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- Avoid driving through salt wat er, because
th is can cause corros ion.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l consumption, t he environ-
mental impact and the wea r to the engine,
brakes and t ires depen ds mostly on your driving
style. Wit h an anticipatory and econom ic driving
style, fuel consum ption can be reduced by ap-
proximate ly 10- 15%. The following tips will help
you conse rve the environment and your money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerat ing.
When you drive with ant icipat ion, you do not
need to brake as ofte n and so you accelerate less .
When possible, let your vehicle coast wit h a
gear
engaged,
for example when you notice that the
next tra ffic light is red . This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces t he emissions and fuel con-
sumption to zero (fuel shut-off during decelera-
tion) .
Shift efficiently
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fue l.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari-
ly.
Press down on the accelerato r peda l slowly and
avoid "kick-down".
Avoid full acceleration
You should rare ly tr avel at the maximum vehicle
speed . High speeds cause a disproportionately
high increase in fuel consumption, emissions an d
traffic noise. Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system * helps t o reduce the idling
time autom atically. In vehicles without the Start /
Stop system, it is efficient to switch the engine
off when stopped at railroad cross ings and long
red lights . Depending on t he version of the en-
gine, stopping the eng ine for as litt le as five sec-
onds once it has reached ope rat ing tempe rature
Driving
st ill saves more fuel t han leaving t he engine run-
ning - even when taking into account the amount
of ext ra fuel t hat is used to restart t he engine.
It tak es a very long t ime in idle t o warm t he en-
gine up to operatin g tem perature . Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
phase. Therefore, you should begin driving im-
med iate ly after starting the eng ine. Avoid high
RPMs while doing this.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance performed reg ularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fue l con-
sumption before you even sta rt to dr ive. The
maintenance cond ition of your vehicle not only
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al-
so impacts fuel consumption . A poorly main-
ta ined engine can lead to fue l consump tion that
is 10% higher t han normal.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and emissions contro l system must
reach their optima l
operat ing temperature to ef-
fecti vely reduce consumpt ion and emissions .
A cold engine uses a disproportionately high
amount of fue l. The engine reac hes operat ing
temperat ure and consumption normalizes on ly
after app roximately 2 .5 miles (4 km).
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, make sure the tires are always in-
flated to t he correct press ure
c>page 339. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by 5% if the pres-
sure is only 0.5 bar too low. Due to t he increased
rolling resistance, low tire pressures will also
lead to greate r tire
wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on
winter tires year-round, as this
will consume up to 10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every pound of ext ra weight increases fuel
consumption, a quick inspect ion of the luggage
compartment may be worth it to avoid unneces-
sary weight . ..,.
73
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