
5
Notes
Vehicle equipment
This Owner's Manual de
scribes all models and 
all series-specific equipm ent, country-specific 
equipment, and optional equipment that is 
offered in the series. For this reason, this 
Owner's Manual also de scribes and illustrates 
some equipment that may not be available in 
your vehicle, for example due to the special 
options or national-market version selected.
This also applies to safety related functions and 
systems.
If equipment and models are not described in 
this Owner's Manual, please consult the 
accompanying Supplementary Owner's Hand-
books.
Status of this Owner's Manual 
at time of printing
BMW pursues a policy of  continuous, ongoing 
development that is conceived to ensure that 
our vehicles continue to embody the highest 
quality and safety standards combined with 
advanced, state-of-the-art technology. For this 
reason, it is possible in  exceptional cases that 
features described in this Owner's Manual 
could differ from those on your vehicle.
Updates after press date
Updates after press date  for the Owner's Man-
uals, when necessary, are issued as appendices 
to the printed Quick Reference Guide for the 
vehicle.
For your own safety
Maintenance and repair
Advanced technology, e.g. the use of 
modern materials and powerful electron-
ics, requires specially  adapted maintenance 
and repair methods. You should therefore have 
the corresponding work on your vehicle per-
formed only by your BMW center or at a work- shop that works according to BMW repair pro-
cedures with correspondingly trained 
personnel. If this work 
is not carried out prop-
erly, there is a danger of subsequent damage 
and related sa fety hazards.<
Parts and accessories
For your own safety, use genuine parts 
and accessories a pproved by BMW.
When you purchase accessories tested and 
approved by BMW and Or iginal BMW Parts, you 
simultaneously acquire the assurance that they 
have been thoroughly te sted by BMW to ensure 
optimum performance when installed on your 
vehicle.
BMW warrants these parts to be free from 
defects in material and workmanship.
BMW will not accept any liability for damage 
resulting from installation of parts and accesso-
ries not approved by BMW.
BMW cannot test every pr oduct made by other 
manufacturers to verify if it can be used on a 
BMW safely and without ri sk to either the vehi-
cle, its operation, or its occupants.
Original BMW Parts, BMW Accessories and 
other products approved by BMW, together 
with professional advice on using these items, 
are available from all BMW centers.
Installation and operation of accessories not 
approved by BMW, such as alarms, radios, 
amplifiers, radar detectors, wheels, suspension 
components, brake dust shields, telephones, 
including operation of any mobile phone from 
within the vehicle withou t using an externally 
mounted antenna, or transceiver equipment, for 
instance, CBs, walkie-talkies, ham radio or sim-
ilar accessories, may ca use extensive damage 
to the vehicle, compromi se its safety, interfere 
with the vehicle's electrical system or affect the 
validity of the BMW Limited Warranty. See your 
BMW center for additional information.<
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Dashboard
At a glance
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
Indicator and warning lamps can light up in a 
variety of combinations and colors.
Several of the lamps are checked for proper 
functioning and light up temporarily when the 
engine is started or the ignition is switched on.
Text messages
Text messages at the to
p edge of the Control 
Display describe the mean ings of the indicator 
and warning lamps.
Supplementary text messages
You can call up more information on the Control 
Display, e.g. on the cause of a malfunction and 
on how to respond, via Check Control, refer to 
page 92.
In urgent cases, this  information will be shown 
as soon as the corresponding lamp comes on.
Indicator lamps without text messages
The following indicator  lamps notify you that 
certain functions are active:
High beams/headlamp flasher 112
Fog lamps 114
Lamp flashes:
DSC or DTC is regulating the propul-
sive forces in order to maintain driving 
stability 98
Parking brake applied 63
Canada: parking brake applied 63
Engine malfunction with adverse 
effect on emissions 265
Canada: engine malfunction with 
adverse effect on emissions 265
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Voice activation system
At a glance
Voice activation system
Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all production, country, and 
optional equipment that is offered in the model 
range is described. For this reason, descrip-
tions will be given of some equipment that may 
not be available in a vehi
cle, for example due to 
the special options or  national-market version 
selected. This also app lies to safety related 
functions and systems.
The concept
> The voice activation system can be used to 
control most functions by spoken com-
mands.
> Functions that can only  used when the vehi-
cle is stopped cannot be operated using the 
voice activation system.
> The system includes a special microphone 
on the driver's side.
> In the Owner's Manual,  {...} indicates com-
mands for the voice activation system.
> In the Owner's Manual,  {{...}}  indicates the 
answers from the voice activation system.
Prerequisite
On the Control Display, set a language that is 
also supported by the vo ice activation system 
to permit identification of the commands to be 
spoken.
Setting the langua ge, refer to page94.
Saying commands
Activating voice activation system
1.Press the  button on the steering wheel.
2. Wait for the acoustic signal.
3. Say the command.  This symbol on the 
Control Display and an 
acoustic signal notify yo u that the voice activa-
tion system is activated.
If no additional comma nds are possible, con-
tinue by operating the function via iDrive.
