
Cockpit
12
Instrument panel
1Indicator lamps for turn signals
2 Speedometer
3 Indicator and warning lamps 13
4 Tachometer 79
5 BMW X5: energy control 79
BMW X6: engine oil temperature 79 or
energy control 79
6 Display for
>Clock/date 78
> Outside temperature 78
> Indicator and warning lamps 85
> Speed of cruise control
*76
> BMW X5: reserve display for diesel 
exhaust fluid 246 7
Display for
>Odometer and trip odometer 78
> Computer 80
> Date and remaining travel distance 
for service requirements 82
> Automatic transmission positions 70
> HDC Hill Descent Control 98
>  Check Control message present 85
> Adaptive Drive
*99
> BMW X6: Dynamic Performance 
Control 97
8 Fuel gauge 80
9 Resetting trip odometer 78
Displaying service requirement 78 

Controls
 29Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Language on Control Display, refer to 
page 90
> 12h/24h clock format, refer to page 89
> Date format, refer to page 89
> Lighting settings:
>Triple turn signal activation, refer to 
page 73
> Welcome lamps, refer to page 110
> Pathway lighting, refer to page 111
> Daytime driving lamps
*, refer to 
page 111
> PDC Park Distance Control
*: optical warn-
ing, refer to page 92
> Rear view camera
*:
> Selecting functions, refer to page 93
> Type of display, refer to page 95
> Head-Up Display
*: selection, brightness 
and position of display, refer to page 107
> Automatic climate control: AUTO program 
and intensity, cooling function, and auto-
matic recirculated air control/recirculated 
air mode, temperature, air distribution, tem-
perature in the upper  body region, refer to 
text starting on page 115
> Programmable memory buttons: selecting 
stored functions, refer to page 21
> Positions of driver's  seat, outside mirrors, 
and steering wheel
*, refer to page 50
> Adaptive Drive
*: selected chassis and sus-
pension tuning, refer to page 99
> Audio sources: volume and tone settings, 
refer to page 175
> Radio:
>Display of stored stations, refer to 
page 178
> Switching RDS Radio Data System on/
off
*, refer to page 181
> Phone: volume setting, refer to 
pages 226,232
Central locking system
The concept
The central locking system functions when the 
driver's door is closed.
The system simultaneously engages and 
releases the locks on the following:
> Doors
> Liftgate
> Fuel filler door
Operating from outside
>via the remote control
> via the door lock
> with comfort access
* via the door handles
The interior lamps and the courtesy lamps
* are 
also switched on and off with the remote con-
trol. The alarm system
 is armed/disarmed at the 
same time.
You can find more detailed information on the 
alarm system
 on page 38.
Operating from inside
Via the button for centra l locking, refer to 
page 32. The fuel filler door is not locked.
In an accident of sufficient severity, the central 
locking system automati cally unlocks the vehi-
cle. In addition, the hazard warning flashers and 
interior lamps come on.
Opening and closing:
Using remote control
Persons or animals left unattended in a 
parked vehicle can lock the doors from 
the inside. Always take  along the remote control 
when leaving the vehicle so that the vehicle can 
then be opened  from the outside. < 

Adjusting
48
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 seat 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 page 61.
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 passeng er is sitting correctly 
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument 
cluster, otherwise leg in juries can occur if the 
front airbag is triggered. 
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head 
on the side or head airbag, 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 e ffect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page 105.
Head restraint
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 inju ry in the event of an 
accident. <
BMW X5: push the head restraints of the 3rd 
row seats
* into the top position.
Head restraints, refer to page 52.
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.
BMW X5: depending on its equipment, your 
vehicle has either five or seven seats, which are 
all provided 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  may not lie across the 
neck, rub on 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 pos-
sible. Otherwise the belt can slip over the hips 
in the lap area in a fronta l impact and injure the 
abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing that prevents 
the belt from fitting prop erly and pull the belt in 
the upper body area period ically to readjust the 
tension, in order to avoid a reduction in the 
restraint of the safety belt. 
If the center safety belt  in the rear is used, the 
larger backrest half mu st be locked, refer to 
page 132, otherwise the center safety belt has 
no restraining action. <
Safety belts, refer to page 54. 

Everything under control
78
Everything under control
Odometer, outside 
temperature display, clock
1Knob in the instrument panel
2 Time, outside temperature, and date
3 Odometer and trip odometer
Knob in the instrument panel
>With ignition switched on
Press knob: 
Resetting trip odometer
Press the knob for approx. 5 seconds: 
Displaying service requirements, refer to 
page 82
> With ignition switched off
Press knob:
Briefly displaying time, outside temperature 
and odometer
Units of measure
To select the respective units of measure, miles 
or km for the odometer as well as 7  or 6 for 
the outside temperat ure, refer to page89.
The setting is stored fo r the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Time, date, outside temperature
From radio readiness the outside temperature 
and the time are displayed.
Setting the time, refer to page 88.
Retrieving date
Press the button on turn signal lever upward; 
the date appears.
To set the date, refer to page 89.
Pressing the button upward or downward sev-
eral times changes the display between clock, 
outside temperature, da te, and Check Control 
messages, refer to page 86.
Outside temperature warning
If the display drops to +37 7/+3 6, 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 +37 7/
+3 6 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.<
Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting trip odometer:
Press knob  1 in the instrument panel with the 
ignition switched on.
When vehicle is parked
To briefly display the time, outside temperature 
and mileage after the re mote control has been 
removed from the ignition lock:
Press knob  1 in the instrument panel. 

