
Cockpit
10
Cockpit
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays
1Rear window safety switch38
2Opening and closing windows37
3Folding exterior mirrors in and out
*52
4Adjusting exterior mirrors52
Automatic curb monitor
*53
5
Instrument lighting105
Fog lamps105
*
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At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
9BMW X6: upshifting or downshifting 
with automatic transmission65
10Instrument panel12
13Ignition lock5914Buttons on steering wheel
15Horn, entire surface
18Releasing hood239 6
Parking lamps102
Low beams102
Automatic headlamp control
*102 
Adaptive Head Light
*103 
High-beam assistant
*104
7
Head-Up Display
*100
8
Turn signals67
High beams, headlamp flasher67
High-beam assistant
*104
Roadside parking lamps
*104
Time, date, outside temperature, 
Check Control71, 78
Computer73
11
Windshield wipers67
Rain sensor68
BMW X5: rear window wiper68
12Starting/stopping engine and 
switching ignition on/off 59
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending calls, start 
dialing
* selected phone number, 
redialing if no phone number is 
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
* 22
Changing the radio station
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode, 110
Steering wheel heating
*54
16
Steering wheel adjustment53
17
Cruise control
*69
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At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for hands-free mode for 
telephone
* and for voice activation 
system
*22
2Initiating
 an emergency request261
3Reading lamps106
4Glass sunroof38, 40
5Interior lamps106
6Passenger airbag status lamp98
7Control Display16 
Displays for menu navigation
8Hazard warning flashers
9Central locking system27
10Opening glove compartment118
11Automatic climate control with 2-zone 
control108 
Automatic climate control with 4-zone 
control
*112
12Changing
>radio station160
>track160
13Selecting radio, CD and CD/DVD changer
*
14Selecting AM or FM waveband
16Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
17Buttons on the controller17
Selecting menus directly
18Automatic Hold61
19Parking brake61
20Adaptive Drive
*91
21Programmable memory buttons20
22Switching Entertainment sound output on/
off and adjusting volume160
23Ejecting audio CD Manual air distribution110
Automatic air distribution and 
volume108
Cooling function110
AUC Automatic recirculated-air 
control110 
Maximum cooling110 
Air volume109
Residual heat utilization110
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation109
Rear window defroster109
Seat heating
*50
Active seat ventilation
*51
15
Opening liftgate30, 33
Active seat
*52
PDC Park Distance Control
*82
Top View
*84
rear view camera
*86
DSC Dynamic Stability 
Control88
DTC Dynamic Traction 
Control89
HDC Hill Descent Control90
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iDrive
18 White arrows pointing to the left or right indi-
cate that additional windows can be opened.
Opening the Options menu
Press the OPTIONbutton.
The "Options" menu is displayed.
Another possibility: move the controller to the 
right repeatedly until the "Options" menu 
appears.
The "Options" menu contains the following:
>Screen settings, refer to page19.
>Control options for the selected menu.
Adjusting settings
1.Select a field.
2.Turn the controller until the desired setting 
is displayed.3.Press the controller to confirm the setting.
The scroll bar on the right side indicates 
whether additional menu items or set-
tings can be selected that are currently not vis-
ible.<
Example: setting the clock
1.Press the MENUbutton.
The main menu is displayed.
2.Turn the controller until "Settings" is high-
lighted, and then press the controller.
3.Turn the controller until "Time/Date" is 
highlighted, and then press the controller.
4.Turn the controller until "Time:" is high-
lighted, and then press the controller.
5.Turn the controller to set the hours and 
press the controller.
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At a glance
 23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Example: selecting the track of a CD
1.Switch on Entertainment sound output if 
necessary.
2.Press the  button on the steering wheel.
Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the 
standard dialog or a shorter variant. In the 
shorter variant of the voice dialog, the prompts 
and responses from the system are abbrevi-
ated.
1."Settings"
2."Language/Units"
3."Speech mode:"
4.Select a setting:
>"Default"
>"Short"
Notes
To operate the phone by voice, refer to 
page209.<
For voice commands, bear in mind the follow-
ing:
>Do not use the voice activation system to 
initiate an Emergency Request. In stressful 
situations, the voice and vocal pitch can 
change. This can unnecessarily delay the 
establishment of a telephone connection.>Say the commands and numbers smoothly 
and at normal volume, avoiding excessive 
emphases and pauses. This also applies 
when spelling out and saying a full word 
during destination entry.
>When selecting a radio station, use the 
common pronunciation of the station name.
>For entries in the voice-activated phone 
book, only use names in the language of the 
voice activation system and no abbrevia-
tions.
>Keep doors, windows, and glass sunroof
*/
panorama glass sunroof
* closed in order to 
avoid unpleasant outside noise.
