
15
Dashboard
At a glance
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
Indicator and warning lamps can light up in a 
variety of combinations and colors.
Several of the lamps are checked for proper 
functioning and light up temporarily when the 
engine is started or the ignition is switched on.
Text messages
Text messages at the uppe
r edge of the Control 
Display explain the meaning of the displayed 
indicator and warning lamps.
Supplementary text messages
You can call up more information on the Control 
Display, e.g. on the cause of a malfunction and 
on how to respond, via Check Control, refer to 
page 84.
In urgent cases, this  information will be shown 
as soon as the corresponding lamp comes on.
Indicator lamps without text messages
The following indicator  lamps notify you that 
certain functions are active:
High beams/headlamp flasher 102
Fog lamps 103
Lamp flashes:
DSC or DTC is regulating the propul-
sive forces in order to maintain driving 
stability 90
Canada: parking brake applied 63
Parking brake applied 63
Canada: engine malfunction with 
adverse effect on emissions 238
Engine malfunction with adverse 
effect on emissions 238
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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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64
ControlsDriving
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, press 
the gearshift lever to  the right. Otherwise, 
the engine could be damaged if you inadvert-
ently shift into 3rd or 4th gear. <
Reverse gear
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary. 
When the gearshift lever is pressed to the left, a 
slight resistance has to be overcome.
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic
In addition to fully auto matic operation, you can 
also manually shift with  the Steptronic, refer to 
page 65.
Vehicle parking
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, 
always select position P and apply the 
parking brake before le aving the vehicle with 
the engine running. <
Disengaging the remote control
In order to remove the  remote control from the 
ignition lock, you must first move the selector 
lever to position P and  switch off the engine: 
interlock. Removing the remote control from 
the ignition lock, refer to page 61.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in the instrument cluster
The selector lever position is displayed and, in 
manual mode, the engaged gear, e.g. M4.
Changing selector  lever positions
>With the ignition switched on or the engine 
running, the selector  lever can be moved 
out of position P.
> Before moving the lever away from P or N 
with the vehicle statio nary, first depress the 
brake; otherwise, the selector lever will 
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping 
after you select a driving position, 
depress the brake until you are ready to 
start. <
A lock prevents inadvert ent shifting into the 
selector lever positions R and P. To release the 
lock, press the button on  the front of the selec-
tor lever, see arrow.
P Park
Select this only when th e vehicle is stationary. 
The transmission locks to prevent the drive 
wheels from turning.
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69
Driving
Controls
>
To upshift, briefly pull the right shift 
paddle +.
> To downshift, briefly pull the left shift 
paddle –.
Driving dynamics control
The driving dynamics control permits you, at 
the push of a button, to  have your BMW react in 
an even more sporty fashion when driving:
> Optimal use is made of the engine's speed 
range.
> Gear changes occur more quickly.
> The engine reacts more spontaneously to 
accelerator pe dal movements.
Activating the system
Press the SPORT button.
The LED in the button lights up.
Deactivating the system
>Press the SPORT button again
> Switch off the engine
The LED in the button goes out.
Manually unlocking parking lock
In the event of a power supply interrup-
tion such as a discharged or discon-
nected battery or an elec trical malfunction, the 
parking lock must be ma nually unlocked; other-
wise, the rear wheels are immobilized and the 
vehicle cannot be towed. <
Only unlock the parkin g lock manually for 
towing and make sure to  set the parking brake 
forcefully beforehand so  that the vehicle cannot 
roll. Lock the parking lock again after the vehicle 
is parked.
Releasing
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 allen wrench from the tool kit, 
refer to page 243, rotate the cover until it 
reaches the stop, arrow  1, and remove, 
arrow 2.
4. Insert allen wrench  into the opening, 
arrow 1.
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70
ControlsDriving
5.Rotate allen wrench  until it reaches the 
stop, arrow 2. The parking lock is unlocked.
Do not turn allen wrench in the oppo-
site direction; otherwise, you may 
damage the mechanism. <
6. Remove allen wrench  from the opening.
After parking the vehicle, lock the parking 
lock again. Otherwise, there is a danger 
that the vehicle will roll. <
Locking
1.Press the button, see arrow. 
The parking lock is locked again.
2. Replace cover again.
3. Clip the selector lever sleeve back into 
place.
4. Forcefully apply the parking brake.
Jump starting and towing, starting on 
page 251.
Launch Control
Launch Control enables  an optimum accelera-
tion when starting off on a road surface with 
good traction.
Do not use Launch Control too often; oth-
erwise, the powerful stresses on the vehi-
cle will lead to premature component wear. <
Launch Control is ready for use when the 
engine is at operating temperature, i.e. after 
uninterrupted travel of at least 6.2 miles/10 km.
1. With the engine running, step on the brake 
with your left foot.
2. Activate Dynamic Trac tion Control (DTC), 
refer to page 90.
3. Activate Driving dynami cs control, refer to 
page 69.
4. With the vehicle stationary, activate the 
manual mode and select 1
stgear.
5. With your right foot, push the accelerator 
pedal past the resistance point. The engine 
speed for pulling away  is adjusted. A flag 
symbol appears in the instrument cluster.
6. When you release the brake pedal, the vehi-
cle accelerates. Keep the accelerator pedal 
floored.
7. The upshifting occurs  automatically as long 
as you keep the accelerator pedal pressed 
past the resistance point.
Launch Control will be ready for use again after 
you drive a certain distance.
Launch Control is not available for use during 
the break-in phase, refer to page 124.
To maintain driving stability, keep DSC 
activated whenever possible. <
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90
ControlsTechnology for driving comfort and safety
In the same way as with  a differential interlock, 
even if DSC is deactivated, brake actions are 
still performed on the rear axle to enhance drive 
output if the drive whee ls experience a signifi-
cant loss of traction.
To increase vehicle stability, activate DSC again 
as soon as possible.
Activating DSC
Press the button again; th e indicator lamp in the 
instrument cluster goes out.
For better control
If the indicator lamp flashes: the DSC 
controls the driving and braking forces.
If the indicator lamp lights up: DSC and 
DTC have failed.
The indicator lamp lights up and 
DSC OFF is displayed in the instrument 
cluster: DSC is deactivated.
Dynamic Traction Control DTC
DTC is a version of DSC in which the drive out-
put is optimized for part icular road conditions, 
e.g. unplowed snow-covered roads. The sys-
tem assures the maximal drive output, but with 
reduced driving stability. It is therefore neces-
sary to drive with appropriate caution.
You may find it useful to briefly activate DTC 
under the following sp ecial circumstances:
> When driving uphill on snow-covered roads, 
in slush or on unplowed, snow-covered 
roads
> When rocking a stuck vehicle free or start-
ing off in deep snow or on loose ground
> When driving with snow chains
Activating DTC
Press the button; the indicator lamp for DSC 
OFF lights up and TRACTION is displayed in 
the instrument cluster.
For better control
If the indicator lamp flashes: DTC con-
trols the driving and braking forces.
If the indicator lamp lights up: DSC and 
DTC have failed.
The indicator lamp lights up and TRAC-
TION is displayed in the instrument 
cluster: DTC is activated.
Deactivating DTC
Press the button again; th e indicator lamp in the 
instrument cluster goes out.
Drive-off assistant
The drive-off assistant enables you to drive off 
smoothly on uphill gradients. It is not necessary 
to use the parking brake for this.
1. Hold the car in place by depressing the 
brake.
2. Release the brake and drive off without 
delay.
The drive-off assistant holds the car in 
place for approx. 2 seconds after the 
brake is released. Drive  off without delay after 
releasing the brake. Otherwise, the drive-off 
assistant will no longer hold the car in place 
after approx. 2 seconds and the car will start to 
roll backwards. <
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96
ControlsTechnology for driving comfort and safety
Active steering
The concept
Active steering varies the turning angle of the 
front wheels in relation to steering wheel move-
ments. It also varies the steering force required 
to turn the wheels depending on the speed at 
which you are driving.
When you are driving in the low speed range, 
e.g. in a town or when parking, the steering 
angle is increased, i.e.  steering becomes very 
direct and less effort is required to turn the 
wheels. In the higher speed range, on the other 
hand, the steering angle is reduced as the 
speed increases. This improves the handling of 
your BMW over the entire speed range.
In critical situations,  the system can make tar-
geted corrections to th e steering angle pro-
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehicle 
before the driver intervenes. This stabilizing 
intervention is simult aneously deactivated 
when DSC is switched off, refer to page 89.
Malfunction
The warning lamps come on. Active 
steering is malfunctioning or is tem-
porarily deactivate d. At low speeds, 
greater steering wheel movements 
are required, whereas at higher speeds the 
vehicle reacts more sensitively to steering 
wheel movements. Th e stability-enhancing 
feature may also be deactivated. Drive cau-
tiously and think well ahead.
Deactivation
Active steering is deacti vated to perform an ini-
tialization. A message indicates that the feature 
is deactivated. Initializ ation may take several 
minutes.
If the message does not disappear during the 
current trip, have the system checked.
Defect
If there is a defect, a corresponding text mes-
sage appears. Have the system checked.
Servotronic
The concept
The Servotronic varies the steering force 
required to turn the wh eels relative to the 
vehicle speed.
At low speeds, the steering force is strongly 
assisted, i.e. less force is needed for steering. 
As the vehicle speed increases, the steering 
assisting power is reduced.
This system functions automatically.
Malfunctions
The warning lamp lights up. A mes-
sage appears on the Control Display. 
Servotronic is malfunctioning or has 
failed. Steering response  will be different. You 
can continue your journey, but moderate your 
speed and exercise due caution. Have the 
system checked as soon as possible.
Brake Force Display
On the left: normal braking.
On the right: sharp braking.
When the rear fog lamps are switched on, the 
Brake Force Display is no t active and the illumi-
nated area for normal  braking is reduced by 
approximately half.
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