Toyota RAV4 2007 Owner'S Manual Download

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’07 Rav4_U (L/O 0608)

347

2007 RAV4 from July ’06 Prod. (ON42621U)

Improving  fuel  economy  is  easy—just  take
it  easy.  It  will  help  make  your  vehicle  last
longer,  too.  Here  are  some  specific  tips
on  how  to  save  money  on  both  fuel  and
repairs:

Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure.

Underinflation causes

tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
402 in Section 7

−

2 for instructions.

Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle.

Excess weight puts a

heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.

Avoid lengthy warm

−

up idling.

Once

the  engine  is  running  smoothly,  begin
driving—but  gently.  Remember,  howev-
er,  that  on  cold  winter  days  this  may
take  a  little  longer.

Put the selector lever into the “D”
when engine braking is not required.

Driving with the select lever in “3”
(4

−

speed) or “4” (5

−

speed) will reduce

the  fuel  economy.  (For  details,  see
“Automatic  transmission”  on  page  141
or  145  in  Section  1

−

7.)

Accelerate

slowly

and

smoothly.

Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.

Avoid long engine idling.

If you have

a  long  wait  and  you  are  not  in  traffic,
it  is  better  to  turn  off  the  engine  and
start  again  later.

Avoid engine lugging or over

−

rev-

ving.

Use a gear position suitable for

the road on which you are travelling.

Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down.

Stop

−

and

−

go driving

wastes fuel.

Avoid

unnecessary

stopping

and

braking.

Maintain a steady pace. Try

to  time  the  traffic  signals  so  you  only
need  to  stop  as  little  as  possible  or
take  advantage  of  through  streets  to
avoid  traffic  lights.  Keep  a  proper  dis-
tance  from  other  vehicles  to  avoid  sud-
den  braking.  This  will  also  reduce  wear
on  your  brakes.

Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.

Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal.

This causes premature wear,

overheating and poor fuel economy.

Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways.

The faster you drive, the greater

the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.

Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment.

Avoid hitting the curb and

slow  down  on  rough  roads.  Improper
alignment  not  only  causes  faster  tire
wear  but  also  puts  an  extra  load  on
the  engine,  which,  in  turn,  wastes  fuel.

Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc.

This not only lessens

weight but also helps prevent corro-
sion.

Keep your vehicle tuned

−

up and in

top shape.

A dirty air cleaner, improp-

er  valve  clearance,  dirty  plugs,  dirty  oil
and  grease,brakes  not  adjusted,  etc.  all
lower  engine  performance  and  contrib-
ute  to  poor  fuel  economy.  For  longer
life  of  all  parts  and  lower  operating
costs,  keep  all  maintenance  work  on
schedule,  and  if  you  often  drive  under
severe  conditions,  see  that  your  vehicle
receives  more  frequent  maintenance.
(For  scheduled  maintenance  informa-
tion,  please  refer  to  the  “Scheduled
Maintenance  Guide”  or  “Owner’s  Manu-
al  Supplement”.)

How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer