Skoda Roomster Owner's Manual page 109

The graph » Fig. 96 shows the ratio of fuel consumption to the speed of your ve-
hicle. Fuel consumption will be halved if you drive at only three-quarters of the
possible top speed of your vehicle.
Reducing idling

First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 104.
Idling also costs fuel.
In vehicles not equipped with the START-STOP system, turn off the engine when
in a traffic jam, at a level crossing or traffic lights with longer wait times.
Even after just 30 - 40 seconds you will have saved more fuel than that is needed
when you start the engine up again.
If an engine is only idling it takes much longer for it to reach its normal operating
temperature. Wear-and-tear and pollutant emissions, though, are particularly
high in the warming-up phase. Therefore, start driving as soon as the engine has
started, In this case high engine speeds should be avoided.
Avoiding short distances

First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 104.
Short distances result in an above-average high fuel consumption. We therefore
recommend avoiding distances of less than 4 km if the engine is cold.
106
Driving
Fig. 97
Principle sketch: Fuel consump-
tion in l/100 km at different tem-
peratures
A cold engine consumes the most fuel immediately after the start. Fuel consump-
tion drops to 10 litres/100 km after just 1 kilometre. The consumption stabilises
once the engine and catalytic converter have reached their operating tempera-

ture.
An important factor in this connection is also the ambient temperature. The
graph » Fig. 97 shows the different levels of fuel consumption after driving a cer-
tain distance at a temperature of +20 °C and a temperature of -10 °C.
The vehicle has a higher fuel consumption in winter than in summer.
Checking tyre pressure

First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 104.
Tyres which are correctly inflated save fuel.
Always ensure the tyre inflation pressure is correct. If the pressure is too low, the
tyres will have to overcome a higher rolling resistance. This will not only increase
fuel consumption but also tyre wear and the driving behaviour will worsen.

Always check the tyre inflation pressure when the tyres are cold.
Avoiding unnecessary ballast

First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 104.
Transporting ballast costs fuel.
Each kilogramme of weight increases the fuel consumption. Therefore we recom-
mend to carry no unnecessary weight.
It is particularly in town traffic, when one is accelerating quite often, that the ve-
hicle weight will have a significant effect upon the fuel consumption. A rule of
thumb here is that an increase in weight of 100 kilograms will cause an increase
in fuel consumption of about 1 litre/100 kilometres.
At a speed of 100 - 120 km/h, a vehicle fitted with a roof rack cross member with-
out a load will use about 10 % more fuel than normal due to the increased aero-
dynamic drag.


