Page 113 of 190

11 3Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
O ve rrun
zThe fuel s upply is automatically shut off
during ov errun, e. g. whe n the ve hicle is
being drive n down long gradie nts or
whe n braking – s ee page 1 11 .
zTo enable the ove rrun cut-off to take
effect a nd sav e fue l, during overrun do
not ac cele ra te and do not declutch.
Corr ect ge ar sel ec tion
zHigh revs increas e engine w ear and fue l
consumption.
zDo not race your engine. Avoid d riv ing at
high e ngine s pee ds .
Dr i v in g w i t h a n ey e o n t h e t a ch om et e r
save s fuel. I f pos sib le , drive a t low rev s in
each ge ar and a t a consta nt s pe ed.
Driv e in top g ear as m uch a s p os s ible,
shift up as s oon as pos s ib le and do not
shift down until the e ngine is no longe r
running truly . High speed
zT h e f a s t er t h e sp ee d, t h e h i g h e r t he f u el
consump tion and the noise level. Driv ing
at full throttle use s up a gre at de al of fue l
and g enerates excessive noise and high
e miss ion leve ls.
zSlightly relea sing the acce le rator ped al
res ults in distinct fuel s avings with no
major los s of spe ed.
Drive at no more tha n around thre e
quarters of max imum spe ed and you will
use up to 50% less fue l, without losing a
gre at de al of time.
Ty re pre ssure
zInade quate ty re p re s sure, leading to
higher road res istance , cos ts m one y in
two wa ys: more fue l and increa se d tyre
we ar.
zRe gular checks (e very 14 d ays ) pay off.
Ele ctri cal lo a ds
zThe power cons um ption of e lectrical
equip ment increa ses fuel consumption.
zSw itch off ad ditional c ons umers (e. g.
air conditioning, heate d re ar window)
when they are no longer required. Re pai r and m ainte nance
zImprope r repairs or adjus tm ent and
maintenance work can increase fuel
consumption. Do not carry out w ork on
the eng ine yourself.
You ma y infring e environmental la ws out
of ignorance by not d isposing of
materials prope rly.
Appropriate parts might not b e re cycle d.
Contact with some of the mate ria ls
involved may pose a health hazard.
zWe re com mend that repair and
maintenance be entrusted to your O pel
Se rv ice Partner.
E xtr em e d riving conditions
zDriv ing up s te ep gradie nts , cornering,
driving on poor roads and winte r driving
all increas e fue l consumption.
Fue l consumption increa se s dramatically
i n ur b a n t ra ff i c a nd a t w i n t er
tempe ratures, e spe cially on short trip s
w h en t h e e n g i ne o p er a t i n g t e m p e ra tu r e
is not reached.
zFollow the hints given above to keep
consumption to a m inimum under suc h
cond itions .
Page 114 of 190

1 1 4 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Fuels, refu elling
Fuel c onsum ption
Fuel consump tion is determined und er
s pecific driv ing cond itions – s ee page 1 77 .
Special equipment increases the weight of
t h e v eh i cl e. A s a r es u l t , t h ey ca n i n cr ea s e
fuel consump tion and reduce the specified
max imum s pee d.
F or the first few thousa nd kilome tres/m ile s,
friction b etwe en the engine and
transm ission com pone nts is higher.
This increases fuel consump tion.
Fuel for petrol engines
Normal comme rc ia l hig h-q uality fue ls
with a m aximum ethanol conte nt of 5% in
accordance with DIN EN 22 8 are suitable
(Cataly tic converte r - s ee page 1 16 .
O ctane numbe rs - se e page 17 5 ). The
quality thereof has considerable effect on
performance, running and service life of
the e ngine. The additive s mixe d with the
fuel are extremely im portant. For this
r ea so n yo u mu s t o n ly r e fu e l with h igh-
quality fuels containing additives.Fuels with e thanol content of gre ater than
5% d o not com ply with DIN EN 228 and
must not be used unless the v ehicle has
bee n s pe cifica lly dev eloped a nd ap prov ed
for these fuels.
Fuel with too low an octane number can
cause pinking. Opel cannot b e held liable
for re sulting dam age.
Petrol with a higher octane number can
always be use d.
The ignition tim ing adjusts automatically
t o t h e g r a de o f f u el us e d ( o ct a n e n um ber
)– se e p age 17 5 .
Use of pe trol with an octane rating of 95 or
highe r will e ns ure e conom ical driving.
Fue l fille r c ap
If re placing the fuel fille r c ap, be sure to us e
the original fue l fille r cap for your mode l, to
ensure full functionality.Re fue lling
9 Wa r nin g
Care must be ta ken when hand ling fuel.
Before re fuelling, s witch off the e ng ine
and where applicab le any auxiliary
he ating with combus tion cha mbers .
Switch off mobile phones.
Page 115 of 190

