
Controls
 47Reference
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BMW X5: rear seats and 3rd row seats*, 
adjusting height
>To raise: pull up.
>To lower: press the button, arrow1, and 
push the head restraint downward.
In vehicles equipped with 3rd row seats, the 
height of the middle head restraint is not adjust-
able.
Removing
1.Pull the head restraint upward to the stop.
2.Press the button, arrow1, and pull the head 
restraint all the way out.
BMW X5: rear seats
2nd row seats
With a divided* row of seats you can adjust 
both sides individually.
Never adjust the 2nd row seats while the 
vehicle is moving, as otherwise the pas-
sengers on the 3rd row seats could be injured.
Make sure that the locking devices of the 2nd 
row seats engage properly. Otherwise the 
restraining effect of the safety belts during an 
accident could be reduced.<
Longitudinal direction*
1.Pull the lever and slide the seat into the 
desired position.
2.Release the lever and move the seat slightly 
forward or back so that it engages properly.
Backrest*
The backrests can be adjusted in four steps.
Pull the lever and apply weight to or remove 
weight from the backrest as needed.
Access to 3rd row seats*
Pull the lever and fold the seat forward.
The handle recess on the interior trim of 
the door pillar makes climbing in easier.<
When folding back the 2nd row seats, 
make sure that the footwell under the 
2nd row seats is clear. Otherwise persons in the  

Controls
 49Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
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Navigation
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Mobility
appears on the Control Display. Please check 
whether the safety belt is correctly fastened.
The safety belt reminder is operative at speeds 
above approx. 5 mph/8 km/h. It can also be acti-
vated if objects are placed on the passenger 
seat.
Releasing
1.Grasp the belt firmly.
2.Press the red button in the buckle.
3.Guide the belt into its reel.
The shoulder strap's anchorage point will be 
correct for adult seat occupants of every build if 
the seat is correctly adjusted, refer to page43.
BMW X5: the two rear safety belt buckles inte-
grated into the rear seat are for passengers sit-
ting on the left and right. The belt buckle 
embossed with the word CENTER is intended 
exclusively for use by passengers riding in the 
center position.
Damage to safety belts
In the event of loads caused by accidents 
or other damage: replace the belt system 
including the safety belt tensioners and any 
child restraint devices, and have the belt anchor 
points checked. Only have this work carried out 
at a BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or at a 
workshop that works according to BMW repair 
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel. Otherwise correct operation of this 
safety equipment is not guaranteed.<
Belt-force limiter
The effect of the belt-force limiter on the 
driver's seat is dependent on the position of the 
driver's seat.
To maintain the long-term accuracy of this 
function, the driver's seat must be calibrated if a 
corresponding message is displayed on the 
Control Display.
Calibrating driver's seat
The warning lamp lights up. A mes-
sage also appears on the Control Dis-play. Please calibrate the driver's seat.
1.Move the driver's seat forward until it stops.
2.Move the driver's seat forward again. It 
briefly moves toward the front in the pro-
cess.
3.Set the desired seating position again.
The calibration is completed when the message 
on the Control Display disappears. Should this 
message continue to be displayed, repeat the 
calibration. If the message does not disappear 
even after repeated calibration, have the sys-
tem checked as soon as possible.
Never carry out calibration while the vehi-
cle is moving, as this can cause accidents.
Make sure that no persons or objects become 
wedged during the calibration process, as this 
can cause injuries or damage.<
Seat heating*
Front
The temperature setting progresses one step 
through its control sequence each time you 
press the button. The maximum temperature is 
supplied when three LEDs are lit.
To switch off: press the button longer.
T h e  t e m p e r a t u r e  i s  r e d u c e d ,  i f  n e e d  b e ,  d o w n  t o  
no heat in order to reduce the load on the bat-
tery. The LEDs remain lit. 

Adjusting
50
Rear
Operation similar to front seat heating; without 
temperature distribution.
Active seat ventilation* and 
seat heating*
Front
1Seat heating
2Active seat ventilation
Press button1 or 2 once depending on the 
temperature or ventilation position. The LED in 
the respective button lights up.
The temperature and ventilation levels are dis-
played in bar form on the Control Display. A dis-
play of three bars indicates the highest level of 
seat heating or seat ventilation.
The air quantity is reduced and if need be, the 
ventilation is switched off in order to reduce the 
load on the battery. The LEDs remain lit.
To switch off: press button1 or 2 longer.
Temperature distribution without 
active seat ventilation
The heat output can be distributed variously in 
the seat cushion and the backrest.1.Press the button1.
2.Select "Seat heating distribution" and 
press the controller.
3.Turn the controller to adjust the distribu-
tion.
The setting is applied.
Temperature distribution with active 
seat ventilation
The heat output can be distributed variously in 
the seat cushion and the backrest.
1.Press button1.
2.Select "Seat heating distribution" and 
press the controller.
3.Turn the controller to adjust the distribu-
tion.
The setting is applied.
Heated rear seats
Operation similar to front seat heating; without 
temperature distribution, refer to page49. 

