
At a glance
This overview of buttons, switches and displays
is intended to familiarize you with your vehicle's
operating environment. The section will also
assist you in becoming acquainted with the
control concepts and options available for
operating the various systems.
At a glance 

At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
9Instrument cluster12
12Ignition lock5513Buttons on the steering wheel
15Horn, entire surface
16Adjusting the steering wheel51
18Releasing the hood212
19Opening the trunk lid31 8
Turn signals59
High beams, headlamp flasher95
High-beam assistant
*95
Roadside parking lamps
*95
Computer70
Settings and information about the 
vehicle72
10
Windshield wipers60
Rain sensor
*60
11Switching the ignition on/off and 
starting/stopping the engine55
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending a call; dial-
ing
* the selected phone number; 
redialing if no phone number is 
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing the radio station
Interrupting a traffic bulletin
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode100
14
Steering wheel heating
*51
17
Cruise control
*61
Active cruise control
*63 

At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Coupe: microphone for voice activation 
system
* and for telephone* in hands-free 
mode
Convertible: microphone on steering col-
umn
2SOS: initiating an Emergency Request 
call
*230
3Reading lamps97
4Coupe: glass roof, electric
*36
5Interior lamps97
6Passenger airbag status lamp
*91
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Dynamic Traction Control DTC82
10Central locking system30
11Automatic climate control
12CD/DVD drive
*15713Changing the audio and entertainment 
sources
14Selecting AM or FM waveband
15Changing
>Radio station149
>Track157
17Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
18Buttons on the controller16
Selecting menus directly
20Programmable memory keys20
21Switching entertainment audio sources on/
off and adjusting volume146
22Ejecting a CD/DVD
*157 Air distribution to the 
windshield99
Air distribution to the upper body 
area99
Air distribution to the footwell99
Automatic air distribution and flow 
rate99
Cooling function100
Automatic recirculated-air control 
AUC and recirculated-air 
mode100
Maximum cooling99
ALL program100
Air volume100
Defrosting windows100
Rear window defroster100
Heated seats
*47
16
Park Distance Control PDC*81
Coupe: 
Roller sun blind
*106
Coupe: 
Hill Descent Control HDC
*83
19Convertible:
Opening and closing retractable 
hardtop38 

iDrive
16
iDrive
iDrive integrates the functions of a large num-
ber of switches. This allows these functions to 
be operated from a single central position. The 
following section provides an introduction to basic menu navigation. The control of the indi-
vidual functions is described in connection with 
the relevant equipment.
Controls
1Control Display
2Controller with buttons
You can use the buttons to open the menus 
directly. The controller can be used to 
select the menu items and create settings.
>Move in four directions, arrow3
>Turn, arrow 4
>Push, arrow 5
Operate the controller only when traffic 
and road conditions allow this, to avoid 
endangering the car's occupants and other 
road users by being distracted.< 

At a glance
 17Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Buttons on the controller
Operating principle
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
refer to page55, the following message is dis-
played on the Control Display:
To hide the message: 
Press the controller.
The main menu is displayed.
The message is automatically hidden after 
approx. 10 seconds.
Opening the main menu
Press the MENU button.
The main menu is displayed.All iDrive functions can be called up via the main 
menu.
Selecting a menu item
The menu items shown in white can be 
selected.
1.Turn the controller until the desired menu 
item is highlighted.
2.Press the controller.
A new menu is displayed or the function is exe-
cuted.
Menu items in the Owner's Manual
In the Owner's Manual, menu items that can be 
selected are set in quotation marks, e.g. "Set-
tings".
Changing between panels
After selecting a menu item, e.g. "Radio", a new 
menu is displayed on a panel. The panels can 
overlap.
ButtonFunction
MENU Open the main menu
RADIO Open the Radio menu
CD Open the CD/Multimedia menu
NAV Open the Navigation menu
TEL Open the Telephone menu
BACK Display the previous menu
OPTION Open the Options menu 

