
Contents
The fastest way to find information on a partic‐
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page 
302.
Using this Owner's Manual
6 Notes
At a glance
12 Cockpit
18 iDrive
24 Voice activation system
Controls
28 Opening and closing
45 Adjusting
56 Transporting children safely
61 Driving
71 Displays
81 Lamps
86 Safety
96 Driving stability control systems
102 Driving comfort
119 Climate
127 Interior equipment
134 Storage compartments
Driving tips
142 Things to remember when driving
Navigation
152 Navigation system
153 Destination entry
161 Destination guidance
168 What to do if...
Entertainment
172 Tone
174 Radio
181 CD/multimedia
200 DVD system in rear Communication
216
Telephone
227 Office
235 Contacts
237 ConnectedDrive
Mobility
246 Refueling
248 Fuel
252 Wheels and tires
263 Engine compartment
268 Maintenance
270 Replacing components
280 Breakdown assistance
285 Care
Reference
290 Technical data
295 Short commands for voice activation
system
302 Everything from A to Z
Seite 5
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 606 735 - 03 11 500 Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips Controls At a glance   

All around the center console
1
Headliner  17
2 Control Display   19
3 Hazard warning system  280
Central locking system  33
4 Opening glove compartment  134
5 Automatic climate control with 2-zone con‐
trol  120
Automatic climate control with 4-zone con‐
trol*  124
6 Radio and CD/DVD drive*  174 7 Open the tailgate  
33  36 Active seat*  49
Park Distance Control
PDC*  110
Top View*  114
Backup camera*  112
HDC Hill Descent Control  
97
Seite 16
16 Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 606 735 - 03 11 500Cockpit 

The individual settings are stored for a maximum
of 
four remote controls. They are stored for two
remote controls if Comfort Access* is in use.
Personal Profile settings
The following functions and settings can be
stored in a profile.
More information on the settings can be found
under:
▷ Assigning the programmable memory but‐
tons, refer to page  22.
▷ Response of the central locking system
when the car is being unlocked, refer to
page  30.
▷ Automatic locking of the vehicle, refer to
page  33.
▷ Driver's seat, exterior mirror and steering
wheel positions*, refer to page  53.
▷ Settings for the display on the Control Dis‐
play and in the instrument cluster:
▷12h/24h clock format, refer to
page  79.
▷ Date format, refer to page  79.
▷ Brightness of the Control Display, refer
to page  80.
▷ Language on the Control Display, refer
to page  80.
▷ Units of measure for fuel consumption,
distance covered/remaining distances,
and temperature, refer to page  80.
▷ Show visual warning for the Park Distance
Control PDC*, refer to page  111.
▷ Show visual warning for Top View*, refer to
page  114.
▷ Show Side View*, refer to page  116.
▷ Backup camera*:
▷Function selection, refer to page  113.
▷ Type of display, refer to page  114.
▷ Lane departure warning*: last setting, on/
off, refer to page  93.
▷ Head-up Display*: selection, brightness and
position of the display, refer to page  117.▷
Adaptive Drive*: selected chassis and sus‐
pension tuning, refer to page  99.
▷ Light settings:
▷Triple turn signal activation, refer to
page  66.
▷ Welcome lamps, refer to page  81.
▷ Headlamp courtesy delay feature, refer
to page  81.
▷ Daytime running lights, refer to
page  82.
▷ High-beam Assistant*, refer to
page  83.
▷ Automatic climate control with 2-zone con‐
trol: settings, refer to page  120.
▷ Navigation:
▷Voice activation, refer to page  163.
▷ Route criteria, refer to page  161.
▷ Map view settings, refer to page  164.
▷ Entertainment:
▷Tone control, refer to page  172.
▷ Radio, stored stations, refer to
page  180.
▷ CD/multimedia, audio source listened to
last, refer to page  181.
▷ Telephone: volume, refer to page  220.
Central locking system
The concept
The central locking system becomes active
when the driver's door is closed.
The system simultaneously engages and re‐
leases the locks on the following:
▷ Doors.
▷ Tailgate.
▷ Fuel filler flap.
Operating from the outside
▷ Via the remote control.
▷ Via the door lock*.
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Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips
Controls At a glance   