Refueling
244
Refueling
Switch off the engine before refueling. 
When handling fuel,  always observe all 
applicable precautionar y measures and regula-
tions. Never transport reserve fuel containers in 
the vehicle. These co uld become leaky and 
cause an explosion or a fire in an accident. <
Fuel filler door
Opening
1.Open the fuel filler door. To do this, briefly 
press the lower edge.
2. Turn the fuel filler cap counterclockwise.
3. Place the fuel filler cap in the bracket 
attached to the fuel filler door.
Closing
Fit the cap and turn it cl ockwise until you clearly 
hear a click.
Do not crush the band attached to the 
cap; otherwise, the  cap may not properly 
seal and fuel vapors can escape. <
A message
* is displayed if the cap is loose or 
missing.
Releasing manually
If an electrical malfunction should occur, you 
can unlock the fuel filler door manually.
1. Open the right-hand side panel in the cargo 
bay.
2. Pull the knob with the gas pump symbol.
Observe the following when refueling
When handling fuels, follow the safety 
precautions posted at  the filling station. 
Otherwise, there is a danger of personal injury 
or property damage. <
When refueling, insert  the filler nozzle com-
pletely into the filler pipe. Avoid raising the filler 
nozzle during refueling,  otherwise this leads to
> premature pump shutoff
> a reduced efficiency of the fuel-vapor 
recovery system
The fuel tank is full when  the filler nozzle clicks 
off the first time.
Fuel tank capacity
Approx. 22.5 US gal/85 liters, including the 
reserve capacity of approx. 2.1 US gal/8 liters
X5 xDrive48i: approx. 2.6 US gal/10 liters 
reserve
X6 xDrive50i: approx. 3.2 US gal/12 liters 
reserve
Refuel as soon as possible once your 
cruising range falls below 30 miles/
50 km, otherwise engine functions are not 
ensured and damage can occur. < 

Under the hood
262
Approved engine oils
The quality of the engine oil has critical signifi-
cance for the operation and service life of an 
engine. BMW continuously approves specific 
oils after confirming their suitability for use in its 
vehicles with extensive testing.
Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center 
will be happy to answer detailed ques-
tions on approved oils. <
You can also call BMW of North America at 
1-800-831-1117 or visit the website at 
www.bmwusa.com to obtain this information. Do not use oil additives, as these may 
result in engine damage.<
Alternative oil types
If none of the approved o ils is available, you can 
also use other oils for adding small amounts 
between oil changes. One of the following oil 
specifications must be  indicated on the pack-
aging:
Gasoline engines
> preferably: BMW Longlife-01,
BMW Longlife-01 FE, or 
BMW Longlife-04
> alternatively: BMW Longlife-98, API SM 
or higher
Diesel engines
>BMW Longlife-04
Viscosity grades
Viscosity is a measure of an oil's flow rating and 
is specified in SAE grades.
The choice of the right SAE grade is based on 
the climatic conditions  in the region in which 
you normally drive your BMW.
Approved oils belong  to the SAE classifi-
cations 0W-40, 0W-30, 5W-40 and 
5W-30. <
These oils can be used for driving at all outside 
temperatures.
Coolant
Do not add coolant to the cooling system 
when the engine is hot. Escaping coolant 
can cause burns. <
Coolant is composed of equal parts water and a 
coolant additive. Not all commercially available 
additives are suitable for your BMW. Your BMW 
Sports Activity Vehicl e Center can recommend 
suitable additives.
Only use suitable ad ditives, otherwise 
engine damage may result. The additives 
present a health hazard; observe the instruc-
tions on the containers. <
Comply with the appropriate environ-
mental protection regulations when dis-
posing of coolant additives. <
Checking coolant level
1.Do not open the hood  until the engine has 
cooled down.
2. Turn the cap of the expansion tank counter-
clockwise to allow any accumulated pres-
sure to escape, then  continue turning to 
open.
3. The coolant level is co rrect when the cool-
ant level is between the MIN and MAX 
marks, refer to the di agram adjacent to the 
filler neck.
4. If the coolant is low, slowly add coolant up to 
the specified level; do not overfill.
5. Turn the cap until ther e is an audible click.
6. Have the reason for  the coolant loss elimi-
nated as soon as possible. 

