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 110.
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Interior rearview mirror
To reduce the blinding effect from the rear
when driving at night: turn the knob.
Interior rearview and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature
Two photocells are used for control:
▷In the mirror frame, see arrow.▷On the back of the mirror.
For proper operation:
▷Keep the photocells clean.▷Do not cover the area between the inside
rearview mirror and the windshield.▷Do not apply stickers to the windshield in
front of the mirror.Steering wheel
Adjusting Do not adjust while driving
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
driving; otherwise, an unexpected movement
could result in an accident. ◀1.Fold the lever down.2.Move the steering wheel to the preferred
height and angle to suit your seating posi‐
tion.3.Fold the lever back.
Do not use force to swing the lever back.
Do not use force to swing the lever back
up; otherwise, the mechanism will be dam‐
aged. ◀
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Engine stop
General information Take the remote control with you
Take the remote control with you when
leaving the vehicle so that children, for exam‐
ple, cannot operate the windows and injure
themselves. ◀
Set the handbrake and further secure the
vehicle as required
Set the handbrake firmly when parking; other‐
wise, the vehicle may roll. On steep upward
and downward inclines, further secure the ve‐
hicle, for example, by turning the steering
wheel in the direction of the curb. ◀
Before driving into a car wash
To make it possible for the vehicle to roll in an
automatic car wash, follow the information on
Washing in automatic car washes, refer to
page 254.
Switching off the engine
Manual transmission1.With the vehicle at a standstill, press the
Start/Stop button.2.Shift into first gear or reverse.3.Set the handbrake firmly.4.Remove the remote control from the igni‐
tion lock.
Automatic transmission
1.Engage transmission position P with the ve‐
hicle stopped.2.Press the Start/Stop button.3.Set the handbrake firmly.4.Remove the remote control from the igni‐
tion lock.Handbrake
The concept
The handbrake is primarily intended to prevent
the vehicle from rolling while parked; it brakes
the rear wheels.
Also follow the instructions under Switching off
the engine, refer to page 60.
Setting
The lever engages automatically.
Releasing
Pull up slightly, press the button, and lower the
lever.
Notes Using the handbrake while driving
If it should become necessary to use the
handbrake while driving, do not pull the hand‐
brake too forcefully. Keep the button on the
handbrake lever pressed at all times.
Excessive application of the handbrake can
block the rear wheels and lead to fishtailing of
the vehicle. ◀
The brake lamps do not light up when the
handbrake is pulled.
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Reverse gearSelect 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
In addition to the fully automatic mode, gears
can also be shifted manually using Steptronic,
refer to page 66.
Parking the vehicle Secure the vehicle
Before leaving the vehicle with the en‐
gine running, move the selector lever to posi‐
tion P and set the handbrake; otherwise, the
vehicle will begin moving. ◀
Disengaging the remote control
To remove the remote control from the ignition
lock, first move the selector lever to position P
and switch off the engine: interlock. Remove
the remote control from the ignition lock, refer
to page 58.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in the tachometer
The selector lever position is displayed and the
engaged gear, such as M4, is displayed in
manual mode.
Changing selector lever positions▷With the ignition switched on or the engine
running, the selector lever can be moved
out of position P.▷When the vehicle is stationary, step on the
brake before shifting out of P or N; other‐
wise, the selector lever is locked: shiftlock.
Press on the brake pedal until you
start driving
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. ◀
A lock prevents accidental shifting into selector
lever positions R and P.
To override the lock, press the button on the
front of the selector lever, see arrow.
P Park
Select only when the vehicle is stationary. The
front wheels are blocked.
R is Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N is NeutralFor example, engage this position in a car
wash. The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position Position for normal vehicle operation. All for‐
ward gears are selected automatically.
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Under normal operating conditions, fuel con‐
sumption is lowest when you are driving in po‐
sition D.
Kickdown
Kickdown is used to achieve maximum driving
performance. Press on the accelerator beyond
the resistance point at the full throttle position.
Sport program and manual mode M/S
Activating the Sport program
Move the selector lever from position D toward
the left into the M/S shifting slot.
