Driving Tips; Important Safety Notes; Brakes; Downhill Gradient - Mercedes-Benz SLK Operator's Manual

Driving tips

160
In addition to driving style, the consumption
is affected by many other factors, such as:
Load
R
Tire pressure
R
Cold start
R
Choice of route
R
the use of electrical consumers
R
These factors are not included in the ECO
display.
The evaluation of your driving style takes the
following three categories into consideration:
Acceleration (evaluation of all
acceleration processes)
The bar fills up:
Moderate
acceleration,
especially at higher
speeds
Constant (assessment of driving
behavior at all times)
The bar fills up:
Constant speed and
avoidance of
unnecessary
acceleration and
deceleration
Coasting (assessment of all deceleration
processes)
The bar fills up:
Anticipatory driving,
keeping your
distance and early
release of the
accelerator: the
vehicle can coast
without use of the

brakes

The bar empties:
Sporty acceleration
The bar empties:
Fluctuations in
speed
The bar empties:
Frequent braking
i
An economical driving style involves
driving with a moderate engine speed.
To achieve a higher value in the categories
"acceleration" and "smooth driving":
observe the gearshift recommendation.
R
drive the vehicle in drive program E
R
(vehicles with automatic transmission).
i
On long journeys at a constant speed, e.g.
on the freeway, only the bar for "smooth
driving" will change.
i
The ECO display summarizes the driving
characteristics from the start of the journey
to its completion. Therefore, there are
dynamic changes in the bars at the start of
a journey. During a prolonged driving time,
these changes are smaller. For dynamic
changes, perform a manual reset.
For further information on the ECO display,
see ( page 196).
Y
Braking

Important safety notes

G
WARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
! On long, steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes. In order to
use engine braking effect, restrict the shift
range in good time. This helps you to avoid
overheating the brakes and wearing them
out excessively.
When making use of the engine braking
effect, it is possible that a drive wheel may
not turn for some time, e.g. in the case of
suddenly changing or slippery road surface