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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Voice activation system
22
Voice activation system
The concept
The voice activation system allows you to con-
trol operation of various vehicle systems with-
out ever removing your hands from the steering
wheel.
Individual menu items on the Control Display
can be spoken as commands. This frees you of
having to use the controller.
The voice activation system transforms your
oral commands into control signals for the
selected systems and provides support in the
form of instructions or questions.
The voice activation system uses a special
microphone located in the area of the interior
rearview mirror, refer to page14.
Precondition
Using iDrive, set the language that applies for
the voice activation system in order to enable
identification of the spoken commands. To set
the language of iDrive, refer to page81.
Symbols in Owner's Manual
Voice commands
Activating voice command system
1.Press the button on the steering wheel.
This symbol on the Control Display and
an acoustic signal tell you that the voice
activation system can respond to com-
mands.2.Say the command.
The command is displayed on the Control
Display.
This symbol appears on the Control Display
when you can enter additional commands.
If no other commands are possible, then oper-
ate the equipment via iDrive.
Terminating or canceling voice
command system
Press the button on the steering wheel
or
In dialogs that call for a text of your choice, the
procedure can only be canceled using the but-
ton on the steering wheel.
Possible commands
The commands available in each case depend
on the menu item selected on the Control Dis-
play.
To have the available commands read aloud:
For example, if "CD/DVD" is selected, the com-
mands for operating CD/Multimedia are read
aloud.
Running functions directly with short
commands
With short commands you can carry out certain
functions directly, regardless of which menu
item is selected, refer to page273.
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for
word.
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice acti-
vation system.
{Cancel}
{Voice commands}
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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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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
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Differs depending on seat:
1Backrest
2Height
Additional depending on seat:
1Backrest width
*
2Shoulder support*
3Thigh support*
4Lumbar support*
Backrest width*
The width of the backrest can be changed with
the side wings to adjust the side support to your
own needs.
Shoulder support*
This also supports the back in the shoulder
area, provides a relaxed sitting position and
helps relieve stress on the shoulder muscles.
The shoulder support is also used to adjust the
distance of the head restraint from the back of
the seat occupant's head.
Lumbar support*
You can also adjust the contour of the backrest
to obtain additional support in the lumbar
region.
The upper hips and spinal column receive sup-
plementary support to help you maintain a
relaxed, upright sitting position.
>Increase or decrease curvature: press front
or rear section of switch.
>Shift curvature up or down: press upper or
lower section of switch.
Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory*
You can store and retrieve two different driver's
seat and front passenger seat
*-, exterior mir-
ror-, and steering wheel positions
*.
The adjustment of the backrest width and lum-
bar support is not stored in the memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or ignition, refer
to page59.
2.Set the desired seat, exterior mirror and
steering wheel positions.
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Adjusting
46 3.Press the button:
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button1 or2:
the LED goes out.
The positions of the driver's seat, the exte-
rior mirrors, and steering wheel are stored
for the remote control currently in use.
Activating
Do not activate the memory function
while the vehicle is moving. There is a risk
of accident from unexpected movement of the
seat or steering wheel.<
Comfort mode
1.After unlocking, open the driver's door or
switch on radio readiness, refer to page59.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is canceled if you
briefly press a seat-adjusting switch or one of
the memory buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off, refer to page59.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2
and maintain pressure until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If the button was pressed inadvertently:
press the button again; the LED goes out.
Activating with the remote control
The driver's seat position last set is stored for
the remote control currently in use.
You can select whether or not the seat is reset
to that position automatically.
When using this feature, always make
sure that the footwell behind the driver's
seat is empty and unobstructed. Failure to do
so could cause injury to persons or damage to
objects behind the seat as a result of a rearward
movement of the seat.
the memory buttons.
Selecting automatic activation
1."Settings"
2."Door locks"
3."Last seat position auto."
The function for automatically recalling the
last seat position is switched on and is stored
for the remote control currently in use.
Deactivating automatic recall
Deactivate "Last seat position automatic".
Head restraints
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. Only remove the head restraints if the
respective seat is not occupied. Reinstall the
head restraints before transporting passen-
gers, as otherwise the head restraint cannot
provide its protective function.<
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.
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