Driving
50
Driving
Ignition lock
Insert the remote control into the
ignition lock
Insert the remote control all the way into the
ignition lock.
>Radio readiness is switched on.
Individual electrical consumers can operate.
Comfort Access*
If the car is equipped with Comfort Access, only
insert the remote control into the ignition lock
under special circumstances, refer to page34.
Removing the remote control from the
ignition lock
Do not forcibly pull the remote control out
of the ignition lock as this may cause
damage.<
Before removing the remote control, push it all
the way in to release the locking mechanism.
>The ignition is switched off if it was on.
Automatic transmission
You can only take out the remote control if
transmission position P is engaged: Interlock
Start/stop button
Pressing the start/stop button switches radio
readiness or the ignition on or off.
The engine is started when you press the
start/stop button and depress the clutch if
the car has manual transmission, or the brake if
the car has automatic transmission.<
Radio readiness
Individual electrical consumers can operate.
The time and the outside temperature are dis-
played in the instrument cluster.
Radio readiness is switched off automatically:
>When the remote control is removed from
the ignition lock
>In cars with Comfort Access
*, by touching
the surface above the door lock, refer to
Locking on page35
Ignition on
All electrical consumers can operate. The
odometer and trip odometer are displayed in
the instrument cluster.
When the engine is off, please switch off
the ignition and any unnecessary
electrical consumers in order to preserve the
battery.<
Radio readiness and ignition off
All indicator and warning lamps as well as dis-
plays in the instrument cluster go out.
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Starting the engine
Do not run the engine in enclosed areas;
otherwise, the inhalation of toxic exhaust
gases can cause loss of consciousness and
death. The exhaust gases contain carbon mon-
oxide, an odorless and colorless, but highly
toxic gas. Never leave an unattended vehicle
with the engine running; otherwise, such a vehi-
cle represents a potential safety hazard.
Before leaving the car with the engine running,
place the transmission in neutral or move the
selector lever to position P and set the parking
brake to prevent the car from moving.<
Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion as well as repeated start attempts in
which the engine does not start. Otherwise, the
fuel is not burned or incompletely burned and
there is a danger of overheating and damaging
the catalytic converter.<
Do not wait for the engine to warm up while the
vehicle remains stationary. Start driving right
away, but at moderate engine speeds.
Manual transmission
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with
Comfort Access, inside the vehicle, refer
to page34.
1.Depress the brake.
2.Depress the clutch and shift to neutral
position.
3.Press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain
time, and stops automatically as soon as the
engine has started.
Automatic transmission
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with
Comfort Access, inside the vehicle, refer
to page34.
1.Depress the brake.
2.Move the selector lever to position P.
3.Press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain
time, and stops automatically as soon as the
engine has started.
7-gear sport automatic transmission
with dual clutch
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with
Comfort Access, inside the vehicle, refer
to page34.
1.Depress the brake.
2.Press the start/stop button.
The engine starts, regardless of the current
selector lever position.
Driving
52
Switching off the engine
Always take the remote control with you
when you leave the vehicle.
Set the parking brake firmly when parking; oth-
erwise, the vehicle could roll.<
Manual transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, press the start/
stop button.
2.Shift into first gear or reverse.
3.Set the parking brake.
4.Removing the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page50.
Automatic transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, move the selec-
tor lever to position P.
2.Press the start/stop button.
3.Set the parking brake.
4.Removing the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page50.
7-gear sport automatic transmission
with dual clutch
1.With the car at a standstill, engage trans-
mission position P.
2.Press the start/stop button.
3.Set the parking brake.
4.Removing the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page50.
Parking brake
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with an electromechan-
ical parking brake that can be set and released
by using a button.
The parking brake is primarily used to prevent
the vehicle from rolling when it is parked.When the vehicle is stationary, the parking
brake acts on the rear wheels via an electrome-
chanical mechanism. When the vehicle is rolling
or being driven, the parking brake acts on the
disc brakes of the front and rear wheels via the
hydraulic brake system.
Setting the brake
Pull the button. The parking brake is set.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster and the LED on the button light
up red. The parking brake is set.
