
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Contents
The quickest way to find special topics is to 
consult the index, refer to page266.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
7Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
21Letters and numbers
22Voice activation system
Controls
26Opening and closing
42Adjustments
51Transporting children safely
55Driving
71Controls overview
84Technology for driving comfort and 
safety
97Lamps
102Climate
107Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
122Things to remember when driving
Navigation
130Navigation system
131Destination entry
140Destination guidance
147What to do if …
Entertainment
150On/off and tone
153Radio
156Satellite radio
161CD/DVD player and CD changer
168Music collection
173External devices
Communications
180Telephone
193Contacts
195BMW Assist
Mobility
202Refueling
208Wheels and tires
225Under the hood
231Maintenance
233Care
237Replacing components
246Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
254Technical data
259Short commands for the voice activation 
system
266Everything from A to Z 

At a glance
 23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Calling up functions immediately via 
short commands
Short commands enable you to perform certain 
functions immediately, irrespective of which 
menu item is selected, refer to page259.
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.To select the setting:
>"Default"
>"Short"
Notes
To operate the phone by voice, refer to 
page189.<
For voice commands, bear in mind the 
following:
>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.
>For entries in the voice-activated phone 
book, only use names in the language of the 
voice activation system and no abbrevia-
tions.
>Keep the doors, windows and glass roof/
panorama glass roof closed to prevent 
interference from outside noise.
>Avoid ambient noise in the vehicle while 
speaking. 3.Select the music track, e.g.: 
{C D track 4}
System says: 
{{Track 4}} 

Controls
 33Reference
At a glance
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Communications
Navigation
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Mobility
Sedan
Sports Wagon
Sports Wagon: opening and closing the 
rear window
Small items can be loaded and unloaded 
quickly when the rear window is opened sepa-
rately.
When the button on the roller cover is 
pressed, refer to page115, the roller 
cover is raised. Before closing the rear window, 
press the roller cover downward until it 
engages.<
Press the button: the rear window opens 
slightly. It can now be swung upwards.
Press the window shut to close it.Make sure that the corners of any pointed 
or sharp-edged cargo are padded if they 
could bump against the rear window while the 
vehicle is in motion; otherwise, the heating ele-
ments of the rear window could be damaged.<
Alarm system*
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the trunk lid/tail-
gate is opened
>To movements inside the vehicle: Interior 
motion sensor, refer to page34
>When the car's inclination changes, for 
instance if an attempt is made to jack it up 
and steal the wheels or to raise it prior to 
towing away
>When there has been an interruption of 
power supply from the battery
The alarm system signals unauthorized entry 
attempts for a short time by means of:
>An acoustic alarm
>Switching on the hazard warning flashers
>Flashing the high beams
Arming and disarming
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either with 
the remote control or at the door lock, the alarm 
system is armed or disarmed at the same time.
You can open the trunk lid/tailgate even when 
the alarm system is armed, by pressing the 
button on the remote control, refer to 
page28. The lid is locked and monitored again 
as soon as you close it.
Panic mode*
You can trigger the alarm system if you find 
yourself in a dangerous situation:
Press the  button for at least three seconds.
To switch off the alarm: press any button. 

