AdjustingVehicle 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 sys‐
tems.
Sitting safely The ideal seating position can make a vital con‐
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving.
The seating position plays an important role in
an accident in combination with:▷Safety belts, refer to page 38▷Head restraints, refer to page 41.▷Airbags, refer to page 72.
Seats
Note before adjusting Do not adjust the seat while driving
Never attempt to adjust the driver's seat
while driving. The seat could respond with un‐
expected movement and the ensuing loss of
vehicle control could lead to an accident. ◀
Do not incline the backrest too far to the
rear
Do not incline the backrest on the front passen‐
ger side too far to the rear during driving. Oth‐
erwise, there is the danger of sliding under the
safety belt in an accident. This would eliminate
the protection normally provided by the belt. ◀
Front seat adjustment
Forward/backward
Pull the lever, arrow 1, and slide the seat into
the desired position, arrows 2.
After releasing the lever, move the seat forward
or back slightly to make sure it engages prop‐
erly.
Height
Pull the lever up or push it down repeatedly, ar‐
rows 1, until the desired height is reached, ar‐
rows .
Backrest MINI Countryman
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Pull the lever, arrow 1, and apply your weight
to the backrest or lift it off, as necessary.
MINI Paceman
Pull the lever, arrow 1, and apply your weight
to the backrest or lift it off, as necessary, ar‐
rows 2.
Lumbar support
You can also adjust the contour of the backrest
to obtain additional support in the lumbar re‐
gion.
The upper hips and spinal column receive sup‐
plementary support to help you maintain a re‐
laxed, upright sitting position.
The graphic shows the MINI Countryman as an
example.
Turn the wheel to increase or decrease the cur‐
vature.
MINI Countryman: rear seat adjustment Observe the following when adjusting
Do not adjust the rear seats during a trip;
otherwise, there is a risk of passenger injury.
Make sure that the locking mechanisms of the
rear seats engage properly. Otherwise the re‐
straining effect of the safety belts during an ac‐
cident could be reduced. ◀
Forward/backward
Pull the lever and slide the seat into the desired
position.
Release the lever and move the seat slightly
forward or back so that it engages properly.
Backrest Adjust the backrest tilt, refer to page 98.
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MINI Paceman: entry in the rear1.Pull the lever on the back of the seat up‐
ward, arrow 1.
The backrest folds forward.2.Push against the backrest to move the seat
forward, arrow 2.
To make it easier to enter the car in the rear,
push back the safety belt on the lower belt
guide rail if necessary.
Restoring the original seat position The driver's seat has a mechanical memory
function for the forward/backward seat setting
and the backrest setting.
1.Push the seat back to the original position.
Do not fold back the backrest until the seat
is in its original position; otherwise, the seat
will engage in its current position. If this
happens, adjust the forward/backward po‐
sition manually, refer to page 36.2.Fold back the backrest to lock the seat.
Note the following when moving back the
seat
When moving back the seat, ensure that per‐
sons cannot be injured and objects cannot be
damaged. Lock the front seats and front back‐
rests before driving away; otherwise, there is
the risk of an accident if the seat or backrest
moves unexpectedly. ◀
Seat heating
Switching on
The temperature setting progresses one step
through its control sequence each time you
press the button. The maximum temperature is
reached when three LEDs are lit.
If the trip is continued within approx. 15 mi‐
nutes, the seat heating is activated automati‐
cally with the temperature set last.
The temperature is reduced, if need be, down
to no heat in order to reduce the load on the
battery. The LEDs remain lit.
Switching off
Press the button longer.
Safety beltsNumber of safety belts
Your vehicle has been fitted with four or five
safety belts for the safety of you and your pas‐
sengers.
However, they can only offer protection when
adjusted correctly.
NotesAlways make sure that safety belts are beingworn by all occupants before driving away.
Although airbags enhance safety by providing
added protection, they are not a substitute for
safety belts.
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The shoulder strap's anchorage point will be
correct for adult seat occupants of every build if
the seat is correctly adjusted.