Indicator lamp in Canadian models.
To set the parking brake, the remote control
does not need to be in the ignition lock.
While driving
In the rare case that the parking brake needs to
be used while driving, pull the button for a
lengthy period:
The vehicle brakes hard while the button is
being pulled.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up red, a sound is issued
and the brake lamps light up.
Indicator lamp in Canadian models.
As soon as you brake the vehicle almost to a
standstill, approx. 2 mph/3 km/h, the parking
brake remains set.
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Releasing
Take the remote control with you when
leaving the vehicle so that children, for
example, cannot release the parking brake.<
The parking brake can only be released while
the ignition is switched on or the engine is
running.
With manual transmission
Press the button of the parking brake. Depress
the brake and clutch pedals while doing so.
With automatic transmission or 7-gear
sport automatic transmission with dual
clutch
Press the parking brake button while the brake
is depressed or transmission position P is
engaged.
Indicator lamps
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Indicator lamp in Canadian models.
Malfunction
In the event of a failure or malfunction of the
parking brake, secure the vehicle against rolling
using a wheel chock, for example, if you leave
the vehicle.
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, press
the gearshift lever to the right. Otherwise,
the engine could be damaged if you inadvert-
ently shift into 3rd or 4th gear.<
Reverse gear
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
When the gearshift lever is pressed to the left, a
slight resistance has to be overcome.
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*
In addition to fully automatic operation, you can
also manually shift with the Steptronic, refer
to page54.
Vehicle parking
To prevent the vehicle from rolling,
always select position P and set the park-
ing brake before leaving the vehicle with the
engine running.<
Disengaging the remote control
In order to remove the remote control from the
ignition lock, you must first move the selector
lever to position P and switch off the engine:
interlock. Removing the remote control from
the ignition lock, refer to page50.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
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a downshift that would cause the engine to
overrev will not be executed by the system. The
gear selected is briefly displayed in the instru-
ment cluster, followed by the gear actually
in use.
Shifting gears via shift paddles* on the
steering wheel
The shift paddles allow you to shift gears with-
out taking your hands off the steering wheel.
>When you use the shift paddles on the
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic
mode, the transmission switches to man-
ual mode.
>If you do not accelerate or shift gears using
the shift paddles for a certain amount of
time, the transmission switches back to
automatic mode.
If the selector lever is in the M/S gear
plane, manual mode remains active.<
>To shift up: press one of the shift paddles
back, arrow 1.
>To shift down: press one of the shift pad-
dles forward, arrow 2.
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
gear selected is briefly displayed in the instru-
ment cluster, followed by the gear actually
in use.
Overriding selector lever lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of
position P although the button on the selector
lever is pressed, the selector lever lock can be
overridden:
1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out.
3.Using the screwdriver from the onboard
vehicle tool kit, refer to page212, press the
red lever while moving the selector lever to
the desired position.
7-gear sport automatic
transmission with dual
clutch*
The concept
This transmission is an automated manual
transmission with two clutches and two gear-
box components in which the gears are
changed without loss of torque.
You operate the transmission using the selector
lever and two shift paddles on the steering
wheel.
It offers the following functions:
>Selection between manual and automatic
operation: manual mode or drive mode
>Automatic downshifting and protection
against selecting the wrong gear, even in
manual mode
>Launch Control acceleration assistant, refer
to page58
>Automatic double declutch
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P Park
The rear wheels are locked.
P is engaged automatically when the following
conditions are met:
>The driver's door is opened while the
engine is running, your safety belt is not fas-
tened and neither the brake pedal nor the
accelerator are activated.
>The engine is switched off unless N is
engaged and the remote control is in the
ignition lock.
>The remote control is removed from the
ignition lock.
Kickdown
T o a cc ele ra te ra pidly, e.g., when passing, press
the accelerator down past the resistance point.
This provides maximum acceleration.
Activating the Sport program and
manual mode M/S
Move the selector lever from position D toward
the left:
The Sport program is activated.
Sport program
S1 through S7 is displayed in the instrument
cluster. This position is recommended for a
performance-oriented driving style.