Controls
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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. This position is recommended for a 
performance-oriented driving style.
DS is displayed in the instrument cluster.
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
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot:
When you press the selector lever forwards or 
backwards, the manual mode is activated and 
Steptronic changes gear.
The engaged gear, e.g. M1 is 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, 
a downshift that would cause the engine to 
overrev will not be executed by the system.
The gear selected is briefly displayed in the 
instrument cluster, followed again by the gear 
actually in use.
Shifting gears via shift paddles* on 
the steering wheel
The shift paddles allow you to shift gears 
quickly since both hands can remain on the 
steering wheel.
>When you use the shift paddles on the 
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic 
mode, the transmission switches to manual 
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 upshift, briefly pull the right shift 
paddle +.
>To downshift, briefly pull the left shift pad-
dle –.
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 
instrument cluster, followed again by the gear 
actually in use. 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
88
Flat Tire Monitor FTM*
The concept
The system does not measure the actual infla-
tion pressure in the tires.
The system detects a tire pressure loss due to 
speed comparisons among the individual 
wheels as you drive.
In the event of pressure loss, the rolling circum-
ference changes and, thus, the rotating speed 
of the affected wheel. The system detects this 
and reports it as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
The system has to have been initialized at the 
correct inflation pressure; otherwise, a reliable 
reporting of a flat tire is not assured.
Each time a tire inflation pressure has been cor-
rected or a wheel or tire has been changed, 
reinitialize the system.
System limitations
It is impossible to provide advance warn-
ing of sudden, severe tire damage caused 
by outside influences.<
The system will not detect a natural, uniform 
pressure loss in all four tires. Therefore you 
should check the inflation pressure regularly.
In the following situations, the system could be 
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
>Performance-oriented style of driving: slip 
in the drive wheels, high lateral acceleration
>Driving with snow chains
*
Status display
The current status of the Flat Tire Monitor can 
be displayed on the Control Display, e.g. 
whether or not the FTM is active.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"3."Flat Tire Monitor"
The status is displayed.
Initialization
In the initialization, the set inflation pressures 
are adopted as reference values for the detec-
tion of a flat tire. The initialization is begun by 
confirmation of the inflation pressures.
Do not initialize the system while snow chains 
are attached.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3."Reset"
4.Start the engine – do not drive away.
5.Start the initialization using "Reset".
6.Start driving.
The initialization is completed during driv-
ing, which can be interrupted at any time. 
When driving resumes, the initialization is con-
tinued automatically.< 

Controls
 89Reference
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Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamps come on in yellow 
and red. A message appears on the 
Control Display. In addition, an 
acoustic signal sounds. There is a flat 
tire or substantial loss of tire pressure.
What to do in case of a flat tire
Run-flat tires
With a damaged tire, is possible to continue 
driving at speeds of up to 50 mph/80 km/h.
Do not continue driving if the vehicle is 
not equipped with run-flat tires, refer to 
page223; continued driving could result in a 
severe accident.<
When continuing to drive with a damaged tire:
1.Avoid sudden braking and steering maneu-
vers.
2.Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
3.At the next opportunity, check the air pres-
sure in all four tires.
If all four tires are inflated to the cor-
rect pressures, the Flat Tire Monitor 
might not have been initialized. The system 
must then be initialized.<
Possible travel distance with complete tire 
pressure loss:
>With a light load: 
1 to 2 persons without luggage: 
Approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With a medium load: 
2 persons, cargo area full, or 4 persons 
without luggage: 
Approx. 94 miles/150 km
>With a full load: 
4 or more persons, cargo area full: 
Approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive cautiously and do not exceed a 
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
When there is a tire pressure loss, the handling 
characteristics change, e.g. there will be 
reduced directional stability during braking, 
braking distances will be longer, and self-steer-
ing response will change.
Reduce your speed and bring the vehicle to a 
stop; otherwise, tire components may become 
detached, which could result in an accident. 
Do not continue driving; instead, contact your 
BMW center.<
Tire Pressure Monitor TPM*
The concept
Check the inflation pressure in the four installed 
tires. The system notifies you if there is a signif-
icant loss of pressure in one or more tires.
Functional requirement
The system has to have been reset at the cor-
rect inflation pressure; otherwise, a reliable 
reporting of a flat tire is not assured.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics to 
assure a trouble-free function of the system.
Each time a tire inflation pressure has 
been corrected or a wheel or tire has been 
changed, reset the system.<
System limitations
It is impossible to provide advance warn-
ing of sudden, severe tire damage caused 
by outside influences.<
The system does not function correctly if it has 
not been reset. For example, a flat tire may be 
indicated even though the tire inflation pres-
sures are correct.
The system is inactive and cannot indicate a flat 
tire:
>when a wheel without TPM electronics is 
installed.
>when other systems or devices that use the 
same radio frequency interfere with TPM. 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
90
Status display
The current status of the TPM Tire Pressure 
Monitor can be displayed on the Control Dis-
play, e.g. whether or not the TPM is active.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3."Tire Pressure Monitor - TPM"
The status is displayed.
Status indicator on the Control Display
The color of the tires represents the status of 
the tires and the system.
A change in the inflation pressure during driving 
is taken into account.
A correction is only needed if TPM indicates it.
Green
The inflation pressure corresponds to the 
desired state.
"TPM active" appears on the Control Display.
One wheel yellow
There is a flat tire or substantial loss of tire pres-
sure in the indicated tire.
All wheels yellow
>There is a flat tire or substantial loss of tire 
pressure in several tires.
>The system was not reset after a wheel 
change and will thus issue warnings at the 
last initialized inflation pressures.
Gray
The system cannot detect a puncture.
The reasons for this are as follows:
>TPM is being reset.
>Interference from systems or devices that 
use the same radio frequency.
>Malfunction.
Resetting the system
Each time a tire inflation pressure has been cor-
rected or a wheel or tire has been changed, 
reset the system.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3."Reset TPM"
4.Start the engine – do not drive away.
5.Start the initialization using "Reset TPM".
6.Start driving.
The tires are shown in gray and "Resetting 
TPM..." is displayed.
After driving a few minutes, the set inflation 
pressures in the tires are accepted as the target 
values to be monitored. The resetting is com-
pleted automatically as you drive. On the Con-
trol Display, the tires are shown in green and 
"Status: TPM active" is displayed again.
You can stop driving at any time. The resetting 
continues automatically when you resume driv-
ing.
If a flat tire is detected during the reset-
ting process, all tires are displayed in 
yellow in the Control Display. The message 
"Low tire!" is shown.< 