Controls
 33Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
10 seconds. The interior motion sensor and 
the tilt alarm sensor are not activated.
>The indicator lamp goes out after unlocking: 
your vehicle has not been disturbed while 
you were away.
>If the indicator lamp flashes after unlocking 
until the remote control is inserted in the 
ignition, but for no longer than approx. 
5 minutes: your vehicle has been disturbed 
while you were away.
Tilt alarm sensor
The tilt of the vehicle is monitored. The alarm 
system reacts, e.g. to attempts to steal a wheel 
or tow the vehicle.
Interior motion sensor
Coupe
In order for the interior motion sensor to func-
tion properly, the windows and glass roof must 
be completely closed
*.
Convertible
The interior of the car is monitored up to the 
height of the seat cushions. Thus the alarm sys-
tem is activated together with the interior 
motion sensor even if the hardtop is open. The 
alarm can be triggered unintentionally by falling 
objects such as leaves, refer to Avoiding unin-
tentional alarms.
Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor 
may be switched off at the same time. This pre-
vents unintentional alarms, e.g. in the following 
situations:
>In duplex garages
>During transport on car-carrying trains, 
boats/ships or on a trailer
>When animals are to remain in the vehicle
Switching off tilt alarm sensor and 
interior motion sensor
Press the   button on the remote control 
again as soon as the vehicle is locked.The indicator lamp lights up briefly and then 
flashes continuously. The tilt alarm sensor and 
the interior motion sensor are switched off until 
the next time the vehicle is unlocked and subse-
quently locked again.
Comfort Access*
Comfort Access enables you to enter your vehi-
cle without needing to hold the remote control 
in your hand. All you need to do is wear the 
remote control close to your body, e.g. in your 
jacket pocket. The vehicle detects the corre-
sponding remote control within the immediate 
vicinity or in the passenger compartment.
Comfort Access supports the following func-
tions:
>Unlocking/locking the vehicle
>Unlocking the trunk lid separately
>Engine starting
>Convenient closing
Functional requirement
>The vehicle or the trunk lid can only be 
locked when the vehicle detects that the 
remote control currently in use is outside of 
the vehicle.
>The vehicle cannot be locked or unlocked 
again until after approx. 2 seconds.
>The engine can only be started when the 
vehicle detects that the remote control cur-
rently in use is inside the vehicle.
Comparison to the standard remote 
control
In general, there is no difference between using 
Comfort Access or pressing the buttons on the 
remote control to carry out the functions men-
tioned above. You should therefore first famil-
iarize yourself with the instructions on opening 
and closing starting on page26.
Special features regarding the use of Comfort 
Access are described below.
If you notice a brief delay while opening or 
closing windows, the glass roof or retract- 

Opening and closing
34 able hardtop, the system is checking whether a 
remote control is inside the vehicle. Please 
repeat the opening or closing procedure, if nec-
essary.<
Unlocking
Grasp the handle on the driver's or front pas-
senger door completely, arrow 1. This corre-
sponds to pressing the  button.
Locking
Touch the surface, arrow 2, with your finger for 
approx. 1 second. This corresponds to pressing 
the button.
To preserve the battery, please make 
sure that the ignition and all electrical 
consumers are switched off before locking the 
vehicle.<
Coupe: Convenient closing
For Convenient closing, keep your finger on the 
surface, arrow 2.
Convertible: window and convertible 
top operation
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
you can open and close the windows and the 
convertible top when a remote control is 
located inside the vehicle.
Unlocking the trunk lid separately
Press the button on the outside of the trunk lid. 
This corresponds to pressing the  button.
If the vehicle detects that a remote con-
trol has been accidentally left inside the 
locked vehicle's cargo area after the trunk lid is closed, the lid will reopen. The hazard warning 
flashers flash and an acoustic signal
* sounds.<
Switching on radio readiness
Radio readiness is switched on by pressing the 
start/stop button, refer to page55.
Do not depress the brake or the clutch; 
otherwise, the engine will start.<
Starting the engine
You can start the engine or switch on the igni-
tion when a remote control is inside the vehicle. 
It is not necessary to insert a remote control into 
the ignition lock, refer to page55.
Switching off the engine in cars with 
automatic transmission
The engine can only be switched off when the 
selector lever is in position P, refer to page56.
To switch the engine off when the selector lever 
is in position N, the remote control must be in 
the ignition lock.
Malfunction
Comfort Access may malfunction due to local 
radio waves. If this happens, open or close the 
vehicle via the buttons on the remote control or 
using the integrated key. To start the engine 
afterward, insert the remote control into the 
ignition lock.
Warning lamps
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up when you attempt to 
start the engine: the engine cannot 
be started. The remote control is not inside the 
vehicle or is malfunctioning.
Take the remote control with you inside the 
vehicle or have it checked. If necessary, insert 
another remote control into the ignition lock.
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up while the engine is 
running: the remote control is no 
longer inside the vehicle. After the engine is 
switched off, the engine can only be restarted 
within approx. 10 seconds. 

Adjustments
48
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or the ignition, 
refer to page55.
2.Adjust the seat and exterior mirrors to the 
desired positions.
3.Press the   button.
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button 1 or 2: the 
LED goes out.
The driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions are stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Call-up
Do not call up the memory while you are 
driving; otherwise, unexpected seat 
movement could result in an accident.<
Comfort function
1.Unlock and open the driver's door or switch 
on radio readiness, refer to page55.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1 
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is halted immediately 
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or 
one of the memory buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off, refer to page55.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2 
and keep it pressed until the adjustment 
process has been completed.
If the   button was pressed accidentally:
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
Call-up with the remote control
The driver's seat position last set is stored for 
the remote control currently in use.
You can select whether or not the seat is reset 
to that position automatically.
When this Personal Profile function is 
used, first make sure that the footwell 
behind the driver's seat is free of obstacles. 
Failure to do so could cause injury to persons or 
damage to objects as a result of a rearward 
movement of the seat.<
The adjusting procedure is halted immediately 
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or 
one of the memory buttons.
Selecting automatic call-up
1."Settings"
2."Door locks"
3."Last seat position auto."
 The function for automatically calling up 
the last seat position is switched on and is 
stored for the remote control currently in use.
Switching off automatic call-up
Deactivate "Last seat position automatic".
Safety belts
Observe the adjustment instructions on 
page42 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants 
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the 
safety belt as an additional safety device, but 
they do not represent a substitute.