System and method for operating the system for climatizing air of a passenger compartment and for heat exchange with drive components of motor vehicles includes a coolant circuit and refrigerant circuit with a compressor, a refrigerant-air heat exchanger, operated as condenser/gas cooler, at least one expansion element, at least one heat exchanger, operated as evaporator, for conditioning an air-mass flow supplied to the passenger compartment; this is implemented as refrigerant-air heat exchanger, and at least one heat exchanger, operated as evaporator, which is implemented as refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and disposed within the coolant circuit for heat transfer from coolant to refrigerant. The refrigerant circuit includes a heat exchanger, operated as condenser/gas cooler, which acts as refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and is disposed within the coolant circuit for heat transfer from refrigerant to coolant. The coolant circuit is implemented with at least one heat exchanger for heat exchange with a drive component.