2011 BMW 550I GRAN TURISMO Owners Manual

The cargo partition and the rear backrest are
subdivided at a ratio of 40–20–40. You can also
fold down the left and right sides separately.
Foldable rear backrests, manual
Pull the lever. The backrest folds forward.
Fold
the backrest back; the backrest engages in
an upright position. Pull the lever again to adjust
the backrest to the desired angle.
Locking the backrests
Before letting passengers ride in the rear,
engage the seat backrests, locking them in
place. Otherwise, there is the danger of an ac‐
cident due to unexpected seat movement.◀
Foldable rear backrests, powered* 1
Fold backrest forward
2 Loading position
3 Basic position
Fold backrest forward Move
the front seats to an upright position
Before folding down the rear backrests,
ensure that the front seats are moved forward
slightly and are in an upright position. Other‐ wise, the head restraint and screen could be
damaged.

◀
Press the button until the backrest is
folded all the way forward.
Folding the backrest back
Before anyone can be transported in the rear:
1. Put the rear seat backrests into their stand‐
ard position.
2. For the best possible individual seat posi‐
tion, adjust the inclination of the rear seat
backrest if necessary.
Adjust the standard position of the rear
seat backrest
Before transporting passengers in the rear and
adjusting

the rear seat backrest, set the rear seat
backrest to its basic position. Otherwise, the
rear seats may not effectively restrain passen‐
gers in an accident if the backrests are not ade‐
quately inclined.◀
Loading position
Press the button. The seat moves for‐
ward and the backrest moves to the ba‐
sic position. Comfortable seating is still possible
although knee clearance is reduced.
Basic position
Press and hold the button until the seat
stops automatically in its basic position.
Operation of the rear backrest was
deactivated
After a brief period, operation of the rear back‐
rest is deactivated to save battery power.
To reactivate operation:
▷ Open or close a door or the tailgate.
▷ Press a button on the remote control.
▷ Press the Start/Stop button. Seite 137
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Controls At a glance

Folding down the cargo partition
Danger of pinching
Before folding down the trunk partition,
ensure that the area of movement of the parti‐
tion is clear. In particular, ensure that no one is
located
in the area of movement and that no one
reaches into the area of movement of the trunk
partition when the middle section is folded
down. Otherwise, injury or damage may result.◀
1. Fold the rear seat backrest forward.
2. To release the cargo partition, pull the cor‐
responding lever in the cargo area. The
cargo partition folds forward. Unlatching center cargo partition
Press the opener toward the left.
Closing the cargo partition
Fold back and engage the cargo partition.
Danger of pinching
Before closing the trunk partition, make
sure

that the closing path is clear; otherwise, in‐
juries may result.◀ Ensure that the lock is securely engaged
When folding back the backrest, be sure
that

it locks in place securely. If it is not properly
engaged, transported cargo could enter the
passenger compartment during braking or eva‐
sive maneuvers and endanger the vehicle occu‐
pants.◀
Loading position
To expand the trunk, the cargo cover can be
moved into a vertical position.
1. Move the rear backrest to the loading posi‐
tion, refer to page 137.
2. To release the cargo cover, pull both levers
in the trunk. The cargo cover folds into an
upright position and rests against the rear
backrest. Repositioning
Fold back the cargo cover and snap into place
Ski and snowboard bag*
General information
The ski and snowboard bag is contained in a
protective jacket in the trunk.
Follow the installation and operation instruc‐
tions included in the protective jacket. Seite 138
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Interior equipment

