
Cockpit
10
Cockpit
Controls
1Parking lamps/low beams59
2Front fog lamps
*61
3>Turn signals41
>Roadside parking lamps60
>High beams60
>Headlamp flasher41
>Computer484Horn, the entire surface
5Washer/wiper system/rain sensor*42
6Hazard warning flashers
7Central locking system19
8Unlocking hood101 

Cockpit
12
Indicator and warning lamps
Technology that monitors itself
Indicator and warning lamps that are identified 
with 
+ are checked for proper function each 
time you turn the ignition key. They each light 
up once for different periods of time.
When a malfunction occurs in a monitored sys-
tem, the corresponding lamp will either fail to go 
out when the engine is started, or it will come on 
again during normal driving. Detailed informa-
tion is provided on the specified pages.
Battery charge current 
+118
Headlamp flasher41
High beams60
Engine oil 
+103
Driving stability control systems/
ABS Antilock Brake System 
+51
ABS Antilock Brake System/chassis 
control system for Canadian models
Brake system 
+ 
With handbrake released53, 105
With handbrake engaged39
With other warning lamps53
Brake warning lamp for Canadian 
models
Brake pads 
+85
Please fasten safety belts 
+32
Airbags 
+57
Front fog lamps61
Automatic transmission +40 
Turn signals41
DSC Dynamic Stability Control/
xDrive
+ 51, 52
DTC Dynamic Traction Control 
+52
Service Engine Soon 
+107
Service Engine Soon warning lamp for 
Canadian models.
Check Gas Cap
* +92
Engine electronics 
+38
Topping off washer fluid43
Coolant low105
Flat Tire Monitor
* +54 
Tire Pressure Monitor
* +55
Lamp defective59
Cruise control44
Door or liftgate open 

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
 25
Moving manually*
In the event of an electrical malfunction, you can 
move the sunroof manually.
1.Pull the cover firmly downward to remove.
2.Take the Allen wrench
* from the compart-
ment under cargo area floor, refer to 
page116, and insert it into the opening pro-
vided. Move the sunroof into the desired 
position. The arrow in the illustration indi-
cates the rotation direction for closing the 
sunroof.
Alarm system*
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood, or the liftgate is 
opened.
>To movements inside the vehicle: interior 
motion sensor, refer to description below.
>When the car's inclination changes, for 
instance if an attempt is made to jack it up 
and steal the wheels or to raise it prior to 
towing away.
>To interruptions in battery voltage.The alarm system signals unauthorized manip-
ulations for a short time by:
>Sounding an acoustic alarm
>Switching on the hazard warning flashers
>Flashing the high beams
Arming and disarming alarm system
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either with 
the remote control or at the door lock, the alarm 
system is armed or disarmed at the same time.
If the alarm system has been properly armed, 
the hazard warning flashers light up once.
You can have different confirmation sig-
nals set to confirm arming and disarm-
ing.<
You can open the liftgate even when the system 
is armed by using the  button of the remote 
control, refer to page20. When the liftgate is 
closed, it is locked again and monitored.
Switching off alarm
>Unlock the vehicle using the remote control, 
refer to page19.
>Turn the ignition key to position 1.
Indicator lamp displays
>The indicator lamp below the interior rear-
view mirror flashes continuously: the sys-
tem is armed.
>The indicator lamp flashes after the vehicle 
is locked: doors, hood, or liftgate are not 
properly closed. Even if you do not close the 
alerted area, the system begins to monitor 
the remaining areas, and the indicator lamp 
flashes continuously after approx. 10 sec- 

