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07 During your trip
Driving recommendations
General information
Economical driving conserves natural
resources
Better driving economy may be obtained by
thinking ahead, avoiding rapid starts and
stops and adjusting the speed of your vehicle
to immediate traffic conditions.
Observe the following rules:
•
Bring the engine to normal operating tem-
perature as soon as possible by driving
with a light foot on the accelerator pedal
for the first few minutes of operation. A
cold engine uses more fuel and is subject
to increased wear.
•
Whenever possible, avoid using the vehi-
cle for driving short distances. This does
not allow the engine to reach normal
operating temperature.
•
Drive carefully and avoid rapid accelera-
tion and hard braking.
•
Use the transmission's Drive (D) position
as often as possible and avoid using kick-
07
down.
•
Do not exceed posted speed limits.
•
Avoid carrying unnecessary items (extra
load) in the vehicle.
•
Maintain correct tire pressure. Check tire
pressure regularly (when tires are cold).
268
•
Remove snow tires when threat of snow
or ice has ended.
•
Note that roof racks, ski racks, etc,
increase air resistance and also fuel con-
sumption.
•
At highway driving speeds, fuel consump-
tion will be lower with the air conditioning
on and the windows closed than with the
air conditioning off and the windows
open.
•
Using the onboard trip computer's fuel
consumption modes can help you learn
how to drive more economically.
Other factors that decrease gas mileage
are:
•
Dirty air cleaner
•
Dirty engine oil and clogged oil filter
•
Dragging brakes
•
Incorrect front end alignment
Some of the above mentioned items and oth-
ers are checked at the standard maintenance
intervals.
WARNING
Driving with the trunk open: Driving with
the trunk open could lead to poisonous
exhaust gases entering the passenger
compartment. If the trunk must be kept
open for any reason, proceed as follows:
•
Close the windows
•
Set the ventilation system control to air
flow to floor, windshield and side win-
dows and the blower control to its
highest setting.
Weight distribution affects handling
At the specified curb weight your vehicle has
a tendency to understeer, which means that
the steering wheel has to be turned more
than might seem appropriate for the curva-
ture of a bend. This ensures good stability
and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid.
Remember that these properties can alter
with the vehicle load. The heavier the load in
the trunk, the less the tendency to under-
steer.
Handling, roadholding
Vehicle load, tire design and inflation pres-
sure all affect vehicle handling. Therefore,
check that the tires are inflated to the recom-
mended pressure according to the vehicle
load. See the "Tire pressure" section. Loads
should be distributed so that capacity weight
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