
Contents
The quickest way to find special topics is to 
consult the index, refer to page298.
4 Notes
7 Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Dashboard
18 iDrive
25 Voice activation system
Controls
30Opening and closing
47 Adjustments
57 Transporting children safely
61 Driving
82 Controls overview
96 Technology for driving comfort and 
safety
110 Lamps
116 Climate
122 Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
138Things to remember when driving
Navigation
148Navigation system
150 Destination entry
159 Destination guidance
167 What to do if …
Entertainment
170On/off and tone
173 Radio
176 Satellite radio
181 CD/DVD player and CD changer
188 Music collection
194 External devices
Communications
204Telephone
217 Office
226 Contacts
228 ConnectedDrive
Mobility
236Refueling
239 Wheels and tires
259 Engine compartment
264 Maintenance
266 Care
270 Replacing components
276 Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
284Technical data
290 Short commands for the voice activation 
system
298 Everything from A to Z
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG  

26
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.
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG  

37
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.
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG  

65
Driving
Controls
R Reverse
Select this only when th
e vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
You can select this in a car wash, for example. 
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you are driving in posi-
tion D.
Kickdown
Kickdown enables you to achieve maximum 
performance. 
Press the accelerator  pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Sport program and manual mode M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot; the Sport program 
is activated. This positi on is recommended for a 
performance-oriented driving style.
DS is displayed in the instrument cluster.
To deactivate the spor t program or manual 
mode M/S, move the sele ctor lever to the right 
into position D.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot: When you press the selector lever forwards or 
backwards, the manual 
mode is activated and 
Steptronic changes gear.
The engaged gear, e.g. M1 is displayed in the 
instrument cluster.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in  a plausible combination 
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, 
a downshift that would  cause the engine to 
overrev will not be executed by the system.
The gear selected is br iefly displayed in the 
instrument cluster, follo wed again by the gear 
actually in use.
Changing gears using shifting paddles 
on steering wheel
The shift paddles allow you to shift gears 
quickly since both hand s can remain on the 
steering wheel.
> When you use the shift paddles on the 
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic 
mode, the transmission switches to manual 
mode.
> If you do not accelerate  or shift gears using 
the shift paddles for  a certain amount of 
time, the transmission switches back to 
automatic mode.
If the selector lever is in the M/S gear 
plane, manual mode remains active. <
> To upshift, briefly pull the right shift 
paddle +.
> To downshift, briefly  pull the left shift pad-
dle –.
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG  

68
ControlsDriving
D Drive mode
In Drive mode, all forward gears are shifted 
automatically.
Kickdown
For sudden acceleration maneuvers such as 
passing, depress the accelerator past the resis-
tance point. This prov ides maximum accelera-
tion.
Sport program and 
manual mode M/S
Push selector lever towa rd the left from the 
selector lever position D, the Sport program is 
activated. This position is recommended for a 
performance-oriented driving style.
The engaged gear, e.g. S1, is displayed in the 
instrument cluster.
When you press the selector lever forwards or 
backwards, the manual mode is activated and 
Steptronic changes gear. 
The engaged gear, e.g. M1 is displayed in the 
instrument cluster.
In the following situat ions, the 7-gear Sport 
automatic transmission with double clutch 
does the thinking for you:
> Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a plausible combina-
tion of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for 
example, a downshift that could cause the 
engine to overrev will not be executed by 
the system. >
At a stop, the transmission is automatically 
shifted down to the first gear.
> Shortly before the spee d falls below a gear-
dependent minimum speed, the transmis-
sion automatically down shifts without your 
intervention.
Quick downshifting: even in sequential mode, 
you can skip over several gears in order to 
achieve an optimum acceleration. To do so, 
depress the accelerator past the resistance 
point.
To return to automatic  mode, push the selector 
lever to the right.
Gear shifting
Upshift or downshift usin g the selector lever or 
the shift paddles. You do  not need to lift your 
foot off the accelerator when doing so.
Using the selector lever
> To upshift, pull the sele ctor lever toward the 
rear.
> To downshift, push it toward the front.
Using the shift paddl es on the steering 
wheel
You can also shift manua lly using two shift pad-
dles on the steering wheel. The shift paddles 
allow you to shift gear s quickly since both 
hands can remain on the steering wheel.
> When you use the shift paddles on the 
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic 
mode, the transmission switches to manual 
mode.
> If you do not accelerate or shift gears using 
the shift paddles for a certain amount of 
time, the transmission switches back to 
automatic mode if the  selector lever is in 
position D.
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG  

