In a motor vehicle having equipment parts in the front-occupant area which can be adjusted on separate sides, two operating modes are possible. In a conventional operating mode, the adjusting of the equipment parts on the front passenger's side takes place individually corresponding to the front passenger's presettings. In the other operating mode, the adjusting of the equipment parts on the front passenger's side takes place synchronously with the adjustment of the equipment parts on the driver's side corresponding to the driver's presettings. The selection of the two operating modes takes place automatically or arbitrarily.