Climate
At a glance
1
Air toward the windshield and side windows
2 Air for the upper body
3 Air to footwell
4 Automatic climate control with 2-zone con‐
trol  120
Automatic climate control with 4-zone con‐
trol  124
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Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips
Controls At a glance   

Automatic climate control with 2-zone control
1
Seat heating and ventilation, driver's
side  49
2 Temperature, left side of passenger com‐
partment
3 AUTO program
4 Temperature, right side of passenger com‐
partment
5 Maximum cooling
6 Seat heating and ventilation, front passen‐
ger side  49
7 Passenger side
▷Manual air distribution ▷
Accessing setting for ventilation tem‐
perature on the Control Display
8 Switching cooling function on/off manually
9 Automatic recirculated air control/recircu‐
lated air mode
10 Manual air volume, switching off automatic
climate control, residual heat
11 Rear window defroster
12 Defrosting windows and removing conden‐
sation
13 Air grill for interior temperature sensor,
please keep clear and unobstructed
14 Driver's side
▷Manual air distribution
▷ Accessing setting for ventilation tem‐
perature on the Control Display
The current setting for manual air distribution is
displayed on the Control Display.
Comfortable interior climate
The AUTO program offers the optimum air dis‐
tribution and air volume for virtually all condi‐
tions, refer to AUTO program below. Select a
comfortable interior temperature only.
The 
following sections contain more detailed in‐
formation on the available setting options.
Most of these settings are stored for the remote
control currently in use, Personal Profile set‐
tings, refer to page  29. AUTO program
Press the button.
Air volume, air distribution, and
temperature are controlled auto‐
matically.
Depending 
on the selected temperature, AUTO
intensity, and outside influences, the air is di‐
rected to the windshield, side windows, upper
body, and into the footwell.
The cooling function is switched on automati‐
cally with the AUTO program.
At the same time, a condensation sensor con‐
trols the program in such a way that window
condensation is prevented as much as possible. Seite 120
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Climate 

To switch off the program: press the button
again or manually adjust the air distribution.
Intensity of the AUTO program
Pressing the AUTO button repeatedly adjusts
the intensity of the AUTO program. The se‐
lected 
intensity, SOFT, MEDIUM or INTENSIVE,
appears on the display of the automatic climate
control.
Temperature
Turn the wheel to set the desired
temperature.
The automatic climate control ach‐
ieves this temperature as quickly as
possible, if necessary with the max‐
imum cooling or heating capacity, and then
keeps it constant.
Avoid rapidly switching between different tem‐
perature settings. The automatic climate control
will not have sufficient time to adjust the set
temperature.
Maximum heating power can be obtained with
the highest setting, regardless of the external
temperature.
At the lowest setting, cooling is continuous, re‐
gardless of the external temperature.
Adjusting the ventilation temperature
This function can be used to adjust the air tem‐
perature for the upper body region.
1. "Settings"
2. "Climate"
3. "Driver ventilation" or "Front passenger
ventilation"
4. Turn the controller to adjust the tempera‐
ture.
▷Blue: colder
▷ Red: warmer Defrosting and defogging windows
Press the button.
Ice and condensation are quickly re‐
moved from the windshield and the front side
windows.
For this purpose, also switch on the cooling
function.
Rear window defroster
Press the button.
The 
rear window defroster switches off
automatically after a certain period of time.
Depending on the vehicle equipment, upper
wires are used as an antenna and are not part of
the rear window defroster.
Air volume, manual
You can vary the air volume by pressing
on the corresponding side. You can re‐
activate the automatic mode for the air flow rate
with the AUTO button.
Manual air distribution
The air flow can be guided into the vehicle inte‐
rior, separately for the driver's and front passen‐
ger side, using one of the following programs:
▷ Upper body region.
▷ Upper body region and footwell.
▷ Footwell.
▷ Driver's side: in addition, the windshield,
side windows, and footwell. Seite 121
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Controls At a glance   

