
At a glance
This overview of buttons, switches and displays
is intended to familiarize you with your vehicle's
operating environment. The section will also
assist you in becoming acquainted with the
control concepts and options available for
operating the various systems.
At a glance 

At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
8Instrument cluster12
11Ignition lock5512Buttons on the steering wheel
14Horn, entire surface
15Adjusting the steering wheel50
17Releasing the hood225
18Opening the tailgate/trunk lid31 7
Turn signals60
High beams, headlamp flasher99
High-beam assistant
*99
Roadside parking lamps
*99
Computer73
Settings and information about the 
vehicle75
9
Windshield wipers61
Rain sensor
*61
Sports Wagon:
Rear window wiper62
10Switching the ignition on/off and 
starting/stopping the engine55
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending a call; dial-
ing
* the selected phone number; 
redialing if no phone number is 
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing the radio station
Interrupting a traffic bulletin
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode104
13
Steering wheel heating
*50
16
Cruise control
*62
Active cruise control
*64 

At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for voice activation system* 
and for telephone* in hands-free mode
2SOS: initiating an Emergency Request 
call
*246
3Reading lamps101
4Glass roof/panorama glass roof
*37
5Interior lamps101
6Passenger airbag status lamp
*95
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Dynamic Traction Control DTC86
10Central locking system30
11Automatic climate control
12CD/DVD drive
*161
13Changing the audio and entertainment 
sources14Selecting AM or FM waveband
15Changing
>Radio station153
>Track162
17Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
18Buttons on the controller16
Selecting menus directly
19Programmable memory keys20
20Switching entertainment audio sources on/
off and adjusting volume150
21Ejecting a CD/DVD
*161 Air distribution to the 
windshield103
Air distribution to the upper body 
area103
Air distribution to the footwell103
Automatic air distribution and flow 
rate103
Cooling function104
Automatic recirculated-air control 
AUC and recirculated-air 
mode104
Maximum cooling103
ALL program104
Air volume104
Defrosting windows104
Rear window defroster104
Heated seats
*46
16
Park Distance Control PDC*84
Sedan:
Roller sun blind
*110
Hill Descent Control HDC
*86 

iDrive
16
iDrive
iDrive integrates the functions of a large num-
ber of switches. This allows these functions to 
be operated from a single central position. The 
following section provides an introduction to basic menu navigation. The control of the indi-
vidual functions is described in connection with 
the relevant equipment.
Controls
1Control Display
2Controller with buttons
You can use the buttons to open the menus 
directly. The controller can be used to 
select the menu items and create settings.
>Move in four directions, arrow3
>Turn, arrow 4
>Push, arrow 5
Operate the controller only when traffic 
and road conditions allow this, to avoid 
endangering the car's occupants and other 
road users by being distracted.< 

At a glance
 17Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Buttons on the controller
Operating principle
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
refer to page55, the following message is dis-
played on the Control Display:
To hide the message: 
Press the controller.
The main menu is displayed.
The message is automatically hidden after 
approx. 10 seconds.
Opening the main menu
Press the MENUbutton.
The main menu is displayed.All iDrive functions can be called up via the main 
menu.
Selecting a menu item
The menu items shown in white can be 
selected.
1.Turn the controller until the desired menu 
item is highlighted.
2.Press the controller.
A new menu is displayed or the function is exe-
cuted.
Menu items in the Owner's Manual
In the Owner's Manual, menu items that can 
be selected are set in quotation marks, 
e.g. "Settings".
ButtonFunction
MENU Open the main menu
RADIO Open the Radio menu
CD Open the CD/Multimedia menu
NAV Open the Navigation menu
TEL Open the Telephone menu
BACK Display the previous menu
OPTION Open the Options menu 

