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the closing process is interrupted and the glass 
sunroof opens all the way.
Despite the pinch protection system, 
inspect the sunroof's travel path prior to 
closing it, as the safety system might fail to 
detect certain kinds of obstructions, such as 
very thin objects, and the sunroof would con-
tinue closing.<
Closing without pinch protection 
system
When there is danger outside the vehicle, pro-
ceed as follows:
1.Slide the switch forward past the resistance 
point and hold it there. The pinch protection 
system is limited and the sunroof opens 
slightly if the closing force exceeds a certain 
value.
2.Within about 4 seconds, slide the switch 
forward again beyond the resistance point 
and hold it there. The roof closes without 
the pinch protection system.
Following interruptions in electrical 
power supply
After a power loss, the sunroof may only 
respond to the raise command. Then have the 
system initialized. BMW recommends having 
this work carried out by your BMW Sports 
Activity Vehicle Center. 

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Seats
Note before adjusting
Never attempt to adjust or calibrate your 
seat while the vehicle is moving. The seat 
could respond with unexpected movement, and 
the ensuing loss of vehicle control could lead to 
an accident.
Never adjust manually adjustable seats while 
the vehicle is moving, as otherwise the restrain-
ing effect of these seats during accidents could 
be reduced.
Also on the passenger side, do not incline the 
backrest too far to the rear while the vehicle is 
being driven, otherwise there is a danger in the 
event of an accident of sliding under the safety 
belt, eliminating the protection normally pro-
vided by the belt.<
Also observe the information on damage to 
safety belts on page49 and on the height of the 
head restraints on page45.
Adjusting manually*
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, 
observe the adjustment instructions on 
page42.<
Pull the lever and slide the seat to the desired 
position. After you release the lever, move the 
seat forward or backward slightly so that it 
engages fully.
Thigh support*
Pull the lever and adjust the thigh support in the 
longitudinal direction.
Adjusting electrically
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, 
observe the adjustment instructions on 
page42.<
1Longitudinal direction
2Height
3Seat tilt
4Backrest
Differs depending on seat: 

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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. 

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Active seat*
The seat cushion is actively varied by alter-
nately raising and lowering the right and left half 
of the seat cushion. This reduces muscular ten-
sion and fatigue to help prevent lower back 
pain.
Press the button to switch on; the LED lights 
up.
The action of the system is reduced and if need 
be, switched off in order to reduce the load on 
the battery. The LED remains lit.
If you switch off the active seat, it can take up 
to 1 minute before the two halves of the seat 
cushion have returned to their initial position.
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The mirror on the passenger's side is 
more curved than the driver's mirror. 
Objects reflected in the mirror are closer than 
they appear. Do not estimate the distance of 
following traffic based on what you see in the 
mirrors; otherwise, there is an increased risk of 
accident.<1Adjusting
2Switching to the other mirror or to the auto-
matic curb monitor
3Folding mirrors in and out
*
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat, mir-
ror and steering wheel memory on page44.
Adjusting manually
The mirrors can also be adjusted manually: 
press the edge of the glass.
Folding mirrors in and out*
Pressing button3 allows you to fold the mirrors 
in and out again up to a speed of approx. 
12 mph/20 km/h. This is advantageous, for 
example, in car washes, narrow streets or for 
bringing mirrors that have been manually folded 
in back into the correct position.
Folded in mirrors fold out again at a speed of 
approx. 25 mph/40 km/h.
Before going through a car wash, fold the 
mirrors in manually, or with button3, oth-
erwise they could be damaged, depending on 
the width of the car wash system.<
Automatic heating
Below a certain outdoor temperature, both 
exterior mirrors are automatically heated when 
the motor is running or the ignition is switched 
on. 

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Child seat security
The rear safety belts
>BMW X5: all safety belts of the 2nd and 
3rd
* row seats
>BMW X6: all safety belts of the 2nd row 
seats
And the safety belt for the front passenger can 
be locked to prevent extension in order to per-
mit attachment of child restraint devices.
Locking safety belt
1.Secure the child restraint device with the 
belt.
2.Pull out the belt webbing completely.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in and 
pull taut against the child restraint device. 
The safety belt is locked.
Unlocking safety belt
1.Open the belt buckle.
2.Remove the child restraint device.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in com-
pletely.
LATCH child restraint fixing 
system
LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for CHil-
dren.
Follow the system manufacturer's 
instructions on installation and use of 
LATCH child restraint devices; otherwise, their 
protective function may be reduced.
system.
Make sure that the LATCH mounts have 
properly clicked into place and that the 
child restraint device is resting snugly against 
the backrest. Otherwise, the protective action 
may be reduced.<
The mounts for the LATCH anchors are located 
at the points indicated by the arrows.
Child restraint device with tether strap
Only use the top tether mounting points 
to secure child restraint devices, other-
wise the mounting points could be damaged.
Do not mount child restraint devices on the 
3rd row seats in the BMW X5; otherwise the 
protection provided by these child restraint 
devices may be reduced.<
BMW X5
There are three additional mounting points for 
child restraint devices with a tether strap on the 
2nd row seats, refer to arrows. Fold out before 
using the center mounting point. 

