2016 BMW 7 SERIES Page 1

ContentsThe fastest way to find information on a partic‐
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page 302.6Information
At a glance
14Cockpit19Idle state, operating and drive readiness21iDrive30BMW gesture control33Voice activation system36BMW Touch Command38General settings49Integrated Owner's Manual in the vehicle
Controls
54Opening and closing76Adjusting93Transporting children safely97Driving113Displays129Lights136Safety163Driving stability control systems168Driver assistance systems200Driving comfort203Climate control215Interior equipment225Storage compartments
Driving tips
234Things to remember when driving237Loading240Saving fuelMobility250Refueling252Fuel254Wheels and tires271Engine compartment273Engine oil277Coolant279Maintenance281Replacing components286Breakdown assistance291Care
Reference
298Technical data301Appendix302Everything from A to Z
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Idle state manual
Establish idle state in the vehicle after trip end:
Hold button down until the OFF
indicator on the instrument clus‐
ter goes out.
Operating readiness
The concept When operating readiness is switched on,
most functions can be used while the vehicle is
stationary. Desired settings can be adjusted.
General information The vehicle is in operating readiness state af‐
ter opening via the front doors.
Display OFF is displayed in the instru‐
ment cluster. The drivetrain is
switched off and operating read‐
iness switched on.
Drive readiness The conceptActivating drive readiness corresponds to
switching on the engine.
Information
Some functions, such as DSC, can only be
used in drive readiness state. Observe further
hints regarding drive readiness, refer to
page 97.
Activating drive readiness Drive readiness is switched on
via the Start/Stop button:1.Depress the brake pedal.2.Press the Start/Stop button.
Display
READY is displayed in the in‐
strument cluster.
Switch off drive readiness Press the Start/Stop button to switch off the
drive readiness. The vehicle switches into op‐
erating readiness state.
Seite 20At a glanceIdle state, operating and drive readiness20
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iDriveVehicle features and options
This 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. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
The concept
The iDrive combines the functions of many
switches. These functions can be operated via
controller or touchscreen.
Information WARNING
Operating the integrated information
system and communication devices while driv‐
ing can distract from traffic. It is possible to
lose control of the vehicle. There is risk of an
accident. Only use the systems or devices
when the traffic situation allows. If necessary
stop and use the systems and devices while
the vehicle is stationary.◀Control elements
Overview1Control Display with touchscreen2Controller with buttons and touchpad
Control Display
Information
▷To clean the Control Display, follow the
care instructions, refer to page 294.▷Do not place objects close to the Control
Display; otherwise, the Control Display can
be damaged.▷In the case of very high temperatures on
the Control Display, e.g. due to intense so‐
lar radiation, the brightness may be re‐
duced down to complete deactivation.
Once the temperature is reduced, e.g.
through shadow or climate control system,
the normal functions are re-established.
Switching on
1.Turn on operations.2.Press the controller.
Switch off
1. Press button.
Seite 21iDriveAt a glance21
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2."Turn off control display"
Controller
General information
The buttons can be used to open the menus
directly. The controller can be used to select
menu items and enter the settings.
Some iDrive functions can be operated using
the touchpad on the controller, refer to
page 26.
▷Turn.▷Press.▷Move in four directions.
Buttons on controller
Press buttonFunctionPress once: call up main menu.Press twice: open recently
used menus.Open the Communication
menu.Open the Media/Radio menu.Open destination input menu
for navigation.Open navigation map.Open previous panel.Open Options menu.
Operating with the controller
Opening the main menu Press button.
Seite 22At a glanceiDrive22
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Entering letters and numbers
General information
Letters and numbers can be entered using the
controller or the touchscreen.
The keyboard's display changes automatically.SymbolFunction Tapping the symbol: delete the let‐
ter or number. Tapping the symbol for an extended
period: delete all letters or numbers.
Switching between cases, letters and
numbers
SymbolFunction Enter the letters. Enter the numbers. or

Change between capital and
lower-case letters.
Operating navigation map
The navigation map can be moved with the
touchscreen.
FunctionControlsEnlarge/shrink
map.Drag in or out with the fin‐
gers.Rotate map.Move fingers in a circle.
Touchpad
General information
Some iDrive functions can be operated using
the touchpad on the controller.
Selecting functions1."My Vehicle"2."System settings"3."Touchpad"4.Select desired setting.▷"Speller": enter letters and numbers.▷"Interactive map": viewing the interac‐
tive map.▷"Browser": enter Internet addresses.▷"Search fields": write letters without
selecting the list field.▷"Audio feedback": pronounces entered
letters and numbers.▷"Two-finger scrolling": operate lists.
