
Cockpit
12
Instrument panel
1Indicator lamps for turn signals
2Speedometer
3Indicator and warning lamps13
4Tachometer72
5BMW X5: energy control72
BMW X6: engine oil temperature72 or
energy control72
6Display for
>Clock/date71
>Outside temperature71
>Indicator and warning lamps77
>Speed of cruise control
*69
>BMW X5: reserve display for diesel 
exhaust fluid2267Display for
>Odometer and trip odometer71
>Computer73
>Date and remaining travel distance 
for service requirements74
>Automatic transmission positions64
>HDC Hill Descent Control90
>High-beam assistant
*104
> There is a Check Control 
message77
>Adaptive Drive
*91
8Fuel gauge73
9Resetting trip odometer71
Displaying service requirement71
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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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Controls
 27Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>12h/24h clock format, refer to page80
>Date format, refer to page80
>Lighting settings:
>Triple turn signal activation, refer to 
page67
>Welcome lamps, refer to page102
>Pathway lighting, refer to page103
>Daytime driving lamps
*, refer to 
page103
>High-beam assistant
*, refer to page104
>PDC Park Distance Control
*: optical warn-
ing, refer to page83
>Top View
*: optical warning, refer to 
page85
>Rear view camera
*:
>Selecting functions, refer to page86
>Type of display, refer to page87
>Head-Up Display
*: selection, brightness 
and position of display, refer to page100
>Automatic climate control: AUTO program 
and intensity, cooling function, and auto-
matic recirculated-air control/recirculated-
air mode, temperature, air distribution, ven-
tilation temperature, starting on page108
>Programmable memory buttons: selecting 
stored functions, refer to page20
>Positions of driver's seat, outside mirrors, 
and steering wheel
*, refer to page45
>Adaptive Drive
*: selected chassis and sus-
pension tuning, refer to page91
>Audio sources: volume and tone settings, 
refer to page160
>Radio:
>Display of stored stations, refer to 
page165
>Switching RDS Radio Data System on/
off
*, refer to page164
>Phone: volume setting, refer to 
pages205,210
Central locking system
The concept
The central locking system functions when the 
driver's door is closed.
The system simultaneously engages and 
releases the locks on the following:
>Doors
>liftgate
>Fuel filler door
Operating from outside
>using the remote control
>using the door lock
>with comfort access
* using the door han-
dles
The interior lamps and the courtesy lamps
* are 
also switched on and off with the remote con-
trol. The alarm system
 is armed/disarmed at the 
same time.
You can find more detailed information on the 
alarm system
 on page34.
Operating from inside
Using the button for central locking, refer to 
page30. The fuel filler door is not locked.
In an accident of sufficient severity, the central 
locking system automatically unlocks the vehi-
cle. In addition, the hazard warning flashers and 
interior lamps come on.
Opening and closing:
Using remote control
Persons or animals in a parked vehicle 
could lock the doors from the inside. 
Always take along the remote control when 
leaving the vehicle so that the vehicle can then 
be opened from the outside.<
Unlocking
Press the  button. 
This unlocks the vehicle.
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Controls
 43Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Adjusting
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the 
interaction with the safety belts, the head 
restraints and the airbags, the seat position 
plays an important role in an accident. To 
ensure that the safety systems operate with 
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to 
observe the instructions contained in the fol-
lowing section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page55.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance 
between yourself and the airbags. Always 
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at 
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms 
in the event of airbag deployment. 
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant. 
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the 
front passenger side as a storage area. Make 
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly 
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument 
cluster, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the 
front airbag is triggered. 
Make sure that passengers keep their heads 
away from the side airbag and do not lean 
against the cover of the head airbag, otherwise 
injuries can occur when the airbags are trig-
gered.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot 
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may 
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page98.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the 
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center 
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is 
increased danger of injury in the event of an 
accident.<
BMW X5: push the head restraints of the 3rd 
row seats
* into the top position.
Head restraints, refer to page46.
Height
Adjust the head restraint so that its center is 
approximately at ear level.
Distance
Adjust the distance so that the head restraint is 
as close as possible to the back of the head.
Safety belts
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts 
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a 
substitute.
