2013 BMW X5 Owner's Manual

Driving stability control systemsVehicle equipmentThis chapter describes all series equipment as
well as country-specific and special equipment
offered for this model series.Therefore, it also
describes equipment that may not be found in
your vehicle, for instance due to the selected
special equipment or the country version. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems.
Antilock Brake System ABS
ABS prevents locking of the wheels during
braking.
The vehicle remains steerable even during full
brake applications, thus increasing active
safety.
ABS is operational every time you start the en‐
gine.
CBC Cornering Brake
Control
When braking during curves or when braking
during a lane change, driving stability and
steering response are improved further.
Electronic brake-force
distribution
The system controls the brake pressure in the
rear wheels to ensure stable braking behavior.
Brake assistantWhen you apply the brakes rapidly, this system
automatically produces the maximum braking
force boost. It thus helps to achieve the short‐
est possible braking distance during full brak‐ing. This system utilizes all of the benefits pro‐
vided by ABS.
Do not reduce the pressure on the brake pedal
for the duration of the full braking.
Dynamic Stability Control DSC
The concept
DSC prevents traction loss in the driving
wheels when driving away and accelerating.
DSC also recognizes unstable vehicle condi‐
tions, such as fishtailing or nose-diving. Sub‐
ject to physical limits, DSC helps to keep the
vehicle on a steady course by reducing engine
speed and by applying brakes to the individual
wheels.
Adjust your driving style to the situation
An appropriate driving style is always the
responsibility of the driver.
The laws of physics cannot be repealed, even
with DSC.
Do not reduce the additional safety margin
with a risky driving style, as otherwise there is
a risk of an accident.◀
Deactivating DSC: DSC OFF
When DSC is deactivated, driving stability is
reduced during acceleration and when driving
in bends.
To increase vehicle stability, activate DSC
again as soon as possible.Seite 105Driving stability control systemsControls105
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Deactivating DSC
Press and hold the button, but not longer than
approx. 10 seconds, until the indicator lamp for
DSC lights up in the instrument cluster and
DSC OFF is displayed. DTC Dynamic Traction
Control and DSC are deactivated together.
A message appears on the Control Display.
Please note any supplementary information
that appears there.
Activating DSC
Press the button.
DSC OFF and the indicator lamp in the instru‐
ment cluster go out.
For better control The indicator lamp flashes: DSC con‐
trols the drive forces and brake forces.
The indicator lamp lights up: DSC and
DTC has failed.
DSC deactivated: The indicator lamp lights up and
DSC OFF appears in the instrument
cluster.
DSC and DTC deactivated.
Dynamic Traction Control
DTC
The concept The DTC system is a version of the DSC in
which forward momentum is optimized.
The system ensures maximum forward mo‐
mentum on special road conditions, e.g., unp‐
lowed snowy roads, but driving stability is lim‐
ited.
It is therefore necessary to drive with appropri‐
ate caution.
You may find it useful to briefly activate DTC
under the following special circumstances:
▷When driving in sand, on snowy inclines, in
slush, or on unplowed, snow-covered road
surfaces▷When rocking a vehicle free or starting off
in deep snow, sand, or on loose ground▷When driving with snow chains.
Deactivating/activating DTC Dynamic
Traction Control
Activating the Dynamic Traction Control DTC
provides maximum traction on loose ground.
Driving stability is limited during acceleration
and when driving in bends.
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Activating DTC
Press the button.
TRACTION is displayed in the instrument clus‐
ter and the indicator lamp for DSC OFF lights
up.
Deactivating DTC
Press the button again.
TRACTION and the indicator lamp in the in‐
strument cluster go out.
For better control The indicator lamp flashes: DTC con‐
trols the drive forces and brake forces.
The indicator lamp lights up: DSC and
DTC has failed.
DTC activated: The indicator lamp lights up and
TRACTION appears in the instrument
cluster.
DTC is activated.
xDrive
xDrive is the all-wheel-drive system of your ve‐
hicle. The combined effects of xDrive and DSC
further optimize the traction and dynamic driv‐
ing characteristics. The 4-wheel drive system
xDrive variably distributes the drive forces to
the front and rear axle depending on the driv‐
ing situation and prevailing road conditions.
Dynamic Performance
Control
The concept Dynamic Performance Control optimizes the
handling characteristics of your vehicle when
starting off, cornering, and during evasive ma‐
neuvers.
To achieve this, the system variably distributes
the drive torque of the rear axle to the two rear
wheels. This further increases the steering
precision and tracking stability of your vehicle.
Display The Control Display shows how xDrive and Dy‐
namic Performance Control are distributing the
drive forces.1."Vehicle Info"2."Torque distribution"
The current distribution of drive forces is indi‐
cated by arrows pointing to all four wheels.
The highlighted arrows show the drive forces
currently present. The longer an arrow is, the
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greater the drive forces in the associated
wheel.
The transparent arrows indicate the maximum
value the drive forces over the last 10 seconds.
Malfunction
Malfunctions are displayed via Check Control,
refer to page 85.
