2013 BMW ACTIVE HYBRID 7 Owner's Manual

When coasting to a halt without pressing the
brake pedal.
Average energy recovery:
During a slight deceleration by gently pressing
the brake pedal.
Maximum energy recovery:
By pressing the brake pedal harder.
Brake according to the situation
Brake in accordance with the traffic con‐
ditions, or there is the risk of accident.◀
Optimum energy recovery
As soon as the display shows the maximum
energy recovery, only press the brake pedal
harder if required by the situation.
Driving situation examples for fuel
economy
In many driving situations, the hybrid system
allows for a particularly efficient energy man‐
agement.
▷Stop-and-go traffic:The combustion engine is switched on or
over automatically by the hybrid system.▷Driving with constant speed:
With the ASSIST acceleration support, the
electric motor relieves the combustion en‐
gine periodically by being switched on au‐
tomatically.
Discharge of the high-voltage battery
In normal operation, a sufficient charging of the
high-voltage battery is ensured by energy re‐
covery. Longer idle periods can reduce the
charge state of the high-voltage battery.
Do not allow the vehicle to sit idle for ex‐
tended periods with a low charging state
Before storing the vehicle for an extended pe‐
riod, check the battery charge indicator to en‐
sure that the high-voltage battery is fully
charged. If necessary, charge the high-voltage
battery by driving the vehicle. Check the
charge level regularly, and if necessary re‐
charge the high-voltage battery by driving the
vehicle. Allowing the high-voltage battery
charge to drop too low will damage the bat‐
tery.◀
Charging by driving
In order to charge the high-voltage battery
most effectively when driving, activated the
transmission's Sport program DS, refer to
page 83.
Coasting to a standstill and braking phases are
used more often to recover energy.
eDRIVE electric driving and the Auto Start
Stop function will also be deactivated.
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Fast chargingIn exceptional cases it can be charged in place,
such as before extended idle phases in order
to prevent damage to the high-voltage battery.1.Start the engine.2.Engage transmission position P and set
parking brake.3.Press and hold down brake pedal.4.Use the accelerator pedal to maintain an
engine speed of approx. 2,000 rpm.
After a few minutes, the high-voltage battery is
fully charged again.
The battery charge indicator in the instrument
cluster, refer to page 97, is used to check the
status.
General driving notes
Closing the trunk lid Drive with the trunk lid closed
Only drive with the tailgate closed; other‐
wise, in the event of an accident or braking and
evasive maneuvers, passengers and other road
users may be injured, and the vehicle may be
damaged. In addition, exhaust fumes may en‐
ter the passenger compartment.◀
If driving with the tailgate open cannot be
avoided:
▷Close all windows and the glass sunroof.▷Greatly increase the blower speed.▷Drive moderately.
Hot exhaust system
Hot exhaust system
High temperatures are generated in the
exhaust system.
Do not remove the heat shields installed and
never apply undercoating to them. Make sure
that flammable materials, e. g. hay, leaves,
grass, etc. do not come in contact with the hot
exhaust system during driving, while in idle po‐
sition mode, or when parked. Such contact
could lead to a fire, and with it the risk of seri‐
ous personal injury as well as property dam‐
age.
Do not touch hot exhaust pipes; otherwise,
there is the danger of getting burned.◀
Climate control windshield
The marked area is not covered with heat re‐
flective coating.
Use this area for garage door openers, devices
for electronic toll collection, etc.
Climate control laminated tinted
safety glass
The vehicle glass provides full protection
against the harmful effects of UV radiation on
the skin.
Mobile communication devices in thevehicle
Mobile communication devices in the ve‐
hicle
It is advised that you do not use mobile com‐
munication devices, e.g., mobile phones, in‐
side the vehicle without connecting them di‐
rectly to the external antenna. Otherwise, the
vehicle electronics and mobile communication
devices can interfere with each other. In addi‐
tion, there is no assurance that the radiation
generated during transmission will be dis‐
charged from the vehicle interior.◀
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Hydroplaning
On wet or slushy roads, a wedge of water can
form between the tires and road surface.
