
 21
AT A GLANCE REFERENCE MOBILITYCONTROLS DRIVING TIPS COMMUNICATIONS
Watch during the closing process to be 
sure that no one is injured. Releasing the 
button interrupts the closing process.<
Setting confirmation signals
To have the vehicle confirm when it has been 
locked or unlocked.
1.Switch on the ignition, refer to page44.
2.Briefly press the button in the turn signal 
lever repeatedly until "SET/INFO" is dis-
played.
3.Press and hold the button until the display 
changes.
4.Briefly press the button repeatedly until the 
symbol and "SET" are displayed.
5.Press and hold the button until the display 
changes.
6.Briefly press the button to select, arrow:
> Confirmation signal during unlocking
> Confirmation signal during locking7.Press and hold the button until the display 
changes.
8.Briefly press the button to select:
>
The hazard warning flashers light up dur-
ing unlocking/locking.
>
An acoustic signal sounds during unlock-
ing/locking.
>
The hazard warning flashers light up and 
an acoustic signal
* sounds during 
unlocking/locking.
>
The function is deactivated.
9.Press and hold the button until the display 
changes. The setting is stored.
Switching on interior lamps
While the car is locked:
Press the  button. 
You can also use this function to locate your 
vehicle in parking garages, etc.
Unlocking the liftgate
Press the  button.
When it is opened, the liftgate swings out 
and up toward the rear. Make sure that 
adequate clearance is available before opening.
To prevent accidentally locking yourself out, do 
not place the key down in the cargo area. If the 
liftgate was locked before opening, it will be 
locked again after it is closed.
Before and after each trip, check that the liftgate 
has not been inadvertently unlocked.< 

 25
AT A GLANCE REFERENCE MOBILITYCONTROLS DRIVING TIPS COMMUNICATIONS
Closing
Make sure that the closing path of the lift-
gate is clear; otherwise, injuries may 
occur.<
The handle recesses on the interior trim panel of 
the liftgate make it easier to pull it down.
Alarm system*
The concept
The alarm system, when activated, reacts if:
>A door, the engine compartment lid or the 
liftgate is opened
>There is movement inside the car
>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
>There is an interruption in the power supply 
from the battery
The alarm system briefly indicates unauthorized 
entry or tampering by means of:
>An acoustic alarm
>Switching on the hazard warning flashers
Arming and disarming
Whenever the car is locked or unlocked, the 
alarm system is armed or disarmed.
Even when the alarm system is armed, you can 
open the liftgate by means of the  button 
on the remote control.
When you subsequently close the liftgate it is 
again locked and monitored.In certain market-specific versions, 
unlocking via the door lock triggers the 
alarm.<
Panic mode*
You can activate the alarm system if you find 
yourself in a dangerous situation.
Press the  button for at least two seconds.
Switching off the alarm: 
Press any button.
Switching off an alarm
>Unlock the car with the remote control.
>Insert the key fully into the ignition lock.
>In cars with Comfort Access
*, press the but-
ton on the door lock.
Display on the revolution counter
When the system is armed, all LEDs pulse. After 
approx. 16 minutes one LED flashes.
>LEDs pulse or LED flashes: system is armed.
>One LED flashes at short intervals:
A door, the hood or the liftgate is not prop-
erly closed. Even if these are not closed fully, 
the remaining items are deadlocked and the 
LEDs pulse after approx. 10 seconds for 
approx. 16 minutes. Afterwards, one LED 
flashes.
The interior movement detector is not acti-
vated.
>LEDs go out after the vehicle is unlocked:
No attempt was made to tamper with the 
car. 