Hill Descent Control HDC The conceptHDC is a downhill driving assistant that auto‐
matically controls vehicle speed on steep
downhill gradients. The vehicle moves at ap‐
proximately walking speed without braking in‐
tervention by the driver.
You can activate the Hill Descent Control at
speeds below approx. 22 mph/35 km/h. When
moving downhill at speeds below approx.
22 mph/35 km/h, the vehicle reduces its speed
to approximately walking speed, approx.
5 mph/8 km/h and keeps it constant.
Only use HDC in transmission positions D or R.
Increasing or reducing speed
The speed can be changed in the range from
approx. 4 mph/6 km/h to ap‐
prox. 15 mph/25 km/h by pressing the acceler‐
ator or brake pedal lightly.
A target speed within the same range can be
specified using the lever of the cruise control.
On inclines over 10 %, you can reduce the
speed to approx. 3 mph/4 km/h. Pull the lever
of the cruise control beyond the resistance point, arrow 3.1Increasing speed2Pull to the resistance point: reduce the
speed to approx. 4 mph/6 km/h3Pull beyond the resistance point: on in‐
clines over 10 %, reduce the speed to ap‐
prox. 3 mph/4 km/h
Activating HDC
Press the button; the LED above the button
lights up.
The LED flashes when the brakes are applied
automatically.
Deactivating HDC
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
HDC is automatically deactivated above ap‐
prox. 37 mph/60 km/h.
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Displays in the instrument cluster1Display for target speed2HDC display
Malfunction
HDC is temporarily unavailable in the following
situations due to a high brake temperature:
▷The LED in the button and the display HDC
go out during HDC operation.▷The LED in the button and the HDC display
do not light up when the button is pressed.
Malfunction of driving
stability control systems
Adapting your driving style
When driving on poor roads, avoid using
full throttle or pressing the accelerator beyond
the kickdown point and also avoid heavy brak‐
ing. Otherwise, the drive train may be damaged
or accidents can occur.◀
Adaptive Drive The concept
Adaptive Drive reduces the body roll which oc‐
curs when cornering quickly or during fast eva‐
sive maneuvers. In addition, Adaptive Drive re‐
duces the steering angle requirement,
improves the running comfort, and enhances
the dynamic driving characteristics of your ve‐
hicle.
Chassis and suspension tuning
Two chassis and suspension tunings are avail‐
able for selection.▷Normal:
The comfortable basic setting offers opti‐
mum comfort when traveling.▷Sport:
The sporty basic setting offers increased
driving agility.
Selecting chassis and suspension
tuning
Press the button.
The system switches between the two chassis
and suspension tuning settings.
▷Sport:
The LED in the button lights up and
SPORT is displayed in the instrument
panel.▷Normal:
The LED in the button goes out.
The selection of the chassis and suspension
tuning setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Drive-off assistant This system supports driving away on gradi‐
ents. The parking brake is not required.
1.Hold the vehicle in place with the foot
brake.Seite 109Driving stability control systemsControls109
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2.Release the foot brake and drive away
without delay.
Depending on the vehicle load, the vehicle may
roll back slightly.
Driving off without delay
After releasing the foot brake, start driv‐
ing without delay, since the drive-off assistant
will not hold the vehicle in place for more than
approx. 2 seconds and the vehicle will begin
rolling back.◀
Self-leveling suspension The concept The self-leveling suspension on the rear axle
assures a continuous ground clearance.
To do so, the height of the vehicle is measured
by sensors at both rear wheels.
If the actual height deviates from the defined
height, such as due to cargo in the vehicle, this
difference is compensated very quickly. In ad‐
dition, spring motions resulting from cornering
or irregularities in the road surface are reduced
to a minimum.
The system works automatically.
Malfunctions Malfunctions are displayed via Check Control,
refer to page 85.
Active steering The concept
The active steering actively varies the steering
angle of the front wheels in relation to the
steering wheel movements. In addition, it also
varies the steering force required for steering
depending on the vehicle's speed.
When you are driving in the low speed range,
for instance in a town or when parking, the
steering angle increases, i.e., steering be‐
comes very direct. In the higher speed range,
on the other hand, the steering angle is re‐
duced more and more. This improves the han‐
dling of your vehicle over the entire speed
range.
In critical situations, the system can make tar‐
geted corrections to the steering angle pro‐
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehi‐
cle before the driver intervenes.
Malfunction The warning lamp lights up yellow
and a message is shown on the Con‐
trol Display. The active steering is de‐
fective or has been temporarily deac‐
tivated. At low speeds, greater steering wheel
movements are required, whereas at higher
speeds, the vehicle reacts more sensitively to
steering wheel movements. The stability-pro‐
moting intervention can also be deactivated.
Proceed cautiously and drive defensively.
Deactivation
Active steering deactivates in order to carry
out an initialization. This deactivation is dis‐
played by means of a message. The initializa‐ tion can take several minutes.
If the message does not disappear during the
current trip, have the system checked.
