
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Contents
The fastest way to find information on a partic-
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to 
page292.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
7Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
21Letters and numbers
22Voice activation system
Controls
26Opening and closing
42Adjusting
54Transporting children safely
58Driving
76Controls Overview
88Technology for comfort, convenience 
and safety
111Lamps
116Climate
124Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
138Things to remember when driving
Navigation
148Navigation system
149Destination entry
158Destination guidance
165What to do if …
Entertainment
168On/off and tone
171Radio
174Satellite radio
179CD/DVD player and CD/DVD changer
187Music collection
192External devices
196DVD system in rear
Communications
212Telephone
224Contacts
226BMW Assist
Mobility
234Refueling
239Wheels and tires
251Under the hood
256Maintenance
258Care
262Replacing components
273Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
280Technical data
285Short commands of voice activation 
system
292Everything from A - Z 

 5Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The individual vehicle
When purchasing your BMW, you have decided 
in favor of a model with individualized equip-
ment and features. This Owner's Manual 
describes the entire array of options and equip-
ment available with a specific BMW model.
Please bear in mind that the manual may con-
tain information on accessories and equipment 
that you have not specified for your own vehicle. 
Sections describing options and special equip-
ment are marked by asterisks
* to assist you in 
identifying possible differences between the 
descriptions in this manual and your own vehi-
cle's equipment.
If equipment in your BMW is not described in 
this Owner's Manual, please refer to the accom-
panying Supplementary Owner's Manuals.
Editorial notice
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 that the features described 
in this Owner's Manual could differ from those 
on your vehicle.
For your own safety
Maintenance and repairs
Advanced technology, e.g. the use of 
modern materials and high-performance 
electronics, requires specially adapted mainte-
nance and repair methods. Therefore, have cor-
responding work on your BMW performed only 
by your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or 
a workshop that works according to BMW 
repair procedures with correspondingly trained 
personnel. If this work is not carried out prop-
erly, there is a danger of subsequent damage 
and related safety hazards.<
Parts and accessories
For your own safety, use genuine parts 
and accessories approved by BMW. 
When you purchase accessories tested and 
approved by BMW and Genuine BMW Parts, 
you simultaneously acquire the assurance that 
they have been thoroughly tested 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 product made by other 
manufacturers to verify if it can be used on a 
BMW safely and without risk to either the vehi-
cle, its operation or its occupants. 
Genuine BMW Parts, BMW Accessories and 
other products approved by BMW, together 
with professional advice on using these items, 
are available from all BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle Centers. 
Installation and operation of non-BMW 
approved accessories such as alarms, radios, 
amplifiers, radar detectors, wheels, suspension 
components, brake dust shields, telephones, 
including operation of any mobile phone from 
within the vehicle without using an externally 
mounted antenna, or transceiver equipment, for 
instance, CBs, walkie-talkie, ham radio or simi-
lar accessories, may cause extensive damage 
to the vehicle, compromise its safety, interfere 
with the vehicle's electrical system or affect the 
validity of the BMW Limited Warranty. Refer to 
your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center for 
additional information.<
Maintenance, replacement, or repair of 
the emission control devices and sys-
tems may be performed by any automotive 
repair establishment or individual using any cer-
tified automotive part.< 

 7Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Reporting safety defects
For US customers
The following applies only to vehicles owned 
and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect 
which could cause a crash or could cause injury 
or death, you should immediately inform the 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
NHTSA, in addition to notifying BMW of North 
America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, Westwood, New 
Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone 1-800-831-
1117.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may 
open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety 
defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order 
a recall and remedy campaign. However, 
NHTSA cannot become involved in individual 
problems between you, your center, or BMW of 
North America, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle 
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236 
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to 
http://www.safercar.gov; or write to: administra-
tor, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Wash-
ington, DC 20590. You can also obtain other 
information about motor vehicle safety from 
http://www.safercar.gov
For Canadian customers
Canadian customers who wish to report a 
safety-related defect to Transport Canada, 
Defect Investigations and Recalls, may call 
1-800-333-0510 toll-free from anywhere in 
Canada or 1-613-993-9851 from the Ottawa 
region and from other countries, or contact 
Transport Canada by mail at: transport Canada, 
ASFAD, Place de Ville, Tower C, 330 Sparks 
Street, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0N5.
You can also obtain other information about 
motor vehicle safety from http://www.tc.gc.ca 

