FIAT Punto Classic User Manual
Page 168
167
SAFETY DEVICES
W
ARNING
LIGHTS AND MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICA
TIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic and road allow,
use a higher gear. Using a low gear to obtain brilliant
performance increases consumption. In the same way
improper use of a high gear increases consumption,
emissions an engine wear.
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increases with speed.
Avoid superfluous braking and accelerating, which cost
in terms of both fuel and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the revs will greatly
affect consumption and emissions: acceleration should
be gradual and should not exceed the maximum
torque.
CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts do not allow
the engine to reach optimum operating temperature.
This results in a significant increase in consumption
levels (from +15 to +30% on the urban cycle) and
emission of harmful substances.
Traffic situations and road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied to situations
with heavy traffic, for example in queues with frequent
use of the lower gears or in cities with many traffic
lights. Also winding mountain roads and rough road
surfaces adversely affect consumption.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (e.g.: level crossings) the
engine should be switched off.