CockpitVehicle features and options
This chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are notnecessarily available in your car, e. g., due to
the selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems.
All around the steering wheel
1Rear window safety reel 492Power windows 483Exterior mirror operation 594Opening and closing the tail‐
gate 405Unlocking central locking sys‐
tem 39Locking central locking sys‐
tem 396LightsFront fog lights 104Parking lights 101Low beams 101Automatic headlight con‐
trol 102
Daytime running lights 102
Adaptive Light Control 102
High-beam Assistant 103Seite 14At a glanceCockpit14
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Instrument lighting 104Night Vision, reel on/reel off heat
image 1197Steering column stalk, leftTurn signal 75High beams, head‐
light flasher 75High-beam Assistant 103Roadside parking lights 102Computer 958Steering wheel buttons, leftM Drive 1 activation 62M Drive 2 activation 62Store speed 135Resume speed 136Cruise control on/off, interrupt‐
ing 135Cruise control rocker reel 1369Shift paddles 8010Instrument cluster 8411Steering wheel buttons, rightEntertainment sourceVolumeVoice activation 26Telephone, see user's manual for
Navigation, Entertainment and
CommunicationThumbwheel for selection lists 9412Steering column stalk, rightWiper 75Rain sensor 76Clean the windshields and head‐
lights 75BMW X5 M: rear window wiper in
Canadian models 77BMW X5 M: rear window
wiper 77BMW X5 M: clean rear win‐
dow 7713Start/stop the engine and reel the
ignition on/off 6914Auto Start/Stop function 7015Horn, total area16Steering wheel heating 6117Adjust steering wheel 61Seite 15CockpitAt a glance15
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▷When the vehicle is locked using the cen‐
tral locking system.▷Shortly before the battery is discharged
completely, so that the engine can still be
started.
The radio-ready state remains active if, e.g.,
the ignition is automatically switched off for the
following reasons:
▷Opening or closing the driver's door.▷Unfastening of the driver's safety belt.▷When automatically switching from low
beams to parking lights.
Starting the engine
Hints Enclosed areas
Do not let the engine run in enclosed
areas, since breathing in exhaust fumes may
lead to loss of consciousness and death. The
exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide, an
odorless and colorless but highly toxic gas.◀
Unattended vehicle
Do not leave the vehicle unattended with
the engine running; doing so poses a risk of
danger.
Before leaving the vehicle with the engine run‐
ning, set the parking brake and engage trans‐
mission position P; otherwise, the vehicle may begin to move.◀
Repeated starting in quick succession
Avoid trying to start the vehicle repeat‐
edly and in quick succession. Otherwise, the fuel is not burned or is inadequately burned,
posing a risk of overheating and damage to the
catalytic converter.◀
Do not wait for the engine to warm-up while
the vehicle remains stationary. Start driving at
moderate engine speeds.
Steptronic Sport transmission
Starting the engine1.Depress the brake pedal.2.Press the Start/Stop button.
The ignition is activated automatically for a
certain time and is stopped as soon as the en‐
gine starts.
Engine stop
Hints Take the remote control with you
Take the remote control with you when
leaving the vehicle so that children, e.g., can‐
not start the engine.◀
Apply parking brake and further secure
the vehicle if needed.
Set the parking brake firmly when parking; oth‐
erwise, the vehicle could roll. On steep upward
and downward inclines, further secure the ve‐
hicle, e.g., by turning the steering wheel in the
direction of the curb.◀
Before driving into a car wash
So that the vehicle can roll into a car wash ob‐
serve instructions for going into an automatic
car wash, refer to page 225.
Steptronic Sport transmission Switching off the engine
1.Apply the brakes until the vehicle comes to
a stop.2.Press the Start/Stop button.
The engine is switched off.