This phenomenon is referred to as hydroplan‐
ing. It is characterized by a partial or complete
loss of contact between the tires and the road
surface, ultimately undermining your ability to
steer and brake the vehicle.
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, re‐
duce your speed to prevent hydroplaning.◀
Driving through water Drive though calm water only and only if it is
not deeper than. 9.8 inches/25 cm and at this
height, no faster than walking speed, up to 6 mph/10 km/h.
Adhere to water depth and speed limita‐
tions
Do not exceed this water depth and walking
speed; otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the
electrical systems and the transmission may
be damaged.◀
Braking safely
Your vehicle is equipped with ABS as a stand‐
ard feature.
Applying the brakes fully is the most effective
way of braking in situations when this is neces‐
sary.
The vehicle maintains steering responsive‐
ness. You can still avoid any obstacles with a
minimum of steering effort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal and sounds from
the hydraulic circuits indicate that ABS is in its
active mode.Objects in the area around the pedals
No objects in the area around the pedals
Keep floor mats, carpets, and any other
objects out of the area of motion of the pedals;
otherwise, the function of the pedals could be
impeded while driving
Do not place additional floor mats over existing
mats or other objects.
Only use floor mats that have been approved
for the vehicle and can be properly fixed in
place.
Ensure that the floor mats are securely fas‐
tened again after they were removed for clean‐
ing, for example.◀
Driving in wet conditions When roads are wet coated with road salt or
there is heavy rain, briefly exert gentle pres‐
sure on the brake pedal every few miles.
Ensure that this action does not endanger
other road users.
The heat generated in this process helps dry
the brake discs and pads.
In this way braking efficiency will be available
when you need it.
Hills
Drive long or steep downhill gradients in the
gear in which the least braking is required.
Otherwise, the brake system may overheat, re‐
sulting in a reduction in the brake system effi‐ ciency.
You can increase the engine's braking effect
by shifting down, going all the way to first gear,
if necessary.
Avoid load on the brakes
Avoid placing excessive load on the
brake system. Light but consistent brake pres‐
sure can lead to high temperatures, brake wear
and possibly even brake failure.◀Seite 183Things to remember when drivingDriving tips183
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Do not drive in neutral
Do not drive in neutral or with the engine
stopped, as doing so disables engine braking.
In addition, steering and brake assist is un‐
available with the engine stopped.◀
Brake disc corrosion The corrosion on the brake discs and the con‐
tamination on the brake pads are furthered by:▷Low mileage.▷Extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all.▷Infrequent use of the brakes.
Corrosion occurs when the minimum pressure
that must be exerted by the pads during brake
applications to clean the discs is not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake discs, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating ef‐
fect that generally cannot be corrected.
Condensation under the parked
vehicle
When using the automatic climate control,
condensation water develops that exits under‐
neath the vehicle.
Traces of water under the vehicle like this are
normal.
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LoadingVehicle equipment
All 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.
Hints Overloading the vehicle
To avoid exceeding the approved carry‐
ing capacity of the tires, never overload the ve‐
hicle. Overloading can lead to overheating and
increases the rate at which damage develops
inside the tires. This could result in a sudden
loss of tire inflation pressure.◀
No fluids in the trunk
Make sure that fluids do not leak into the
trunk; otherwise, the vehicle may be dam‐
aged.◀
Determining the load limit1.Locate the following statement on your ve‐
hicle’s placard:▷The combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed XXX kg
or YYY lbs. Otherwise, damage to thevehicle and unstable driving situations
may result.2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX kilograms or
YYY pounds.4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load ca‐
pacity.
For example, if the YYY amount equals
1,000 lbs and there will be four 150 lbs
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity
is 400 lbs: 1,000 lbs minus 600 lbs =
400 lbs.5.Determine the combined weight of lug‐
gage and cargo being loaded on the vehi‐
cle. That weight may not safely exceed the
available cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
Load
The maximum load is the sum of the weight of
the occupants and the cargo.
The greater the weight of the occupants, the
less cargo that can be transported.
