Controls
127Reference
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Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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Driving tips
131Reference
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Mobility
speed. This is the fastest way for the cold
engine to reach its operating temperature.
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
Driving at a low engine speed reduces fuel con-
sumption and minimizes wear.
Taking advantage of coasting
The flow of fuel is interrupted when coasting.
Switching off engine during longer
stops
Switch off the engine at longer stops such as
traffic signals, railroad crossings, or in traffic
congestions. You achieve fuel savings even if
the standing time is as short as approx. 4 sec-
onds.
Switching off functions currently not
required
Functions such as air conditioning, seat heat-
ing, or rear window defrosting consume a lot of
energy and require additional fuel. Their influ-
ence 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 Sports
Activity Vehicle Center. Also pay attention to
the BMW maintenance system, refer to
page244.
General driving notes
Closing liftgate
Operate the vehicle only when the liftgate
is completely closed. Otherwise, exhaust
fumes could enter into the passenger compart-
ment.<
If it is absolutely necessary to drive with the lift-
gate open:
1.Close all windows as well as the glass sun-
roof
*/panorama glass sunroof*.
2.Increase the air volume of the automatic cli-
mate control to a high level, refer to
page109.
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 tailpipes, as
otherwise there is a danger of burns.<
Diesel particulate filter*
Soot particles are collected in the diesel partic-
ulate filter and periodically burned away at high
temperatures. This cleaning process lasts a few
minutes. You will notice it sometimes by the
fact that the engine temporarily runs slightly
less smoothly and requires a slightly higher
engine speed to delivery the usual power. You
may also hear sounds and observe a slight
amount of smoke coming from the exhaust up
to even a few moments after the engine is
switched off.
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Driving tips
133Reference
At a glance
Controls
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Mobility
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
YYY lbs. or XXX kg. Otherwise, this could
damage the vehicle and produce unstable
vehicle operating conditions.<
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 YYY lbs. or XXX kg.
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the YYY amount equals
1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lbs.
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs.:
1,400 lbs. minus 750 lbs. = 650 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
BMW X5:
BMW X6:
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.
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Driving tips
135Reference
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ger the car's occupants, for example if sudden
braking or evasive maneuvers are necessary.
Never exceed either the approved gross vehicle
weight or either of the approved axle weights,
refer to page271, as excessive loads can pose
a safety hazard, and may also place you in viola-
tion of traffic safety laws.
You should never transport unsecured heavy or
hard objects in the passenger compartment, as
they could fly around and pose a safety hazard
to the vehicle's occupants during abrupt brak-
ing or evasive maneuvers.
Use only the lashing eyes pictured to fasten the
heavy-duty cargo straps. Do not secure cargo
with the attachment points for the top tether,
refer to page56; otherwise they could be dam-
aged.<
Roof-mounted luggage rack*
A special rack system is available as an option
for your BMW. Please comply with the precau-
tions included with the installation instructions.
Loading roof-mounted luggage rack
Because roof racks raise the vehicle's center of
gravity when loaded, they have a major effect on
its handling and steering response. You should
therefore always remember not to exceed the
approved roof load capacity, the approved
gross vehicle weight or the axle weights when
loading the rack.
You can find the specified weights under
Weights on page271.
The load on the roof must be evenly distributed
and must not extend outward beyond the limits
of the loading surface. Always stow the heaviest
pieces on the bottom. Be sure that adequate
clearance is maintained for raising the glass
sunroof
*/panorama glass sunroof* and that
objects do not project into the opening path of
the liftgate.
Secure roof-mounted cargo correctly and
securely to prevent it from shifting or falling off
during the trip.
Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden acceleration and
braking maneuvers. Take corners gently.
Driving on poor roads
Y our B MW is at hom e on a ll r oa ds a nd surfac e s.
It combines a 4-wheel drive system with the
advantages of a normal passenger car.
Do not drive on unpaved terrain, as other-
wise the vehicle may be damaged.<
When you are driving on poor roads, there are a
few points which you should strictly observe for
your own safety, for that of your passengers,
and for the safety of the vehicle:
>Familiarize yourself with the vehicle before
driving off and avoid taking risks at all costs.
