Driving
66 >Upshifting: pull on one of the shifting pad-
dles, arrows +.
>Downshifting: press on one of the shifting
paddles, arrows –.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combination
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example,
a downshift that would cause the engine to
overrev will not be executed by the system. The
selected gear is briefly displayed in the instru-
ment panel, followed by the current gear.
Manually releasing and engaging
transmission lock
In case of a power failure, e.g. when the
battery is drained or disconnected, or an
electrical malfunction, the transmission lock
must be manually released, as otherwise the
rear wheels are blocked and the vehicle cannot
be towed.<
Step on the brake when manually releas-
ing the transmission lock; otherwise,
there is a danger of the vehicle rolling.<
The transmission lock should only be released
for towing. Reengage the transmission lock
after parking the vehicle at its destination.
If it also becomes necessary to manually
release the parking brake, follow this sequence:
1.Secure the vehicle against rolling.
2.Manually release the parking brake, refer to
page63.
3.Manually release the transmission lock of
the automatic transmission.
Releasing
1.Slide back the cover of the cup holder and
remove the floor mat on the bar between
the cup holders, arrow1.
2.Open the cover in the bottom of the cup
holder with the releasing tool from the
onboard tool kit, page250, refer to arrow2.
3.If necessary, unlock the lock
* with the inte-
grated key of the remote control, refer to
page26, and remove it.
4.Insert the releasing tool into the opening,
arrow3.
5.Turn the releasing tool as far as possible,
arrow4, and then press downward and
leave it in. The transmission lock is
released.
Engage the transmission lock after park-
ing the vehicle at its destination. Other-
wise there is a danger of the vehicle rolling.<
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Driving
68
Switching on wipers
Pull the lever upward, arrow1.
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once.
The system reverts to operation in the intermit-
tent mode with the vehicle stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance
point.
The system reverts to normal speed with the
vehicle stationary.
Intermittent operation or rain sensor*
With the rain sensor, the wiper operation is con-
trolled automatically as a function of the rain
intensity. The rain sensor is located on the
windshield, directly in front of the interior rear-
view mirror.
Activating intermittent operation or
rain sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the but-
ton lights up.
Setting interval for intermittent wipe or
sensitivity of rain sensor
Turn the thumbwheel5.
Deactivating intermittent operation or
rain sensor
Press the button again, arrow3. The LED goes
out.Deactivate the rain sensor when passing
through an automatic car wash. Failure to
do so could result in damage caused by undes-
ired wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
Pull the lever, arrow4.
The system sprays washer fluid against the
windshield and activates the wipers for a brief
period.
When the vehicle lighting system is switched
on, the headlamps are also 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 so, your vision could be
obscured. To avoid freezing, use a washer fluid
antifreeze, refer to Washer fluid. Do not use
washing mechanisms when the washer fluid
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage
the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
Both windshield washer nozzles are automati-
cally heated with the engine running or the igni-
tion switched on.
BMW X5: rear window wiper
1Intermittent mode. When reverse gear is
engaged, continuous operation is switched
on automatically
2Cleaning the rear window
Do not use washing mechanisms when
the washer fluid reservoir is empty, other-
wise you will damage the washer pump.<
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Controls
75Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1.With the ignition switched on, press the
knob in the instrument panel, refer to
page71, for approx. 5 seconds until the
service requirements are displayed.
2.Press the knob repeatedly to display the
individual service requirement items.
Displaying service requirements
1Knob for selecting display
2Service requirements
3Engine oil
4Legally mandated inspections
*
5Front brake pads
6Rear brake pads
7Brake fluidThe sequence of the displayed maintenance
items can vary. First the data for the next main-
tenance are displayed.
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Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
82
Technology for comfort, convenience and
safety
PDC Park Distance Control*
The concept
In addition to the PDC Park Distance Control,
the rear view camera
*, refer to page86, can
also be switched on.
PDC assists you during parking. A slow
approach to an object in front of or behind your
vehicle is announced by:
>Signal tones
>Optical displays
Measurement
Ultrasonic sensors in the bumpers carry out the
measurement.
Their range is approx. 7 ft/2 m.
