
Driving
56
Radio readiness and ignition off
All indicator and warning lamps as well as dis-
plays in the instrument cluster go out.
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 vehicle with the engine run-
ning, always shift into neutral or selector lever / 
transmission position P and apply the parking 
brake forcefully to prevent the vehicle from roll-
ing.<
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 
page33.
1.Depress the brake.
2.Depress the clutch and shift to neutral posi-
tion.
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 
page33.
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.
Sports automatic transmission with 
double clutch
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with 
Comfort Access, inside the vehicle, refer to 
page33.
1.Depress the brake.
2.Press the start/stop button.
The engine starts independent of the current 
transmission position.
Switching off the engine
Always take the remote control with you 
when you leave the vehicle. 
When parking, apply the parking brake force-
fully; otherwise, the vehicle could begin to roll.<
Manual transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, press the start/
stop button.
2.Shift into first gear or reverse.
3.Forcefully apply the parking brake.
4.Removing the remote control from the 
ignition lock, refer to page55. 

Controls
 57Reference
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Mobility
Automatic transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, move the 
selector lever to position P.
2.Press the start/stop button.
3.Forcefully apply the parking brake.
4.Removing the remote control from the 
ignition lock, refer to page55.
Sports automatic transmission with 
double clutch
1.With the car at a standstill, press the start/
stop button.
If the transmission is shifted into N when the 
engine is switched off, you will be notified 
visually and acoustically of this fact.
2.Forcefully apply the parking brake.
3.Remove remote control from the ignition 
lock, refer to page55. The transmission is 
automatically shifted into transmission 
position P.
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it 
brakes the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp is lit, and when you 
drive off an acoustic signal sounds in 
addition. The parking brake is still 
applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and 
lower the lever.
In exceptional cases, if the parking brake 
has to be used to slow or stop the car, do 
not pull the lever up too hard. In doing so, con-
tinuously press the button of the parking brake 
lever. 
Otherwise, excessive force on the parking 
brake can lock up the rear wheels and cause the 
rear of the car to swerve.<
To prevent corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing action, occasionally apply the parking 
brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly coming 
to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the park-
ing brake is applied.<
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.< 

Driving
58
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 
page59.
Vehicle parking
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, 
always select position P and apply the 
parking 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 page55.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in the instrument cluster
The selector lever position is displayed and, in 
manual mode, the engaged gear, e.g. M4.
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 posi-
tion D.
Kickdown
Kickdown enables you to achieve maximum 
performance. 
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point. 

Controls
 61Reference
At a glance
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Mobility
Shifting into N, D, R
Briefly push the selector lever in the desired 
direction, overcoming a resistance point if nec-
essary. When shifting out of P or into R, simul-
taneously press the button 1.
The engaged selector lever position is also dis-
played on the selector lever.
When you release the selector lever, it returns 
to its center position.
Shifting into P
Press the button P.
P Park
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary. 
The rear wheels are locked.
The transmission is shifted into P if, with 
the engine running, you open the driver's 
door, do not have your safety belt fastened, and 
subsequently actuate neither the brake pedal 
nor the accelerator.<
The transmission is shifted into P as soon 
as you switch off the engine, unless the 
transmission is in N and the remote control is in 
the ignition lock, refer to page230. As soon as 
you remove the remote control from the ignition 
lock, then the transmission is shifted into P.<
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.
After the engine is switched off, the trans-
mission remains in N if you leave the 
remote control in the ignition lock. You can use 
this function at a car wash, for example, refer to 
page230.<
D Drive mode
In Drive mode, all forward gears are shifted 
automatically.
Kickdown
For sudden acceleration maneuvers such as 
passing, depress the accelerator past the resis-
tance point. This provides maximum accelera-
tion.
Sport program and manual operation 
M/S
Push selector lever toward the left from the 
selector lever position D, the Sport program is 
activated. This position is recommended for a 
performance-oriented driving style.
The engaged gear, e.g. S1, is displayed in the 
instrument cluster.
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. 