BMW X5: depending on its equipment, your 
vehicle has either five or seven seats, which are 
all provided with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to 
wear a single safety belt. Never allow 
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's 
lap. Make sure that the belt lies low around the 
hips in the lap area and does not press on the 
abdomen. The safety belt may not lie across the 
neck, rub on sharp edges, be routed over solid 
or breakable objects or be pinched. Wear the 
safety belt without twisting, snugly across the 
lap and shoulders, as close to the body as pos-
sible. Otherwise the belt can slip over the hips 
in the lap area in a frontal impact and injure the 
abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing that prevents 
the belt from fitting properly and pull the belt in 
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Controls
 71Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Everything under control
Odometer, outside 
temperature display, clock
1Knob in the instrument cluster
2Time, outside temperature, and date
3Odometer and trip odometer
Knob in the instrument panel
>With ignition switched on
Press knob: 
Resetting trip odometer
Press the knob for approx. 5 seconds: 
Displaying service requirements, refer to 
page74
>With ignition switched off
Press knob:
Briefly displaying time, outside temperature 
and odometer
Units of measure
To select the respective units of measure, miles 
or km for the odometer as well as 7 or 6 for 
the outside temperature, refer to page80.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Time, date, outside temperature
From radio readiness the outside temperature 
and the time are displayed.
Setting the time, refer to page79.
Retrieving date
Press the button on turn signal lever upward; 
the date appears.
To set the date, refer to page80.
Pressing the button upward or downward sev-
eral times changes the display between clock, 
outside temperature, date, and Check Control 
messages, refer to page78.
Outside temperature warning
If the display drops to +377/+36, a signal 
sounds and a warning lamp lights up. A mes-
sage appears on the Control Display. There is 
an increased danger of ice.
Even at temperatures above +377/
+36 ice can form. Therefore, drive care-
fully, e.g. on bridges and sections of road in the 
shade, otherwise there is an increased accident 
risk.<
Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting trip odometer:
Press knob 1 in the instrument panel with the 
ignition switched on.
When vehicle is parked
To briefly display the time, outside temperature 
and mileage after the remote control has been 
removed from the ignition lock:
Press knob 1 in the instrument panel.
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Refueling
224
Refueling
Switch off the engine before refueling. 
When handling fuel, always observe all 
applicable precautionary measures and regula-
tions. Never transport reserve fuel containers in 
the vehicle. These could become leaky and 
cause an explosion or a fire in an accident.<
Fuel filler door
Opening
1.Open the fuel filler door. To do this, briefly 
press the lower edge.
2.Turn the fuel filler cap counterclockwise.
3.Place the fuel filler cap in the bracket 
attached to the fuel filler door.
Closing
Fit the cap and turn it clockwise until you clearly 
hear a click.
Do not crush the band attached to the 
cap; otherwise, the cap may not properly 
seal and fuel vapors can escape.<
A message
* is displayed if the cap is loose or 
missing.
Releasing manually
If an electrical malfunction should occur, you 
can unlock the fuel filler door manually.
1.Open the right-hand side panel in the cargo 
bay.
2.Pull the knob with the gas pump symbol.
Observe the following when refueling
When handling fuels, follow the safety 
precautions posted at the filling station. 
Otherwise, there is a danger of personal injury 
or property damage.<
When refueling, insert the filler nozzle com-
pletely into the filler pipe. Avoid raising the filler 
nozzle during refueling, otherwise this leads to
>premature pump shutoff
>a reduced efficiency of the fuel-vapor 
recovery system
The fuel tank is full when the filler nozzle clicks 
off the first time.
Fuel tank capacity
Approx. 22.5 US gal/85 liters, including the 
reserve capacity of approx. 2.1 US gal/8 liters
X5 xDrive48i: approx. 2.6 US gal/10 liters 
reserve
X6 xDrive50i: approx. 3.2 US gal/12 liters 
reserve
Refuel as soon as possible once your 
cruising range falls below 30 miles/
50 km, otherwise engine functions are not 
ensured and damage can occur.<
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Mobility
 243Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Approved engine oils
The quality of the engine oil selected has critical 
significance for the operation and service life of 
an engine. BMW continuously approves spe-
cific oils after confirming their suitability for use 
in its vehicles with extensive testing.
Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center 
will be happy to answer more detailed 
questions about approved oils.<
You can also call BMW of North America at 
1-800-831-1117 or visit the website at 
www.bmwusa.com to obtain this information.
