
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Contents
The fastest way to find information on a partic-
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer 
to page236.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
6Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
22Letters and numbers
23Voice activation system
Controls
28Opening and closing
41Adjustments
48Transporting children safely
50Driving
64Controls overview
77Technology for driving comfort and 
safety
88Lamps
93Climate
100Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
112Things to remember when driving
Navigation
120Navigation system
121Destination entry
130Destination guidance
137What to do if…
Entertainment
140On/off and tone
143Radio
146Satellite radio
151CD/DVD player and CD/DVD changer
158Music collection
163External devices
Communications
170Telephone
182Contacts
184BMW Assist
Mobility
192Refueling
194Wheels and tires
201Under the hood
206Maintenance
208Care
212Replacing components
218Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
226Technical data
229Short commands for the voice activation 
system
236Everything from A to Z 

At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1SOS: initiating an Emergency 
Request call
*218
2Reading lamp92
3Interior lamps92
4Reading lamp92
5Passenger airbag status lamp
*86
6Control Display16
7Hazard warning flashers
8Central locking system32
9Automatic climate control
10Hard drive for
>Audio CD140
>Navigation DVD
*120
11Programmable memory keys21
12Changing
>Radio station143
>Track15114Parking brake52
15Buttons on the controller16
For selecting the menus directly
16Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved horizon-
tally in four directions
17Buttons for the Dynamic Driving 
Control79
18Switching audio sources on/off and adjust-
ing volume140
19Ejecting of
>Audio CD140
>Navigation DVD
*120 Air distribution96
Automatic air distribution and 
flow rate97
Cooling function97
Recirculated-air mode, automatic 
recirculated-air control98
Maximum cooling97
Air flow, residual heat 
utilization97
Defrosting windows98
Rear window defroster98
13
Heated seats*43
Park Distance Control PDC
*77
Close the retractable hardtop38 
Open the retractable hardtop38  

Controls
 29Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Settings for the display on the Control Dis-
play and in the instrument cluster:
>12h/24h format of the clock, refer 
to page71
>Date format, refer to page72
>Brightness of Control Display, refer 
to page76
>Language on the Control Display, refer 
to page75
>Split screen, refer to page20
>Units of measure for fuel consumption, 
distance covered/remaining distances, 
and temperature, refer to page68
>Show visual warning for Park Distance Con-
trol PDC
*, refer to page77
>Light settings:
>Welcome lamps, refer to page88
>Pathway lighting, refer to page89
>Daytime running lights, refer to page89
>High-beam assistant
*, refer to page90
>Automatic climate control: activating/deac-
tivating AUTO program, cooling function 
and automatic recirculated-air control, set-
ting temperature, air flow rate and distribu-
tion, refer to page96 ff
>Entertainment:
>Tone control, refer to page140
>Volume, refer to page142
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
>Luggage compartment lid
>Fuel filler flap
>Center armrest
*
Operating from outside
>Via the remote control
>Using the door lock
>In cars with Comfort Access
*, via the han-
dles on the driver's and passenger doors
In addition, if the remote control is used, the 
welcome lamps, interior lamps and the door's 
courtesy lamps
* are switched on or off. The 
alarm system
* is also armed or disarmed.
For further details of the alarm system,
 refer 
to page33.
Operating from inside
By means of the button for central locking, refer 
to page32.
In the event of a sufficiently severe accident, the 
central locking system unlocks automatically. In 
addition, the hazard warning flashers and inte-
rior lamps come on.
Opening and closing:
Using the remote control
Persons or animals in a parked vehicle 
could lock the doors from the inside. You 
should therefore take the remote control with 
you when you leave the vehicle so that the latter 
can be opened from outside.<
To operate the retractable hardtop with 
the remote control, the doors and lug-
gage compartment lid must be closed and the 
cargo area partition must be folded down and 
engaged on both sides. Refer also to page38.<
Unlocking
Press the   button.
The interior lamps, the courtesy lamps
* and the 
welcome lamps come on.
Setting unlocking characteristics
You can set whether only the driver's door or 
the entire vehicle is to be unlocked when the 
button is pressed for the first time. 