Defect In the event of a defect, a corresponding text
message is displayed. Have the system
checked.Seite 110ControlsDriving stability control systems110
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Driving comfortVehicle equipment
This chapter describes all series equipment as
well as country-specific and special equipment
offered for this model series.Therefore, it also
describes equipment that may not be found in
your vehicle, for instance due to the selected
special equipment or the country version. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems.
Active cruise control
With active cruise control you can select a de‐ sired speed which is then automatically main‐
tained when driving on open roadways and is
varied to maintain a selected distance setting
to slower moving vehicles ahead.
Active cruise control represents a technologi‐
cal advance over the familiar cruise control and
is a welcome relief from the constant adjust‐
ment of speed that can accompany driving in
traffic on highways or other high-speed thor‐
oughfares. Especially on longer trips and in
traffic congestion, the system can reduce fati‐
gue and tension, while increasing your enjoy‐
ment of driving. Please use it safely and re‐
sponsibly.
In addition to holding a steady cruising speed,
if you encounter slower vehicles ahead, active
cruise control will, within limits, adjust your ve‐
hicle's speed automatically so that you can
flow with the traffic without having to make
constant adjustments. If, for example, while
cruising at the selected speed, you begin to
approach a slower vehicle ahead of you in the
same lane, the system will reduce your vehi‐
cle's speed to the same as that of the vehicle
ahead to maintain your selected distance set‐
ting. You can vary the following distance,
which will vary with speed. Based on your se‐
lected distance setting, the system automati‐cally decreases the throttle setting and lightly
applies the brakes if necessary. In addition, if
the vehicle ahead of you slows to a complete
stop, the system can follow this action within
the given scope and can also accelerate from a
complete stop if the vehicle ahead of you
drives off again shortly thereafter. During brak‐
ing, your vehicle brake lamps will automatically
illuminate to alert a following driver to take ac‐
tion. In addition, it may be necessary for your
vehicle to downshift the automatic transmis‐
sion to maintain the distance setting selected.
As soon as the road in front of you has no mov‐
ing vehicles, the system will accelerate to your
desired speed. This set speed is also main‐
tained on downhill grades, however the vehicle
speed can drop below the set speed when
driving uphill if the engine output is not suffi‐
cient.
Personal responsibility
Active cruise control cannot detect stop
signs, red lights, or any object that is stopped
or is blocking the road. Active cruise control is
not and must not be used as a collision avoid‐
ance/warning system. Since this active cruise
control system is a new technology and oper‐
ates differently from conventional cruise con‐
trol systems to which you may be accustomed,
it is necessary that you read all of the pages re‐
lating to this system before use. Carefully read
and observe the information on the system
limitations, refer to page 116, to obtain a good
command of the system and its range of appli‐
cations.◀
Brake pedal feel
When the system brakes and you also depress
the brake pedal, a somewhat different braking
feel results.Seite 111Driving comfortControls111
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Professional navigation system
If the vehicle is equipped with a Professional
navigation system, the system adapts the ac‐
celeration and deceleration behavior of the ve‐
hicle to the road on which you are currently
driving.
To ensure that the system has the latest infor‐
mation on the course of the road, use the most
recent version of the navigation data.
If the vehicle position is unknown, e.g., if you
have left the region covered by the map, the
navigation system ceases to influence vehicle
behavior.
Applications Please try the system first during sparse traffic
and clear road conditions so that you can get
used to the system. After you have experience
and understand the system, only then use it
during normal traffic.
As with conventional cruise control systems,
active cruise control in no way reduces or sub‐
stitutes for the driver's own personal experi‐
ence, responsibility, alertness and awareness
in adjusting speed, braking or otherwise con‐
trolling the vehicle. The driver should decide
when to use the system on the basis of road,
traffic, visibility, and weather conditions. Active
cruise control is intended for use on highway-
type roadways where traffic is moving rela‐
tively smoothly as well as in slow-moving traf‐
fic congestion. Do not use the system in city
driving; in complex driving situations; heavy
traffic such as during rush hour; on curvy,
winding roads, slippery roads or roads with
sharp curves such as highway off-ramps; dur‐
ing inclement weather such as snow, strong
rain or fog; or when entering interchanges,
service/parking areas or toll booths. It is also
important to regulate your vehicle's speed and
distance setting within applicable legal limits.
Always be ready to take action or apply the
brakes if necessary, especially when the sys‐
tem is actively following a vehicle in front of
you. Otherwise, driving conditions can resultwhich lead to a violation of the law or elevated
risk of an accident.
The minimum initial activation speed is
20 mph/ 30 km/h, and the maximum speed is
110 mph/ 180 km/h. The system can also be
activated while the vehicle is stationary, refer
to page 114.
One lever for all functions1Storing and increasing the desired
speed   1122Storing and reducing the desired
speed   1123Interrupting   114 or deactivating   114 the
system4Retrieving the stored desired speed and
distance   114 or driving away   1145Selecting the distance to the vehicle
ahead   113
Storing the current speed
Push the lever, arrow 1, or pull it briefly, ar‐
row 2.
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