11 5Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
Fuel fille r neck at left re ar s ide of v ehicle.
Ope n the tank flap .
The fuel filler cap is locke d and unlocked
us ing the key provided . Turn key in lock
cylinder c lock wise to unloc k cap.
Uns cre w the fuel fille r cap b y turning it
anti-clock wise , and re move .
The fuel tank has a limiting sy ste m which
preve nts ov erfilling of the tank.C orre ct filling de pends to a large exte nt on
proper operation of the fuel disp ensing
pump:
1 . Fully ins ert the pump nozzle and s witch
it on.
2. At autom atic switch off, the specifie d
tank capacity is reache d. Le ave the fille r
nozz le in plac e until the flow s tops.
Place fuel filler c ap in pos ition and turn it
clockw ise until tight and turn ke y in lock
cy linde r anti-clockwis e to lock cap.
C los e tank flap.
W ipe off any ov erflowing fue l imme diately .
9 Wa r ning
Fu el is f l a m m a bl e a n d ex p l o si ve . A v oi d
nak ed flam es or s parks when handling
fuel or just in its vicinity. Do not smoke.
This a ls o applies where fuel is pe rceptible
only from its c harac te ristic od our. If fue l
od ours occur in the vehicle its elf, ha ve the
cause eliminate d imm ediate ly by a
work shop.
Page 116 of 190

1 1 6 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Cata ly tic conv erter, exhaust
ga s es
Ca taly tic con v er ter for pe trol e n gin e s
L eade d fuel will damage the catalytic
co n ver t e r a n d p a r t s o f t h e el ec tr o n i c
system, thereby rendering them
inoperative .
High qua lity fuels other tha n those liste d on
page s 11 4 and 1 7 5 (e .g. LRP
1)) could
dam age the catalytic conv erter.Damage to the ca talytic conve rte r or the
vehicle may res ult if the follow ing points
are not obs erve d:
zC onsult a workshop as quickly a s
pos sible in the e ve nt of misfiring,
irregular engine running following a cold
s tart, a s ignificant los s of engine power
or other unusual m alfunctions w hich
may indicate a fault in the ignition
system. If necessary, driving ma y be
continue d for a short time at a low spe ed
and w ith a low engine sp ee d.
Irregular engine running and lack of
powe r when the Ele ctronic S tability
Program (E SP) kicks in are for
ope ra tional re as ons and ca n be
ignored – s ee page 1 19 .zIf unburned fuel enters the catalytic
conv erter, this may res ult in ove rhe ating
and irre parable damage to the c atalytic
conv erter.
You should therefore avoid
unnecessarily long use of the starter
when starting-off, running the tank d ry
(an irre gular fuel s upply w ill lead to
overhea ting) and starting the e ngine by
pushing or towing.
zIf the e mis sion control ind ic ator Z
fla shes, slow down until the flashing
stops and the control indicator is s teady .
Consult a work shop imm ediately.
Emis s ion control indicator Z –
se e page 11 7 .
1)LR P = Lea d Replacement Petrol.
Page 117 of 190

11 7Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
Controlling exha ust emissions
The combination of design measures –
mainly in the are a of the fuel inje ction
system a nd ignition system s, and the
cataly tic conv erte r – has minimis ed the
proportion of harmful substance s in the
e xh a u st g a se s, su c h a s c a r b o n m on o xi d e
(CO ), hydrocarbons (CH) and nitrous
oxides (N O
x).Control i nd icator Z for exhaust
Illum inate s when the ignition is s witche d
on a nd during the start attem pt. Goes out
shortly after the eng ine sta rts running.
If it illum inate s while the e ngine is running,
the re is a fa ult in the em ission control
sy ste m. The permitte d e miss ion values
m a y be e xce ede d. Co n su l t a w or k sh o p
immed iately.
Flashing with the engine running indicates
a fault that may damage the catalytic
conv erter. You can continue to drive
without caus ing damage by slowing down
until the fla shing stop s and the control
indica tor is stead y. C onsult a workshop
immed iately.Exhaust g ases
D u r i n g t h e f i r s t dr i ve, s m o ke m a y deve l o p
be cause of wax and oil ev aporating on the
exhaust system . Park the vehicle in the
ope n for a while a fte r the first drive and
av oid inhaling the fum es .
9 Wa r nin g
Engine e xhaus t gase s contain pois onous
carbon monoxide , w hich is colourle ss and
odourle ss and c ould b e fatal if inhale d.
If ex haust gase s p enetrate the v ehicle
inte rior, open the w indows and consult a
workshop im mediate ly.
Page 118 of 190

1 1 8 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Mai nt ena nc e
Hav e all maintenance work carried out
at the inte rvals specified by Ope l. W e
recom mend that y ou entrust this work
to your O pel Service Partner, who ha s
prope r equipme nt and trained pers onne l
ava ilab le. Elec tronic te sting s ys tems
pe rmit rapid dia gnos is and rem edy of
faults. This way you can b e certain that
all comp onents of the vehicle’s electric al,
injection and ignition sy ste ms operate
correctly , that your ve hicle has a low leve l
of pollutant e mission and that the c atalytic
converte r s yste m will hav e a long se rvice
life.
You are there by m aking an imp ortant
contrib ution towards kee ping the air cle an
and com plia nc e with e mis sions le gis lation.
The S ervice work include s te sting and
adjusting the fuel injection system and the
ignition system . F or this re ason, hav e a ll
Se rvice work carrie d out at the inte rv als
s p eci f i e d by Op e l ( se e ch a p t er " Ser v ic e,
Maintenance " on page 1 65 ).Drive co n trol systems
Ele ctronic Stab ility P rogram (E SP ) ,
Ele ctronic Stab ility Control (E SC)
Elec tronic S tability C ontrol (ES C) is a
component part of the Ele ctronic S tability
Program (ESP).
ESP im proves driving s tability w he n
ne ces s ary in any driving s ituation,
re gardle ss of the ty pe of road surface or
tyre g rip . It also pre vents the d riv e whe els
from spinning.
The system m onitors vehicle movements.
As soon as the ve hicle starts to swe rve
(understeers/oversteers) engine output is
re duce d (the s ound of the e ngine cha ng es )
and individual whe els are spe cifically
braked . This cons iderab ly improve s the
driving stability of the ve hicle on snow and
ice and on wet or s lippe ry road s urfa ces .E SP is ready for operation as s oon a s the
ignition is s witched on and control
indicator v goes out.
The E SP control proces s is disp la yed b y the
flashing of v.
The vehicle is now in a critical s itua tion;
E SP allows you to ke ep control of the
vehicle a nd reminds you to m atch your
spee d to the road conditions.
9 Wa r nin g
Do not le t this spe cial safety feature
tempt you into ta king risk s w he n driving.
Tra ffic safe ty can only b e ac hie ve d by
adopting a re spons ible d riv ing sty le .
Page 119 of 190

11 9Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
Con t rol in dica tor v
Illuminates for a few seconds when the
ignition is switche d on. The s ys tem is ready
for operation when the control indica tor
goe s out.
Flashing during driving:
This shows the system has com e into
action. The engine output may be reduce d
(the sound of the engine cha nges) a nd the
ve hic le ma y be brake d automatically to a
s mall de gree .
The d riv er information centre also s hows
"E SC A CT IV E" an d/o r "L O W TR AC T ION "
when the syste m has come into action.
Se e page 69 .
"E SC" appe ars in s om e wa rning me ss age s.
ES C is a component part of the Ele ctronic
Stab ility Prog ra m (ES P), improving driving
s tability.Illum inate s while driving:
The system is switched off or a fault is
pres ent. C ontinued driving is poss ible .
The driving s tability ca n howe ve r
dete riorate de pending on road s urface
conditions .
The drive r informa tion ce ntre s how s
"ES C O FF ", "SE RVI CE ES C" o r
"SE RVIC E TR AC T ION " if a sy ste m f au lt
oc curs . S ee page s 69 , 7 0 .
The drive r informa tion ce ntre s how s
"T RA CT IO N O FF " a nd /o r "E SC OF F" if th e
sy ste m has bee n s witche d off. S ee page s
69, 70.
Reactiva te E SP or have the c ause of the
fa ult re me died by a work shop. The
sy ste m’s inte grate d s elf-diagnostics allow
fa ults to be quickly reme died.Sw itching off:
The tra ction control as pect of ESP ca n be
switched off by pressing button R once.
E SP can als o b e s witched off altogether by
pre ss ing and holding the button for more
t h a n 1 0 se c o nd s.
W hen traction control and /or E SP have
be en de activate d, c ontrol indicator v
illuminates in the ins trum ent pane l.
T h e dr i ver i n f o r m a t i o n cen t r e sh o w s
"TRAC TION OF F " if the button is pressed
once, and also "ESC OFF" if the system has
be en s w i t ch ed o ff a l to g e t h er .
S ee page s 6 9 , 7 0 .
Traction control and ES P are s witched on
aga in by pres s ing b utton R a gain (control
indicator g oe s out imm ediate ly) or the ne xt
time the ig nition is switche d on.
Page 120 of 190

1 2 0 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Comp eti tive m od e
Compe titiv e mode allows the driver to have
full control of the re ar whee ls while E SP
continues to as sis t in maintaining the
driving sta bility of the v ehicle by brak ing
the front whe els as ne cessary .
To activ ate :
Pre ss button R twice within 5 se conds.
Co n tro l in dica to r v illuminates in the
ins trument pane l. The trac tion control
aspe ct of E SP is dea ctivated for high
performance driving.
The drive r informa tion ce ntre s how s
"C OMP ET I TI VE MO D E". Se e pa ge 6 9 .
Ad jus t your driving a ccording ly .To deactivate:
Brie fly press button R again or s witch off
the ignition.
9 Wa r ning
Whe n the traction control aspect of E SP is
switched off, it is poss ible to lose traction.
Do not a tte mpt to shift gears while the
re ar whe els are spinning, to pre vent
damage to the transmission. F ailure to
follow thes e instructions can c aus e
injuries or put live s at risk .
9 Wa r nin g
Whe n competitive mode is e ngage d, it is
poss ible to los e traction.
Do not attempt to shift while the rear
whee ls are s pinning, to preve nt dama ge
to the transm ission. Fa ilure to follow
these instructions can cause injuries or
put lives at ris k.