The radio-ready state is switched on.3.Set the parking brake.Seite 69DrivingControls69
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Turn signal, high beams,
headlight flasher
Turn signal
Hints Do not adjust the exterior mirrors
Do not adjust the exterior mirror while
driving and when blinker/hazards are on, or
else the additional blinker lights in the exterior
mirror are out of position and can't be seen.◀
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To reel off manually, press the lever to the re‐
sistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator lamp
indicates that a turn signal bulb has failed.
Triple turn signal activation Press the lever to the resistance point.
The turn signal flashes three times.
The function can be activated or deactivated.
On the Control Display:
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Triple turn signal"
Settings are stored for the profile currently in
use.
Signaling briefly
Press the lever to the resistance point and hold
it there for as long as you want the turn signal
to flash.
High beams, headlight flasher▷High beams, arrow 1.▷Headlight flasher, arrow 2.
Washer/wiper system Switching the wipers on/off and brief
wipe
Hints Do not activate wipers if frozen to wind‐
shield
Do not reel on the wipers if they are frozen to
the windshield; otherwise, the wiper blades
and the wiper motor may be damaged.◀
Do not activate wipers on dry windshield
Do not use the wipers if the windshield is
dry, as this may damage the wiper blades or
cause them to become worn more quickly.◀
Do not activate wipers with wipers folded
away
Do not reel on the wipers if they are folded
away, otherwise the hood or the wipers may be
damaged.◀
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▷Malfunction: have the system checked by
your service center.
For more information, see Tire Pressure Moni‐
tor, refer to page 109.
Steering system Steering system in some cases defec‐
tive.
Have the steering system checked by
the service center.
Engine functions Have the vehicle checked by the serv‐ice center.
For additional information, refer to On-
board Diagnostics socket, refer to page 211.
Lane departure warning System is switched on and under cer‐
tain circumstances warns if a detected
lane is left without flashing beforehand.
For additional information, refer to Lane depar‐
ture warning, refer to page 123.
Green lights Turn signal Turn signal on.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp indicates that a turn signal bulb
has failed.
For additional information, refer to Turn signal,
refer to page 75.
Parking lights, headlight control Parking lights or headlights are acti‐
vated.
For additional information, refer to Parking
lights/low beams, headlight control, refer to
page 101.
Front fog lights Front fog lights are activated.
For additional information, refer to
Front fog lights, refer to page 104.
High-beam Assistant High-beam Assistant is switched on.
High beams are activated and off auto‐
matically as a function of the traffic sit‐
uation.
For additional information, refer to High-beam
Assistant, refer to page 103.
Cruise control The system is switched on. It maintains
the speed that was set using the con‐
trol elements on the steering wheel.
Automatic Hold The vehicle is automatically held in
place when it is stationary.
On inclines, the system prevents the
vehicle from rolling backward when driving off.
For more information, see Automatic Hold, re‐
fer to page 73.
Blue lights
High beams High beams are activated.
For additional information, refer to High
beams, refer to page 75.Seite 87DisplaysControls87
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LightsVehicle features and optionsThis chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to
the selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems.
At a glance1Rear fog lights2Front fog lights3Depending on the equipment: automatic
headlight control, Adaptive Light Control,
High-beam Assistant, Welcome lights,
Daytime running lights4Lights off, daytime running lights5Parking lights, daytime running lights6Depending on the equipment: low beams,
welcome lights, High-beam Assistant7Instrument lighting
Parking lights/low beams,
headlight control
General information
Position of switch: 0,
,
If the driver door is opened with the ignition
switched off, the exterior lighting is automati‐
cally switched off at these reel settings.
Parking lights
Position of switch
: the vehicle's lights
light up on all sides, e.g., for parking.
Do not use the parking lights for extended pe‐
riods; otherwise, they might drain the battery
and it would then be impossible to start the en‐
gine.
When parking, it is preferable to reel on the
one-sided roadside parking lights, refer to
page 102.
Low beams Position of switch
with the ignition
switched on: the low beams light up.