Opening and closing
26
>LEDs flash after unlocking until the key is 
inserted in the ignition, but for no longer 
than approx. 5 minutes: an attempt was 
made to tamper with the car.
Tilt alarm sensor
The vehicle's inclination is monitored. The alarm 
is triggered, for instance, if an attempt is made 
to steal the car's wheels or tow it away.
Interior movement detector
Before the interior movement detector can 
operate correctly, the windows and glass roof 
must be closed.
MINI Convertible
The passenger compartment is monitored up to 
the height of the seat's surface. This way, the 
anti-theft alarm system including the interior 
motion sensor are armed, even if the convertible 
top is open. Falling objects, e.g. tree leaves, may 
trigger a false alarm, refer to Avoiding false 
alarms.
Avoiding false alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and the interior movement 
detector can be switched off together.
This prevents false alarms, e.g. in the following 
situations:
>In duplex garages
>When being transported on car-carrying 
trains, ferries or trailers
>If pets are to remain inside the car
Switching off the tilt alarm sensor and 
interior movement detector
>Press the  button on the remote con-
trol twice in succession.
>Lock the vehicle twice with the integrated 
key.
LEDs flash in short succession for approx. 
2seconds.
The tilt alarm sensor and the interior movement 
detector are switched off until the car is next 
unlocked and locked.
Comfort Access*
Comfort Access enables you to enter your vehi-
cle without having to hold the remote control in 
your hand. All you need to do is wear the remote 
control close to your body, e.g. in your jacket 
pocket. The vehicle automatically detects the 
remote control within the immediate vicinity or 
in the passenger compartment.
Functional requirements
>The vehicle or the liftgate 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 is 
inside the vehicle.
>The doors and liftgate must be closed to be 
able to operate the windows and glass sun-
roof
*.
Comfort Access supports the following func-
tions:
>Unlocking/locking the vehicle
>Unlocking the liftgate by itself
>Starting the engine
>MINI Convertible: convenient closing and 
soft-top control with the remote control for 
Comfort Access
Comparison to standard remote controls
Essentially, it makes no difference whether you 
control the above-mentioned functions using 
Comfort Access or by pressing the buttons on 
the remote control for Comfort Access.
Instructions on opening and closing are found 
starting on page18.
Special features regarding the use of Comfort 
Access are described below.
If you notice a brief delay while opening or 
closing the windows, the glass sunroof or 
the convertible top, the system is checking 
whether a remote control is inside the vehicle.  

 33
AT A GLANCE REFERENCE MOBILITYCONTROLS DRIVING TIPS COMMUNICATIONS
Closing the convertible top
1.Place both hands on the convertible top on 
the respective side frame.
2.Lift out both sides at the same time, and 
swing the convertible top forward onto the 
cowl.
3.Inside the vehicle, use a screwdriver to pry 
out the cover in the center of the roof.
To close the sliding sunroof
1.Insert the hexagon wrench into the recess in 
the center of the roof and push upward, see 
arrow1.
2.Turn the hexagon wrench in the direction of 
arrow 2.
3.Open both locking mechanisms and remove 
the locking pieces.
4.Insert the pins into the respective recess in 
the cowl, see arrow.
To lock the convertible top
Turn hexagon wrench in the opposite direction 
of arrow 2 until the convertible top is securely 
locked.
Please contact your MINI dealer to have 
the electrical malfunction repaired.<
Wind deflector*
With the convertible top open, the wind deflec-
tor keeps air movement in the passenger com-
partment to a minimum, thus providing you with 
a more pleasant drive, even at higher speeds.
Do not let the wind deflector come into 
contact with pointy objects as these may 
damage the net. Do not place objects on the 
installed wind deflector. When stowing the wind 
deflector, ensure that it is not damaged by 
objects.<
Before installing
1.Take the wind deflector out of the pouch.
2.Unfold the wind deflector, see arrows 1.
3.Press the locking device together until it 
engages, see arrow 2. 

Opening and closing
34
Installing and folding up
1.Push out retaining pin 2 on one side until it 
engages.
2.Insert wind deflector with retaining pins into 
the openings 1 and 2 on that side of the 
vehicle.
3.On the opposite side of the vehicle, insert 
the retaining pin 1 into the opening, pushing 
against the spring load.
4.Push out retaining pin 2 on one side until it 
engages.
5.Fold up the upper part of the wind deflector.
If a seat is in its rearmost position, do not 
recline the backrest too far; otherwise, the 
wind deflector could be damaged.<
Removing and folding
Remove the deflector following the reverse 
sequence.Push the release lever toward the center of the 
wind deflector and fold both halves together. 

Driving
48
If you do not shift gears with the shift paddles or 
accelerate for a certain amount of time, the 
transmission automatically returns to D, auto-
matic drive.
>Pull one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts up.
>Push one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts down.
M1 through M6 are displayed in the tachometer.
Manually releasing the selector lever 
lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of 
position P even though the ignition is switched 
on, the brake is depressed and the button on the 
selector lever is pressed, the selector lever lock 
can be overridden:
1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever 
until the sleeve is inside out. Disconnect the 
cable connector if necessary.
3.Insert extractor hook1 from the onboard 
vehicle tool kit into the loop on the passen-
ger's side.
4.Pull the loop up.5.Move the selector lever into the desired 
position by pressing the button on the front 
of the selector lever.
Manually release the selector lever lock 
only when the vehicle is to be towed. Do 
not forget to firmly apply the parking brake prior 
to towing; otherwise, the vehicle may roll 
away.<
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1Turn signal
2Headlamp flasher
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the resis-
tance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator 
lamp indicates that an indicator bulb has 
failed.<
Indicating a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for 
as long as you wish to indicate a turn.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
You can set whether the turn signal flashes once 
or three times. 