Controls
 93Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Climate
Equipment versions
Depending on the equipment version, your car 
has an air conditioner or an automatic climate 
control system.
1Air conditioner94
2Automatic climate control
*96
Air vents
3Air flow directed toward the windshield and 
side windows
4Air to the upper body area. 
The thumbwheels open and close the air 
supply continuously. The levers alter the 
direction of the air flow. For further details 
on draft-free ventilation refer to page98.
5Air in the knee area, footwell 

Climate
96
Automatic climate control*
1Temperature, left side of passenger com-
partment
2Maximum cooling
3Rear window defroster
4Defrosting windows and removing conden-
sation
5Automatic recirculated-air control AUC/
recirculated-air mode6Air distribution, manual
7AUTO program
8Air flow rate, manual, climate level
9Temperature, right side of passenger com-
partment
10Switching cooling function on/off manually
Comfortable interior climate
AUTO program7 offers the ideal air distribution 
and air flow rate for almost all conditions, refer 
to AUTO program below. All you need to do is 
select an interior temperature which is comfort-
able for you.
The following sections inform you in detail 
about how to adjust the settings.
Most settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile 
settings on page28.
Air distribution, manual
Depending on the selected setting, the air is 
directed to the windshield, to the upper body 
area, to the knee area and into the footwell.
Adjusting air distribution manually
Press the button repeatedly until 
the air distribution is set as 
required. The corresponding LED lights up.
The manual air distribution is also switched on 
when the AUTO program is deactivated.
Temperature
Set the desired temperatures indi-
vidually for the driver's and pas-
senger sides.
The automatic climate control 
achieves this temperature as quickly as possi-
ble regardless of the season, using maximum 
cooling or heating power if necessary, and then 
maintains it.
To give the automatic climate control 
enough time to achieve the set tempera-
ture, do not switch between different tempera-
ture settings in quick succession.<
You can achieve maximum heating power with 
the highest setting, regardless of the outside 
temperature.
The lowest setting effects continuous cooling. 

Controls
 97Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Switching the cooling function on 
and off
The cooling function cools and 
dehumidifies the incoming air 
before reheating it as required, 
according to the temperature set-
ting. This function is only available while the 
engine is running.
The cooling function helps prevent condensa-
tion on the windows or removes it quickly.
Depending on the weather, the windshield may 
fog over briefly when the engine is started.
The cooling function is automatically switched 
on along with the AUTO program.
Maximum cooling
Maximum cooling is achieved most 
quickly at outside temperatures 
above 327/06 and when the 
engine is running.
The automatic climate control goes into recir-
culated-air mode at the lowest temperature. Air 
flows at maximum rate from the vents for the 
upper body area. You should therefore open the 
vents for maximum cooling.
AUTO program
The AUTO program automatically adjusts the 
air distribution to the windshield and side win-
dows, towards the upper body area, and into the 
footwell and knee area.
The air flow rate and air distribution, in addition 
to your temperature specifications, will be 
adapted to outside influences as a result of sea-
sonal changes, e.g., sunlight or window con-
densation.
The cooling is switched on automatically with 
the AUTO program.
Switching on/off
 Press the button.
Manual air distribution and air flow rate are acti-
vated when the AUTO program is deactivated.
AUTO program climate level
The climate levels can be used to vary the inten-
sity when the AUTO program is switched on. 
For example, air flow is adjusted automatically 
to optimize climate control.
When the AUTO program is 
switched on, you can select the cli-
mate level of the AUTO program 
using the buttons for controlling the manual air 
flow rate.
The selected climate level is displayed by 
an LED.
Convertible program
When the hardtop is open, the convertible pro-
gram is activated as well. In the convertible pro-
gram, the automatic climate control is opti-
mized for driving with the hardtop open. In 
addition, the air flow rate is increased as vehicle 
speed increases.
The effectiveness of the convertible pro-
gram can be enhanced considerably by 
installing the wind deflector.<
Adjusting air flow rate manually
Press the left side of the button to 
reduce air flow. Press the right side 
of the button to increase it.
The air flow rate may be reduced to save battery 
power. The display remains the same.
Switching the system on/off
With the blower at its lowest setting, press the 
left side of the button to switch off the auto-
matic climate control. All displays are cleared 
except for the rear window defroster if it is 
switched on.
Press any button except the rear window 
defroster to reactivate the automatic climate 
control. 