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The ignition switches off automatically* if the 
driver's door is opened. Pressing the Start/Stop 
button again switches the ignition back on.
For example, the ignition is not switched off in 
the following situations:
>The brakes are actuated
>The low beams are switched on
Starting engine
Do not run the engine in enclosed areas, 
otherwise the inhalation of toxic exhaust 
gases can cause loss of consciousness and 
death. The exhaust gases contain carbon mon-
oxide, an odorless and colorless, but highly 
toxic gas. 
Never leave an unattended vehicle with the 
engine running, as such a vehicle represents a 
potential safety hazard. 
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, always 
engage transmission position N or P and set the 
parking brake before leaving the vehicle with 
the engine running.<
Do not allow the engine to warm up by leaving it 
running while the vehicle remains stationary. 
Instead, begin to drive at a moderate engine 
speed.
The engine starts when you depress the 
brake pedal while pressing the Start/Stop 
button.<
Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion or repeated starting attempts in 
which the engine does not start. Otherwise, the 
fuel is not burned or inadequately burned and 
there is a danger of overheating and damaging 
the catalytic converter.
1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Press the Start/Stop button.
The system responds by automatically engag-
ing the starter for a certain period and automat-
ically disengaging it as soon as the engine 
starts.
Diesel engine
When the engine is cold and at temperatures 
below approx. 327/06 the starting process 
may be somewhat delayed due to automatic 
preglowing. The preglowing indicator lamp in 
the instrument panel lights up. A message 
appears on the Control Display.
Switching off engine
When leaving the vehicle, always take 
along the remote control. 
Set the parking brake firmly when parking; oth-
erwise, the vehicle could roll.<
Procedure
1.Engage transmission position P with the 
vehicle stationary.
2.Press the Start/Stop button.
3.Set the parking brake.
4.Remove the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page58.
Before driving into a car wash
The vehicle can roll if you proceed according to 
the following steps: 

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Automatic Hold
The concept
This function assists you as you drive by auto-
matically setting and releasing the parking 
brake, e.g. when you are stopped at a traffic sig-
nal or in stop-and-go traffic. 
When Automatic Hold is activated, the vehicle is 
automatically held in place when standing. 
When driving up inclines, the system prevents 
your vehicle from rolling backward in an undes-
ired way.
After the engine is started, the system can be 
activated and deactivated at any time the 
driver's seat is occupied until the next time the 
engine is switched off.
Activating
Press the button. The LED in the button lights 
up and the indication AUTO H appears in the 
instrument panel.
Automatic Hold is activated.
If the vehicle is being held by Automatic 
Hold, the indicator light in the instru-
ment panel also lights up in green.
Indicator lamp on Canadian models.
Deactivating
Press the button again, the LED in the button 
and the indication AUTO H in the instrument 
panel go out.
Automatic Hold is deactivated.
If the vehicle is being held by Automatic Hold, 
then press on the brake pedal to deactivate it.When the parking brake is set manually, refer to 
page60, Automatic Hold is automatically deac-
tivated.
Driving
With Automatic Hold activated, the vehicle is 
automatically prevented from rolling after it 
comes to a stop.
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
panel lights up in green.
Indicator lamp on Canadian models.
If the transmission is in a drive position, simply 
press on the gas pedal to begin driving. The 
brake is automatically released and the indica-
tor lamp goes out.
Before driving into the car wash, deacti-
vate Automatic Hold; otherwise, the park-
ing brake will be automatically set after stop-
ping and the vehicle can no longer roll.<
Parking
If the vehicle is being held by Automatic Hold 
and you switch off the motor, the parking brake 
is automatically set.
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
panel changes from green to red.
Indicator lamp on Canadian models.
The parking brake is not set if you have 
already switched off the engine while the 
vehicle is rolling to a stop.
Automatic Hold is deactivated.<
You can manually release the parking brake 
even after switching off the motor as long as the 
remote control remains in the ignition lock, refer 
to page60. Use this function in car washes, for 
example.
When leaving the vehicle, always take 
along the remote control; this precaution 
prevents children from releasing the parking 
brake, for example.< 

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With the transmission position M/S 
selected, the manual mode remains 
active.<
>Upshifting: pull on one of the shifting pad-
dles, arrows +.
>Downshifting: press on one of the shifting 
paddles, arrows –.
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 
selected gear is briefly displayed in the instru-
ment panel, followed by the current gear.
Turn signals/headlamp 
flasher/high beams
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To switch off manually, press the lever up to the 
resistance point.Atypically rapid flashing of the indicator 
lamp indicates that a turn signal bulb 
needs to be replaced.<
Signaling briefly
Press lever to resistance point and hold for as 
long as you wish to signal.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever up to the resistance point. The 
turn signal flashes three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Triple turn signal"
 Triple turn signal activation is activated and 
is stored for the remote control currently in use.
Washer/wiper system
1Switching on wipers
2Switching off wipers or brief wipe
3Activating/deactivating intermittent wipe or 
the rain sensor
 
4Cleaning windshield and headlamps*