Owner`s manual

14 2
Saving Fuel
Energy-con sc ious driving
z High fuel consumption is often a result of
failing to drive in an energy-conscious
ma nn er.
z You should theref ore drive with e nergy in
mind – "more miles with less fuel".
Fuel consumption depends to a great ex tent
on your own personal driving style. The
following hints are intended to help you
consu me fuel a t a ra te that is as close as
possible to the specified levels; see page 220.
Check your vehicle's f uel c onsumption eve ry
time you fill up. In this way you will be able at
an ea rly stage to de tect any irregularities
causing increased consumption.
Warming up
z Driving at full throttle or idling while the
engine is still c old increa ses engine we ar
and fuel consu mption.
z Drive off immediately after starting. Warm
up the engine by running it at moderate
engine speeds.
Uniform speed
z Hectic driving significantly increases fuel
consumption.
z Do not acc elerate and brake u nnecessarily.
Drive as often as possible in top gear.
In many cases you can shift into fourth gear
at speeds a s low as 30 mph ( 50 km/h) in
urban traffic.
In fourth gear fuel consumption in the 30 to
5 0 mph ( 50 to 80 km/h) ran ge is arou nd
25 % lower than in third gear.
In the 4 5 to 55 mph (70 to 90 km/h) ran ge,
fu el c onsumption in fift h g ear is roug hly
15 % lower than in four gear.
Se le ct the next higher gear a s soon as
possible, and only change down when the
engine is no longer running perfectly
smoothly.
Idling
z The engine also consumes fuel when idling.
z If you have to wait for more than one
minute, it is worthwhile switching off the
engine. Five minutes of idling corresponds
to approximately 0.6 miles (1km) of driving.
Overrun
z The fuel supply is automatically shut off
during overrun, e. g. when the vehicle is
being driven down long gradients or when
brak ing; see pa ge 141.
z When the vehicle is coasting, do not
acc elerate an d do not dise ngage gear
(vehicles with manual transmission) so that
coastin g sh utof f c an tak e ef fec t in a way
that conserves fuel.
Correct gear selection
z High revs increase engine wea r and f uel
co nsumpt ion.
z Do not overrev engine. Excessive engine
speeds increa se wear an d f uel
co nsumpt ion.
Making u se of the tachomet er h elps to save
fuel. Drive in a low engin e spee d range for
eac h gear a s much as possible with
uniform en gine speeds.