
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 removing your hands from the steering 
wheel.
Most menu items on the Control Display can be 
voiced as commands. It is not necessary 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
Via iDrive, select the language in which the 
voice activation system is operating, so that the 
spoken commands can be identified. Selecting 
the language for iDrive, refer to page79.
Symbols in the Owner's Manual
Saying commands
Activating voice activation system
1.Press the   button on the steering wheel.
 This symbol on the Control Display and 
an acoustic signal indicate that the voice 
activation system is ready to receive spo-
ken commands.
2.Say the command.
The command appears on the Control Dis-
play.
 This symbol appears on the Control Display 
when you can enter additional commands. 
If no further commands are possible, continue 
by operating the item of equipment via iDrive.
Terminating or canceling voice 
activation system
Press the   button on the steering wheel
or
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for 
word. 
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice acti-
vation system.
{Cancel} 

At a glance
 23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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" is selected, the commands 
for operating CD/Multimedia are read aloud.
Calling up functions immediately via 
short commands
With short commands you can run certain func-
tions directly, regardless of which menu item is 
selected, refer to page231.
Example: selecting the track of a CD
1.If necessary, switch on entertainment audio 
output.
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
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.
>Pronounce the commands and digits 
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 
standard pronunciation of the station name.
>Keep doors, windows, and glass sunroof
* 
closed in order to avoid interference from 
outside noises.
>Avoid ambient noise in the vehicle while 
speaking.
To operate the telephone by voice, refer 
to page177.< {Voice commands} or {Help}
3.Select the music track, e.g.: 
{CD track 4}
System says: 
{{Track 4}} 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
88
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags
3Side airbags in the seat backrests
4Convertible: knee airbags
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on 
page43 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and 
front passenger by responding to frontal 
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the 
head and side airbags help provide protection in 
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The 
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags have been designed to not be trig-
gered in every collision situation, e.g. not in 
minor accidents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the 
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or 
modify them in any other way.
Keep the dashboard and window on the front 
passenger side clear, i.e., do not cover with 
adhesive labels or coverings, and do not attach 
holders such as for navigation instruments and 
mobile phones.
Do not attach seat covers, cushions or other 
objects not specifically approved for seats with 
integral side airbags to the front seats. Do not 
hang items of clothing such as coats or jackets 
over the backrests. Do not attempt to remove the airbag retention system from the vehicle. Do 
not modify the individual components of the 
system or its wiring in any way. This includes 
the upholstered covers on the steering wheel, 
instrument panel, seats and roof posts, as well 
as the sides of the roof lining. Do not attempt to 
remove or dismantle the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components imme-
diately after the system has been triggered, 
because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation or 
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have 
the testing, repair, removal and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center 
or a workshop that works according to repair 
procedures of BMW with correspondingly 
trained personnel and that has the required 
explosives licenses. Unprofessional attempts to 
work on the system could lead to failure in an 
emergency or to undesired airbag activation, 
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warning notices and information about the air-
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the front 
passenger airbags
An analysis of the impression in the front pas-
senger seat cushion determines whether and 
how the seat is occupied. The front and side air-
bags for the front passenger are activated or 
deactivated by the system accordingly.
The indicator lamp above the interior 
rearview mirror shows the current status 
of the front passenger airbags, deactivated or 
activated, refer to Status of front passenger air-
bags below.< 

Controls
 105Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Do not connect USB hard drives.
>Do not use the USB interface to recharge 
external devices.
Center armrest
Storage compartment
The center armrest between the front seats 
contains a credit card holder and, depending on 
the equipment version, a compartment or a 
snap-in adapter
*.
Opening
Press the button, see arrow.
Connection for external audio device
You can connect an external audio device such 
as a CD or MP3 player and play audio tracks 
over the car's loudspeaker system:
>AUX-IN port, refer to page163
>USB audio interface
*/additional connection 
of the music player in the mobile phone
*, 
refer to page163
Storage compartments inside 
the vehicle
Compartments are located next to the steering 
column
*, on the doors and in the center con-
sole. 
There are nets
* on the front-seat backrests.
Coupe: clothes hooks
There are clothes hooks in the rear.
Items of clothing hung from the hooks 
must not obstruct the driver's view. Do 
not hang heavy objects from the hooks; other-
wise, they could endanger the car's occupants, 
e.g. in case of heavy braking or sudden swerv-
ing.<
Cupholders
Use lightweight and shatterproof contain-
ers and do not transport hot beverages; 
otherwise, there is an increased risk of injury in 
the event of the accident. Do not force contain-
ers that are too large into the cupholders; other-
wise, damage could result.<
There is one cupholder in the center console.
You can mount an attachable cupholder
* on the 
side of the center console. 