 53
AT A GLANCE REFERENCE MOBILITYCONTROLS DRIVING TIPS COMMUNICATIONS
Controls overview
Tachometer
Never operate the engine with the needle in the 
red overspeed zone of the gauge. In this range, 
the fuel supply is interrupted to protect the 
engine.
Displays in tachometer
1Current vehicle speed
2Odometer, trip odometer, outside tempera-
ture display
3Resetting the trip odometer
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. Therefore, drive 
carefully, e.g. on bridges and sections of road in 
the shade; otherwise, there is an increased acci-
dent risk.<
Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting the trip odometer
With the ignition switched on, press knob 3 in 
the tachometer.
Units of measure
Select the respective units of measure, miles or 
km for the odometer as well as 7 or 6 for the 
outside temperature, page57.
Coolant temperature
A warning lamp will come on if the coolant, and 
therefore the engine, becomes too hot. 
Check coolant level, refer to page129.
Fuel gauge
Fuel tank capacity
Approx. 13.2 US gallons/50 liters.
You can find information on refueling on 
page117.
If the tilt of the vehicle varies for a longer period, 
when you are driving in mountainous areas, for 
example, the indicator may fluctuate slightly.
The arrow next to the gas pump symbol of the 
fuel gauge points toward the side of the vehicle 
with the fuel filler flap. 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
62
Technology for driving comfort and 
safety
Park Distance Control 
PDC*
The concept
PDC assists you with parking in reverse. Acoustic 
signals warn you of the presence of an object 
behind the vehicle. To measure the distance, 
there are four ultrasonic sensors in either 
bumper.
However, an acoustic warning does not sound 
until an object is approx. 24 in/60 cm from the 
corner sensors, or approx. 5 ft/1.50 m from the 
center sensors.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate 
objects when they are approached slowly, 
as is usually the case when parking. Avoid 
approaching an object at high speed; otherwise, 
physical circumstances may lead to the system 
warning being issued too late.<
Automatic mode
With the engine running or the ignition switched 
on, the system is activated automatically after 
approx. 1 second when you engage reverse gear 
or move the automatic transmission selector 
lever to position R. Wait this short period before 
driving.
Acoustic signals
As the distance between vehicle and object 
decreases, the intervals between the tones 
become shorter. If the distance to the nearest 
object falls to below roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a 
continuous tone sounds.
If the distance remains constant, e.g. when driv-
ing parallel to a wall, the acoustic signal stops 
after approx. 3 seconds.
Adjustments
The volume of the acoustic signals can be 
adjusted, refer to the Owner's Manual for Radio.
Malfunction
Indicator lamp comes on: PDC has 
failed. Have the system checked.
To avoid this problem, keep the sensors 
clean and free of ice or snow in order to ensure 
that they will continue to operate effectively. 
When using a high-pressure cleaner, do not 
direct the jet toward the sensors for lengthy 
periods and only spray from a distance of at least 
4in/10cm.
System limitations
Even with PDC, final responsibility for esti-
mating the distance between the vehicle 
and any obstructions always remains with the 
driver. Sensors, too, have blind spots in which 
objects cannot be detected. Moreover, ultra-
sonic detection can reach its physical limits with 
objects such as trailer tow bars and couplings, 
thin and wedge-shaped objects, etc. Low 
objects already indicated, such as curbs, may 
enter the sensors' blind spots before or after a 
continuous audible signal is given. Higher, pro-
truding objects, such as wall ledges, may not be 
detectable. Therefore, always drive cautiously; 
otherwise, there is a risk of personal injury or 
property damage. Loud sound sources outside 
or inside the car can drown out the PDC signal.<
Driving stability control 
systems
Your MINI has a number of systems that help to 
maintain the vehicle's stability even in adverse 
driving conditions.
The laws of physics cannot be repealed, 
even with driving stability control systems. 
An appropriate driving style always remains the 
responsibility of the driver. Therefore do not 
reduce the additional safety margin by engaging