At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
9BMW X6: upshifting or downshifting with 
automatic transmission64
10Instrument panel12
13Ignition lock5814Buttons on steering wheel
15Horn, entire surface
18Releasing hood251 6
Parking lamps111
Low beams111
Automatic headlamp control
*111 
Adaptive Light Control
*112 
High-beam Assistant
*113
7
Head-up Display
*109
8
Turn signals65
High beams, headlamp flasher65
High-beam Assistant
*113
Roadside parking lamps
*113
Time, date, outside temperature, 
Check Control76, 84
Computer78
11
Windshield wipers65
Rain sensor66
BMW X5: rear window wiper66
12Starting/stopping engine and 
switching ignition on/off58
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending calls, start 
dialing
* selected phone number, 
redialing if no phone number is 
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing the radio station
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode, 119
Steering wheel heating
*53
Lane departure warning
*104
16
Steering wheel adjustment52
17
Cruise control
*67
Active cruise control
*68 

At a glance
 13Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
The indicator and warning lamps can light up in 
different combinations and colors.
Some lamps are tested for proper function by 
briefly lighting up during starting of the engine 
or when the ignition is switched on.
Explanatory text messages
Text messages at the upper edge of the Control 
Display explain the meaning of the displayed 
indicator and warning lamps.
Additional information, e.g. on the cause of a 
malfunction and on the corresponding need to 
take action can be displayed via the Check Con-
trol, refer to page82.In the case of corresponding urgency, this infor-
mation is displayed immediately when the 
related lamp lights up.
Indicator lamps without text messages
The following indicator lamps indicate that cer-
tain functions are activated:
With parking brake set60
With parking brake set for Canadian 
models
Fog lamps
*114
High beams/headlamp flasher113
Lamp flashes: 
DSC or DTC controls the drive and 
braking forces for maintaining vehicle 
stability96
Engine malfunction with adverse 
effect on emissions257 

At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for hands-free mode for tele-
phone
* and for voice activation 
system
*22
2Initiating
 an emergency request273
3Reading lamps115
4Glass sunroof38, 40
5Interior lamps115
6Passenger airbag status lamp107
7Control Display16 
Displays for menu navigation
8Hazard warning flashers
9Central locking system27
10Opening glove compartment127
11Automatic climate control with 2-zone 
control117
Automatic climate control with 4-zone 
control
*121
12Changing
>Radio station168
>Track168
13Selecting radio, CD and CD/DVD changer
*
14Selecting AM or FM waveband
16Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
17Buttons on the controller17
Selecting menus directly
18Automatic Hold61
19Parking brake60
20Adaptive Drive
*98
21Programmable memory buttons20
22Switching Entertainment sound output on/
off and adjusting volume168
23Ejecting audio CD Manual air distribution118
Automatic air distribution and 
volume117
Cooling function119
AUC Automatic recirculated-air 
control119 
Maximum cooling119 
Air volume118
Residual heat utilization119
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation118
Rear window defroster118
Seat heating
*49, 50
Active seat ventilation
*50
15
Opening liftgate30, 33
Active seat
*51
PDC Park Distance Control
*88
Top View
*90
Rear view camera
*93
DSC Dynamic Stability 
Control95
DTC Dynamic Traction 
Control96
HDC Hill Descent Control97
Side View
*92 

iDrive
16
iDrive
iDrive combines the functions of a large number 
of switches. This allows these functions to be 
operated from a central position. The following 
section provides an introduction to basic menu navigation. The control of the individual func-
tions is described in connection with the rele-
vant equipment.
Controls
1Control Display
2Controller with buttons
You can use the buttons to open the menus 
directly. The controller can be used to 
select the menu items and create settings.
>Move in four directions, arrow 3
>Turn, arrow 4
>Push, arrow 5
To avoid posing an unnecessary hazard 
due to inattention, both to your own vehi-
cle's occupants and to other road users: never 
attempt to use the controls or make entries 
unless traffic and road conditions allow.< 

At a glance
 17Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Buttons on the controller
Operating principle
From radio readiness, refer to page58, the fol-
lowing message is shown on the Control Dis-
play:
To hide the message:
Press the controller.
The main menu is displayed.
The message is automatically hidden after 
approx. 10 seconds.
Opening the main menu
Press  button.
The main menu is displayed.All iDrive functions can be accessed via the 
main menu.
Selecting a menu item
The menu items shown in white can be 
selected.
1.Turn the controller until the desired menu 
item is highlighted.
2.Press the controller.
A new menu is displayed or the function is exe-
cuted.
ButtonFunction
MENU Open the main menu
RADIO Open the Radio menu
CD Open the CD/Multimedia menu
NAV Open the Navigation menu
TEL Open the Telephone menu
BACK Display the previous menu
OPTION Open the Options menu