Seat ALHAMBRA Owner's Manual page 228

226 Driving and the environment
Economic driving style
Changing gear early
General instructions: The highest gear is always the most economical gear.
As a guideline, for the majority of vehicles: At a speed of 30 km/h, drive in
third gear, at 40 km/h in fourth gear and at 50 km/h in fifth gear.
In addition, skipping gears when shifting up helps to save fuel, weather and
traffic conditions permitting.
Do not wait until the last moment before changing gear. Only use first gear
when you move off and change to second gear quickly. Avoid the kick-down
function in vehicles with automatic gearbox.
Vehicles with a gear display help to achieve an economical driving style as
the display indicates the best moment to change gear.
Let the vehicle roll
If you take your foot off the accelerator, the fuel supply is stopped and
consumption is reduced.
Allow the vehicle to roll without accelerating, for example when approaching
a red traffic light. However, if the vehicle is rolling too slowly or the distance
is too long, the clutch pedal should be pressed to declutch. The engine will
then operate at idle speed.
If the vehicle is going to be at a standstill for a period of time, switch off the
engine; for example, while waiting at a level crossing. In vehicles which have
the Start-Stop function on, the engine switches off automatically when the
vehicle is not moving.
Think ahead and "flow" with the traffic
Frequent acceleration and braking considerably increase fuel consumption. If
you think ahead as you drive and keep a safe distance from the vehicle in
front, it is possible to slow down by simply lifting your foot off the accelerator.
This eliminates the need for constant braking and acceleration.
Calm and steady driving
Constancy is more important than speed: The more you drive at a constant
speed, the lower the fuel consumption.
When driving on the motorway, it is more efficient to drive at a constant and
more moderate speed than to be continuously accelerating and braking. As a
general rule, you will reach your destination just as quickly when you drive at
a constant speed.
The cruise control function helps you to achieve a constant style of driving.
Moderate use of additional electrical appliances
It is important to travel in comfort, but convenience systems should be used
in an ecological manner.
Some equipment, when connected, increase fuel consumption considerably,
for example:
Air conditioning cooling system: If the air conditioning system is required
to cool to significantly lower temperatures than the true outside temperature,
it will require a large quantity of energy from the engine. Therefore, we recom-
mend that the selected temperature for the vehicle is not too different to the
outside temperature. It is a good idea to open all the windows of the car
before starting your journey, and to drive a short distance with all the
windows open to allow the vehicle to cool down slightly. Only then should
you close all the windows and switch on the air conditioning. Keep windows
closed when travelling at high speeds. Driving with the windows open
increases fuel consumption.
Switch off the seat heating when the seats have warmed up.
Switch off the heated rear window and the windscreen heating when the
windows have demisted and are free of ice.
Do not leave the independent heating switched on when the vehicle is
moving page 167.
Other factors which increase fuel consumption (examples):
Fault in engine management.