At a glance
11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
9BMW X6: upshifting or downshifting with
automatic transmission64
10Instrument panel12
13Ignition lock5814Buttons on steering wheel
15Horn, entire surface
18Releasing hood251 6
Parking lamps111
Low beams111
Automatic headlamp control
*111
Adaptive Light Control
*112
High-beam Assistant
*113
7
Head-up Display
*109
8
Turn signals65
High beams, headlamp flasher65
High-beam Assistant
*113
Roadside parking lamps
*113
Time, date, outside temperature,
Check Control76, 84
Computer78
11
Windshield wipers65
Rain sensor66
BMW X5: rear window wiper66
12Starting/stopping engine and
switching ignition on/off58
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending calls, start
dialing
* selected phone number,
redialing if no phone number is
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing the radio station
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode, 119
Steering wheel heating
*53
Lane departure warning
*104
16
Steering wheel adjustment52
17
Cruise control
*67
Active cruise control
*68
Adjusting
44 1Backrest
2Height
Additional depending on seat:
1Backrest width
*
2Shoulder support*
3Thigh support*
4Lumbar support*
Backrest width*
The width of the backrest can be changed with
the side wings to adjust the side support to your
own needs.
Shoulder support*
This also supports the back in the shoulder
area, provides a relaxed sitting position and
helps relieve stress on the shoulder muscles.
The shoulder support is also used to adjust the
distance of the head restraint from the back of
the seat occupant's head.
Lumbar support*
You can also adjust the contour of the backrest
to obtain additional support in the lumbar
region.
The upper hips and spinal column receive sup-
plementary support to help you maintain a
relaxed, upright sitting position.
>Increase or decrease curvature: press front
or rear section of switch.
>Shift curvature up or down: press upper or
lower section of switch.
Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory*
You can store and retrieve two different driver's
seat and front passenger seat
*-, exterior mir-
ror-, and steering wheel positions
*.
The adjustment of the backrest width and lum-
bar support is not stored in the memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or ignition, refer
to page58.
2.Set the desired seat, exterior mirror and
steering wheel positions.
Controls
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
3.Press the button:
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button1 or2:
the LED goes out.
The positions of the driver's seat, the exte-
rior mirrors, and steering wheel are stored
for the remote control currently in use.
Activating
Do not activate the memory function
while the vehicle is moving. There is a risk
of accident from unexpected movement of the
seat or steering wheel.<
Comfort mode
1.After unlocking, open the driver's door or
switch on radio readiness, refer to page58.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is canceled if you
briefly press a seat-adjusting 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 page58.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2
and maintain pressure until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If the button was pressed inadvertently:
press the button again; the LED goes out.
Activating with the remote control
The driver's seat position last set is stored for
the remote control currently in use.
You can select whether or not the seat is reset
to that position automatically.
When using this feature, always make
sure that the footwell behind the driver's
seat is empty and unobstructed. Failure to do
so could cause injury to persons or damage to
objects behind the seat as a result of a rearward
movement of the seat.
the memory buttons.
Selecting automatic activation
1."Settings"
2."Door locks"
3."Last seat position auto."
The function for automatically recalling the
last seat position is switched on and is stored
for the remote control currently in use.
Deactivating automatic recall
Deactivate "Last seat position automatic".
Head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Correctly adjust the head restraint of all
occupied seats; otherwise, there is
increased danger of injury in the event of an
accident.<
Height
Adjust the head restraint so that its center is
approx. at ear level.
Distance
Adjust the distance so that the head restraint is
as close as possible to the back of the head.
Adjusting
52
Tilting down passenger-side exterior
mirror – automatic curb monitor*
Activating
1.Slide switch into the driver's side mirror
position, arrow 1.
2.Engage transmission position R.
The mirror glass tilts downward somewhat
on the passenger side. This allows the
driver to see the area immediately adjacent
to the vehicle – such as a curb – when park-
ing, etc.
Deactivating
Slide switch into the passenger side mirror
position, arrow 2.
Interior rearview mirror
To reduce the dazzle effect of following vehi-
cles at night, turn the knob.
Interior and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature*
This feature is controlled by two photocells in
the interior rearview mirror, one on the front and
one on the back.
For trouble-free operation, keep the photocells
clean and do not cover the area between the
interior rearview mirror and the windshield. Do
not attach stickers of any kind to the windshield
in front of the mirror, either.
Steering wheel
Adjusting
Do not adjust the steering wheel while the
vehicle is moving. There is a risk of acci-
dent as the result of unexpected movement.<
Manual adjustment*
1.Flip the lever down.
2.Adapt the longitudinal direction and height
of the steering wheel to the seat position.
3.Return the lever back to its locked position.
Controls
53Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Power adjustment*
The steering wheel can be adjusted in four
directions.
Storing steering wheel positions, refer to Seat,
mirror and steering wheel memory on page44.
Easy entry/exit*
To facilitate entry and exit, the steering wheel
temporarily moves into the uppermost position.
Steering wheel heating*
Press the button.
When the steering wheel heater is switched on,
the LED in the button lights up.
Controls
107Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
observe the adjustment instructions on
page42.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e.g. less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way.
Keep the instrument cluster and window in the
region of the passenger seat free of foreign
materials, i.e. do not cover them with adhesive
film or covers and do not attach mounts, e.g. for
a navigation device or mobile phone to them.