>Avoid making other noise in the vehicle 
while speaking. 3.Select the music track, e.g.: 
{C D track 4}
System says: 
{{Track 4}}
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Opening and closing
28
Setting unlocking behavior
You can set whether the first press of the button 
unlocks only the driver's door or the entire vehi-
cle.
1."Settings"
2."Door locks"
3."Unlock button"
4.Select a menu item:
>"All doors"
Press the   button once to unlock the 
entire vehicle.
>"Driver's door only"
Press the  button once to unlock only 
the driver's door and the fuel filler door.
Press the button twice to unlock the 
entire vehicle.
5.Press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Comfort opening
Press and hold the  button. The windows and 
the glass sunroof
*/panorama glass sunroof* 
are opened.
Locking
Press the  button.
Do not lock the vehicle from the outside if 
persons are inside because unlocking 
from the inside is not possible without special 
knowledge.<
Switching on interior lamps
With vehicle locked:
Press the  button.You can also use this function to locate your 
vehicle in parking garages etc.
Panic mode*
You can also trigger the alarm system in case of 
danger:
Press the  button for at least 3 seconds.
Switch off alarm: press any button.
Unlocking liftgate
Press the  button for approx. 1 second.
The liftgate will open slightly, regardless of 
whether it was previously locked or unlocked.
During opening, the liftgate pivots back 
and up. Ensure that adequate clearance is 
available before opening. 
To prevent accidentally locking yourself out, 
never lay the remote control in the cargo bay. A 
previously locked liftgate is also locked again 
after closing.<
If pointed or sharp-edged objects could 
strike the rear window while driving, be 
sure to provide protection around all edges. 
Failure to do so could result in damage to the 
heating conductors of the rear window.<
Confirmation signals
You can activate or deactivate the confirmation 
signals.
1."Settings"
2."Door locks"
3."Flash when lock/unlock"
4.Press the controller.
 Flashing when locking/unlocking the vehi-
cle is switched on.
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Controls
 31Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Opening from inside
Press the button: the liftgate opens somewhat 
unless it has been locked.
Opening from outside
Press the button on the liftgate or the  button 
on the remote control for approx. 1 second: 
The liftgate opens somewhat. It can be swung 
upward.
Opening manually
In case of an electrical malfunction:
1.From the cargo bay, press out the handle in 
the liftgate, refer to arrow, with a screw-
driver and pull. The liftgate is unlocked.
2.Open the liftgate and press in the handle.
The liftgate is locked again as soon as it is 
closed.
Closing
Make sure that the closing path of the lift-
gate is clear, otherwise injuries may 
result.<
The handle recesses on the interior trim of the 
liftgate make it easier to pull down.
If pointed or sharp-edged objects could 
strike the rear window while driving, be 
sure to provide protection around all edges. 
Failure to do so could result in damage to the 
heating conductors of the rear window.<
Automatic liftgate operation*
Adjusting opening height
You can adjust how far the liftgate is to open.
When adjusting the opening height, make 
sure that at least approx. 4 in/10 cm of 
clearance is available above the liftgate. Other-
wise, the ceiling height could be insufficient for 
the opened liftgate if, for example, the loading 
state changes.<
1."Settings"
2."Tailgate"
3.Turn the controller until the desired open-
ing height is selected.
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Controls
 35Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator lamp displays
>The indicator lamp under the interior rear-
view mirror flashes continuously: the sys-
tem is armed.
>The indicator lamp flashes after locking: the 
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-
onds. However, the interior motion sensor 
is not activated.
>The indicator lamp goes out after unlocking: 
your vehicle has not been disturbed while 
you were away.
>The indicator lamp flashes after unlocking 
until the remote control is inserted into the 
ignition lock, however for a maximum of 
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. in case of an attempted 
wheel theft or towing.
Interior motion sensor
In order for the interior motion sensor to func-
tion properly, the windows and glass sunroof
*/
panorama glass sunroof
* must be completely 
closed.
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 stacking garages
>When transporting on car-carrying trains, 
by sea 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 access your 
vehicle without having to hold the remote con-
trol in your hand. It is sufficient to carry the 
remote control with you, e.g. in your jacket 
pocket. The vehicle automatically detects the 
related remote control in the immediate vicinity 
or in the interior.
Comfort access supports the following func-
tions:
>Unlocking/locking vehicle
>Comfort closing
>Opening liftgate
>Starting engine
Functional requirements
>The vehicle can only be unlocked if the 
vehicle detects that the remote control car-
ried is not located in the vehicle interior.
>The next unlocking and locking cycle is not 
possible until after approx. 2 seconds.
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