
14
At a glanceDashboard
Instrument cluster
1Speedometer
135i: with fuel gauge
2 Indicator lamps for turn signals
3 Indicator and warning lamps 15
4 Tachometer 76
5 Fuel gauge 76
135i: engine oil temperature 76
6 Display for
>Clock 75
> Outside temperature 75
> Indicator and warning lamps 847
Display for
>Position of automatic transmission 64
> Gear indicator of 7-gear Sport automatic 
transmission with double clutch 66
> Computer 77
> Date of next scheduled service, and 
remaining distance to be driven 80
> Odometer and trip odometer 75
> High-beam Assistant 102
> Checking the oil level 233
> Settings and information 79
8 Resetting the trip odometer 75
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41
Opening and closing
Controls
Convertible: window and convertible 
top operation
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond, 
you can open and close the windows and the 
convertible top when a remote control is 
located inside the vehicle.
Unlocking the trunk lid separately
Press the button on the ou
tside of the trunk lid.
This corresponds to pressing the  button. If the vehicle detects that a remote con-
trol has been accident ally left inside the 
locked vehicle after the trunk lid is closed, the 
lid will reopen. The haza rd warning flashers 
flash and a signal sounds. <
Switching on radio readiness
Pressing the Start/Stop button switches on 
radio readiness.
Do not depress the brake or the clutch; other-
wise, the engine will start immediately.
Starting the engine
The engine can be started or the ignition can be 
switched on when a remote  control is inside the 
vehicle. It is not necessa ry to insert a remote 
control into the ignition lock, refer to page 61.
Switching off the engine in cars with 
automatic transmission
The engine can only be switched off when the 
selector lever is in po sition P, refer to page 63.
To switch the engine off when the selector lever 
is in position N, the remote control must be in 
the ignition lock.
Malfunctions
Local radio waves can in terfere with the func-
tion of Comfort Access, for example when a 
mobile phone is in the immediate vicinity of the 
remote control or by when a mobile phone is 
being charged in the vehicle. If this happens, open and close the vehicle via 
the buttons on the remote control or using the 
integrated key. To star
t the engine afterward, 
insert the remote control  into the ignition lock.
Warning lamps
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up when you attempt to 
start the engine: the engine cannot 
be started. The remote co ntrol is not inside the 
vehicle or is malfunctio ning. Take the remote 
control with you inside  the vehicle or have it 
checked. If necessary, insert another remote 
control into the ignition lock.
The warning lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up wh ile the engine is 
running: the remote control is no 
longer inside the vehicle. After the engine is 
switched off, the engine can only be restarted 
within approx. 10 seconds.
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster comes on and a message 
appears on the Control Display: 
replace the battery in  the remote control.
Replacing the battery
The remote control for Comfort Access con-
tains a battery that will need to be replaced from 
time to time.
1. Take the integrated ke y out of the remote 
control, refer to page 32.
2. Remove the cover.
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61
Driving
Controls
Driving
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.
Ignition lock
Insert the remote control into the 
ignition lock
Insert the remote contro l all the way into the 
ignition lock.
> Radio readiness is switched on.
Individual electrical consumers can operate.
Comfort Access
If the car is equipped with Comfort Access, only 
insert the remote control  into the ignition lock 
under special circumstances, refer to page 40.
Removing the remote control from the 
ignition lock
Do not forcibly pull the remote control out 
of the ignition lock as this may cause 
damage. < Before removing the remote control, push it all 
the way in to release 
the locking mechanism.
> The ignition is switched off if it was on.
Automatic transmission
You cannot take out the  remote control unless 
the selector lever is in  the P position: interlock.
Start/Stop button
Pressing the Start/Stop button switches radio 
readiness or the ignition on or off.
Manual transmission: if you press the 
Start/Stop button and depress the clutch, 
the engine starts.