>Adapt your driving speed to the road condi-
tions. The steeper and rougher the road
surface is, the lower the speed should be.
>If you want to drive on very steep uphill or
downhill gradients, make sure beforehand
that the engine oil and coolant levels are
near the MAX mark, refer to page240.
BMW X5: you can operate your vehicle on
uphill and downhill gradients with a maxi-
mum slope of 50 %.
>On very steep downhill slopes, use Hill
Descent Control HDC, refer to page90.
BMW X5: it is possible to start off on inclines
of up to 33 %. The permissible body roll is
50 %.
>While driving, watch carefully for obstacles
such as rocks or holes. Try to avoid these
obstacles whenever possible.
>Make sure that the undercarriage does not
touch the ground, for example on crests and
bumpy roads. The ground clearance of the
vehicle is a maximum of approx. 8 in/20 cm.
Please note that the ground clearance can
vary depending on loading and the driving
conditions of the vehicle.
>Only drive through road surface water up to
a maximum water depth of
>BMW X5 20 in/50 cm
>BMW X6 17 in/45 cm
and only drive at walking speed; do not
remain stationary.
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Driving tips
137Reference
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Entertainment
Mobility
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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
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Navigation system
140
Navigation system
General information
With the help of satellites, the navigation sys-
tem is able to ascertain the precise position of
the vehicle and guide you reliably to any desti-
nation you enter.
Navigation data are stored in the vehicle and
can be updated.
Enter data only with the vehicle station-
ary, and always give priority to the appli-
cable traffic regulations in the event of any con-
tradiction between traffic and road conditions
and the instructions issued by the navigation
system. Failure to take to this precaution can
place you in violation of the law and put vehicle
occupants and other road users in danger.<
Updating the navigation data
General information
Navigation data and an activation code can be
obtained from your BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle Center.
Updating the data can take several hours,
depending on the volume of data.
>The data are updated as you drive.
>The updating process continues automati-
cally when you resume driving.
>All functions remain available as you drive.
>Data are stored on the hard drive or in the
internal memory.
>After the updating process is complete, the
system restarts.
>The medium with the navigation data can
be removed after the update.
Updating the navigation data
Inserting navigation DVD
1.Insert navigation DVDs into the DVD player
with the printed side up.
2.Follow the instructions on the Control Dis-
play.
3.Enter the activation code of the navigation
DVDs and switch DVDs if necessary.
Removing navigation DVD
1.Press the button1.
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.
Displaying information on the version
1."Navigation"
2.Open "Options".
3."Navigation system version":
Information on the data version is displayed.
*
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Navigation
Driving tips
141Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Destination entry
In entering your destination you can select from
among the following options:
>Entering a destination manually, see below
>Selecting destination from address book,
refer to page143
>Last destinations, refer to page144
>Special destinations, refer to page144
>Entering a destination on the map, refer to
page146
>Selecting home address, refer to page144
>Entering destination via voice*, refer to
page147
You can also store a navigation destination on
the programmable memory buttons, refer to
page20.
Enter data only with the vehicle station-
ary, and always give priority to the appli-
cable traffic regulations in the event of any con-
tradiction between traffic and road conditions
and the instructions issued by the navigation
system. If you do not observe this precaution,
you can endanger the vehicle occupants and
other road users.<
Entering a destination
manually
The system's word-matching principle makes it
easier for you to enter the names of streets or
towns, refer to page149. This allows you to
enter different spellings and completes your
entry automatically, so that stored names can
be called up quickly.
1.Press the MENUbutton.
2."Navigation"3."Enter address"
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 a r e a o f a t o w n o r
city.
>You can skip the entry of country and town/
city if the current entries should be retained
for your new destination.
Entering a state/province
1."Navigation"
2."Enter address"
3.Select "State/Province" or the displayed
state/province.
Entering a town/city
1.Select "Town/City/Postal Code" or the dis-
played town/city, or select letters.
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