Giving and receiving assistance
280
replace the contents conc
erned in good time if 
necessary.
BMW X5
BMW X6
The first aid kit is stored in the cargo bay, 
behind the left side panel.
Roadside Assistance*
The BMW Roadside Assistance offers you 
assistance in the event of a breakdown around 
the clock, including on weekends and public 
holidays.
The phone numbers of the Roadside Assis-
tance in your home country can be found in the 
Contact brochure.
With BMW Assist or BMW TeleServices, you 
can contact BMW Roadside Assistance for 
assistance in the event of a breakdown directly 
via iDrive, refer to page 236.
Jump starting
When your battery is discharged, you can use 
two jumper cables to start your BMW with 
power from the battery in a second vehicle. You  can also use the same 
method to help start 
another vehicle. Use only jumper cables with 
fully-insulated clamp handles.
To avoid the risk of po tentially fatal injury, 
always avoid all contact with electrical 
components while the engine is running. Care-
fully adhere to the following sequence, both to 
prevent damage to one or both vehicles, and to 
guard against possible personal injuries.<
Preparation
1. Check whether the battery of the other 
vehicle has a voltage of 12 Volts and 
approximately the same capacitance in Ah. 
This information can be found on the bat-
tery.
2. Switch off the engine of the assisting vehi-
cle.
3. Switch off any electrical systems and com-
ponents in both vehicles.
There must not be  any contact between 
the bodies of the tw o vehicles, otherwise 
there is a danger of shorting. <
Connecting jumper cables
To avoid personal injury from sparks, fol-
low this sequence when connecting 
jumper cables. <
On your BMW the so-called starting-aid termi-
nal in the engine compar tment acts as the bat-
tery positive terminal, al so refer to the engine 
compartment overview on page 259. The cover 
cap is marked with +.
1. Fold open the cover of the BMW starting-
aid terminal. To do so, pull the tab. 

Reference 299
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Cargo bay
– capacity289
– emergency operation, refer  to Opening manually 33,36
– expanding 132
– opening/closing, refer to  Liftgate 33,35
– opening/closing, refer to 
Tailgate 35
– opening from inside 33,36
– opening from outside 33,36
– opening with remote  control 30
Cargo bay cover, refer to Roll- up cover 130
Caring for the vehicle 
finish 266
Car key, refer to Keys/remote  control 28
Car phone 220
– installation location, refer to  Center armrest, front 127
– refer to Mobile phone 220
– refer to separate operating  instructions
Car radio, refer to Radio 178
Car wash 140,265
– before driving in 66
– with comfort access 41
Catalytic converter, refer to  Hot exhaust system 139
"Categories" in Satellite  radio 185
CBC Cornering Brake 
Control 96
CBS Condition Based  Service 263
"CD" 175,187
– for DVD system in rear 206
CD, refer to Playing audio 
tracks, DVD system in 
rear 210
CD/DVD player, DVD system 
in rear 205 CD changer
187
– compressed audio files 187
– controls 174
– fast forward/reverse 190
– random sequence 190
– repeating a track 189
– sampling tracks 189
– selecting a CD 187
– selecting a track 188
– switching on/off 174
– ton
e control 175
– volume 175
CD player 187
– compressed audio files 187
– controls 174
– fast forward/reverse 190
– random sequence 190
– repeating a track 189
– sampling tracks 189
– selecting a track 188
– switching on/off 174
– tone control 175
– volume 175
Cell phone
– refer to Mobile phone
Center armrest
– front 127
– rear 130
Center brake lamp 272,275
Center console 14
Central locking system 29
– comfort access 39
– from inside vehicle 32
Changes, technical
– refer to For your own  safety 5
– refer to Parts and 
accessories 6
Changing gears using shift  paddles 71
Changing language on  Control Display 90
Changing tires 256
Changing units of measure on  Control Display 89
Changing wheels 275
Check Control 85
"Check Control  messages" 86 Checking the air pressure, 
refer to Tire inflation 
pressure 249
Children, transporting 61
Child restraint devices 61
Child restraint fixing system  LATCH 62
Child restraint systems 61
Child-safety locks 64
Child seats 61
Chime, refer to Check 
Control 85
Cigarette lighter, refer to 
Lighter 129
Cleaning your BMW, refer to  Care 265
"Climate" 56
Clock 78
– 12h/24h mode 89
– setting tim
e 88
Closing
– from inside 32
– using remote control 29
Closing fuel filler cap 244
Clothes hooks 127
Cockpit 10
Cold start, refer to Starting  engine 66
"Color" in DVD system in  rear 208
Comfort access 39
– observe in car wash 41
– replacing battery 41
Comfort area, refer to Around 
the center console 14
Comfort start, refer to Starting  engine 66
"Communication" 226 ,236, 237, 238,239
Compact Disc
– refer to CD changer 187
– refer to CD player 187
Compact wheel
– inflation pressure 251
– wheel change 275
Compartment for remote 
control, refer to Ignition 
lock 65