
Controls
 111Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Locking
To lock the glove compartment, use the inte-
grated key of the remote control, refer to 
page26.
USB interface for data transmission
Port for importing and exporting data on USB 
devices, e.g. music collections, refer to 
page172.
Observe the following when connecting:
>Do not use force when plugging the con-
nector into the USB audio interface.
>Do not connect devices such as fans or 
lamps to the USB audio interface.
>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 either a compartment or the cover for 
the snap-in adapter
*, depending on the equip-
ment version.
Opening
Press the button, see arrow.
Settings*
Slide the center armrest on the driver's side into 
the desired position.
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 page173
>USB audio interface
*/additional connection 
of the music player in the mobile phone
*, 
refer to page174 

Driving tips
 123Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Drive defensively
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking 
maneuvers. To do so, keep an adequate dis-
tance between you and the vehicle in front of 
you. A defensive and smooth driving style 
keeps fuel consumption 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 congestions. 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, seat 
heating or rear window defroster draw large 
amounts of power and consume additional fuel. 
Especially in city traffic and in stop and go driv-
ing 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 page231.
General driving notes
Close the trunk lid/tailgate
Operate the vehicle only when the trunk 
lid/tailgate and rear window are closed. 
Otherwise, exhaust fumes could enter the inte-
rior of the vehicle.<
If the vehicle must be driven with the trunk lid/
tailgate open:
1.Close all windows and the glass roof.
2.Greatly increase the air volume of the auto-
matic climate control system, refer to 
page104.
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.< 

Driving tips
 127Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Only attach the cargo straps using the lashing 
eyes shown in the illustration. Do not secure 
cargo with the anchors for tether straps, refer to 
page53; otherwise, these could be damaged.<
Roof-mounted luggage rack*
A special rack system is available as an option 
for your BMW. Comply with the directions given 
in the installation instructions.
Mounting points
The mounting points are located in the roof/
along the roof rails
*.
Loading roof-mounted luggage rack
Because roof racks raise the vehicle's center of 
gravity when loaded, they have a major effect on 
vehicle handling and steering response. 
You should therefore always remember not to 
exceed the approved roof load capacity, the 
approved gross vehicle weight or the axle loads 
when loading the rack.
You can find the applicable data under Weights 
on page257.
The roof load must be distributed uniformly and 
should not be too large in area. Heavy items 
should always be placed at the bottom. Be sure 
that adequate clearance is maintained for rais-
ing the glass roof, and that objects do not 
project into the opening path of the trunk lid/
tailgate.
Fasten roof-mounted cargo correctly and 
securely to prevent it from shifting or falling off 
during the trip.
Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden acceleration and 
braking maneuvers. Take corners gently. 

Navigation
This chapter describes how you can
enter destinations and specify your route
so that your navigation system guides you
reliably to your destination.
Navigation 

Navigation system
130
Navigation system
General information
With the help of satellites and vehicle sensors, 
the navigation system is able to ascertain the 
precise position of the vehicle and reliably guide 
you to any destination you enter.
Enter data only when the vehicle is sta-
tionary, and always give priority to the 
applicable traffic regulations in the event of any 
contradiction between traffic and road condi-
tions and the instructions issued by the naviga-
tion system. Failure to take to this precaution 
can place you in violation of the law and put 
vehicle occupants and other road users in dan-
ger.<
Navigation data
General information
Navigation data are stored in the vehicle and 
can be updated.
Navigation data and authorization codes are 
available from your BMW center.
Depending on the data volume, a data update 
may take several hours.
>The data are updated while you are driving.
>The update is resumed automatically when 
a trip is continued after an interruption.
>Basic navigation functions are available 
during the trip.
>The data are stored in the vehicle.
>After the update, the system restarts.
>The medium that holds the navigation data 
can be removed after the update is com-
pleted.
Updating the navigation data
Inserting navigation DVD
1.Insert the navigation DVD into the DVD 
player with the labeled side facing up.
2.Follow the instructions on the 
Control Display.
3.Enter the authorization code of the naviga-
tion DVD and change the DVD if needed.
Removing navigation DVD
1.Press button 1.
The DVD emerges slightly from the drive.
2.Remove the DVD.
Information about navigation data
1."Navigation"
2.Open "Options".
3."Navigation system version":
Information on the data version is displayed.
* 

