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Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In con-
junction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the seated position
has a major influence on your safety in the event
of an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we
strongly urge you to observe the instructions
contained in the following section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page48.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions,
to minimize the risk of injury to the hands or
arms in the event of the airbag being triggered
off. No one and nothing should come between
the airbags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
passenger side as a storage area. Make sure
that the passenger is sitting correctly, e.g.,
keeping his or her feet or legs in the footwell
and not on the dashboard; otherwise, leg inju-
ries can occur if the front airbag deploys.
Make sure that passengers do not lean their
heads against the side airbag; otherwise, seri-
ous injuries could result if the airbag suddenly
deployed.<
Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries
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 page85.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the
safety belt as an additional safety device, but
they do not represent a substitute.
Your vehicle has two seats, each of which is
equipped 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 in the lap area sits
low across the hips and does not press against
the abdomen.
The safety belt must not rest against the throat,
run across sharp edges, pass over hard or frag-
ile objects or be pinched. Fasten the safety belt
so that it sits as snugly as possible against the
lap and shoulder without being twisted. Other-
wise, the belt could slide over your hips and
injure your abdomen in the event of a frontal
collision.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and regularly pull
the belt in the upper-body area taut; otherwise,
its restraining effect could be impaired.<
Safety belts, refer to page44.
Seats
Note before adjusting
Never attempt to adjust your seat while
the vehicle is moving. The seat could
respond with unexpected movement, and the
ensuing loss of vehicle control could lead to an
accident.
On the passenger seat as well, do not incline
the backrest too far to the rear while the vehicle
is being driven; otherwise, there is a danger in
the event of an accident of sliding under the
safety belt, eliminating the protection normally
provided by the belt.<
Note the information on safety belt damage
on page 45.
Adjustments
46
Automatic heating
Depending on the outside temperature, both
exterior mirrors are heated automatically when
the engine is running or the ignition is
switched on.
Passenger-side mirror tilt function –
automatic curb monitor*
Activating
1.Push the switch to the position for the
driver's side mirror, arrow 1.
2.Engage reverse gear or move the selector
lever to position R.
The glass of the mirror on the passenger
side tilts slightly down. This allows the
driver to see the area immediately adjacent
to the vehicle, e.g., a curb, when backing
into a parking space.
Deactivating
Push the switch to the position for the passen-
ger-side mirror, arrow 2.
Interior rearview mirror
Turn the knob to reduce glare from the head-
lamps of cars behind you when driving
at night.
Interior and exterior mirrors, automatic
dimming feature*
The automatic dimming feature of the interior
and exterior mirrors
* is controlled by two photo
cells in the interior rearview mirror. One photo
cell is in the mirror frame, see arrow; the other is
on the back of the mirror.
In order to ensure that the system functions
correctly, keep the photo cells clean, do not
cover the area between the interior rearview
mirror and windshield, and do not affix adhesive
labels or stickers of any kind to the windshield
directly in front of the mirror.
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel position
while the car is in motion; otherwise, there
is a risk of accident due to an unexpected
movement.<
1.Fold the lever down.
2.Move the steering wheel to the preferred
height and angle to suit your seated
position.
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3.Swing the lever back up.
Do not use force to swing the lever
back up; otherwise, the mechanism
will be damaged.<
Steering wheel heating*
To switch on or off, press the button.
The LED lights up: the steering wheel heating is
switched on.
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 + –
Driving
54
Displays in the instrument cluster
P R N D DS M1 to M6
The selector lever position is displayed, or the
current gear in the manual mode.
Changing selector lever positions
>With the ignition switched on or the engine
running, the selector lever can be moved
out of position P.
>Before moving the lever away from P or N
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the
brake; otherwise, the selector lever will
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position,
depress the brake until you are ready to
start.<
A lock prevents you from inadvertently engag-
ing selector lever positions R and P. To cancel
the lock, press the button on the front of the
selector lever, see arrow.
P Park
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
The rear wheels are locked.
R Reverse
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
You can select this in a car wash, for example.
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you are driving in
position D.
Kickdown
Kickdown enables you to achieve maximum
performance.
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Sport program and manual operation
M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The sport program is activated and DS is dis-
played in the instrument cluster. This position is
recommended for a performance-oriented driv-
ing style.
To deactivate the sport program or manual
mode M/S, move the selector lever to the right
into position D.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
When you press the selector lever forwards or
backwards, the manual mode is activated and
Steptronic changes gear. M1 through M6 are
displayed in the instrument cluster.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combination
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example,
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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.