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
 41
P Park
Select only when the vehicle is stationary. The 
transmission locks to prevent the rear wheels 
from turning.
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
You can shift into neutral, for example, in auto-
matic car washes. This allows the vehicle to roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is the lowest when the vehicle is 
driven in position D.
Kick-down
The kick-down mode provides maximum accel-
eration. 
Press the accelerator pedal past the increased 
resistance point at the full-throttle position.
Sport program and manual mode M/S
Move the selector lever from position D toward 
the left into the M/S shifting slot.
The Sport program is activated and SD appears 
in the instrument cluster. This position is rec-
ommended for a performance-oriented driving 
style.
When you push the selector lever forward or 
pull it back, this activates the manual mode and 
Steptronic changes gear. The instrument clus-
ter displays M1 to M6.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a plausible combination 
of engine and vehicle speed; as a result, for example, a downshift that would cause the 
engine to overrev will not be executed by the 
system. The gear selected will appear briefly in 
the instrument cluster, followed by the current 
gear.
To use the automatic function again, move the 
selector lever to the right into position D.
Malfunction
Red warning lamp
The transmission is overheated. 
Reduce speed immediately and stop at 
a suitable location so that the transmis-
sion can cool down again. It is possible to con-
tinue driving moderately.
Have the system checked immediately.
Yellow warning lamp
A malfunction has occurred in the trans-
mission system. Avoid heavy loads.
While it will still remain possible to move 
the selector lever to any desired position, the 
transmission will revert to its default mode with 
only a limited number of forward gears. 
Have the system checked as soon as possible.
Instructions on towing, tow starting and jump 
starting begin on page121.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals 

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
 59
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lights off and daytime driving lamps*
1Parking lamps and daytime driving lamps*
2Low beams and welcome lamps
3Automatic headlamp control
*, daytime 
driving lamps
*, welcome lamps and 
Adaptive Head Light
*
If you open the driver's door when the ignition is 
switched off, then the exterior lighting is 
switched off if the light switch is in position0, 2, 
or3.
Switch on the parking lamps as needed, switch 
position1.
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the vehicle is lit on all sides. 
You can use the parking lamps for parking.
The parking lamps will discharge the bat-
tery. For this reason, avoid using them for 
extended periods; otherwise, it may no longer 
be possible to start the engine. It is preferable to 
switch on the one-sided roadside parking 
lamps, refer to page60.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the switch is in 
position2 and the ignition is on.
Defective lamps
The indicator lamp lights up:
At least one bulb of the exterior lighting 
on the vehicle is defective.
Replacing bulbs, refer to page111.
Door handle lighting
When the parking lamps or low beams are 
switched on, the interior door handles are also 
illuminated. The intensity of the lighting is 
adjusted using the instrument lighting control.
Welcome lamps
If, when parking the vehicle, you leave the light 
switch in position2 or3, the parking lamps and 
the interior lamps light up briefly when the vehi-
cle is unlocked with the remote control.
Pathway lighting
When you activate the headlamp flasher after 
parking the vehicle and switching off the lamps, 
the low beams will come on for a brief period.
You may also have this function deacti-
vated if you wish.<
Daytime driving lamps*
If so desired, the light switch can remain in 
position0, 1, or3.
In positions0 and3, after the ignition is 
switched off, the exterior lighting is automati-
cally switched off. In position1, the parking 
lamps are lit after the ignition is switched off.
The parking lamps can be switched on as 
needed as described under Parking lamps.
You can have the daytime driving lamps 
activated on your vehicle.< 

Lamps
60
Automatic headlamp control*
In switch position3, the low beams are 
switched on or off automatically, for example in 
tunnels, at dawn and dusk, and in the event of 
precipitation. The Adaptive Head Light
* is acti-
vated.
When you enter a tunnel with bright ceiling 
lighting, this can delay the switching on of your 
low beams.
The headlamps can also come on when the sun 
is low on the horizon in a blue sky.
The low beams remain switched on 
regardless of the ambient light when you 
switch on the front fog lamps
*.
When the daytime driving lamps are activated, 
refer to page59, the low beam headlamps are 
always switched on when the switch is in posi-
tion3 and the ignition is switched on.<
If so desired, the light switch can remain in 
position3. The exterior lamps are automatically 
switched off after the ignition is switched off.
Automatic headlamp control cannot 
serve as a substitute for the driver's judg-
ment in determining when the vehicle lamps 
should be switched on. For example, the sys-
tem cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To 
avoid safety risks, you should always switch on 
the low beams manually under these condi-
tions.<
You can have the sensitivity of the head-
lamp control adjusted.<
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, e.g. serpentines, or when mak-
ing turns, up to a speed of approx. 43 mph/
70 km/h, a turning lamp is switched on and illu-
minates the inside of the curve.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
With the ignition on, turn the light switch to the 
Automatic headlamp control position, refer to 
page59.
The turning lamp is switched on automatically 
depending on the steering angle or the turn sig-
nal position.
In order not to blind oncoming traffic, the Adap-
tive Head Light points toward the passenger 
side when the vehicle is stopped. When driving 
in reverse, only the turning lamp is active and 
lights up the region on the outside of the curve.
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. Adaptive Head Light is 
malfunctioning or has failed. Have the system 
checked as soon as possible.
High beams/
roadside parking lamps
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Roadside parking lamps
Roadside parking lamps, left or right*
You also have the option of lighting up just one 
side of your vehicle when parking. When doing 
so, be sure to comply with national regulations.
After switching off the engine, press the lever 
up or down past the resistance point, arrow 3.
The roadside parking lamps drain the bat-
tery. For this reason, avoid using them for 
extended periods; otherwise, it may no longer 
be possible to start the engine.< 