Entering letters and numbers
Entering letters requires some practice at the
beginning. When entering, pay attention to the
following:
▷The system recognizes capital and lower
case letters. For the input of upper/lower
case letters and numbers, it may be neces‐
sary to switch to the corresponding input
mode, e.g. when upper and lower case let‐
ters are written the same way. Switching
between cases, numbers and letters, refer
to page 24.▷Enter characters as they are displayed on
the Control Display.▷Always enter associated characters, such
as accents or periods so that the letter can
be clearly recognized. Possible input de‐
pends on the set language. Where neces‐
sary, enter special characters via the con‐
troller.▷To delete a character, swipe to the left on
the touchpad.▷To enter a blank space, slide to the right in
the center of the touchpad.▷To enter a hyphen, slide to the right in the
upper area of the touchpad.Seite 26At a glanceiDrive26
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System limits
Gesture recognition by the camera can be dis‐
turbed by the following circumstances:▷The camera objective is covered.▷The camera objective is contaminated.
Clean the camera lenses, refer to
page 294.▷The gesture is executed outside of the de‐
tection range.▷The gesture can only be executed while
the vehicle is stationary.Seite 32At a glanceBMW gesture control32
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Voice activation systemVehicle features and options
This 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. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
The concept▷Most functions displayed on the Control
Display can be operated by voice com‐
mands via the voice activation system. The
system supports you with announcements
during input.▷Functions that can only be used when the
vehicle is stationary cannot be used via the
voice activation system.▷The system uses a special microphone on
the driver's side.▷›...‹ Verbal instructions in the Owner's
Manual to use with the voice activation
system.
Requirements
Via the Control Display, set a language that is
also supported by the voice activation system
so that the spoken commands can be identi‐
fied.
Set the language, refer to page 38.
Using voice activation
Activating the voice activation system1. Press button on the steering
wheel.2.Wait for the signal.3.Say the command.
A command that is recognized by the voice
activation system is announced and dis‐
played in the instrument cluster.
This symbol in the instrument cluster
indicates that the voice activation sys‐
tem is active.
If no other commands are available, use func‐
tion via iDrive.
Terminating the voice activation
system
Briefly press the button on the steer‐
ing wheel or ›Cancel‹.
Possible commands Most menu items on the Control Display can
be voiced as commands.
Commends from other menus can also be
spoken.
You may select lists such as phone lists via
voice activation. Read these lists out loud ex‐
actly as they show in the respective list.
Displaying possible commands Displayed in the top area of the Control Display
are:
▷Possible commands for the current menu.▷Possible commands from other menus.Seite 33Voice activation systemAt a glance33
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▷Status of the voice recognition.▷Status of the encrypted connection.
Help on the voice activation system
▷To have the available spoken instructions
read out loud: ›Voice commands‹.▷Have information about the principle of op‐
eration for the voice activation system be
announced: ›General information on voice
control‹.▷Announce help for the current
menu: ›Help‹.
One example: open the tone
settings
The commands of the menu items are spoken
just as they are selected via the controller.
1.Turn on the Entertainment sound output if
needed.2. Press button on the steering
wheel.3.›Media and radio‹4.›Tone‹
Adjusting
Setting the voice dialog
Set system to standard dialog or use a short
version.
The short version of the voice dialog plays
back short messages in abbreviated form.
About iDrive:
1."My Vehicle"2."System settings"3."Language"4."Speech mode:"5.Select desired setting.Selecting the input language For some languages, the input language can
be selected.
About iDrive:1."My Vehicle"2."System settings"3."Language"4."Voice control:"5.Select desired setting.
Activating encrypted connection
By activating an encrypted connection, the
quality of voice recognition will be improved.
About iDrive:
1."My Vehicle"2."System settings"3."Language"4."Speech recognition via server"
Encrypted connection active.
Adjusting the volume Turn the volume button during the spoken in‐
structions until the desired volume is set.
▷The volume remains constant even if the
volume of other audio sources is changed.▷The volume is stored for the drive profile
currently used.
Information on Emergency
Requests
Do not use the voice activation system to ini‐
tiate an Emergency Request. In stressful situa‐
tions, the voice and vocal pitch can change.
This can unnecessarily delay the establish‐
ment of a phone connection.
Instead, use the SOS button, refer to
page 286, close to the interior mirror.
Seite 34At a glanceVoice activation system34
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