The vehicle is driven by the combustion engine. At the same time, the high-voltage battery is charged if required.

For full acceleration, the vehicle is simultaneously driven by both the combustion engine and the electric motor. This driving mode is called boost and is only available for a short time as it uses a lot of energy. Its availability is dependent on the charge level of the high-voltage battery.

The boost function is activated when the accelerator pedal is pressed a long way down.

Depending on the driving conditions and the charge level of the high-voltage battery, the vehicle can be driven using only the electric motor with the combustion engine switched off.

The combustion engine is started under acceleration or if the high-voltage battery's charge is no longer sufficient. As soon as the driver does not require fast acceleration and the high-voltage battery's charge allows it, the vehicle will again run on electric power.

By pressing the button Fig. 1, the usual limits of electric driving can be extended and you can drive with electric power when the status of the electrical system allows this. The vehicle is then set to run on electric power as often as possible -3-, -12- Fig. 2. It is possible to drive up to 3 km at a constant speed of 60 km/h using only electric power.

The following requirements must be met for extended electric driving to be activated:

Extended electric driving will be interrupted and the combustion engine started when you accelerate. The grey indicator lamp will also light up in the instrument cluster display. Extended electric driving is resumed after acceleration is complete.

Extended electric driving is deactivated if one or more of the following occurs:

The button must be pressed again to re-activate the system.

As long as the combustion engine has not reached its operating temperature, it is possible to drive off under electric power without the combustion engine cutting in. To do so, prepare the vehicle for driving with the selector lever in position P, press the button and then select D or R.

The combustion engine is only used when it is needed. As a rule, the combustion engine is switched off when the vehicle is not in motion; the high-voltage battery provides the energy that the vehicle's electrical systems require.

On the hybrid system, automatically switching off the combustion engine in normal driving is intended to save fuel. All of the important vehicle systems such as the steering, the brakes and the air conditioner remain activated. In some cases, it may be necessary to also run the combustion engine when the vehicle is not moving for system reasons. On long journeys in heavy traffic, the combustion engine is switched on periodically when the vehicle is stationary in order to charge the high-voltage battery.

The combustion engine is switched off when the selector lever is in position D, the accelerator pedal is not being pressed and the vehicle's speed is up to approx. 160 km/h. This makes it possible to reduce fuel consumption by thinking ahead.

When the vehicle brakes, electrical energy is produced by the electric motor (which is in this case working as a generator) and used to charge the high-voltage battery. This also happens if the vehicle is going downhill or is coasting in gear (overrun). In this case the combustion engine is automatically switched off.

If you brake early and smoothly with short pedal movements, the vehicle is braked by the electric motor Fig. 2 -6-. This means that a large amount of the kinetic energy can be recovered and used as electrical energy to charge the high-voltage battery. Under heavy braking, the normal brakes are also activated Fig. 2 -10-.

The amount of energy recovered is shown on the infotainment system Link.

Different operating modes lead to the combustion engine being started automatically: