2009 BMW 5 Series Owner's Manual - Page 137

Thinking ahead when driving Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking. To do so, maintain the appropriate distance from the vehicle in front of you. An anticipatory and smooth driving style reduces fuel consumption. Having maintenance carried out Have the vehicle serviced regularly in order to achieve the optimum economy and service life of your vehicle. BMW recommends having the maintenance performed by a BMW center. Also please pay attention to the BMW maintenance system, refer to page 237. Use 1st gear only for starting off. Accelerate rapidly in 2nd gear and above. Avoid high engine speeds in doing so and shift into the next gear early. When you have reached the desired speed, shift into the highest possible gear and drive with the lowest possible engine speed while maintaining a constant a vehicle speed. In general: driving at a low engine speed reduces fuel consumption and minimizes wear. General driving notes Closing luggage compartment lid/ tailgate Operate the vehicle only when the luggage compartment lid/tailgate is completely closed. Otherwise, exhaust fumes could enter the interior of the vehicle.< If it is absolutely necessary to drive with the luggage compartment lid open: When approaching a red light, let off the gas and allow the vehicle to coast to a stop in the highest possible gear. On steep roadways, let off the gas and allow the vehicle to roll in the appropriate gear. The flow of fuel is interrupted when coasting. 2. Increase the air volume of the automatic climate control to a high level, refer to page 116. Hot exhaust system As in all vehicles, extremely high temperatures are generated on the exhaust system. Do not remove the heat shields installed adjacent to it, and never apply undercoating to them. When driving, standing at idle and while parking take care to avoid possible contact between the hot exhaust system and any highly flammable materials such as hay, leaves, grass, etc. Such contact could lead to a fire, and with it the risk of serious property damage as well as personal injury. Do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes. Otherwise there is a risk of burns.< Switching off the engine during longer stops Switch off the engine at longer stops such as traffic signals, railroad crossings, or in traffic jams. Even having the engine switched off for approx. 4 seconds results in fuel savings. Switching off functions currently not required Functions such as the cooling function of the automatic climate control, seat heating or rear window defroster draw large amounts of power and consume additional fuel. Their influence is particularly pronounced in city traffic and stop & go operation. For this reason, it is a good idea to switch these functions off when they are not really needed. Hydroplaning When driving on wet or slushy roads, reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge of water can form between tires and road surface. This phenomenon is referred to as hydroplaning, and is characterized by a partial or complete loss of contact between the tires and Mobility Reference 135 Online Edition for Part no. 01 41 2 600 721 - © 08/08 BMW AG Communications Entertainment Navigation Taking advantage of coasting 1. Close all windows and the glass sunroof or panorama glass sunroof. Driving tips Controls Avoiding high engine speeds At a glance