Manual mode:
When you press the selector lever forward or
backward, or when you press the shift paddles,
manual mode is activated and the gear is
changed.
M1 through M7 are displayed in the instrument
cluster.The transmission provides assistance in the fol-
lowing situations:
>Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combina-
tion of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for
example, a downshift that would cause the
engine to overrev will not be executed by
the system.
>When the vehicle stops, the transmission
automatically shifts down to first gear.
>Shortly before the vehicle slows down to
below the minimum speed of the gear cur-
rently engaged, the transmission automati-
cally shifts down without requiring your
intervention.
Rapid downshifting: in manual mode, you can
skip several gears to achieve optimal accelera-
tion. Do so by pressing the accelerator past the
resistance point.
Changing to drive mode
Push the selector lever to the right.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
In manual mode:
>To shift up, pull back the selector lever.
>To shift down, push it forward.
Shifting gears via the shift paddles on
the steering wheel
The shift paddles allow you to shift gears with-
out taking your hands off the steering wheel.
You do not need to raise your foot from the
accelerator when doing so.
>To shift up: press one of the shift paddles
back, arrow1.
Driving
58 >To shift down: press one of the shift pad-
dles forward, arrow2.
Gears can be shifted using the shift paddles in
drive mode or in manual mode.
Gear change in manual mode:
When manual mode is active, refer to page57,
gears can be changed using the shift paddles or
the selector lever.
Gear change in drive mode
The shift paddles can be used to change gears
in drive mode as well.
Afterwards, if the shift paddles are not used for
some time and vehicle acceleration is insuffi-
cient, the forward gears are changed again
automatically.
Launch Control
Launch Control enables you to drive off with an
optimal vehicle acceleration on a high grip road
surface.
Do not use Launch Control too often, as
the higher loads on the vehicle lead to
premature component wear.<
Launch Control is available when the engine is
at operating temperature, i.e., after driving con-
tinuously for at least 6 miles/10 km.
1.With the engine running, depress the brake
pedal with your left foot.
2.Activate the SPORT+ program of the
Dynamic Driving Control, refer to page79.
3.With the vehicle stationary, activate manual
mode and select first gear.
4.Press the accelerator all the way down. The
engine speed when driving off is controlled.
A flag symbol appears in the instrument
cluster.
5.The vehicle accelerates when you release
the brake pedal. Keep the accelerator
pressed all the way down.
6.The transmission shifts up automatically as
long as the accelerator is pressed all the
way down.Launch Control only becomes available again
after a certain distance has been driven.
Launch Control can only be used after the
break-in phase, refer to page112.
To maintain driving stability, activate DSC
whenever possible.<
Manually releasing and engaging the
transmission lock
If a power failure occurs, e.g., if the battery
is discharged or disconnected or if there
is an electrical malfunction, the transmission
lock must be released manually; otherwise, the
rear wheels are blocked and the vehicle cannot
be towed.<
Release the transmission lock manually for tow-
ing only and set the parking brake beforehand
to prevent the vehicle from rolling. After parking
the vehicle, lock the transmission lock again
manually, refer to page59.
Manual release
1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out.
3.Insert the Allen wrench from the onboard
vehicle tool kit, refer to page212, into
the cap.
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4.Turn the cap with the Allen wrench, arrow 1,
and remove it, arrow 2.
5.Insert the Allen wrench into the opening,
arrow 1.
6.Turn the Allen wrench as far as it will go,
arrow 2. The transmission lock is released.
Do not turn the Allen wrench in the
opposite direction as this may dam-
age the mechanism.<
7.Draw the Allen wrench out of the opening.
After parking the vehicle, lock the trans-
mission lock again, refer to Locking man-
ually. Otherwise, there is a danger of the vehicle
rolling.
The transmission lock is locked again.
2.Clip the sleeve of the selector lever back in
place.
3.Set the parking brake.
Jump-starting and towing, refer to page 219.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the
resistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp indicates that a turn signal indicator
has failed.<
Indicating a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for
as long as you wish to indicate a turn.