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
 61
Front fog lamps*
Briefly press the button to switch on/off.
The parking lamps or low beams must 
be switched on for the fog lamps to 
operate. The green indicator lamp lights 
up when the fog lamps are on.
If the automatic headlamp control is acti-
vated, the low beams will come on auto-
matically when you switch on the fog lamps.<
Instrument lighting
Turn the serrated dial to adjust the illumination 
intensity.
Interior lamps
The interior lamps, footwell lamps*, door exit 
lighting
* and courtesy lamps* are controlled 
automatically.
With the courtesy lamps, LED lamps are located 
in both exterior mirrors to illuminate the exterior 
area before the front doors.
If you wish, you can have the interior 
lamps switch on after you unlock the vehi-
cle mechanically. You may have this function 
activated/deactivated if you wish.<
If the interior lamps remain switched on 
after locking the vehicle, one of the doors 
or the liftgate may not be completely closed.<
Switching interior lamps on and off 
manually
Briefly press button 1.
If the interior lamps, footwell lamps, door exit 
lighting and courtesy lamps are to remain 
switched off continually, press the button for 
approx. 3 seconds.
You can have your interior lamps set to 
dim smoothly to the desired level when 
you switch them on or off.<
Front reading lamps
Switch on and off with buttons 2. 

Replacing components
112 Please have your BMW Sports Activity 
Vehicle Center work on lamps whose 
replacement is not described here.<
Light-emitting diodes LEDs
Light-emitting diodes installed behind translu-
cent lenses serve as the light source for many of 
the controls and displays in your vehicle. These 
light-emitting diodes are related to ordinary 
lasers.
Do not remove the covers, and never 
stare into the unfiltered light for several 
hours, as irritation of the retina could result.<
Xenon lamps*
The service life of these bulbs is very long and 
the probability of failure is very low, provided 
that they are not switched on and off an unusual 
number of times. If one of these bulbs should 
nevertheless fail, it is possible to continue driv-
ing with great caution using the fog lamps, pro-
vided traffic laws in your area do not prohibit 
this.
To avoid risk of potentially fatal injuries 
due to the extremely high voltages at 
which these units operate, service work should 
always be entrusted to qualified personnel.<
Halogen low beams
H7 bulb, 55 watts
Always wear gloves and eye protection – 
the atmosphere inside the H7 bulb is 
pressurized. Failure to observe this precaution 
can lead to injuries should the bulb be dam-
aged.<
For checking and adjusting headlamp 
aim, please contact your BMW Sports 
Activity Vehicle Center.<
Driver's side
1.Position the screwdriver from the onboard 
tool kit and pull off the lamp cover.
Exercise caution when handling the 
screwdriver; otherwise, personal 
injury can occur or the vehicle can be dam-
aged.<2.Press the bulb holder downward and 
remove.
3.Remove the bulb, install a new bulb.
4.Place the bulb holder with the lower edge 
against the bracket and press it in until the 
lamp base locks into place.
Front passenger side
Before replacing the bulb, remove the reservoir 
for the windshield washing system from the 
bracket. To do so, unscrew the screws, refer to 
arrow, using the screwdriver from the onboard 
tool kit and set reservoir aside.
Bear in mind that the windshield washing 
system reservoir is heavy. Failure to take 
this into account can lead to personal injury or 
damage to the vehicle.<