Welcome lights
When the vehicle is parked, leave the reel in
position
or : parking and interior lights
come on briefly when the vehicle is unlocked
depending on the ambient brightness.
Activating/deactivating
On the Control Display:
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Welcome lights"
Settings are stored for the profile currently in
use.
Headlight courtesy delay featureThe low beams stay lit for a short while if the
headlight flasher is switched on after the radio-
ready state is switched off.
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ActivatingPosition of switch
with the ignition
switched on.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adap‐
tive Light Control does not swivel to the driv‐
er's side when the vehicle is at a standstill.
The turning lights are automatically switched
on depending on the steering angle or the use
of turn signals.
When driving in reverse, the turning lights may
be automatically switched on regardless of the
steering angle.
Self-leveling headlights The self-leveling headlights compensate for
acceleration and braking operations in order
not to blind the oncoming traffic and to achieve
optimum illumination of the roadway.
Malfunction A Check Control message is displayed.
Adaptive Light Control is malfunctioning or has
failed. Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
High-beam Assistant
The concept When the low beams are activated, this system
automatically switches the high beams on and
off or suppresses the light in the areas that
blind oncoming traffic. The procedure is con‐
trolled by a camera on the front of the interior
rearview mirror. The assistant ensures that the
high beams are activated whenever the traffic
situation allows. The driver can intervene at
any time and reel the high beams on and off as
usual.
Activating1.Depending on the equipment, turn the light
switch into position
or .
2.Press button on the turn signal lever, ar‐
row.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
When the low beams are on, the lights are au‐
tomatically brightened or dimmed.
The system responds to light from oncoming
traffic and traffic driving ahead of you, and to
adequate illumination, e.g., in towns and cities.
The blue indicator lamp in the instru‐
ment cluster lights up when the system
switches on the high beams. Depend‐
ing on the version of the system in the vehicle, the high beams may not reel off for oncoming
vehicles, but may only be dimmed in the areas
that blind oncoming traffic. In this case, the blue indicator light will stay on.
Switching the high beams on and off manually
▷High beams on, arrow 1.Seite 103LightsControls103
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▷High beams off/headlight flasher, arrow 2.
The High-beam Assistant can be switched off
when manually adjusting the light. To reacti‐
vate the High-beam Assistant, press the but‐
ton on the turn signal lever.
System limits Personal responsibility
The High-beam Assistant cannot serve
as a substitute for the driver's personal judg‐
ment of when to use the high beams. There‐
fore, manually reel off the high beams in situa‐
tions where required to avoid a safety risk.◀
The system is not fully functional in situations
such as the following, and driver intervention
may be necessary:
▷In very unfavorable weather conditions,
such as fog or heavy precipitation.▷When detecting poorly-lit road users such
as pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riders
and wagons; when driving close to train or
ship traffic; and at animal crossings.▷In tight curves, on hilltops or in depres‐
sions, in cross traffic or half-obscured on‐
coming traffic on freeways.▷In poorly-lit towns and cities and in the
presence of highly reflective signs.▷At low speeds.▷When the windshield behind the interior
rearview mirror is fogged over, dirty or cov‐
ered with stickers, etc.
Fog lights
Front fog lights
The low beams must be switched on.
Press button. The green indicator
lamp lights up.
If the automatic headlight control, refer to
page 102, is activated, the low beams will
come on automatically when you reel on the
front fog lights.
When the high beams or headlight flasher are
activated, the front fog lights are not switched
on.
Instrument lighting Adjusting The parking lights or low beams
must be switched on to adjust
the brightness.
Adjust the brightness with the
thumbwheel.
Interior lights
General information The interior lights, footwell lights, access lights
and courtesy lights are controlled automati‐
cally.
Thumb wheel for the instrument lighting con‐
trols brightness of some of these features.1Interior lights2Reading lamp
Switching the interior lights on and off
Press button.
To reel off permanently: press the button for
approx. 3 seconds.
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