69
Driving
Controls
>
To upshift, briefly pull the right shift 
paddle +.
> To downshift, briefly  pull the left shift pad-
dle –.
Driving dynamics control
The driving dynamics control permits you, at 
the push of a button, to  have your BMW react in 
an even more sporty fashion when driving:
> Optimal use is made of the engine's speed 
range.
> Gear changes occur more quickly.
> The engine reacts more spontaneously to 
accelerator pedal movements.
Activating the system
Press the SPORT button.
The LED in the button lights up and SPORT 
appears in the info display.
Deactivating the system
>Press the SPORT button again.
> Switch off the engine.
The LED in the button goes out and SPORT 
disappears from the info display.
Manually unlocking parking lock
In the event of a power supply interrup-
tion such as a discharged or discon-
nected battery or an elec trical malfunction, the 
parking lock must be ma nually unlocked; other-
wise, the rear wheels are immobilized and the 
vehicle cannot be towed. <
Only unlock the parking  lock manually for tow-
ing and make sure to set the parking brake 
forcefully beforehand so  that the vehicle cannot 
roll. Lock the parking lock again after the vehicle 
is parked.
Releasing
1. Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2. Pull the sleeve up over  the selector lever 
until the sleeve  is inside out.
3. Using the allen wrench from the tool kit, 
refer to page 270, rotate the cover until it 
reaches the stop, arrow  1, and remove, 
arrow 2.
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG  

99
Technology for driving comfort and safety
Controls
xDrive
xDrive is your BMW's fo
ur-wheel-drive system. 
The combined efforts of xDrive and DSC help to 
further optimize traction and driving dynamics. 
The xDrive four-wheel-drive system distributes 
driving power variably to  the front and rear axles 
depending on the driving situation and road 
conditions.
Hill Descent Control HDC
HDC is a downhill driving  assistant that controls 
your speed on steep downhill gradients and 
makes it even easier to control your BMW's 
handling under these conditions. The vehicle 
then moves slightly fast er than double walking 
speed without the driver needing to intervene.
HDC can be activated as long as you are driving 
under approx. 20 mph or 35 km/h. When driving 
downhill at a speed of under approx. 20 mph or 
35 km/h, the vehicle's speed is automatically 
reduced to slightly more than double walking 
speed and maintained.
Increasing or de creasing speed
By accelerating or braking you can change this 
speed within a range from approx. 3 to 15 mph, 
approx. 5 to 25 km/h.
You can specify a target speed within the same 
range by using the lever  of the cruise control.
1 To increase speed
2 To decrease speed
Activating HDC
Press the button; the LED lights up.
When the vehicle is being braked automatically, 
the LED flashes.
Deactivating HDC
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
HDC is automatically de activated at speeds 
greater than approx. 35 mph/60 km/h.
Using HDC
In cars with manual transmission:
Use HDC in lower gears and in reverse gear.
With automatic transmission:
You can use HDC in any drive position.
Displays in the instrument cluster
1 Display for target speed
2 HDC display
Malfunction
The HDC display disappears during HDC oper-
ation, or does not appear:
HDC is temporarily unav ailable due to exces-
sive brake temperature, or DSC has failed.
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG  

100
ControlsTechnology for driving comfort and safety
Drive-off assistant
The drive-off assistant enables you to drive off 
smoothly on uphill gradients. It is not necessary 
to use the parking brake for this.
1.Hold the car in place by depressing the 
brake.
2. Release the brake and drive off without 
delay.
The drive-off assistant holds the car in 
place for approx. 2 seconds after the 
brake is released. Drive  off without delay after 
releasing the brake. Ot herwise, the drive-off 
assistant will no longer hold the car in place 
after approx. 2 seconds and the car will start to 
roll backwards. <
Flat Tire Monitor FTM
The concept
The system does not measure the actual infla-
tion pressure in the tires.
The system detects a pressure loss in a tire by 
comparing the rotational speeds of the individ-
ual wheels while moving.
In the event of a pressure loss, the diameter and 
therefore the rotational speed of the corre-
sponding wheel change.  This is detected and 
reported as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
The system must have be en initialized while the 
tire inflation pressure  was correct; otherwise, 
reliable signaling of a flat tire is not ensured.
Each time a tire inflation pressure has been cor-
rected or a wheel or tire has been changed, 
reinitialize the system.
System limitations
Sudden serious tire damage caused by 
external influences cannot be indicated in 
advance.<
A natural, steady pressure  loss in all four tires is 
not detected. Therefore, check the tire inflation 
pressure regularly.
In the following situatio ns, the system could be 
delayed or malfunction:
> System has not been initialized
> Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
> Performance-oriented style of driving: slip 
in the drive wheels, hi gh lateral acceleration
> Snow chains are attached
Status display
The current status of the Flat Tire Monitor can 
be displayed on the Control Display, e.g. 
whether or not the FTM is active.
1."Vehicle Info"
2. "Vehicle status"
3. "Flat Tire Monitor"
The status is displayed.
Initialization
The initialization process adopts the set infla-
tion tire pressures as  reference values for the 
detection of a flat tire. Initialization is started by 
confirming the inflation pressures.
Do not initialize the syst em when driving with 
snow chains.
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG