Pull the switch and hold it. The vehicle brakes
hard while the switch is being pulled.
The indicator lamp lights up red, a sig‐
nal sounds and the brake lamps light
up.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian
models.
If the vehicle is braked to a speed of approx.
2 mph/3 km/h, the parking brake remains set.
Releasing
With the ignition switched on:
Manual transmission: Press the switch
while the brake or clutch pedal is
pressed.
Automatic transmission: Press the switch while the brake is pressed or transmission po‐
sition P is engaged.
The LED and indicator lamp go out.
The parking brake is released.
Automatic Release in cars with
automatic transmission
For automatic release, operate the accelerator
pedal.
The LED and indicator lamp go out.
Subject to the following requirements, the
parking brake is automatically released by op‐
eration of the accelerator pedal:▷Engine on.▷Drive position engaged.▷Driver buckled in and doors closed.
Inadvertent operation of the accelerator
pedal
Make sure that the accelerator pedal is not op‐
erated unintentionally; otherwise, the vehicle is
set in motion and there is a risk of an acci‐
dent.◀
Automatic release for manual
transmission
Drive off as usual. The parking brake disen‐
gages when the clutch pedal is released.
The LED and indicator lamp go out.
Under the following conditions, the parking
brake is automatically released:▷Engine on.▷Gear engaged.▷Driver buckled in and doors closed.▷Engine power is sufficient to drive off.
Inadvertent operation of the clutch pedal
Make sure that the clutch pedal is not
operated unintentionally; otherwise, the vehi‐
cle is set in motion when the clutch is released,
and there is a risk of an accident.◀
Automatic Hold
The concept
This system assists the driver by automatically
setting and releasing the brake, such as when
moving in stop-and-go traffic.
The vehicle is automatically held in place when
it is stationary.
On inclines, the system prevents the vehicle
from rolling backward when driving away.
For your safety
Under the following conditions, Automatic
Hold is automatically deactivated and the park‐
ing brake is set:
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▷The engine is switched off.▷A door is opened and driver's safety belt is
unbuckled while the vehicle is stationary.▷The moving vehicle is brought to a stand‐
still using the parking brake.
The indicator lamp switches from
green to red and the letters AUTO H go out.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian
models.
Leaving the vehicle with the engine run‐
ning
Before leaving the vehicle with the engine run‐
ning, engage position P of the automatic trans‐
mission and ensure that the parking brake is
set. Otherwise, the vehicle may begin to roll.◀
Activating This function can be activated when the driv‐
er's door is closed and the safety belt is fas‐
tened, and while driving.
Press the button.
The LED and the letters AUTO H light
up.
The indicator lamp lights up.
Automatic Hold is activated.
Deactivating Press the button again.
The LED and the letters AUTO H go
out.
Automatic Hold is deactivated.
If the vehicle is being held by Automatic Hold,
press on the brake pedal to deactivate it.
When the parking brake is set manually, Auto‐
matic Hold is deactivated automatically.
Driving
Automatic Hold is activated: the vehicle is au‐
tomatically secured against rolling after brak‐
ing to a standstill.
The indicator lamp lights up green.
Step on the accelerator pedal to drive
off.
The brake is released automatically.
The indicator lamp goes out.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian mod‐
els
Before driving into a car wash
Before driving into the car wash, deacti‐
vate Automatic Hold; otherwise, the parking
brake will be set when the vehicle is stationary
and the vehicle will no longer be able to roll.◀
Parking The parking brake is automatically set if the
engine is switched off while the vehicle is be‐
ing held by Automatic Hold.
The indicator lamp changes from green
to red.
The parking brake is not set if the en‐
gine is switched off while the vehicle is coasting to a halt. Automatic Hold is
deactivated.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian mod‐
els
Automatic Hold remains activated during the
engine stop brought about by the Auto Start/
Stop function.
Take the remote control with you
Take the remote control with you when
leaving the vehicle so that children, for exam‐
ple, cannot release the parking brake.◀
Malfunction
In the event of a failure or malfunction of the
parking brake, secure the vehicle against roll‐Seite 69DrivingControls69
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Only keep it in the closed original container
and inaccessible to children.