Selecting program
Press the button repeatedly until the
desired 
program is shown on the Con‐
trol Display. 1
Air toward the windshield and side windows
2 Air for the upper body
3 Air to footwell
Pressing the AUTO button cancels the manual
air distribution settings.
The 
automatic mode for the air volume remains
effective with manual air distribution.
Cooling function
The passenger compartment can only be
cooled with the engine running.
Press the button.
The air is cooled and dehumidified and
– depending on the temperature setting –
warmed again.
The cooling function helps to prevent conden‐
sation on the windows or to remove it quickly.
Depending on the weather, the windshield may
fog up briefly when the engine is started.
The cooling function is switched on automati‐
cally with the AUTO program.
When using the automatic climate control, con‐
densation water, refer to page  144, develops
that exits underneath the vehicle.
Maximum cooling
Press the button.
The system is set to the lowest
temperature, maximum air volume
and recirculated-air mode. Air flows out of the vents for the upper body re‐
gion. Open them for this purpose.
Air is cooled as quickly as possible:
▷
At an external temperature of approx. 32 ℉/
0 ℃.
▷ When the engine is running.
Automatic recirculated air mode/
recirculated air mode
You can respond to unpleasant odors or pollu‐
tants in the immediate environment by tempo‐
rarily suspending the supply of outside air. The
system 
then recirculates the air currently within
the vehicle.
Press the button repeatedly to select
an operating mode:
▷ LEDs off: outside air flows in continuously.
▷ Left LED on, automatic recirculated-air con‐
trol: a sensor detects pollutants in the out‐
side air and controls the shutoff automati‐
cally.
▷ Right LED on, recirculated air mode: the
supply of outside air into the vehicle is per‐
manently blocked.
If the windows are fogged over, switch off the
recirculated-air 
 mode and press the AUTO but‐
ton to utilize the condensation sensor. Make
sure that air can flow onto the windshield.
Continuous recirculated-air mode
The recirculated air mode should not be
used for an extended period of time, as the air
quality inside the vehicle deteriorates steadily.◀
Residual heat
The heat stored in the engine is used to heat the
interior.
Functional requirement
▷ Up to 15 minutes after the engine has been
switched off.
▷ Warm engine.
▷ The battery is sufficiently charged.
▷ External temperature below 77 ℉/25 ℃. Seite 122
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Climate 

Switching on
1.
Switch off the ignition.
2. Press the right-hand button. REST appears on the display of the automatic
climate 
control when the residual heat utilization
is switched on.
From radio readiness the interior temperature,
the air volume and the air distribution can be set.
Switching off
You can select the lowest blower speed by
pressing and holding the left side. Pressing
again switches off the residual heat utilization.
REST disappears from the display of the auto‐
matic climate control.
Switching on/off the automatic climate
control
Switching off
With the blower at its lowest setting,
press the left side of the button to
switch off the automatic climate control.
Switching on
Press any button to switch the automatic cli‐
mate control back on.
Front ventilation 1
Use the thumbwheels to smoothly open and
close the air vents
2 Use the lever to change the direction of the
air flow Avoiding injury
Do 
not drop any foreign objects into the air
vents, otherwise these could be catapulted out‐
wards and lead to injuries.◀
Ventilation for cooling
Adjust the vents to direct the flow of cool air in
your direction, for instance if the interior has be‐
come too warm.
Draft-free ventilation
Set the air vents so that the air flows past you
and is not directed straight at you.
Ventilation in rear 1
Use the thumbwheels to smoothly open and
close the air vents
2 Use the lever to change the direction of the
air flow
BMW X5: heating and ventilation, 3rd
row seats
The air in the area of the 3rd row seats can be
heated or recirculated. Air vents are located in
the storage compartment area between the
seats and in the footwell of the 3rd row seats. 1
Thumbwheel Seite 123
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Controls At a glance