Storage compartments
Storage compartments
The following storage compartments are avail‐
able in the vehicle interior:
▷
Glove compartment on the driver's and front
passenger side, refer to page 139.
▷ Storage compartment in the center console,
refer to page 141.
▷ Storage compartment in the center armrest,
refer to page 140, in the front and rear.
▷ Compartments in the doors.
▷ Pockets on the backrests of the front seats*.
▷ Net in the front passenger footwell.
No loose objects in the passenger com‐
partment
Do not stow any objects in the passenger com‐
partment without securing them; otherwise,
they may present a danger to occupants for in‐
stance during braking and avoidance maneu‐
vers.◀
Glove compartment
Front passenger side
Opening Pull the handle.
The
light in the glove compartment switches on. Close the glove compartment again im‐
mediately
Close

the glove compartment immediately after
use while driving; otherwise, injury may occur
during accidents.◀
Closing
Fold up the cover.
USB interface for data transfer Connection for importing and exporting data on
USB devices, e.g.:
▷
Personal Profile settings, refer to page 33.
▷ Music collection, refer to page 188.
Observe the following when connecting:
▷ Do not use force when plugging the con‐
nector into the USB interface.
▷ Do not connect devices such as fans or
lamps to the USB interface.
▷ Do not connect USB hard drives.
▷ Do not use the USB interface to recharge
external devices. Seite 139
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Controls At a glance

Driver's side
Opening
Pull the handle.
Close the glove compartment again im‐
mediately
Close
the glove compartment immediately after
use while driving; otherwise, injury may occur
during accidents.◀
Closing
Fold up the cover.
Center armrest
Front
A storage compartment is located in the center
armrest between the front seats.
Opening Press the buttons next to the lock. Locking the storage compartment
The storage compartment in the armrest can be
locked with an integrated key to separately se‐
cure the tailgate, refer to page
42, for example.
After

the storage compartment is locked, the re‐
mote control can be handed out without the
integrated key, refer to page 32, for instance at
a hotel.
This prevents access to the storage compart‐
ment and to the cargo area.
Connection for an external audio
device This can be used to connect an external audio
device, such as a CD or MP3 player.
▷
AUX-IN port, refer to page 192.
▷ USB audio interface*, refer to page 193.
Rear
A storage compartment is located in the center
armrest between the seats.
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Storage compartments

Folding down
Pull on the opener and fold the armrest forward.
Opening
Storage compartment in the rear center arm‐
rest.
Push the button and fold open the cover.
Storage compartment in the
center console
To open: press the button. Cupholders
Notes
Shatter-proof containers and no hot
drinks
Use light and shatter-proof containers and do
not
transport hot drinks. Otherwise, there is the
increased danger of injury in an accident.◀
Unsuitable containers
Do not forcefully push unsuitable contain‐
ers into the cupholders. This may result in dam‐
age.◀
Front To open: press on the cover.
Rear
In the front center armrest.
To open: press the button.
Clothes hooks
The clothes hooks are located next to the grab
handles in the rear and on the door pillar in the
rear. Seite 141
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Do not obstruct view
When suspending clothing from the
hooks,
ensure that it will not obstruct the driver's
vision.◀
No heavy objects
Do not hang heavy objects from the hooks;
otherwise, they may present a danger to pas‐
sengers during braking and evasive maneu‐
vers.◀
Storage compartments in the
cargo area
Retaining straps
Retaining straps on the left* and right side trim
for fastening small objects.
Multi-function hook
There are two multi-function hooks on the cargo
area walls.
1. Open the holder by pressing on the button. 2.
Press the bag handle into the holder from
above.
Light and suitable objects only
Only hang light bags or suitable objects
from

the holders. Otherwise, there is a danger of
objects flying about during braking and evasive
maneuvers.
Only transport heavy luggage in the trunk if it has
been appropriately secured.◀ Storage compartments in the floor
Rear compartment
The trunk cover, refer to page 136, can be
stowed in the rear compartment.
To open the cover, pull upward on the handle,
arrow 1.
To close the cover, press downward until it
locks.
You can fix the cover in an upright position, if
needed.

To do so, unhook the right-hand retain‐
ing strap and hook it into the rear of the cover.
Do not stow heavy objects
Only stow light objects in the rear com‐
partment; otherwise, damage may occur.◀
Front compartment
To open, reach into the recess and raise the
handle, arrow 2.
The cover can be completely removed.
Lashing eyes
To secure the cargo, refer to page 149, there
are lashing eyes in the cargo area. Seite 142
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Storage compartments

Seite 143143Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 606 445 - 03 11 490
Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips
Controls At a glance

Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 606 445 - 03 11 490