A method and a device for detecting the clutch state in a motor vehicle, in particular
during engine drag torque regulation, is described. A particularly simple and cost-effective
method of detecting the clutch state is made possible by determining the engine
speed and a wheel speed and by calculating a gear ratio therefrom. Threshold values
for the overall gear ratio are stored in the system for at least each of the lower
gears (e.g., the first through the third gear). The clutch state may be identified
by comparing the calculated overall gear ratio with the threshold values of the
particular gear.