Follow the notes and instructions on the con‐
tainer.
United States: The washer fluid mixture ratio is
regulated by the U.S. EPA and many individual
states; do not exceed the allowable washer
fluid dilution ratios limits that apply. Follow the
usage instructions on the washer fluid con‐
tainer. Use BMW’s Windshield Washer Con‐
centrate or the equivalent.◀
Washer fluid reservoir Adding washer fluid
Only add washer fluid when the engine is
cool, and then close the cover completely to
avoid contact between the washer fluid and
hot engine parts.
Otherwise, there is the danger of fire and a risk
to personal safety if the fluid is spilled.◀
All washer nozzles are supplied from one res‐
ervoir.
Fill with a mixture of windshield washer con‐
centrate and tap water and – if required – with a
washer antifreeze, according to the manufac‐
turer's recommendations.
Mix the washer fluid before adding to maintain
the correct mixing ratio.
Do not add windshield washer concentrate and
antifreeze undiluted and do not fill with pure
water; this could damage the wiper system.
Do not mix window washer concentrates of dif‐
ferent manufacturers, because otherwise it can
result in clogging of the windshield washer
nozzles.
For the capacity, refer to technical data.
Manual transmissionShifting Shifting into 5th or 6th gear
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, push
the gearshift lever to the right; otherwise inad‐
vertent shifting into the 3rd or 4th gear could
lead to engine damage.◀
Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
When the gearshift lever is pressed to the left,
a slight resistance needs to be overcome.
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic
Transmission positions
D Drive, automatic position Position for normal vehicle operation. All for‐
ward gears are available.
R is Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N is Neutral Use in automatic car washes, for example. The
vehicle can roll.
When the ignition is switched off, refer to
page 63, position P is engaged automatically.
P Park Select only when the vehicle is stationary. The
drive wheels are blocked.
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▷After the engine is switched off when the
vehicle is in radio ready state, refer to
page 64, or when the ignition is switched
off, refer to page 63, and when position R
or D is engaged.▷With the ignition is off, if position N is en‐
gaged.▷If the safety belt is unbuckled, the driver's
door is opened, and the brake pedal is not
pressed while the vehicle is stationary and
transmission position R or D is engaged.
Before exiting the vehicle, make sure that posi‐
tion P of the automatic transmission is en‐
gaged. Otherwise, the vehicle may begin to
roll.
Kickdown
Kickdown is used to achieve maximum driving
performance. Press on the gas pedal beyond
the resistance point at the full throttle position.
Engaging the transmission position
▷Transmission position P can only be disen‐
gaged if the engine is running and the
brake pedal is pressed.▷With the vehicle stationary, press on the
brake pedal before shifting out of P or N;
otherwise, the shift command will not be
executed: shift lock.
Depress the brake until you start
driving
To prevent the vehicle from creeping after
you select a driving position, maintain
pressure on the brake pedal until you are
ready to start.◀Engaging D, R and N
Briefly push the selector lever in the desired di‐
rection, beyond a resistance point if necessary.
After releasing the selector lever, it returns to
its center position.
Press unlock button, in order to:
▷Engage R.▷Shift out of P.
Engaging P
Press button P.
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Sport program and manual mode
Activating the sport program
Push the selector lever to the left out of trans‐
mission position D.
The engaged gear is displayed in the instru‐
ment cluster, e.g., S1.
The sport program of the transmission is acti‐
vated.
Activating the M/S manual mode
1.Push the selector lever to the left out of
transmission position D.2.Push the selector lever forward or pull it
backward.
Manual mode becomes active and the gear is
changed.
The engaged gear is displayed in the instru‐
ment cluster, e.g., M1.
Once maximum engine speed is attained, M/S
manual mode is automatically upshifted as
needed.
Switching to manual mode
▷To shift down: press the selector lever for‐
ward.▷To shift up: pull the selector lever rear‐
wards.
Gears will only be shifted at appropriate engine
and road speeds, e.g., downshifting is not pos‐
sible if the engine speed is too high.
