
10
At a glanceDashboard
Dashboard
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.
Around the steering wheel : controls and displays
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Dashboard
At a glance
4
Exterior mirrors folding in and out 55
5 Adjusting exterior mirrors, automatic curb 
monitor 55
9 Instrument cluster 12 12
Ignition lock 61
13 Buttons on the steering wheel
15 Horn, entire surface
16 Adjusting the steering wheel 56
18 Releasing the hood 260
19 OBD socket 265
20 Opening the trunk lid 35
1
Convertible: opening and closing 
windows jointly
40 
2 Convertible: opening and closing 
rear windows
40 
3 Opening and closing front 
windows
40 
6 Parking lamps 110
Low beams 110
Automatic head lamp control110
Adaptive Light Control 112
High-beam Assistant 113
7 Fog lamps 114
8 Turn signals 71
High beams, headlamp 
flasher 112
High-beam Assistant 113
Roadside parking lamps 112
Computer 84
Settings and information about the 
vehicle 86
10 Windshield wipers 71
Rain sensor 72
11Switching the ignition on/off and 
starting/stopping the engine
61
Telephone: accepting and ending 
a call; dialing the selected phone 
number; redialing if no phone 
number is selected
Convertible: microphone on steer-
ing column
Volume
Activating/deactivating the voice 
activation system 25
Convertible: microphone on steer-
ing column
Changing the radio station
Interrupting a traffic bulletin
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated air mode 118
14 Steering wheel heating 56
17 Cruise control 75
Active Cruise Control 75
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25
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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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.
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47
Adjustments
Controls
Adjustments
Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all production, country, and 
optional equipment that is offered in the model 
range is described. As a result, some equip-
ment described may not be
 available in a partic-
ular vehicle, for example due to the options or 
national-market version selected. This also 
applies to safety related functions and systems.
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fati gue-free driving. In con-
junction with the safe ty belts, the head 
restraints and the airbags, the seated position 
has a major influence on your safety in the event 
of an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we 
strongly urge you to observe the instructions 
contained in the following section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page 57.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance 
between yourself and the airbags. Always 
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your 
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, 
to minimize the risk of injury to the hands or 
arms in the event of the airbag being triggered 
off. 
No one and nothing should come between the 
airbags and the seat occupant. 
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the 
front passenger side as a storage area. Make 
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly, 
e.g. not resting feet or legs on the dashboard; 
otherwise, leg injuries ca n occur if the front air-
bag deploys.
Make sure that passen gers keep their heads 
away from the side airbag and do not lean  against the cover of the 
head airbag; otherwise, 
serious injuries can result if the airbag 
deploys. <
Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries 
resulting from contact with airbags cannot be 
fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may 
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This e ffect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page 107.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the 
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way 
that its center is at approx. ear level. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the 
event of an accident. <
Head restraints, refer to page 50.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants 
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the 
safety belt as an additi onal safety device, but 
they do not represent a substitute.
Your vehicle has four se ats, each of which is 
equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to 
wear a single safety belt. Never allow 
infants or small children  to ride in a passenger's 
lap. Make sure that the be lt in the lap area sits 
low across the hips and does not press against 
the abdomen. 
The safety belt must not  rest against the throat, 
run across sharp edges, pass over hard or frag-
ile objects or be pinched. Fasten the safety belt 
so that it sits as snugly as possible against the 
lap and shoulder withou t being twisted. Other-
wise, the belt could slide over your hips and 
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56
ControlsAdjustments
Interior rearview mirror
Turn the knob to reduce glare from the head-
lamps of cars behind you when driving at night.
Interior and exterior mirrors, 
automatic dimming feature
The automatic dimming feature of the interior 
and exterior mirrors is controlled by two photo 
cells in the interior re arview mirror. One photo 
cell is in the mirror frame, see arrow; the other is 
on the back of the mirror.
In order to ensure that  the system functions 
correctly, keep the photo cells clean, do not 
cover the area between the interior rearview 
mirror and windshield, and do not affix adhesive 
labels or stickers of an y kind to the windshield 
directly in front of the mirror.
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel position 
while the car is in mo tion; otherwise, there 
is a risk of an accident due to unexpected move-
ment. <
1. Fold the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel to the preferred 
height and angle to suit your seated posi-
tion.
3. Swing the lever back up.
Do not use force to  swing the lever 
back up; otherwise, the mechanism 
will be damaged. <
Steering wheel heating
Press the button.
The LED in the button lights up when the steer-
ing wheel heating is switched on.
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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 –.
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66
ControlsDriving
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 exec uted by the system.
The gear selected is briefly displayed in the 
instrument cluster, followed again by the gear 
actually in use.
Overriding 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 pre ssed, the selector lever 
lock can be overridden:
1. Switch off ignition.
2. Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
3. Pull the sleeve up over  the selector lever 
until the sleeve is inside out.
4. Using the screwdriver from the onboard 
vehicle tool kit, refer to page 270, press the 
red lever and with the button pressed, 
simultaneously move th e selector lever to 
the desired position.
7-gear Spor t automatic 
transmission with double 
clutch
The concept
The 7-gear Sport automa tic transmission with 
double clutch is an automated manual trans-
mission with two clutches and secondary gear  sets in which the clutch
ing and shifting is han-
dled by an electrohydraulic system.
With the 7-gear Sport automatic transmission 
with double clutch, the gears are shifted without 
an interruption in driving power.
You operate the 7-gear Sport automatic trans-
mission with double clutch using the selector 
lever and two shift paddles on the steering 
wheel.
It offers you the following functions:
> Either manual or au tomatic mode: sequen-
tial mode or drive mode
> Automatic downshifting and protection 
against incorrect gear selection, even in 
sequential mode
> Acceleration assistan t, Launch Control, 
refer to page 70
> Automatic intermediate  throttle application
System limitations
The 7-gear Sport automatic transmission with 
double clutch has an overheating protection 
that protects the clutch from extreme loads.
The indicator lamp lights up in yellow if 
the transmission becomes too warm. 
Avoid high engine loads and frequent 
accelerations from zero. If the transmission is 
overheated, the indicator lamp lights up in red 
and the power flow to the  motor is interrupted. It 
is only possible to continue driving once the 
transmission has cooled down.
Avoid frequent powerful accelerations from 
zero and do not hold the  vehicle on inclines by 
pressing lightly on the  accelerator while letting 
the clutch slip, as this may cause the transmis-
sion to overheat.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Online  Edition  for Part  no. 01 40 2 609  333 - \251  08/11  BMW AG