
Cockpit
10
Cockpit
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays
3Folding exterior mirrors in and out*42
4Adjusting exterior mirrors, automatic curb 
monitor
*42
1Safety switch for electric rear 
windows35 
2
Opening and closing windows34 5
Parking lamps/low beams85
Low beams85
Automatic headlamp control
*85
Adaptive Head Light
*86
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At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
7Instrument cluster12
10Ignition lock49
11Buttons on the steering wheel12Horn: the entire surface
13Adjusting the steering wheel43
15Releasing the hood192
16Opening the luggage compartment lid30 6
Turn signals58
High beams, headlamp flasher87
Roadside parking lamps
*87
Computer63
Settings and information about the 
vehicle65
Instrument lighting87
8
Windshield wipers59
Rain sensor
*59
9Switching the ignition on/off and 
starting/stopping the engine49
Telephone
*:
>Press: accepting and ending a 
call, starting dialing
* selected 
phone numbers. Redialing if 
no phone number is selected
>Press longer: redialing
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing radio station
Selecting music track
Scrolling through phone book and 
lists with stored phone numbers
MDrive
*, calling up individual 
settings44 
Recirculated-air mode91
14
Cruise control60
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At a glance
 13Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
Indicator and warning lamps can light up in a 
variety of combinations and colors.
Some lamps are checked for proper functioning 
and thus come on briefly when the engine is 
started or the ignition is switched on.
Explanatory text messages
Text messages at the top edge of the Control 
Display describe the meanings of the indicator 
and warning lamps.
You can call up more information, e.g. on the 
cause of a malfunction and on how to respond, 
via Check Control, refer to page70.
In urgent cases, this information will be shown 
as soon as the corresponding lamp comes on.
Indicator lamps without text messages
The following indicator lamps notify you that 
certain functions are active:
Parking lamps/low beams85
High beams/headlamp flasher87
Parking brake applied51
MDrive
*44
M Dynamic Mode
*76
Lamp flashes:
DSC is regulating the drive forces in 
order to maintain driving stability76
Engine malfunction with adverse 
effect on exhaust emissions198
Canada: engine malfunction with 
adverse effect on exhaust 
emissions198
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Driving
58
M Engine Dynamics Control
With M Engine Dynamics Control you can influ-
ence how sportily your vehicle should respond 
to movements of the accelerator. Three pro-
grams are available to you.
"Normal" program
In the "Normal" program, the engine responds 
gently to accelerator movements, which is ideal 
for city traffic or on snow, for example.
"Sport" program
The "Sport" program provides for a more spon-
taneous response of the engine to accelerator 
movements.
"Sport Plus" program
In the "Sport Plus" program, the engine 
responds to accelerator movements with high 
spontaneity and uncompromising sportiness. 
The "Sport Plus" program can only be activated 
via MDrive, refer to MDrive on page44.
Selecting a program
Press the POWER button to switch between 
the "Normal" and "Sport" programs.
For the programs "Sport" and "Sport Plus", the 
LED in the POWER button lights up.
 You can also set and call up your preferred 
program via MDrive, refer to page44.
After the ignition is switched off and the engine 
is restarted, the program set for the remote 
control in use is active, refer to M Key settings 
on page45.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the 
resistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator 
lamp indicates that a turn signal indicator 
has failed.<
Indicating a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for 
as long as you wish to indicate a turn.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
The turn signals flash three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
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Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
3."Triple turn signal"
 Triple turn signal activation is activated and 
is stored for the remote control currently in use.
Wiper system
1Switching on wipers
2Switching off wipers or brief wipe
3Activating/deactivating intermittent wipe or 
rain sensor
*
4Cleaning windshield and headlamps
5Setting speed for intermittent wipe, or sen-
sitivity of the rain sensor
Switching on wipers
Press the lever upward, arrow 1.
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once.
The system switches to operation in the inter-
mittent mode when the vehicle is stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance 
point. 
The system switches to normal speed when the 
vehicle is stationary.
Intermittent wipe or rain sensor*
If the car is not equipped with a rain sensor, the 
intermittent-wipe time is a preset.
If the car is equipped with a rain sensor, the time 
between wipes is controlled automatically and 
depends on the intensity of the rainfall. The rain 
sensor is mounted on the windshield, directly in 
front of the interior rearview mirror.
Activating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the but-
ton lights up.
Setting speed for intermittent wipe or 
sensitivity of the rain sensor
Turn knurled wheel5 up or down.
Deactivating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press the button again, arrow3. 
The LED goes out.
Deactivate the rain sensor before enter-
ing an automatic car wash. Failure to do 
so could result in damage caused by undesired 
wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield and headlamps
Pull the lever, arrow 4.
Washer fluid is sprayed onto the windshield and 
the wipers are operated for a short time.
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Driving
60 When the vehicle lighting system is switched 
on, the headlamps are cleaned at regular and 
appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washers if there is any 
danger that the fluid will freeze on the 
windshield. If you do, your vision could be 
obscured. Antifreeze should therefore be 
added to the fluid, refer to Washer fluid. 