One person per safety belt
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow infants or
small children to ride on a passenger's lap. ◀
Putting on the belt
Lay the belt, without twisting, snugly
across the lap and shoulders, as close to the
body as possible. Make sure that the belt lies
low around the hips in the lap area and does
not press on the abdomen. Otherwise, the belt
can slip over the hips in the lap area in a frontal
impact and injure the abdomen.
The safety belt must not lie across the neck, rub
on sharp edges, be routed over solid or breaka‐
ble objects, or be pinched. ◀
Reduction of restraining effect
Avoid wearing clothing that prevents the
belt from fitting properly, and pull the shoulder
belt periodically to readjust the tension across
your lap; otherwise, the retention effect of the
safety belt may be reduced. ◀
Buckling the belt MINI Countryman:
MINI Paceman:
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage in
the belt buckle.
The shoulder strap's anchorage point will be
correct for adult seat occupants of every build if
the seat is correctly adjusted, refer to page 36.
Unbuckling the belt
1.Hold the belt firmly.2.Press the red button in the belt buckle.3.Guide the belt back into its reel.
Fastening the rear buckle tongues When the outer rear seats are not occupied, thebuckle tongues of the rear seats can be slid up
to the cargo area trim with the clip.
This helps avoid annoying noises when driving.
MINI Countryman: center safety belt of
rear seat
The belt buckle embossed with the word CEN‐
TER is intended exclusively for use by passen‐
gers riding in the center position.
If the center safety belt in the rear is used, the
backrests must be locked, refer to page 99.
The safety belt will not have a restraining effect
if the backrest is not locked.
Belt holder in the headliner The holder for the safety belt is located in the
headliner.
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Safety belt reminder for driver's seat
and front passenger seat
The indicator lamps light up and a sig‐
nal sounds. Check whether the safety
belt has been fastened correctly.
Damage to safety belts In the case of strain caused by accidents or
damage:
Have the safety belts, including the safety belt
tensioners, replaced and have the belt anchors
checked.
Checking and replacing safety belts
Have the work performed only by your
service center; otherwise, it cannot be ensured
that this safety feature will function properly. ◀
Head restraints Correctly set head restraintA correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Adjusting the head restraint
Correctly adjust the head restraints of all
occupied seats; otherwise, there is an increased
risk of injury in an accident. ◀
Height
Adjust the head restraint so that its center is
approx. at ear level.Height adjustment
To raise: pull.
To lower: press the button, arrow 1, and push
the head restraint down.
Removing
Only remove the head restraint if no one will be
sitting in the seat in question.
Before transporting passengers
Reinstall the head restraint before trans‐
porting anyone in the seat; otherwise, the pro‐
tective function of the head restraint is unavail‐
able. ◀
Front
1.Pull upward as far as possible.2.Fold the backrest back slightly.3.Press button 1 and pull out the head re‐
straint all the way to the stop.4.MINI Countryman: press the additional but‐
ton 2 using a suitable tool.5.Pull out the head restraint.6.Fold back the backrest.Seite 41AdjustingControls41
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Transporting children safelyVehicle 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 sys‐
tems.
The right place for chil‐
dren
Notes Children in the vehicle
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger them‐
selves and other persons, e.g., by opening the
doors. ◀
Children should always be in the rear Accident research shows that the safest place
for children is on the rear seat.
Transporting children in the rear
Transport children younger than 13 years
of age or shorter than 5 ft/150 cm in the rear
only, using child restraint fixing systems suita‐
ble for the age, weight, and height of the child; otherwise, there is an increased risk of injury in
an accident.
Children 13 years of age or older must wear a
safety belt as soon as a suitable child restraint fixing system can no longer be used, due to
their age, weight and size. ◀Installing child seats
Only install child seats in the rear when
the rear seat backrest is folded all the way back
and engaged; otherwise, there is an increased
risk of injury in an accident. ◀
Children on the front passenger seat
Front passenger airbags Should it be necessary to use a child restraint
fixing system on the front passenger seat,
make sure that the front and side airbags on
the front passenger side are deactivated, refer
to page 73.