Automatic transmission and Sport automatic 
transmission with doub le clutch: when you 
press the Start/Stop button and depress the 
brake pedal, the engine starts. <
Radio readiness
Individual electrical consumers can operate. 
The time and the outside temperature are 
displayed in the instrument cluster.
Radio readiness is switched off automatically:
> When the remote control is removed from 
the ignition lock
> In cars with Comfort  Access, by touching 
the surface above the door lock, refer to 
Locking on page 40
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62
ControlsDriving
Ignition on
All electrical consumers can operate. The 
odometer and trip odometer are displayed in 
the instrument cluster.
When the engine is off, please switch 
off the ignition and any unnecessary 
electrical consumers in order to preserve the 
battery. <
Radio readiness and ignition off
All indicator and warnin g lamps as well as 
displays in the instrument cluster go out.
Starting the engine
Do not run the engine in enclosed areas; 
otherwise, the inhalati on 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; otherwise, such a 
vehicle represents a po tential safety hazard.
Before leaving the car with the engine running, 
place the transmission in  neutral or move the 
selector lever to positi on P and forcefully apply 
the parking brake to prevent the car from 
moving. <
Do not wait for the engine to warm up while the 
vehicle remains stationary. Start driving right 
away, but at moderate engine speeds. Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion as well as repeated start attempts in 
which the engine does no t start. Otherwise, the 
fuel is not burned or  incompletely burned and 
there is a danger of overheating and damaging 
the catalytic converter. <
Manual transmission
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with 
Comfort Access, inside the vehicle, refer to 
page40.
1. Depress the brake.
2. Depress the clutch an d shift into neutral.
3. Press the Start/Stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain 
time, and stops automatically as soon as the 
engine has started.
Automatic transmission
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with 
Comfort Access, inside the vehicle, refer to 
page 40.
1. Depress the brake.
2. Move the selector lever to position P.
3. Press the Start/Stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain 
time, and stops automatically as soon as the 
engine has started.
Sport automatic transmission with 
double clutch
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with 
Comfort Access, inside the vehicle, refer to 
page 40.
1. Depress the brake.
2. Press the Start/Stop button.
The engine starts independent of the current 
transmission position.
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63
Driving
Controls
Switching off the engine
When leaving the vehicle, always take 
along the remote control; this precaution 
prevents children from starting the engine, for 
example. <
When parking, apply the parking brake 
forcefully; otherwise, the vehicle could 
begin to roll. On steep uphill and downhill 
inclines, also secure th e vehicle by turning the 
wheels toward the curb, for example.<
Manual transmission
1. With the car at a standstill, press the 
Start/Stop button.
2. Shift into first  gear or reverse.
3. Forcefully apply  the parking brake.
4. Removing the remote  control from the 
ignition lock, refer to page 61.
Automatic transmission
1.With the car at a stan dstill, move the selec-
tor lever to position P.
2. Press the Start/Stop button.
3. Forcefully apply  the parking brake.
4. Removing the remote  control from the 
ignition lock, refer to page 61.
Sport automatic transmission with 
double clutch
1.With the car at a standstill, press the 
Start/Stop button.
If the transmission is  shifted into N when 
the engine is switched off, you will be 
notified visually and acoustically of this 
fact.
2. Forcefully apply  the parking brake.
3. Remove remote contro l from the ignition 
lock, refer to page 61. The transmission is 
automatically shifted  into transmission 
position P.
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it 
brakes the rear wheels.
Also follow the instructions on page 63, under 
Switching off the engine.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp is lit, and when you 
drive off a signal sounds in addition. 
The parking brake is still applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in po sition automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and 
lower the lever.
In exceptional cases, if the parking brake 
has to be used to slow or stop the car, do 
not pull the lever up too hard. In doing so, con-
tinuously press the button of the parking brake 
lever. 
Otherwise, excessive force on the parking 
brake can lock up the rear wheels and cause the 
rear of the car to swerve. <
To prevent corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing action, occasionally apply the parking 
brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly coming 
to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the park-
ing brake is applied. <
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66
ControlsDriving
>To upshift, briefly pull the right shift 
paddle +.
