For all those experienced with driving Standard vehicles, put it in Nutral when going down hill and coast as far as you can (within speed limits), my son taught me this after he was driving my 93 Toyota pickup and was getting 55mpg, otherwise I would only get 20mpg.
I do have a question, why do small trucks get worse mpg than cars, if they basically have the same motors?
You don't want to do that with a modern fuel-injected car. They have Deceleration Fuel Cut Off, referred to as DFCO. In Neutral, the engine draws fuel to tick over but with DFCO the fuel is cut off entirely provided the momentum of the vehicle is turning the engine above a certain rpm (about 2K with my Jazz). That way you get an even better mpg.
Which is better for fuel economy depends on the car and situation.
DFCO active means engine braking is in effect. It is going to slow you down. Neutral coasting doesn't decelerate in comparison. If you aren't coming to a stop, the fuel saved by DFCO may be less than what is needed to regain the lost speed.
I use a bit of both (or I did when I was driving outside the city). You have to learn your vehicle and the roads you drive regularly. I never used DFCO to lose speed (unless as you say, I was intending to stop). On lots of downgrades I would use DFCO until near the bottom, then stick it into Neutral for the last little bit.
Linear Mode