Do not use the washers when the washer fluid 
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage 
the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are heated 
automatically while the engine is running or the 
ignition is switched on.
Washer fluid
Washer fluid antifreeze is flammable. 
Therefore, keep it away from ignition 
sources and only store it in the closed original 
container that is kept out of reach of children, 
otherwise there is a risk of personal injury. 
Comply with the instructions on the con-
tainer.<
Washer fluid filler neck
Only refill washer fluid when the engine is 
cool to avoid contact with hot engine 
parts. Otherwise, fluid spills constitute a fire 
hazard and a risk to personal safety.<
All washer nozzles are supplied with washer 
fluid by the same reservoir.
Fill with water and, if required, with a washer 
antifreeze, according to manufacturer's recom-
mendations.Mix the water and antifreeze before filling 
the washer fluid reservoir to make sure 
the correct concentration is maintained.<
Capacity
Approx. 4.8 US quarts/4.5 liters.
Cruise control
The concept
Cruise control is available for use at speeds of 
approx. 20 mph or 30 km/h. The car then stores 
and maintains the speed that you specify using 
the lever on the steering column.
Do not use cruise control when driving at 
constant speed is prevented by adverse 
conditions, e.g. winding roads, dense traffic or 
poor road conditions due to, e.g. snow, rain, ice 
or loose surfaces. Otherwise you could lose 
control of the vehicle and cause an accident as a 
result.<
One lever for all functions
1Storing and maintaining speed or accelerat-
ing
2Storing and maintaining speed or deceler-
ating
3Deactivating cruise control
4Resuming a speed stored beforehand
Maintaining current speed
Tap the lever, arrow 1, or pull it briefly, arrow 2.
The car's current speed is stored and main-
tained. It is displayed on the speedometer and 
briefly in the instrument cluster. This function is 
not available when DSC is switched off.
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Controls
 85Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lamps off, 
daytime running lamps
1Parking lamps and daytime running lamps
2Low-beam headlamps and welcome lamps
3Automatic headlamp control
*, daytime run-
ning lamps, welcome lamps and Adaptive 
Head Light
*
When you open the driver's door with the igni-
tion switched off, the exterior lighting is auto-
matically switched off if the light switch is in 
position 0, 2 or 3.
Switch on the parking lamps if necessary, 
switch position 1.
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side 
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the 
parking lamps for parking.
When the ignition is switched off and the switch 
is in position 1, only the outside sections of the 
rear lamps are illuminated, refer to page205.
The parking lamps will discharge the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for 
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the 
engine. It is preferable to switch on the left-
hand or right-hand roadside parking lamps, 
refer to page87.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is 
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
Automatic headlamp control*
When the switch is in position3, the low beams 
are switched on and off automatically depend-
ing on ambient light conditions, e.g. in a tunnel, 
in twilight, or if there is precipitation. The Adap-
tive Head Light
* is active. The LED next to the 
symbol is illuminated when the low beams are 
on. You can also activate the daytime running 
lamps, refer to page86. In the situations 
described above, the lamps then automatically 
switch from daytime running lamps to low 
beams.
The headlamps may also come on when the 
sun is sitting low on a blue sky.
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 system 
cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To avoid 
safety risks, you should always switch on the 
low-beam headlamps manually under these 
conditions.<
Welcome lamps
If you leave the light switch in position 2 or 3 
when you park the car, the parking lamps and 
the interior lamps light up briefly when you 
unlock the vehicle.
Activating/deactivating welcome 
lamps
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
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Lamps
86 3."Welcome light"
 Welcome lamps are activated and are 
stored for the remote control currently in use.
Pathway lighting
If you activate the headlamp flasher after park-
ing the car, with the lamps switched off, the low 
beams and the rear lamps come on and remain 
on for a certain time.
Setting or deactivating the duration
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Pathway lighting:"
4.Set or deactivate the duration.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Daytime running lamps
The daytime running lamps light up in switch 
position0, 1 and 3. They are less powerful than 
the low beams.
Activating/deactivating daytime 
running lamps
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Daytime running lamps"
 Daytime running lamps are activated and 
are stored for the remote control currently in 
use.
Adaptive Head Light*
The concept
Adaptive Head Light is a variable headlamp 
control system that enables better illumination 
of the road surface. Depending on the steering 
angle and other parameters, the light from the 
headlamp follows the course of the road.
In tight curves at speeds up to 40 mph/70 km/h, 
e.g. on mountainous roads or when turning, an 
additional, corner-illuminating lamp is switched 
on that lights up the inside area of the curve.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
With the ignition switched on, turn the light 
switch to position 3, refer to page85. 
The corner-illuminating lamp is switched on 
automatically, depending on the steering wheel 
angle or turn signal indicator.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adaptive 
Head Light directs light towards the front pas-
senger side when the vehicle is at a standstill.
When you are reversing, only the corner-illumi-
nating lamps are active and switched on on 
both sides.
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