The selected gear is briefly displayed in the in‐
strument cluster, followed by the current gear.
Not M550d xDrive: Sport automatic
transmission: prevent automatic
upshifting in M/S manual mode
For vehicles with Sport automatic transmis‐
sions, automatic shift operations are not per‐
formed, at maximum engine speed for exam‐
ple, if one of the following conditions is met:▷DSC deactivated.▷TRACTION activated.▷SPORT+ activated.
In addition, the kickdown is deactivated.
M550d xDrive: prevent automatic
upshifting in M/S manual mode
Once maximum engine speed is attained, up‐
shifting is not automatically performed in M/S
manual mode.
In addition, the kickdown is deactivated.
The lowest possible gear is selected by simul‐
taneously operating the kickdown and the left
shift paddle.
However, this effect is not produced via the
shift paddles when switching briefly from
transmission position D to manual mode.
Ending the sport program/manual
mode
Push the selector lever to the right.
D is displayed in the instrument cluster.
Shift paddles
The shift paddles on the steering wheel allow
you to shift gears quickly while keeping both
hands on the steering wheel.
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If the shift paddles on the steering wheel are
used to shift gears in automatic mode, the
transmission temporarily switches to manual
mode.
If the shift paddles are not used and the vehicle
is not accelerated for a certain time, the sys‐
tem switches back into automatic mode if the
selector lever is in transmission position D.▷Shift up: pull right shift paddle.▷Shift down: pull left shift paddle.
Gears will only be shifted at appropriate engine
and road speeds, e.g., downshifting is not pos‐
sible if the engine speed is too high.
The selected gear is briefly displayed in the in‐
strument cluster, followed by the current gear.
Shift lights in the instrument display
The concept Shift lights display the optimum shift point for
sport displays in the multifunction instrument
display. Thus, with a sporty driving style, the
best possible vehicle acceleration is achieved.
Display in the instrument display
▷Current engine speed is displayed in the
tachometer.▷Arrow 1: successive yellow illuminated
fields indicate the upcoming upshift mo‐
ment.▷Arrow 2: fields are illuminated in red. Do
not wait any further to shift.
When the maximum possible speed is
reached, the entire display flashes. When the
maximum speed is exceeded, the supply of
fuel is interrupted in order to protect the en‐
gine. Speeds in this range must be avoided.
Displays in the instrument cluster The transmission position is dis‐
played, e.g.: P.
Sport automatic transmission: launch
Control
The concept
Launch Control enables optimum acceleration
on surfaces with good traction.
Hints Component wear
Do not use Launch Control too often;
otherwise, this may result in premature wear of
components due to the high stress placed on
the vehicle.◀
Did not use Launch Control during the break-
in, refer to page 184, period.
To increase vehicle stability, activate DSC
again as soon as possible.
Requirements
Launch Control is available when the engine is
warmed up, that is, after uninterrupted driving
of at least 6 miles/10 km.
To start with Launch Control do not steer the
steering wheel.
Start with launch controlWhile the engine is running:1. Press button or select with the
Driving Dynamics Control Sport+.
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TRACTION is displayed in the instrument
cluster and the indicator lamp for DSC OFF
lights up.2.Engaging the transmission position S3.With the left foot, forcefully press down on
the brake.4.Press on the accelerator beyond the resist‐
ance point at the full throttle position.
A flag symbol appears in the instrument
cluster.5.The starting engine speed adjusts. Within
3 seconds, release the brake.
Before using Launch Control, allow the trans‐
mission to cool down for approx. 5 minutes.
Launch Control adjusts to the surrounding
conditions, e.g., wet pavement, when used
again.
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DisplaysVehicle equipmentAll standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equip‐ment is also described that is not available in a
vehicle, e. g., because of the selected optional
equipment or country variant. This also applies
for safety-related functions and systems.
Instrument cluster
Overview, instrument cluster
1Fuel gauge 862Speedometer3Indicator/warning lamps 844Tachometer 865Engine oil temperature 866Electronic displays 807Display/reset miles 87Seite 78ControlsDisplays78
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