Finishing voice input
Press the  button on the steering wheel
or
Possible commands
Most menu items on the Control Display can be 
spoken as commands.
The available commands depend on which 
menu is currently selected on the Control Dis-
play.
There are short commands  for functions of the 
main menu.
Some list entries such as phone book entries 
can also be selected using the voice activation 
system. Make sure to say list entries the same 
way as they appear in the respective list.
{ Cancel }
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At a glanceVoice activation system
Having the possible commands read 
aloud
To have the available commands read aloud:
For example, if the "Settings" menu is dis-
played, the commands relating to settings are 
read aloud.
Performing functions using short 
commands
Functions from the main menu can be per-
formed directly by means of short commands, 
essentially regardless of  which menu item is 
selected, e.g. { Vehicle status}.
List of short command of the voice activation 
system, refer to page 290.
Help dialog for voice activation system
Accessing help:
Other commands for the help dialog:
>{Help with examples }: information about 
the current control options and the most 
important commands relating to them are 
read aloud.
> {Help with voice activation }: information 
about the principle operation of the voice 
activation system is read aloud.
Example: playing back a CD
1. If necessary, switch on entertainment audio 
output.
2. Press the  button on the steering wheel.
4. Press the  button on the steering wheel.
Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system uses the stan-
dard dialog or a short version.
In the short version of  the voice dialog, the 
responses from the system are given in abbre-
viated form.
On the Control Display:
1. "Settings"
2. "Language/Units"
3. "Speech mode:"
4. Select a setting.
Adjusting volume
Turn the volume knob during the spoken 
instruction to select the desired volume.
>The volume remains the same, even if the 
volume of other audio sources is changed.
> The volume is stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Notes on Emergency 
Requests
Do not use the voice activation system to ini-
tiate an Emergency Request. In stressful situa-
tions, the voice and vo cal pitch can change. 
This can unnecessarily  delay the establishment 
of a telephone connection.
Instead, use the SOS  button, refer to page276, 
in the vicinity of the interior rearview mirror.
{
Voice commands }
{ Help }
3. {C D and multimedia }
The system plays the last media played.
5. {C D track … } e.g. CD track 4.
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ControlsOpening and closing
Opening and closing
Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all pr oduction, country, and 
optional equipment that is offered in the model 
range is described. For this reason, descrip-
tions will be given of some equipment that may 
not be available in a vehi cle, for example due to 
the special options or  national-market version 
selected. This also app lies to safety related 
functions and systems.
Remote control
Each remote control contains a rechargeable 
battery that is automatically recharged when it 
is in the ignition lock while the car is being 
driven. Use each remote control at least twice a 
year for longer road trips  in order to maintain the 
batteries' charge status. In cars with Comfort 
Access, the remote control contains a replace-
able battery, refer to page 40.
The settings called up and implemented when 
the car is unlocked de pend on which remote 
control is used to unlock the car, refer to Per-
sonal Profile, next column.
In addition, informatio n about service require-
ments is stored in the remote control, refer to 
Service data in the  remote control, page 264.
Integrated key
Press button1 to release the key.
The integrated key fits the following locks:
> Glove compartment, refer to page 126
> Driver's door, refer to page 34
New remote controls
Your BMW center can supply new remote con-
trols with integrated keys as additional units or 
as replacements in the event of loss.
Personal Profile
The concept
You can set many of your BMW's functions to 
suit your personal needs and preferences. 
Without any action on yo ur part, Personal Pro-
file ensures that most of these settings are 
stored for the remote control currently in use. 
When you unlock the car, the remote control 
used for the purpose is recognized and the set-
tings stored for it are called up and imple-
mented.
This means that your pe rsonal settings will be 
activated for you, even if in the meantime your 
car was used by someone else with another 
remote control and the  corresponding settings. 
The individual settings are stored for a maxi-
mum of four remote cont rols. They are stored 
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Opening and closing
Controls
for two remote controls 
if Comfort Access is in 
use.
Personal Profile settings
For more information on  specific settings, refer 
to the specified pages.
> Assignment of programmable memory 
keys, refer to page 23
> Response of the central locking system 
when the car is unlocked, refer to page 32
> Automatic locking of th e vehicle, refer to 
page 35
> Automatic call-up of th e driver's seat posi-
tion, refer to page 53
> Triple turn signal  activation, refer to 
page 71
> Settings for the display on the Control Dis-
play and in the instrument cluster:
>12h/24h format of the clock, refer to 
page 91
> Date format, refer to page 91
> Brightness of the Control Display, refer 
to page 94
> Language on the Control Display, refer 
to page 94
> Units of measure, refer to page 87
> Show visual warning for Park Distance Con-
trol PDC, refer to page 97
> Light settings:
>Welcome lamps, refer to page 111
> Pathway lighting, refer to page 111
> Daytime running lights, refer to 
page 111
> High-beam Assistant, refer to page 113
> Automatic climate control: activating/deac-
tivating AUTO program, cooling function 
and automatic recirculated air control, set-
ting temperature, air volume and distribu-
tion, refer to page 117 ff >
Entertainment:
>Setting tone contro ls, refer to page171
> Speed-dependent volume control, refer 
to page 172
Central locking system
The concept
The central locking system functions when the 
driver's door is closed.