The Sport program is activated and DS is dis‐
played. This position is recommended for a per‐
formance-oriented driving style.
To deactivate the Sport program or manual
mode M/S, move the selector lever to the right
into position D.
Activating the M/S manual mode Move the selector lever from position D towardthe left into the M/S shifting slot.
Push the selector lever forward or backward.
Manual mode becomes active and the gear is
changed.
The tachometer displays the engaged gear,
e. g. M1.
▷To shift up: press the selector lever back‐
ward.▷To shift down: press the selector lever for‐
ward.The vehicle only shifts up or down at appropri‐
ate 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 instru‐
ment panel, followed by the current gear.
Shifting gears using the shift paddleson the steering wheel
The shift paddles on the steering wheel allow
you to shift gears quickly while keeping both hands on the steering wheel.▷When the shift paddles on the steering
wheel are used to shift gears while in auto‐
matic mode, the transmission switches to
manual mode.▷If the shift paddles are not used to acceler‐
ate or shift gears for a certain amount of
time, the transmission switches back to au‐
tomatic mode.
If the selector lever is in the M/S gear plane,
manual mode remains active.
▷Pull one of the two shift paddles:
The transmission shifts up.▷Press one of the two shift paddles:
The transmission shifts down.
The vehicle only shifts up or down at appropri‐
ate 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 instru‐
ment panel, followed by the current gear.
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Manually unlocking the selector lever
lock
If the selector lever is locked in position P al‐
though the ignition is switched on, the brake is
depressed, and the button on the selector lever
is pressed, the selector lever lock can be over‐
ridden:1.Switch off the ignition.2.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.3.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out.
Pull off the plug-in cable connector if nec‐
essary.4.Insert the pulling hook 1 into the loop on
the passenger side.
The pulling hook is found in the vehicle
document portfolio or in the pouch of the
wheel change set, refer to page 245.5.Pull the loop upward.6.Move the selector lever into the desired po‐
sition, pressing the button on the front of
the selector lever.
Set the handbrake
Before manually unlocking the selector
lever lock, pull the handbrake firmly; otherwise,
the vehicle may roll away and cause personal
injury or property damage. ◀
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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 84, shows the current
status of the front passenger airbags, deacti‐
vated or activated.
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Operational readiness of airbag system
In the radio ready state and beyond, re‐
fer to page 58, the warning lamp lights
up briefly to indicate that the entire air‐
bag system and the belt tensioners are opera‐
tional.
Airbag system malfunction
▷Warning lamp does not light up in the radio
ready state.▷Warning lamp remains permanently on.
Have the airbag system checked without
delay if there is a malfunction
In the event of a malfunction in the airbag sys‐
tem, have it checked without delay; otherwise,
there is the risk that the system will not func‐
tion as intended even if a sufficiently severe ac‐
cident occurs. ◀
FTM Flat Tire Monitor The concept
The system does not measure the actual infla‐
tion pressure in the tires.
The system detects a pressure loss in a tire by
comparing the rotational speeds of the individ‐
ual wheels while moving.
In the event of a pressure loss, the diameter
and therefore the rotational speed of the corre‐
sponding wheel change. This is detected and
reported as a flat tire.
Functional requirements
The system must have been initialized when
the tire inflation pressure was correct; other‐
wise, reliable signaling of a flat tire is not en‐
sured.
Initialize the system after each correction of the
tire inflation pressure and after every tire or
wheel change.
System limits Sudden tire damage
Sudden serious tire damage caused by
external influences cannot be indicated in ad‐
vance. ◀
A natural, even pressure loss in all four tires
cannot be detected. Therefore, check the tire
inflation pressure regularly.
The system could be delayed or malfunction in
the following situations:▷When the system has not been initialized.▷When driving on a snowy or slippery road
surface.▷Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels,
high lateral acceleration.▷When driving with snow chains.
Status display
The current status of the Flat Tire Monitor can
be displayed on the Control Display, e.g.,
whether or not the FTM is active.
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