Controls
 65Reference
At a glance
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Entertainment
Mobility
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
The turn signals flash three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Triple turn signal"
 Triple turn signal activation is activated and 
is stored for the remote control currently in use.
Wiper system
1Switching on wipers
2Switching off wipers or brief wipe
3Activating/deactivating intermittent wipe or 
rain sensor
*
4Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
5Setting speed for intermittent wipe, 
or sensitivity of the rain sensor
Switching on wipers
Press the lever upward, arrow 1.
The lever automatically returns to its initial 
position when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once.
The system switches to operation in the inter-
mittent mode when the vehicle is stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance 
point. 
The system switches to normal speed when the 
vehicle is stationary.
Intermittent wipe or rain sensor*
If the car is not equipped with a rain sensor, the 
intermittent-wipe time is a preset.
If the car is equipped with a rain sensor, the time 
between wipes is controlled automatically and 
depends on the intensity of the rainfall. The rain 
sensor is mounted on the windshield, directly in 
front of the interior rearview mirror.
Activating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the 
button lights up.
Setting speed for intermittent wipe 
or sensitivity of the rain sensor
Turn thumbwheel5 up or down.
Deactivating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press the button again, arrow3. 
The LED goes out.
Deactivate the rain sensor before enter-
ing an automatic car wash. Failure to do 
so could result in damage caused by undesired 
wiper activation.< 

Controls
 75Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Controls overview
Odometer, outside 
temperature display, clock
1Knob in the instrument cluster
2Outside temperature display and clock
3Odometer and trip odometer
Knob in the instrument cluster
>To reset the trip odometer while the ignition 
is switched on
>To display the time, outside temperature 
and odometer briefly while the ignition is 
switched off
Units of measure
To select the respective units of measure, miles 
or km for the odometer as well as 7 or 6 for 
the outside temperature, refer to page80.
The setting is stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Time, outside temperature display
Setting the time, refer to page83.
Outside temperature warning
When the displayed temperature sinks to 
approx. +377/+36, a signal sounds and a 
warning lamp lights up. There is an increased 
risk of black ice.Black ice can also form at temperatures 
above +377/+36. You should there-
fore drive carefully on bridges and shaded 
roads, for example; otherwise, there is an 
increased risk of an accident.<
Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting the trip odometer: 
With the ignition switched on, press button1 in 
the instrument cluster.
When the vehicle is parked
If you still want to view the time, outside tem-
perature and odometer reading briefly after the 
remote control has been taken out of the igni-
tion lock:
Press button 1 in the instrument cluster.
Tachometer
Never force the engine speed up into the red 
warning field, see arrow. In this range, the fuel 
supply is interrupted to protect the engine. 

Controls overview
80
Units of measure
Setting the units of measure
You can change the units for fuel consumption, 
route/distance, temperature and pressure.
1."Settings"
2."Language/Units"
3.Select the desired menu item.
4.Select the desired unit.
The settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Service requirements
The remaining driving distance and the date of 
the next scheduled service are displayed briefly 
immediately after you start the engine or switch 
on the ignition.
The extent of service work required can 
be read out from the remote control by 
your BMW Service Advisor.<
For certain maintenance operations, you can 
view the respective distance remaining or due 
date individually in the instrument cluster.1.Switch on the ignition, refer to page55.
2.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up 
or down repeatedly until the appropriate 
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the words "SERVICE-INFO".
3.Press button 2.
4.Use button 1 to scroll through the individual 
service items. 

Controls
 83Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Clock
The settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile on 
page26.
Setting the time
In the instrument cluster
To set the 12h/24h mode, refer to Setting the 
time format below.
1.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up 
or down repeatedly until the appropriate 
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the time and the word "SET".
2.Press button 2.
3.Use button 1 to set the hours.
4.Press button 2 to confirm the entry.
5.Use button 1 to set the minutes.
6.Press button 2 to confirm the entry.
7.Press button 2.
The system accepts the new time.
Via iDrive
1.Press the MENUbutton.
The main menu is displayed.2."Settings"
Setting the time
1."Settings"
2."Time/Date"
3."Time:"
4.Turn the controller until the desired hours 
are displayed, and then press the controller.
5.Turn the controller until the desired minutes 
are displayed, and then press the controller.
The time is stored.
Setting the time format
1."Settings"
2."Time/Date"
3."Format:"
4.Select the desired format and press the 
controller.
The time format is stored.