The acoustic warning begins:
>at approx. 24 in/60 cm for the front
* sen-
sors and the two rear corner sensors.
>at approx. 5 ft/1.50 m for the middle sen-
sors in the rear.
System limitations
PDC cannot replace the personal assess-
ment of the traffic situation. Also make a
direct visual check of the traffic situation around
the vehicle. Otherwise, there could be a risk of
accident, for example due to other road users or
objects outside the detection range of PDC.
Loud sources of sound, inside and outside the
vehicle, could drown out the PDC signal tone.<
Avoid approaching an object too quickly.
Avoid starting off quickly while PDC is not
yet activated.
Otherwise, physical circumstances could cause
the system to issue a warning late.<
Limitations of ultrasonic measurement
The detection of objects can come up against
the limitations of physical ultrasonic measure-
ment, for example:
>when using tow bars and towing hitches
>in the presence of thin or wedge-shaped
objects
>in the presence of low objects
>in the presence of objects with corners and
sharp edges
Low objects that have already been displayed,
e.g. curbs, can disappear again from the detec-
tion area of the sensors before or after a contin-
uous tone sounds.
Higher, protruding objects, e.g. ledges, cannot
be detected.
False warnings
Under the following conditions, PDC may dis-
play a warning even though no obstacle is
present in the detection range:
>in heavy rain
>when the sensors are heavily soiled or iced-
over
>when the sensors are covered with snow
>on rough road surfaces
>in large, rectangular buildings with smooth
walls, e.g. underground garages
>in the presence of heavy exhaust
>due to the presence of other ultrasonic
sources such as street sweepers, steam
cleaners, or neon lamps.
Automatic activation
With the engine running or the ignition switched
on, shift the selector lever into position R.
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Controls
83Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Automatic deactivation
The system switches off and the LED goes out:
>after approx. 165 ft/50 m when driving for-
ward
>at speeds over approx. 25 mph/35 km/h
when driving forward
Switch the system back on as needed.
Switching on/off manually
Press the button.
>On: LED lights up
>Off: LED goes out
Signal tones
When nearing an object, the position is corre-
spondingly indicated by an interval tone. Thus,
an object detected to the left rear of the vehicle
will be indicated by a signal tone from the left
rear speaker, etc.
The shorter the distance to the object
becomes, the shorter the intervals become.
If the distance to the nearest object falls to
below roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a continuous
tone sounds.
If objects are present both in front of and behind
the vehicle, then an alternating, continuous
tone sounds.
An intermittent tone is interrupted after approx.
3seconds:
>when the vehicle remains stationary in front
of an object that has only been detected by
one of the corner sensors
>when driving parallel to a wallThe signal tone is switched off:
>when the vehicle is more than approx.
4.0 in/10 cm away from an object
>when the selector lever is in the P position
Volume
You can adjust the volume of the signal tone,
refer to page81.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Optical warning
The approach to an object can be shown on the
Control Display. Objects that are farther away
are displayed on the Control Display before a
signal tone sounds.
The display appears as soon as PDC is acti-
vated.
If the last image selected was the rear view
camera, this is displayed again. To switch to
PDC:
1.Select the "Switch off rear view camera"
symbol on the Control Display.
2.Press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Image on the Control Display
Switching on the rear view camera
using iDrive
With PDC activated:
1.Select the "Switch on rear view camera"
symbol .
2.Press the controller.
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Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
84 The image of the rear view camera is displayed.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Malfunction
A Check Control message appears in the
instrument panel, refer to page77.
The areas in front of and behind the vehicle
appear in shaded form on the Control Display.
PDC is malfunctioning. Have the system
checked.
In order to assure full functionality:
>Keep sensors clean and free of ice.
>Do not spray the sensors with high-pres-
sure cleaners for long periods and keep the
spray nozzle at least 12 in/30 cm away from
them.
Top View*
The concept
Top View assists you when parking and maneu-
vering. To accomplish this, the door region and
road surface region are shown on the Control
Display.
Detection
Detection is carried out by two cameras inte-
grated into the exterior mirror and the rear view
camera.