Controls
 35Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Functional requirement
>The vehicle or the trunk lid/tailgate can only 
be locked when the vehicle detects that the 
remote control currently in use is outside of 
the vehicle.
>The vehicle cannot be locked or unlocked 
again until after approx. 2 seconds.
>The engine can only be started when the 
vehicle detects that the remote control cur-
rently in use is inside the vehicle.
Comparison to the standard remote 
control
In general, there is no difference between using 
Comfort Access or pressing the buttons on the 
remote control to carry out the functions men-
tioned above. You should therefore first famil-
iarize yourself with the instructions on opening 
and closing starting on page26.
Special features regarding the use of Comfort 
Access are described below.
If you notice a brief delay while opening or 
closing windows or the glass roof/pan-
orama glass roof, the system is checking 
whether a remote control is inside the vehicle. 
Please repeat the opening or closing proce-
dure, if necessary.<
Unlocking
Grasp the handle on the driver's or front pas-
senger door completely, arrow 1. This corre-
sponds to pressing the  button.
Locking
Touch the surface, arrow 2, with your finger for 
approx. 1 second. This corresponds to pressing 
the button.
To preserve the battery, please make 
sure that the ignition and all electrical 
consumers are switched off before locking the 
vehicle.<
Convenient closing
For Convenient closing, keep your finger on the 
surface, arrow 2.
Unlocking the trunk lid/tailgate 
separately
Press the button on the outside of the trunk lid/
tailgate. This corresponds to pressing the 
button.
If the vehicle detects that a remote con-
trol has been accidentally left inside the 
locked vehicle's cargo area after the trunk lid/
tailgate or rear window is closed, the lid will 
reopen. The hazard warning flashers flash and 
an acoustic signal
* sounds.<
Switching on radio readiness
Radio readiness is switched on by pressing the 
start/stop button, refer to page55.
Do not depress the brake or the clutch; 
otherwise, the engine will start.<
Starting the engine
You can start the engine or switch on the igni-
tion when a remote control is inside the vehicle. 
It is not necessary to insert a remote control into 
the ignition lock, refer to page55.
Switching off the engine in cars with 
automatic transmission
The engine can only be switched off when the 
selector lever is in position P, refer to page57.
To switch the engine off when the selector lever 
is in position N, the remote control must be in 
the ignition lock. 

Opening and closing
36
Malfunction
Comfort Access may malfunction due to local 
radio waves. If this happens, open or close the 
vehicle via the buttons on the remote control or 
using the integrated key. To start the engine 
afterward, insert the remote control into the 
ignition lock.
Warning lamps
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up when you attempt to 
start the engine: the engine cannot 
be started. The remote control is not inside the 
vehicle or is malfunctioning.
Take the remote control with you inside the 
vehicle or have it checked. If necessary, insert 
another remote control into the ignition lock.
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up while the engine is 
running: the remote control is no 
longer inside the vehicle. After the engine is 
switched off, the engine can only be restarted 
within approx. 10 seconds.
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster comes on and a message 
appears on the Control Display: 
replace the battery in the remote control.
Replacing the battery
The remote control for Comfort Access con-
tains a battery that will need to be replaced from 
time to time.
1.Take the integrated key out of the remote 
control, refer to page26.
2.Remove the cover.3.Insert the new battery with the plus side 
facing up.
4.Press the cover on to close.
Take the old battery to a battery collec-
tion point or to your BMW center.<
Windows
To prevent injuries, watch the windows 
while closing them. 
Take the remote control with you when you 
leave the car; otherwise, children could operate 
the electric windows and possibly injure them-
selves.<
Opening, closing
>Press the switch to the resistance point:
The window opens as long as you press the 
switch.
>Press the switch beyond the resistance 
point:
The window opens automatically. Press the 
switch again to stop the opening move-
ment.
You can close the windows in the same manner 
by pulling the switch.
There are separate switches in the rear seat 
armrests.
After switching off the ignition
When the remote control is removed or the igni-
tion is switched off, you can still operate the 
windows for approx. 1 minute as long as no 
door is opened. 

Adjustments
46 Depending on the equipment version, it may be 
possible to fold down the outer rear head 
restraints as well.
Only fold the head restraints down if no 
passengers will be sitting in the rear. Fold 
up the head restraints before transporting pas-
sengers in the rear.<
Heated seats*
Press the button once per temperature level. 
Three LEDs indicate the highest temperature.
To switch off:
Press button longer.
If you continue driving within approx. the next 
15 minutes, the seat heating is automatically 
activated at the previously set temperature.
The temperature is lowered or the heating is 
switched off entirely to save on battery power. 
The LEDs stay lit.
Seat and mirror memory*
You can store and call up two different combi-
nations of driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions.
Settings for the backrest width and lumbar sup-
port are not stored in memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or the ignition, 
refer to page55.
2.Adjust the seat and exterior mirrors to the 
desired positions.
3.Press the  button.
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button 1 or 2: the 
LED goes out.
The driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions are stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Call-up
Do not call up the memory while you are 
driving; otherwise, unexpected seat 
movement could result in an accident.<
Comfort function
1.Unlock and open the driver's door or switch 
on radio readiness, refer to page55.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1 
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is halted immediately 
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or 
one of the memory buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off, refer to page55.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2 
and keep it pressed until the adjustment 
process has been completed.
If the  button was pressed accidentally:
Press the button again; the LED goes out.