press the con-
troller.
5.Change to the third field from the top if nec-
essary. Turn the controller until the town/
city name is selected from the list and press
the controller.