> To downshift, briefly pull the left shift 
paddle –.
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
If the selector lever will not 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. Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2. Pull the sleeve up over  the selector lever 
until the sleeve is inside out.
3. Using the screwdriver from the onboard 
vehicle tool kit, refer to page 243, press the 
red lever, see arrow, while moving the 
selector lever to the desired position.
7-gear Sport automatic 
transmission with double 
clutch
The concept
The 7-gear Sport automatic transmission with 
double clutch is an automated manual trans-
mission with two clutches and secondary gear 
sets in which the clutching and shifting is 
handled by an electr ohydraulic 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.
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68
ControlsDriving
D Drive mode
In Drive mode, all forward gears are shifted 
automatically.
Kickdown
For sudden acceleration maneuvers such as 
passing, depress the accelerator past the resis-
tance point. This prov ides maximum accelera-
tion.
Sport program and manual operation 
M/S
Push selector lever towa rd the left from the 
selector lever position D, the Sport program is 
activated. This position is recommended for a 
performance-oriented driving style.
The engaged gear, e.g. S1, is displayed in the 
instrument cluster.
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.
In the following situat ions, the 7-gear Sport 
automatic transmission with double clutch 
does the thinking for you:
> Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a plausible combina-
tion of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for 
example, a downshift that could cause the 
engine to overrev will not be executed by 
the system.
> At a stop, the transmission is automatically 
shifted down to the first gear. >
Shortly before the spee d falls below a gear-
dependent minimum speed, the transmis-
sion automatically down shifts without your 
intervention.
Quick downshifting: even in sequential mode, 
you can skip over several gears in order to 
achieve an optimum acceleration. To do so, 
depress the accelerator past the resistance 
point.
To return to automatic  mode, push the selector 
lever to the right.
Gear shifting
Upshift or downshift usin g the selector lever or 
the shift paddles. You do  not need to lift your 
foot off the accelerator when doing so.
Using the selector lever
> To upshift, pull the sele ctor lever toward the 
rear.
> To downshift, push it toward the front.
Using the shift paddl es on the steering 
wheel
You can also shift manua lly using two shift pad-
dles on the steering wheel. The shift paddles 
allow you to shift gear s quickly since both 
hands 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 
position D.
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74
ControlsDriving
Increasing speed
Briefly press the lever, arrow  1, until the desired 
speed is reached.
Each time the lever is pr essed briefly, the speed 
is increased by approx. 1 mph/1 km/h.
Accelerating using the lever
Press the lever, arrow  1, until the desired speed 
is reached.
The vehicle accelerates without pressure on 
the accelerator pedal. The system stores and 
maintains the speed.
Decreasing speed
Repeatedly pull the lever, arrow 2, until the 
desired speed is reached.
The functions here are the same as for increas-
ing the speed or accelera ting, except that the 
speed will be decreased.
Deactivating cruise control
Push the lever briefly  upwards or downwards, 
arrow 3.
In addition, the system is automatically 
deactivated:
> When the brakes are applied.
> When the clutch of the manual transmission 
is engaged or the transmission is shifted 
into neutral.
> When the automatic transmission selector 
lever is moved into th e neutral position N.
> When the selector lever of the sport auto-
matic transmission with double clutch is 
moved into the neutral position N.
> When the vehicle travels faster or slower 
than the set speed for  an extended period, 
e.g. when the accelerator is depressed.
> When DSC is intervening.
Resuming a previously stored speed
Press the button, arrow 4.
The last stored speed is resumed and 
maintained.
The stored speed is briefly displayed in the 
instrument cluster.
The stored speed is cleared when the ignition is 
switched off.
Display in the instrument cluster
When the speed at which the vehicle is traveling 
is stored or when a stored speed is called up, 
the speed is briefly disp layed in the instrument 
cluster.
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