The system simultaneously engages and 
releases the locks on the following:
>Doors
> Trunk lid
> Fuel filler flap
> Convertible: glove compartment
Operating from outside
>Via the remote control
> Using the door lock
> In cars with Comfort Access, via the handles 
on the driver's door and the front passenger 
door
At the same time as locking and unlocking via 
the remote control:
> Welcome lights, the inte rior light, and the 
courtesy lighting are switched on and off.
> Alarm system, refer to page 37, is armed or 
disarmed.
Operating from inside
By means of the button fo r central locking, refer 
to page 35.
In the event of a sufficien tly severe accident, the 
central locking system un locks automatically. In 
addition, the hazard warning flashers and inte-
rior lamps come on.
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ControlsOpening and closing
Malfunctions
The remote control may malfunction due to 
local radio waves. If this  occurs, unlock and lock 
the car at the door lock  with the integrated key.
Convertible: if hardtop movement via the 
remote control is interru pted briefly, the move-
ment will be completed mo re quickly if you keep 
the corresponding button pressed continu-
ously.
If the car can no longer  be locked with a remote 
control, the battery in th e remote control is dis-
charged. Use the remote control on an 
extended trip to rechar ge the battery, refer to 
page 30. The remote control for Comfort 
Access contains a battery  that may have to be 
changed, refer to page 40.
For US owners only
The transmitter and receiv er units comply with 
part 15 of the FCC/Federal Communications 
Commission regulations. Operation is gov-
erned by the following:
FCC ID:
LX8766S 
LX8766E 
LX8CAS
Compliance statement: 
This device complies wi th part 15 of the FCC 
Rules. Operation is subject to the following two 
conditions:
> This device must no t cause harmful inter-
ference, and
> this device must accept any interference 
received, including in terference that may 
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modifications or 
changes to these devi ces could void the 
user's authority to operate this equipment. <
Opening and closing:
Using the door lock
Do not lock the vehicle from the outside if 
there is any person inside, because the 
vehicle cannot be unlocked from inside without 
special knowledge. <
With Comfort Access, you can set how the vehi-
cle is unlocked, refer to page 32.
Convenient opening and closing
Coupe: you can operate the windows and the 
glass sunroof via the door lock.
Convertible: you can operate the windows and 
the retractable hardtop via the door lock.
Hold the key in the position for unlocking or 
locking.
During each closing procedure, and when 
opening the retractable hardtop, watch 
the process and ensure that no one becomes 
trapped. Releasing th e key stops the opera-
tion.<
Manual operation
In the event of an electrical malfunction, you can 
lock and unlock the driver's door by turning the 
integrated key to the corresponding limit posi-
tions in the door lock.
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Opening and closing
Controls
Alarm system
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds:
>
When a door, the hood or the trunk lid is 
opened
> To movements inside the vehicle: Interior 
motion sensor, refer to page 38
> When 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
> When there has been an interruption of 
power supply from the battery
The alarm system signals unauthorized entry 
attempts for a short time by means of:
> An acoustic alarm
> Switching on the hazard warning flashers
> Flashing the high beams
Arming and disarming
General information
When you lock or unlock  the vehicle, either with 
the remote control or at  the door lock, the alarm 
system is armed or disarmed at the same time.
Door lock with armed alarm system
In some national-market versions, unlocking via 
the door lock tr iggers the alarm.
To switch off this alarm, unlock the vehicle with 
the remote control or sw itch on the ignition.
Trunk lid with the alarm system armed
The trunk lid can be opened via the remote con-
trol even when the alarm system is armed.
Press the  button on th e remote control for 
approx. 1 second.
The trunk lid is locked and monitored again as 
soon as it is closed.
Panic mode
You can trigger the alarm system if you find 
yourself in a dangerous situation:
Press the  button for at  least three seconds.
To switch off the alarm: press any button.
Switching off an alarm
> Unlock the car with the  remote control, refer 
to page 32.
> Insert the remote contro l all the way into the 
ignition lock.
Indicator lamp on inside mirror
> The indicator lamp fl ashes continuously:
The system is armed.
> The indicator lamp flashes after locking:
The doors, hood, or trunk lid are not prop-
erly closed, the remaining components are 
secured.
Then the indicator lamp flashes continu-
ously after approx. 10 seconds. The interior 
motion sensor and tilt  sensor are not active.
> The indicator lamp goes out after unlocking:
The vehicle has not been tampered with.
> If the indicator lamp flashes after unlocking 
until the remote contro l is inserted in the 
ignition, but for no longer than approx. 
5minutes: 
The vehicle has been tampered with.
Tilt alarm sensor
The tilt of the vehicle is monitored. The alarm 
system reacts, e.g. to attempts to steal a wheel 
or tow the vehicle.
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