Navigation
Driving tips
 123Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Entering a house number
You can enter any house number stored in the 
navigation data for the street.
1."House number"
2.Select the digits.
3.Change to the list of house numbers.
4.Select a house number or range of house 
numbers.
Starting destination guidance after 
entering the destination
1."Accept destination"
2."Start guidance" or "Add as another dest.".
>Set your "Route preference",
refer to page130.
>Search for "Points of Interest at loc.",
refer to page124.
Address book
To create contacts, refer to page182.
Selecting a destination from the 
address book
1."Navigation"
2."Address book"
Contacts with addresses are displayed if 
these addresses have been checked as 
destinations.
If the contacts with addresses from the 
mobile phone 
* are not displayed, they first 
need to be checked as destinations, refer to 
page183.
3.Select a contact from the list or, if neces-
sary, using "A-Z search".4.If necessary, select "Business address" or 
"Home address".
Storing a destination in the address 
book
Store the destination in the address book after 
entering the destination.
1.Open "Options".
2."Store as new contact" or "Add to existing 
contact".
3.Select an existing contact, if available.
4.Select "Business address" or "Home 
address".
5.Enter "Last name" and first name "First 
name" if necessary.
6."Store in vehicle"
Storing the position
Your current position can be stored in the 
address book.
1."Navigation"
2.Open "Options".
3."Store position as contact" or "Add position 
to contact". 

Navigation
Driving tips
 125Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Opening the search for special 
destinations
1."Navigation"
2."Points of Interest"
The search can be narrowed by entering the 
location and type of special destination.
Special destination location
Search for a special destination according to its 
location relative to a locality or route.
1."Search area"
2.Select the location where the system is to 
search for the special destination:
>"At current location"
>"At destination"
>"At a different destination"
>"Along route"
Special destination category
1."Category"
2.Select "All" or a specific category, e.g. 
hotels or restaurants.
Category details
For some special destinations, additional 
details can be displayed that are available in the 
navigation data, e.g. Italian-style restaurant."Category details"
Starting the search for special 
destinations
1."Start search"
2.A list of the special destinations is dis-
played.
>"At current location"
Special destinations are listed according 
to their distance from the current loca-
tion and are displayed with a directional 
arrow pointing to the destination.
>"At destination", "At a different destina-
tion", "Along route"
Special destinations are listed according 
to their distance from the location where 
the search is being performed.
>Destinations of the selected category 
are displayed in the map view as sym-
bols. The display depends on the map 
scale and the category.
3.Highlight a special destination: the destina-
tion is displayed in the preview map.
4.Select the special destination.
5.Select the  symbol.
6."Start guidance" or "Add as another dest.".
If a phone number is available, a connection 
can be established, if desired.
Destination entry via BMW Assist*
A connection is established to the BMW Con-
cierge service, refer to page185.
1."Navigation"
2."Enter address"
3.Open "Options".
4."BMW Assist dest. entry" 

Satellite radio
146
Satellite radio
General information
The channels are offered in predefined pack-
ages. The packages must be enabled by tele-
phone.
Navigation bar overview
The functions of the navigation bar symbols can 
also be stored on the programmable memory 
buttons, refer to page20.
Managing a subscription
To be able to enable or unsubscribe from the 
channels, you must have reception. It is usually 
at its best when you have an unobstructed view 
of the sky. The channel name is displayed in the 
status line.
Enabling the channels
The Unsubscribed Channels category contains 
all disabled channels.
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"3."Category"
4.Select the Unsubscribed Channels cate-
gory.
5.Select the desired channel.
The phone number and an electronic serial 
number, ESN, are displayed.
6.Select the phone number to have the chan-
nel enabled.
You can also unsubscribe from the channels via 
this phone number.
Unsubscribing from channels
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3.Open "Options".
*
SymbolFunction
Changing the list view
Selecting a category
Direct channel entry
Timeshift
  Opening the favorites, opening 
the My Favorites category
Managing the favorites
Traffic Jump 

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 147Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
4."Manage subscription"
The phone number and an electronic serial 
number, ESN, are displayed.
5.Call Sirius to unsubscribe from the chan-
nels.
Selecting a channel
You can only listen to enabled channels.
The selected channel is stored for the remote 
control currently in use.
Via iDrive
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3.Select "All channels" or the desired cate-
gory.
4.Select the desired channel.
Via the button in the area of the CD/
DVD player
 Press the button for the corresponding 
direction.
The next channel is selected.
Via direct channel entry
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3."Select channel"
4.Turn the controller until the desired channel 
is reached and press the controller.
Storing a channel
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3.Open "All channels" or the desired category 
as needed.
4.Select the desired channel.
5.Press the controller again.
6.Press the controller again to confirm the 
highlighted channel.
7.Select the desired memory location.
The channels are stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
You can also store the channels on the pro-
grammable memory keys, refer to page20.
Changing the list view
The list view changes every time the first sym-
bol on the navigation bar is pressed.
Information on the channel is displayed.
SymbolFunction
Channel name
Artist
Track