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 driver's
door is closed and the safety belt is fastened,
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 auto‐
matically secured against rolling after braking 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 modelsBefore driving into a car wash
Deactivate Automatic Hold; otherwise, the
parking brake will be set when the vehicle is sta‐
tionary and the vehicle will no longer be able to
roll.◀
Parking
The parking brake is automatically set if the en‐
gine is switched off while the vehicle is being
held by Automatic Hold.
The indicator lamp changes from green
to red.
The parking brake is not set if the engine
is switched off while the vehicle is coast‐
ing to a halt. Automatic Hold is deacti‐
vated.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian models
Automatic Hold remains activated during an en‐
gine 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 example,
cannot release the parking brake.◀
Malfunction
In the event of a failure or malfunction of the
parking brake, secure the vehicle against rolling
using a wheel chock, for example, when leaving
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Clean the windshield, headlamps
Pull the wiper lever.
The system sprays washer fluid on the wind‐
shield and activates the wipers briefly.
In addition, the headlamps are cleaned at regular
intervals when the vehicle lights are switched
on.
Do not use the washer system at freezing
temperatures
Do not use the washers if there is any danger
that the fluid will freeze on the windshield; oth‐
erwise, your vision could be obscured. For this
reason, use antifreeze.
Avoid using the washer when the reservoir is
empty; otherwise, you could damage the
pump.◀
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are automati‐
cally heated while the ignition is switched on.
Fold-out position of the wipers
Required when changing the wiper blades or
under frosty conditions, for example.
1.Switch the ignition on and off again.2.Under frosty conditions, ensure that the
wiper blades are not frozen onto the wind‐
shield.3.Press the wiper lever up beyond the point of
resistance and hold it for approx. 3 seconds,
until the wiper remains in a nearly vertical
position.After the wipers are folded back down, the wiper
system must be reactivated.
Fold the wipers back down
Before switching the ignition on, fold the
wipers back down to the windshield; otherwise,
the wipers may become damaged when they are
switched on.◀1.Switch on the ignition.2.Press the wiper levers down. The wipers
move to their resting position and are ready
for operation.
Washer fluid
General information Antifreeze for washer fluid
Antifreeze is flammable and can cause in‐
jury if it is used incorrectly.
Therefore, keep it away from sources of ignition.
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 container. Use
BMW’s Windshield Washer Concentrate 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.◀
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All washer nozzles are supplied from one reser‐
voir.
Fill with a mixture of windshield washer concen‐
trate and water and – if required – with a washer
antifreeze, according to the manufacturer's rec‐
ommendations.
Mix the washer fluid before adding to maintain
the correct mixing ratio.
Do not add windshield washer concentrate un‐
diluted and do not fill with pure water; this could
damage the wiper system.
Do not fill with undiluted antifreeze.
For the capacity, refer to technical data.
Manual transmission
Shifting 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 62, position P is engaged automatically.
P Park
Select only when the vehicle is stationary. The
drive wheels are blocked.
P is engaged automatically:▷After the engine is switched off when the
vehicle is in radio ready state, refer to
page 63, or when the ignition is switched off,
refer to page 62, 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 engaged.
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.
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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 driv‐
ing
To prevent the vehicle from creeping after
you select a driving position, maintain pres‐
sure 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.
Sport program DS and manual mode M/
S
Activating the sport program
Push the selector lever to the left out of trans‐
mission position D.
DS is displayed in the instrument cluster.
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 backward.
Manual mode becomes active and the gear is
changed.
The engaged gear is displayed in the instrument
cluster, e.g., M1.
Once maximum engine speed is attained, M/S
manual mode is automatically upshifted as
needed.
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Switching to manual mode▷To shift down: press the selector lever for‐
ward.▷To shift up: pull the selector lever rearwards.
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
transmissions: 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 example,
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 transmis‐
sion 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 for Sport automatic
transmission
The shift paddles on the steering wheel allow
you to shift gears quickly while keeping both
hands on the steering wheel.
If the shift paddles on the steering wheel are
used to shift gears in automatic mode, the trans‐
mission temporarily switches to manual mode.
If the shift paddles are not used and the vehicle
is not accelerated for a certain time, the system
switches back into automatic mode if the selec‐
tor lever is in transmission position D.
▷Shift up: pull right shift paddle.▷Shift down: pull left shift paddle.
The vehicle only shifts up or down at appropriate
engine and road speeds, e.g., it does not shift
down if the engine speed is too high.
The selected gear is briefly displayed in the in‐
strument cluster, followed by the current gear.
Displays in the instrument cluster The transmission position is dis‐
played, e.g.: P.
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DisplaysVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equipmentis also described that is not available in a vehicle,
e. g., because of the selected optional equip‐
ment or country variant. This also applies for
safety-related functions and systems.
Instrument cluster
Overview, instrument cluster
1Fuel gauge 842Speedometer3Indicator/warning lamps 814Tachometer 845Engine oil temperature 846Electronic displays 777Display/reset miles 84Seite 75DisplaysControls75
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Overview, instrument cluster with enhanced features1Fuel gauge 842Speedometer3Indicator/warning lamps 814Tachometer 845Engine oil temperature 846Electronic displays 777Display/reset miles 84Seite 76ControlsDisplays76
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Instrument display
The 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.
Overview: indicator/warning lamps
SymbolFunction or systemTurn signalParking brakeParking brake in Canadian modelsAutomatic HoldFront fog lampsHigh beamsHigh-beam AssistantParking lamps, headlamp controlSymbolFunction or systemActive Cruise ControlVehicle detection, Active Cruise
ControlCruise controlLane departure warningDSC Dynamic Stability ControlDSC Dynamic Stability Control or
DTC Dynamic Traction ControlTire Pressure Monitor
Flat Tire MonitorSafety beltsAirbag systemSteering systemEngine functionsEngine functions in Canadian mod‐
elsBrake systemBrake system in Canadian modelsSeite 82ControlsDisplays82
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