The range is:
>approx. 7 ft/2 m to the side
>approx. 7 ft/2 m to the rear
Obstacles up to the height of the exterior mir-
rors are thus detected in a timely fashion.
System limitations
In the following situations, the function of
Top View is limited:
>when a door is open
>when the liftgate is open
>when the exterior mirrors are folded in
>under poor lighting conditions
The arrows next to the vehicle are displayed in a
shaded form on the Control Display and a sym-
bol appears at the corresponding location on
the vehicle.
Also make a direct visual check of the
traffic situation around the vehicle. Other-
wise, there could be a risk of accident, for exam-
ple due to other road users or objects outside
the image range of the camera.<
Automatic activation
With the engine running or the ignition switched
on, shift the selector lever into position R.
The images from Top View and PDC are dis-
played when the system has been switched on
using iDrive.
Automatic deactivation
The system switches off and the LED goes out:
>after approx. 165 ft/50 m when driving for-
ward
>at speeds over approx. 25 mph/35 km/h
when driving forward
Switch the system back on as needed.
Switching on/off manually
Press the button.
>On: LED lights up.
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Controls
85Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Off: LED goes out.
If Top View is displayed, switch o n the rea r vie w
camera using iDrive, refer to page87.
Optical warning
The approach to an object can be shown on the
Control Display.
When the distance to an object is small, the
PDC display correspondingly shows a red bar in
front of the vehicle.
The display appears as soon as Top View is
activated.
If the last image selected was the rear view
camera, this is displayed again. To switch to
Top View:
1.Select the "Switch off rear view camera"
on the Control Display.
2.Press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Image on the Control Display
Switching on the rear view camera
using iDrive
With Top View activated:
1.Select the "Switch on rear view camera"
symbol .
2.Press the controller.
The image of the rear view camera is displayed.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Brightness
With Top View switched on:
1.Select the symbol.
2.Turn the controller until the desired setting
is displayed and then press the controller.
Contrast
With Top View switched on:
1.Select the symbol.
2.Turn the controller until the desired setting
is displayed and then press the controller.
Displaying turning lines and pathway
lines
>The static, red turning line shows the lateral
space required when the wheel is fully
turned.
>The variable, green pathway lines assist you
in estimating the amount of lateral space
actually required.
The pathway lines depend on the current
steering angle and are continuously
adapted to movements of the steering
wheel.
1.Select the symbol.
2.Press the controller.
Turning lines and pathway lines are displayed.
Cameras
The lenses of the Top View cameras are on the
undersides of the exterior mirror housings.
The presence of dirt can impair image quality.
Clean the lens with a moist, nonabrasive cloth.
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Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
86
Rear view camera*
The concept
The rear view camera assists you when parking
and maneuvering in reverse. To accomplish
this, the region behind your vehicle is shown on
the Control Display.
System limitations
Also make a direct visual check of the
traffic situation around the vehicle. Other-
wise, there could be a risk of accident, for exam-
ple due to other road users or objects outside
the image range of the rear view camera.<
The rear view camera is not able to detect
objects at greater heights or protruding
objects such as projections from walls.<
Automatic activation
With the engine running or the ignition switched
on, shift the selector lever into position R.
The image of the rear view camera is displayed
when the system has been switched on using
iDrive.
Automatic deactivation
The system switches off and the LED goes out:
>after approx. 33 ft/10 m when driving for-
ward
>at speeds over approx. 9 mph/15 km/h
when driving forward
Switch the system back on as needed.
Switching on/off manually
Press the button.
>On: LED lights up.>Off: LED goes out.
If PDC is displayed, switch on the rear view
camera using iDrive, refer to page83.
Assistance functions
Function requirements
>Rear view camera is switched on.
>Liftgate is completely closed.
Pathway lines
>Can be displayed in the image of the rear
view camera when the transmission is in
reverse.
>Help estimate the required amount of space
when parking and maneuvering on a flat
road surface.
>Depend on the current steering angle and
are continuously adapted to movements of
the steering wheel.
To display parking aid lines using iDrive, refer to
page87.
Turning lines
>Can be displayed in the image of the rear
view camera.
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