Deactivating the front passenger airbags
If a child restraint fixing system is used in
the front passenger seat, the front passenger
airbags must be deactivated; otherwise, there
is an increased risk of injury to the child when
the airbags are triggered, even with a child re‐
straint fixing system. ◀
Installing child re‐
straint fixing systems
Before mounting MINI Countryman: before mounting a child re‐
straint fixing system on the rear seats, move
the seats into the rearmost positions.
Adjust the inclination of the center backrest to
that of the respective outer backrest.
After mounting the child restraint fixing system
on the respective outer rear seat, adjust the
backrest forward, if necessary, to ensure that
the backrest is in contact with the child re‐
straint fixing system. Rear seat backrests, refer
to page 98.Seite 44ControlsTransporting children safely44
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MINI Countryman
There are two additional mounting points for
child restraint fixing systems with an upper re‐
taining strap, arrows.
MINI Paceman
There are two additional mounting points for
child restraint fixing systems with an upper re‐
taining strap, arrows.
Guide of the upper LATCH retaining
strap
Retaining strap
Make sure the upper retaining strap does
not run over sharp edges and is not twisted as
it passes to the top anchor. Otherwise, the
strap will not properly secure the child restraint
fixing system in the event of an accident. ◀
Outer seats:1Direction of travel2Head restraint3Cargo area floor4Hook for upper retaining strap5Mounting point6Backrest7Upper retaining strap of child restraint fix‐
ing system
MINI Countryman, center seat
1Direction of travel2Head restraint3Hook for upper retaining strap4Mounting point5Cargo area floor6Backrest7Upper retaining strap of child restraint fix‐
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Protective action
Airbags are not triggered in every impact situa‐
tion, e.g., in less severe accidents or rear-end
collisions.
Information on how to ensure the opti‐
mal protective effect of the airbags▷Keep at a distance from the airbags.▷Always grasp the steering wheel on the
steering wheel rim, holding your hands at
the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, to
keep the danger of injury to your hands or
arms as low as possible if the airbag is trig‐
gered.▷There should be no people, animals, or ob‐
jects between an airbag and a person.▷Do not use the cover of the front airbag on
the front passenger side as a storage area.▷Keep the dashboard and window on the
front passenger side clear, i.e., do not cover
with adhesive labels or coverings, and do
not attach holders such as for navigation in‐
struments and mobile phones.▷Make sure that the front passenger is sitting
correctly, i.e., keeps his or her feet and legs
in the footwell; otherwise, leg injuries can
occur if the front airbag is triggered.▷Do not place slip covers, seat cushions or
other objects on the front passenger seat
that are not approved specifically for seats
with integrated side airbags.▷Do not hang pieces of clothing, such as
jackets, over the backrests.▷Make sure that occupants keep their heads
away from the side airbag and do not rest
against the head airbag; otherwise, injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.▷Do not remove the airbag restraint system.▷Do not remove the steering wheel.▷Do not apply adhesive materials to the air‐
bag cover panels, cover them or modify
them in any way.▷Never modify either the individual compo‐
nents or the wiring in the airbag system.
This also applies to steering wheel covers,
the dashboard, the seats, the roof pillars
and the sides of the headliner. ◀
Even when all instructions are followed closely,
injury from contact with the airbags cannot be
ruled out in certain situations.
The ignition and inflation noise may lead to
short-term and, in most cases, temporary hear‐
ing impairment in sensitive individuals.
In the case of a malfunction, deactivation
and after triggering of the airbags
Do not touch the individual components imme‐
diately after the system has been triggered;
otherwise, there is the danger of burns.
Only have the airbags checked, repaired or dis‐
mantled and the airbag generator scrapped by
your service center or a workshop that has the
necessary authorization for handling explo‐
sives.
Non-professional attempts to service the sys‐
tem could lead to failure in an emergency or
undesired triggering of the airbag, either of
which could result in injury. ◀
Warning notices and information about the air‐
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the front
passenger airbags
The system determines whether the front pas‐
senger seat is occupied by measuring the elec‐
trical resistance of the human body.
The front, side, and knee airbags on the front
passenger side are activated or deactivated ac‐
cordingly by the system.
The indicator lamp above the interior rearview
mirror, refer to page 74, shows the current
status of the front passenger airbags, deacti‐
vated or activated.
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