Driving
60 1.With Comfort Access
*: insert the remote 
control into the ignition lock.
2.Depress brake pedal.
3.Engage transmission position N.
4.Release the parking brake or deactivate 
Automatic Hold.
5.Switch off the engine.
Transmission position P will be engaged:
>Automatically after approx. 30 minutes
>If you remove the remote control from the 
ignition lock
Parking brake
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with an electromechan-
ical parking brake.
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked.
You can use the parking brake in two ways:
>Manually, by pulling and pushing the button
>Automatically, by activating Automatic 
Hold, refer to page61
With the engine stopped, the parking brake acts 
on the rear wheels via an electromechanical 
system. When the engine is running, the park-
ing brake acts on the disc brakes of the front 
and rear wheels via the brake hydraulics.
Setting manually
Pull button. The parking brake is set.
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
panel lights up red. The parking brake is 
set.Indicator lamp on Canadian models.
The remote control does not have to be 
inserted into the ignition lock for the parking 
brake to be set.
While driving
If exceptional circumstances should make it 
necessary to set the parking brake while the 
vehicle is in motion, pull on the button longer:
The vehicle continues to brake forcefully for as 
long as you pull on the button.
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
panel lights up red, a chime sounds and 
the brake lamps light up.
Indicator lamp on Canadian models.
As soon as you brake the vehicle almost to a 
stop, i.e., down to a speed of approx. 2 mph/
3 km/h or below, the parking brake remains set.
Releasing manually
Press the button with the brake depressed.
The indicator lamp  in the instrument 
panel goes out.
Indicator lamp on Canadian models.
When leaving the vehicle, always take 
along the remote control; this precaution 
prevents children from releasing the parking 
brake, for example.< 

Driving
66 5Setting interval for intermittent wipe or sen-
sitivity of rain sensor
Switching on wipers
Pull the lever upward, arrow1.
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once. 
The system reverts to operation in the intermit-
tent mode with the vehicle stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance 
point. 
The system reverts to normal speed with the 
vehicle stationary.
Intermittent wipe or rain sensor
With the rain sensor, the wiper operation is con-
trolled automatically as a function of the rain 
intensity. The rain sensor is located on the 
windshield, directly in front of the interior rear-
view mirror.
Activating intermittent operation or 
rain sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the but-
ton lights up.
Setting interval for intermittent wipe or 
sensitivity of rain sensor
Turn the thumbwheel5.
Deactivating intermittent operation or 
rain sensor
Press the button again, arrow3. The LED goes 
out.
Deactivate the rain sensor when passing 
through an automatic car wash. Failure to 
do so could result in damage caused by undes-
ired wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
Pull the lever, arrow4.
The system sprays washer fluid against the 
windshield and activates the wipers for a brief 
period.
When the vehicle lighting system is switched 
on, the headlamps are also cleaned at regular 
and appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washers if there is any 
danger that the fluid will freeze on the 
windshield. If you do so, your vision could be 
obscured. To avoid freezing, use a washer fluid 
antifreeze, refer to Washer fluid. Do not use 
washing mechanisms when the washer fluid 
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage 
the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
Both windshield washer nozzles are automati-
cally heated with the engine running or the igni-
tion switched on.
BMW X5: rear window wiper
1Intermittent mode. When reverse gear is 
engaged, continuous operation is switched 
on automatically
2Cleaning the rear window 