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Stowing cargo▷The cover of the high-voltage battery is lo‐
cated in the trunk. Do not remove the cover
to stow luggage.▷Cover sharp edges and corners on the
cargo.▷Heavy cargo: stow as far forward as possi‐
ble, directly behind and at the bottom of
the rear passenger seat backrests.▷Very heavy cargo: when the rear seat is not
occupied, secure each of the outer safety
belts in the opposite buckle.
Securing cargo
Lashing eyes in the cargo area To secure the cargo there are two lashing eyes
underneath the loading lip in the cargo area.
Securing cargo
▷Smaller and lighter items: secure with re‐
taining straps or with a cargo net or draw
straps.▷Larger and heavy objects: secure with
cargo straps.
Cargo straps, cargo netting, retaining straps or
draw straps on the lashing eyes in the cargo
area.
Securing cargo
Always position and secure the cargo as
described above; otherwise, it can endanger
the car's occupants if sudden braking or
swerving becomes necessary.
Heavy or hard objects should not be carried
loose inside the car; otherwise, they could be
thrown around as a result of hard braking, sud‐
den swerves, etc., and endanger the occu‐
pants.◀
Roof-mounted luggage rack
NoteInstallation only possible in roof drip molding
with flaps. Your service center will be glad to
advise you.
Roof racks are available as special accessories.
Securing Follow the installation instructions of the roof
rack.
Roof drip rail with flaps
On the roof drip rail, press on the outside of the
flap.
Mounting
The preparation for the mounting plate is lo‐
cated below the roof drip rail. Have the mount‐
ing plate installed by the service center before
installation of a roof rack.
Be sure that adequate clearance is maintained
for tilting and opening the glass sunroof.
Magnetic roof-mounted luggage rack Because of the aluminum roof, magnetic roof-
mounted luggage racks cannot be used.
Loading Because roof racks raise the vehicle's center
of gravity when loaded, they have a major ef‐
fect on vehicle handling and steering re‐
sponse.
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Therefore, note the following when loading
and driving:▷Do not exceed the approved roof/axle
loads and the approved gross vehicle
weight.▷Distribute the roof load uniformly.▷The roof load should not be too large in
area.▷Always place the heaviest pieces on the
bottom.▷Secure the roof luggage firmly, e.g., tie
with ratchet straps.▷Do not let objects project into the opening
path of the trunk lid.▷Drive cautiously and avoid sudden acceler‐
ation and braking maneuvers. Take corners
gently.Seite 187LoadingDriving tips187
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Saving fuelVehicle 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.
General information Your vehicle contains advanced technology for
the reduction of fuel consumption and emis‐
sions.
Fuel consumption depends on a number of dif‐
ferent factors.
The implementation of certain measures, driv‐
ing style and regular maintenance can have an
influence on fuel consumption and on the envi‐
ronmental impact.
Remove unnecessary cargoAdditional weight increases fuel consumption.
Remove attached parts
following use
Remove auxiliary mirrors, roof or rear luggage
racks which are no longer required following
use.
Attached parts on the vehicle impair the aero‐
dynamics and increase the fuel consumption.Close the windows and glass
sunroof
Driving with the glass sunroof and windows
open results in increased air resistance and
raises fuel consumption.
Tires General information
Tires can affect fuel consumption values in
various ways, for instance fuel consumption
can be influenced by the size of the tires.
Check the tire inflation pressure
regularly
Check and, if necessary, correct the tire infla‐
tion pressure at least twice a month and before
starting on a long trip.
Low tire inflation pressure increases rolling re‐
sistance and thus raises fuel consumption and
tire wear.
Drive away without delay Do not wait for the engine to warm-up while
the vehicle remains stationary. Start driving
right away, but at moderate engine speeds.
This is the fastest way for the cold engine to
reach its operating temperature.
Look well ahead when
driving
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking.
By maintaining a suitable distance to the vehi‐
cle driving ahead of you.
Driving smoothly and looking ahead reduces
fuel consumption.Seite 188Driving tipsSaving fuel188
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