Do not install cosmetic covers, seat cushions,
or other items on the front seats that are not
especially approved for seats with integrated
side airbags. Do not hang articles of clothing
such as jackets over the backrests.Do not attempt to remove the airbag restraint
system from the vehicle. Do not modify or
tamper with either the wiring or the individual
components in the airbag system. This includes
the upholstery in the center of the steering
wheel, on the instrument cluster, the doors, and
the roof pillars as well as the sides of the head-
liner. Do not attempt to remove or dismantle the
steering wheel. Do not touch the individual
components immediately after the system has
been triggered, because there is a danger of
burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle Center or a workshop that
works according to BMW repair procedures
with correspondingly trained personnel and has
the required explosives licenses. Otherwise
unprofessional attempts to service the system
could lead to failure in an emergency or undes-
ired airbag triggering, either of which could
result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and
side airbags on the front passenger side are
activated or deactivated accordingly by the sys-
tem.
The current status of the front passenger
airbag, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
On/off and tone
168
On/off and tone
The following audio and video sources share
the same control elements and adjustments:
>Radio
>CD/DVD player
>CD/DVD changer
*
>Video*
>External devices, e.g. MP3 player
Controls
The audio and video sources can be controlled
using:
>Buttons near the CD/DVD player
>iDrive
>Buttons on the steering wheel, refer to
page10
>Programmable memory buttons, refer to
page20
>Voice activation system
Buttons near the CD/DVD player
1Sound output for entertainment on/off, vol-
ume
>Press: switch on/off
When you switch on the unit, the last set
radio station or track is played.
>Turn: adjusting volume
2 Ejecting CD/DVD
3Drive for CD/DVD
*
4 Station scan/track search
>Change the radio station
>Select a track for the CD/DVD
* player,
CD/DVD changer
* and certain multime-
dia devices
5MODE: change the audio and video
sources
6FM/AM: change the radio station wave-
band
Switching on/off
To switch the Entertainment sound output on
and off:
Press button1 next to the CD/DVD player.
This symbol on the Control Display indicates
that sound output is switched off.
The sound output is available for approx.
20 minutes after the ignition was switched off.
Switch on the sound output again for this pur-
pose.
Adjusting volume
Turn button1 next to the CD/DVD player until
the desired volume is obtained.
You can also adjust the volume with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page10.
Tone control
You can alter various tone settings, e.g. treble
and bass or the speed-dependent volume
increase.
The tone settings are set for all audio sources at
once.
The settings are stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Treble, bass, balance, fader
>"Balance": left/right volume distribution
Everything from A - Z
292
Everything from A - Z
Index
A
ABS Antilock Brake
System95
ACC, refer to Active cruise
control68
Accessories5
Access to 3rd row seats47
Acoustic signal, refer to Check
Control82
Activated-charcoal filter121
Active cruise control68
– distance, selecting70
– indicator lamp72
– radar sensor72
– warning lamps72
Active seat51
Active seat ventilation50
Active steering105
– malfunction105
– warning lamp105
Adaptive brake lamp
– brake force display106
Adaptive Drive98
Adaptive fixing system133
Adaptive Light Control112
Address, entering149,155
Address for navigation
– entering149
Adjusting opening
height31,33
Adjusting temperature with
expanded-scope automatic
climate control118
Adjusting the tone during
audio operation, refer to
Tone control168
Adjusting thigh
support43,44
Airbags107
– sitting safely42
– warning lamp108Air distribution
– automatic117,121
– manual118
Airing, refer to Ventilation120
Air recirculation119
– AUC Automatic
recirculated-air control119
– recirculated-air mode119
Air vents116
– refer to Ventilation120
Air vents of automatic climate
control116
Air volume118,
122
AKI, refer to Fuel
specifications235
Alarm system34
– avoiding unintentional
alarms35
– interior motion sensor35
– switching off alarm34
– switching off tilt alarm
sensor and interior motion
sensor35
– tilt alarm sensor35
Albums of music
collection189
Alloy wheels259
All-season tires, refer to
Winter tires250
All-wheel drive, refer to
xDrive97
Alterations, technical, refer to
For your own safety5
AM, waveband171
Antenna for mobile phone212
Antifreeze
– coolant255
– washer fluid67
Antilock Brake System
ABS95
Anti-theft system, refer to
Alarm system34Anti-theft system, refer to
Central locking system27
Approved axle weights, refer
to Weights283
Approved engine oils255
Approved gross vehicle
weight, refer to Weights283
Armrest, refer to Center
armrest, front128
Around the center console14
Around the steering wheel10
Arrival time, refer to
Computer79
Ashtray
– front129
– rear129
Assist, refer to separate
operating instructions
Assistance systems, refer to
Driving stability control
systems95
AUC Automatic recirculated-
air control119
Audio168
– controls168
– switching on/off168
– tone control168
– volume168
Audio CDs, DVD system in
rear202
Audio device, external128
Automatic
– air distribution117,121
– air volume
117,121
– cruise control68
– headlamp control111
– liftgate operation31
– steering wheel adjustment,
refer to Easy entry/exit53
Automatically switching high-
beams on and off, refer to
High-beam Assistant113
Automatic car washes258