Controls
 89Reference
At a glance
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Navigation
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Mobility
>After approx. 165 ft/50 m when driving for-
ward
>At speeds over approx. 25 mph/35 km/h 
when driving forward
Switch the system back on as needed.
Switching on/off manually
Press the button.
>On: LED lights up
>Off: LED goes out
Signal tones
When nearing an object, the position is corre-
spondingly indicated by an interval tone. Thus, 
an object detected to the left rear of the vehicle 
will be indicated by a signal tone from the left 
rear speaker, etc.
The shorter the distance to the object 
becomes, the shorter the intervals become.
If the distance to the nearest object falls to 
below roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a continuous 
tone sounds.
If objects are present both in front of and behind 
the vehicle, then an alternating, continuous 
tone sounds.
An intermittent tone is interrupted after approx. 
3seconds:
>When the vehicle remains stationary in front 
of an object that has only been detected by 
one of the corner sensors
>When driving parallel to a wall
The signal tone is switched off:
>When the vehicle is more than approx. 
4.0 in/10 cm away from an object
>When the selector lever is in the P position
Volume
You can adjust the volume of the signal tone, 
refer to page87.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Optical warning
The approach to an object can be shown on the 
Control Display. Objects that are farther away 
are displayed on the Control Display before a 
signal tone sounds.
The display appears as soon as PDC is acti-
vated.
If the last image selected was the rear view 
camera, this is displayed again. To switch to 
PDC:
1.Select the   "Switch off rear view cam-
era" on the Control Display.
2.Press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Image on the Control Display
Switching on the rear view camera 
using iDrive
With PDC activated:
1.Select the   "Rear view camera" symbol.
2.Press the controller.
The image of the rear view camera is displayed. 
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
90
Malfunction
A Check Control message appears in the 
instrument panel, refer to page82.
The areas in front of and behind the vehicle 
appear in shaded form on the Control Display. 
PDC is malfunctioning. Have the system 
checked.
In order to assure full functionality:
>Keep sensors clean and free of ice.
>Do not spray the sensors with high-pres-
sure cleaners for long periods and keep the 
spray nozzle at least 12 in/30 cm away from 
them.
Surround View*
The concept
Surround View encompasses the following sys-
tems:
>Top View
*, refer to page90
>Side View
*, refer to page92
>Rear view camera
*, refer to page93
It provides assistance when parking and 
maneuvering and at blind driveways and inter-
sections.
Top View*
The concept
Top View assists you when parking and maneu-
vering. To accomplish this, the door region and 
road surface region are shown on the Control 
Display.
Detection
Detection is carried out by two cameras inte-
grated into the exterior mirror and the rear view 
camera.
The range is:
>Approx. 7 ft/2 m to the side
>Approx. 7 ft/2 m to the rear
Obstacles up to the height of the exterior mir-
rors are thus detected in a timely fashion.
System limitations
In the following situations, the function of Top 
View is limited:
>When a door is open
>When the liftgate is open
>When the exterior mirrors are folded in
>Under poor lighting conditions
The arrows next to the vehicle are displayed in a 
shaded form on the Control Display and a sym-
bol appears at the corresponding location on 
the vehicle.
Also make a direct visual check of the 
traffic situation around the vehicle. Other-
wise, there could be a risk of accident, for exam-
ple due to other road users or objects outside 
the image range of the camera.<
Automatic activation
With the engine running or the ignition switched 
on, shift the selector lever into position R.
The images from Top View and PDC are dis-
played when the system has been switched on 
using iDrive.
Automatic deactivation
The system switches off and the LED goes out:
>After approx. 165 ft/50 m when driving for-
ward
>At speeds over approx. 25 mph/35 km/h 
when driving forward
Switch the system back on as needed. 

Controls
 91Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Switching on/off manually
Press the button.
>On: LED lights up.
>Off: LED goes out.
If Top View is displayed, switch o n the rea r vie w 
camera using iDrive, refer to page95.
Optical warning
The approach to an object can be shown on the 
Control Display.
When the distance to an object is small, the 
PDC display correspondingly shows a red bar in 
front of the vehicle.
The display appears as soon as Top View is 
activated.
If the last image selected was the rear view 
camera, this is displayed again. To switch to 
Top View:
1.Select the   "Switch off rear view cam-
era" on the Control Display.
2.Press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Image on the Control Display
Switching on the rear view camera 
using iDrive
With Top View activated:
1.Select the   "Rear view camera" symbol.
2.Press the controller.
The image of the rear view camera is displayed. 
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Brightness
With Top View switched on:
1.Select the  symbol.
2.Turn the controller until the desired setting 
is displayed and then press the controller.
Contrast
With Top View switched on:
1.Select the  symbol.
2.Turn the controller until the desired setting 
is displayed and then press the controller.
Displaying turning lines and pathway 
lines
>The static, red turning line shows the lateral 
space required when the wheel is fully 
turned.
>The variable, green pathway lines assist you 
in estimating the amount of lateral space 
actually required.
The pathway lines depend on the current 
steering angle and are continuously 
adapted to movements of the steering 
wheel.
1.Select the  symbol.
2.Press the controller.
Turning lines and pathway lines are displayed.