Driving
ing type. The following section gives you some
tips on lessening the impact on the environment
and reducing your operating costs at the same
time.
Automatic transmission: accelerate gradually
and without reaching the “kick-down” position.
an enhanced resale value. A badly serviced en-
gine can consume up to 10% more fuel than
necessary.
Avoid driving at high speed
Avoid short journeys
Avoid travelling at your vehicle’s top speed,
whenever possible. Fuel consumption, emission
of harmful gases and noise pollution multiply as
speed is increased. Driving at moderate speeds
will help to save fuel.
Active cylinder management (ACT®)
The engine and catalytic converter need to
reach their optimal operating temperature in
order to minimise fuel consumption and emis-
sions.
Depending on vehicle equipment, the active
cylinder management (ACT®) may deactivate
some of the engine cylinders if the driving sit-
uation does not require too much power. The
number of active cylinders can be seen on the
instrument panel display ››› page 16.
A cold engine consumes a disproportionate
amount of fuel. The engine reaches its work-
ing temperature after about four kilometres (2.5
miles), when fuel consumption will return to a
normal level.
Reduce idling time
In vehicles with the Start-Stop system idling is
automatically reduced. In vehicles without the
Start-Stop system it is worth switching o the
engine, for example, at level crossings and at
trac lights that remain red for long periods of
time. When an engine has reached operating
temperature, and depending on the cylinder
capacity, keeping it switched o for a minimum
of about 5 seconds already saves more than
the amount of fuel necessary for restarting.
Foresight when driving
If you think ahead when driving, you will need
to brake less and thus accelerate less. Take ad-
vantage of the inertia of the vehicle whenever
possible, with a gear engaged. This takes ad-
vantage of the engine braking eect, reducing
wear on the brakes and tyres. Emissions and
fuel consumption will drop to zero.
Check tyre pressure
Always make sure the tyres are inflated to the
correct pressures ››› page 286 to save fuel. If
the pressure is below half bar, fuel consumption
may increase by 5%. Due to the greater rolling
resistance, under-inflation also increases tyre
wear and impairs handling.
The engine takes a long time to warm up when
it is idling. Mechanical wear and pollutant emis-
sions are also especially high during this initial
warm-up phase. It is therefore best to drive
o immediately after starting the engine. Avoid
running the engine at high speed.
Changing gear to save energy
Do not use winter tyres all year round as they
increase fuel consumption by up to 10%.
An eective way of saving is to change in ad-
vance to a higher gear.
Avoid carrying unnecessary loads
Manual gearbox: change from first to second
gear as soon as possible. Choosing the cor-
rect gear saves fuel. Select the highest possi-
ble gear suitable for the driving situation (the
engine should continue to run with cyclical reg-
ularity).
Given that every kilo of extra weight will in-
crease the fuel consumption, it is advisable
make sure that no unnecessary loads are being
transported.
Regular maintenance
Regular servicing helps in saving fuel even be-
fore the engine is started. A well-serviced en-
gine gives you the benefit of improved fuel
eciency as well as maximum reliability and
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