Climate
98
Residual heat
The heat stored in the engine is used to heat the 
interior.
This function can be switched on 
using the right button under the 
following conditions:
>Up to 15 minutes after the engine has been 
switched off
>While the engine is at operating tem-
perature
>As long as battery voltage is sufficient
>At an outside temperature below 777/
256
The middle LED is lit when the function is on.
Automatic recirculated-air control 
AUC/recirculated-air mode
Switch on the desired operating 
mode by pressing this button 
repeatedly:
>LED off: outside air flows in continuously.
>Left-hand LED on, AUC mode: a sensor 
detects pollutants in the outside air. If nec-
essary, the system blocks the supply of out-
side air and recirculates the inside air. As 
soon as the concentration of pollutants in 
the outside air has decreased sufficiently, 
the system automatically switches back to 
outside air supply.
>Right-hand LED on, recirculated-air mode: 
the supply of outside air is permanently 
shut off. The system then recirculates the 
air currently within the vehicle.
If condensation starts to form on the 
inside window surfaces during operation 
in the recirculated-air mode, you should switch 
it off while also increasing the air flow rate as 
required. 
The recirculated-air mode should not be used 
over an extended period of time; otherwise, the 
air quality inside the car will deteriorate contin-
uously.<
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation
Quickly removes ice and conden-
sation from the windshield and 
front side windows.
Switch on the cooling function as well.
Rear window defroster
The defroster switches off auto-
matically after a certain time or 
when the hardtop is opened.
Ventilation
1Lever for changing the direction of the 
air flow.
2Thumbwheels for opening and closing the 
air vents.
3Thumbwheel for adjusting the amount of 
cool air from the vents to the upper body 
area. In this way you can optimize the air 
temperature for the upper body area.
Ventilation for cooling
Adjust the vent outlets to direct the flow of cool 
air in your direction, for instance if it has become 
too hot in the car.
Draft-free ventilation
Set the vent outlets so that the air flows past 
you and not straight at you.
Microfilter/activated-charcoal filter
The microfilter traps dust and pollen in the 
incoming air. The activated-charcoal filter pro-
vides additional protection by filtering gaseous 
pollutants from the outside air. Your BMW cen-
ter replaces this combined filter during routine 
maintenance. 

Driving tips
 113Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Drive defensively
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking 
maneuvers. To do so, keep an adequate 
distance to the forward vehicle. A defensive 
and smooth driving style keeps fuel consump-
tion down.
Avoid high engine speeds
Only use first gear when setting off. In second 
and higher gears, accelerate without hesitation 
or pauses. When accelerating, shift up before 
reaching high engine speeds.
When you reach the desired speed, shift into 
the highest applicable gear and drive with the 
engine speed as low as possible and at a con-
stant speed.
As a rule: driving at low engine speeds lowers 
fuel consumption and reduces wear.
Coasting
When approaching a red light, take your foot off 
the accelerator and coast to a stop in the high-
est applicable gear.
On a downhill slope, take your foot off the accel-
erator and coast in a suitable gear.
The fuel supply is interrupted when coasting.
Switch off the engine during lengthy 
stops
Switch off the engine when stopping for lengthy 
periods, e.g., at traffic lights, railroad crossings 
or in traffic congestion. You achieve fuel sav-
ings even if standing time is as short as approx. 
4 seconds.
Switch off functions you do not need at 
the moment
Functions such as the air conditioner and the 
seat or rear window heating draw large amounts 
of power and consume additional fuel. Espe-
cially in city traffic and in stop-and-go driving 
they have a considerable impact. Therefore, 
switch these functions off when they are not 
really needed.
Have the vehicle serviced
Have the vehicle serviced regularly to achieve 
good economy and a long vehicle life. BMW 
recommends having the vehicle serviced at a 
BMW center. Also note the BMW service sys-
tem, refer to page206.
General driving notes
Close the luggage compartment lid
Operate the vehicle only when the lug-
gage compartment lid is closed. Other-
wise, exhaust fumes could enter the interior of 
the vehicle.<
If the vehicle must be driven with the luggage 
compartment lid open:
1.Close all windows.
2.Greatly increase the air volume of the 
automatic climate control system, refer 
to page97.
Hot exhaust system
In all vehicles, extremely high tempera-
tures are generated in the exhaust sys-
tem. Do not remove the heat shields installed 
adjacent to various sections of the exhaust sys-
tem, and never apply undercoating to them. 
When driving, standing at idle and while park-
ing, 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, with the 
risk of serious personal injuries and property 
damage. Do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes. 
Otherwise, there is a risk of burns.<
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, 
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge 
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This situation, known as hydroplaning, 
means that the tire can completely lose contact 
with the road surface, so that neither the car can 
be steered nor the brake be properly applied.<