Navigation
Driving tips
 131Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Destination entry
In entering your destination you can select from 
the following options:
>Entering a destination manually, see below
>Selecting destination from address book, 
refer to page133
>Last destinations, refer to page134
>Special destinations, refer to page135
>Entering a destination on the map, refer to 
page136
>Selecting home address, refer to page134
>Entering a destination by voice com-
mands*, refer to page137
>Destination entry via BMW Assist
*, 
refer to page136
You can also store a navigation destination on 
the programmable memory keys, refer to 
page20.
Enter data only when the vehicle is sta-
tionary, and always give priority to the 
applicable traffic regulations in the event of any 
contradiction between traffic and road condi-
tions and the instructions issued by the naviga-
tion system. Otherwise, vehicle occupants and 
other road users may be endangered.<
Entering a destination 
manually
The system's word-matching principle makes it 
easier for you to enter the names of streets or 
towns, refer to page139. This allows you to 
enter different spellings and completes your 
entry automatically, so that stored names can 
be called up quickly.
1.Press the MENUbutton.
2."Navigation"3."Enter address"
The system also supports you with the follow-
ing features:
>If you do not enter a street, the system will 
guide you to the downtown a r e a  o f  a  t o w n  o r  
city.
>You can skip the entry of state/province and 
town/city if the current entries should be 
retained for your new destination.
Entering a state/province
1."Navigation"
2."Enter address"
3.Select "State/Province" or the displayed 
state/province.
Entering a town/city
1.Select "Town/City/Postal Code" or the 
displayed town/city.
2.Select letters, if necessary. 

Navigation
Driving tips
 135Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Deleting the last destinations
1."Navigation"
2."Last destinations"
3.Highlight the destination.
4.Open "Options".
5."Delete entry" or "Delete all last destina-
tions".
Special destinations
You can search for a special destination, e.g. a 
hotel or place of interest, and start destination 
guidance to the corresponding location.
The scope of information provided 
depends on the particular set of naviga-
tion data you are using.<
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 
displayed.
>"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. 

Navigation
Driving tips
 137Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Specifying the street
If the system cannot recognize a street, it dis-
plays a street name in the vicinity or the coordi-
nates of the destination.
Interactive map
In the interactive map, the scale can be adjusted 
and the visible map section can be shifted. In 
addition, pressing the controller makes further 
functions available:
> Select that symbol and "Start guid-
ance", if necessary.
>"Exit interactive map"
>Map view
>"Display destination"
The map section around the destination 
is displayed.
>"Display current location"
The map section around your current 
location is displayed.
>"Find points of interest", refer to 
page135.
Entering a destination by 
voice commands*
General information
You can enter a desired destination via the 
voice activation system. During the destination 
input, you can switch between voice entry and 
entry via iDrive at any time. To do so, reactivate 
the voice activation system if necessary.
You can have the possible commands 
read aloud via {Voice commands}.<
Saying the entries
>Countries, towns and cities, streets and 
intersections can be said as whole words or 
spelled in the system language, refer to 
page83.
Example: to enter a destination in a US state 
as a complete word, the system language 
must be English.
>The town/city, street and house number 
can be said as a single sentence.
*
>Spell the entry if the language region and 
the system language differ.
>Say the letters smoothly, and avoid exag-
gerating the pronunciation and inserting 
lengthy pauses between the letters.
Entering an address*
1.Press the  button on the steering wheel.
3.Wait for a request from the system.
4.Say the town or city, street and house num-
ber in a single sentence.
5.Continue making the entry as prompted by 
the system.
6.If necessary, individually name the separate 
components of the address, e.g. the town/
city.
Entering a town/city
The town/city can be spelled or entered as a 
complete word
*.
The methods of entry depend on the nav-
igation data in use and the country and 
language settings.<
2.Wait for the system to prompt you for the 
town/city.
3.Say the name of the town/city, or name at 
least the first three letters.
2.{Enter address}
1.{City} or {Spell city}