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Message for low tire inflation pressure
The warning lamps come on in yellow 
and red. A message appears on the 
Control Display. In addition, a signal 
sounds.
>There is a flat tire or substantial loss of tire 
pressure.
>The system was not reset after a wheel 
change and will thus issue warnings at the 
last initialized inflation pressures.
Cautiously reduce speed to below 50 mph/
80 km/h. Avoid sudden braking and steering 
maneuvers. Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph/
80 km/h.
Do not continue driving if the vehicle is 
not equipped with run-flat tires, refer to 
page223; continued driving could result in a 
severe accident.<
Continuing to drive with a flat tire
Possible travel distance with complete tire 
pressure loss:
>With a light load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
Approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With a medium load:
2 persons, cargo area full, or 4 persons 
without luggage:
Approx. 95 miles/150 km
>With a full load:
4 or more persons, cargo area full:
Approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive cautiously and do not exceed a 
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
When there is a tire pressure loss, the handling 
characteristics change, e.g. there will be 
reduced directional stability during braking, 
braking distances will be longer, and self-steer-
ing response will change.<
Vibrations or loud noises during driving 
may indicate the final failure of the tire. 
Reduce your speed and bring the vehicle to a 
stop; otherwise, tire components may become 
detached, which could result in an accident. Do 
not continue driving; instead, contact your 
BMW center.<
Message for unsuccessful 
system reset
Yellow warning lamp comes on. 
A message appears on the 
Control Display.
The system is not reset, e.g. after a wheel 
change.
Check the tire inflation pressure and reset the 
system, refer to page90.
Malfunction
The small warning lamp flashes in 
yellow and then lights up continu-
ously; the large warning lamp comes 
on in yellow. The tires appear in gray 
in the Control Display. No punctures can be 
detected.
Display in the following situations:
>Malfunction
Have the system checked.
>A wheel without TPM electronics has been 
installed:
Have it checked by your BMW center.
>Interference from systems or devices that 
use the same radio frequency: 
The system automatically becomes active 
again when the vehicle moves out of the 
interference zone.
Declaration according to NHTSA/
FMVSS 138
Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
Each tire should be checked monthly when cold 
and inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the 
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label. If 
your vehicle has tires of a different size than the 
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label, you should determine the 
proper tire inflation pressure for those tires. As 
an added safety feature, your vehicle has been 
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring sys-
tem, TPMS, that illuminates a low tire pressure 
telltale when one or more of your tires are signif-
icantly underinflated. Accordingly, when the 
low tire pressure telltale illuminates, you should