Do not use oil additives, as these may 
result in engine damage.<
Alternative oil grades
If none of the approved oils is available at a 
given time, you can also use smaller quantities 
of other oils between oil changes. The packag-
ing must include one of the following indica-
tions of oil specifications.
Gasoline engines
>Preferred: BMW Longlife-01, 
BMW Longlife-01 FE
>Alternative: BMW Longlife-98, API SM or 
higher
Diesel engines
>BMW Longlife-04
Viscosity grades
Viscosity is a measure of an oil's flow rating and 
is specified in SAE grades.
The choice of the right SAE grade is based on 
the climatic conditions in the region in which 
you normally drive your BMW.
Approved oils belong to the SAE classi-
fications 0W-40, 0W-30, 5W-40 and 
5W-30.<
These oils can be used for driving at all outside 
temperatures.
Coolant
Do not add coolant to the cooling system 
when the engine is hot. Escaping coolant 
can cause burns.<
Coolant is composed of equal parts water and a 
coolant additive. Not all commercially available 
additives are suitable for your BMW. Your BMW 
Sports Activity Vehicle Center can recommend 
suitable additives.
Only use suitable additives, otherwise 
engine damage may result. The additives 
present a health hazard; observe the instruc-
tions on the containers.<
Comply with the appropriate environ-
mental protection regulations when dis-
posing of coolant additives.<
Checking coolant level
1.Do not open the hood until the engine has 
cooled down.
2.Turn the cap of the expansion tank counter-
clockwise to allow any accumulated pres-
sure to escape, then continue turning to 
open.
3.The coolant level is correct when the cool-
ant level is between the MIN and MAX 
marks, refer to the diagram adjacent to the 
filler neck.
4.If the coolant is low, slowly add coolant up to 
the specified level; do not overfill.
5.Turn the cap until there is an audible click.
6.Have the reason for the coolant loss elimi-
nated as soon as possible.
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Giving and receiving assistance
262
First-aid kit*
Some of the articles contained in the first-aid kit 
have a limited service life. Therefore, check the 
expiration dates of the contents regularly and 
replace the contents concerned in good time if 
necessary.
The first-aid kit is stored in the cargo bay, 
depending on the vehicle's equipment,
>on the right in a storage tray or
>behind the left side panel
Roadside Assistance*
The BMW Roadside Assistance offers you 
assistance in the event of a breakdown around 
the clock, including on weekends and public 
holidays.
The phone numbers of the Roadside Assis-
tance in your home country can be found in the 
Contact brochure.
With BMW Assist or BMW TeleServices, you 
can contact BMW Roadside Assistance directly 
via iDrive to request assistance in the event of a 
breakdown, refer to page216.
Jump starting
When your battery is discharged, you can use 
two jumper cables to start your BMW with 
power from the battery in a second vehicle. You 
can also use the same method to help start 
another vehicle. Use only jumper cables with 
fully-insulated clamp handles.
To avoid the risk of potentially fatal injury, 
always avoid all contact with electrical 
components while the engine is running. Care-
fully adhere to the following sequence, both to 
prevent damage to one or both vehicles, and to 
guard against possible personal injuries.<
Preparation
1.Check whether the battery of the other 
vehicle has a voltage of 12 Volts and 
approximately the same capacitance in Ah. 
This information can be found on the bat-
tery.
2.Switch off the engine of the assisting vehi-
cle.
3.Switch off any electrical systems and com-
ponents in both vehicles.
There must not be any contact between 
the bodies of the two vehicles, otherwise 
there is a danger of shorting.<
Connecting jumper cables
To avoid personal injury from sparks, fol-
low this sequence when connecting 
jumper cables.<
On your BMW the so-called starting-aid termi-
nal in the engine compartment acts as the bat-
tery positive terminal, also refer to the engine 
compartment overview on page240. The cover 
cap is marked with +.
1.Fold open the cover of the BMW starting-
aid terminal. To do so, pull the tab.
2.Attach one end of the jumper cable plus/+ 
to the positive terminal of the battery or a 
starting-aid terminal of the vehicle provid-
ing assistance.
3.Attach the second end of the cable to the 
positive terminal of the battery or to a start-
ing-aid terminal of the vehicle to be started.
4.Attach one end of the jumper cable minus/– 
to the negative terminal of the battery or to 
an engine or body ground of the assisting 
vehicle.
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