Aa method for a coasting operation of a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine, preferably a utility vehicle, wherein in the coasting operation the internal combustion engine is dragged in unfired operation with a closed drive train and wherein means are provided for reducing an engine drag torque of the internal combustion engine, by means of which the engine drag power is reduced during the coasting operation, so that the internal combustion engine is dragged in the coasting operation with the combustion engine is towed at the reduced engine towing power, wherein the means for reducing the engine drag torque are configured to change a valve drive in the rolling operation in such a way that a compression work and/or charge changing work to be performed by the combustion engine in the non-firing operation is reduced, characterised by the steps of: presetting an upper and lower threshold value for a vehicle acceleration in rolling operation; advance calculation of an acceleration profile of the vehicle for rolling operation in dependence on topography data for a predetermined section of the route lying ahead; wherein the coasting operation is activated at the beginning of a downhill section of road for which it has been predicted that the advance calculated acceleration profile will be longer than a minimum duration or minimum distance within the upper and lower threshold values for the vehicle acceleration; and wherein the previously activated rolling operation is deactivated if the current vehicle speed, the vehicle acceleration or a degree of incline at a current position of a route exceed predetermined threshold values for these variables. the means for reducing the engine drag torque are configured to change a valve drive in the rolling operation in such a way that a compression work and/or charge changing work to be performed by the combustion engine in the non-firing operation is reduced, characterised by the steps of: presetting an upper and lower threshold value for a vehicle acceleration in rolling operation; advance calculation of an acceleration profile of the vehicle for rolling operation in dependence on topography data for a predetermined section of the route lying ahead; wherein the coasting operation is activated at the beginning of a downhill section of road for which it has been predicted that the advance calculated acceleration profile will be longer than a minimum duration or minimum distance within the upper and lower threshold values for the vehicle acceleration; and wherein the previously activated rolling operation is deactivated if the current vehicle speed, the vehicle acceleration or a degree of incline at a current position of a route exceed predetermined threshold values for these variables. presetting an upper and lower threshold value for a vehicle acceleration in rolling operation; advance calculation of an acceleration profile of the vehicle for rolling operation in dependence on topography data for a predetermined section of the route lying ahead; wherein the coasting operation is activated at the beginning of a downhill section of road for which it has been predicted that the advance calculated acceleration profile will be longer than a minimum duration or minimum distance within the upper and lower threshold values for the vehicle acceleration; and wherein the previously activated rolling operation is deactivated if the current vehicle speed, the vehicle acceleration or a degree of incline at a current position of a route exceed predetermined threshold values for these variables. <EOS>