Would you have an electric car if you had the money for a new car and were in the market for one?

[Horse]

It takes around a second to restart but also there is a lag on the acceleration. So, even with the engine on, from a standing start I have to account for the delay in the vehicle actually getting moving when I'm looking at gaps in the traffic (roundabouts are the main issue as folks here are slightly random on them!). Add in the time to get the engine started to the lag in acceleration and it makes things 'interesting'. I never go for a gap if the engine isn't already going!!

I may well be doing something wrong, but I've not worked out what it is yet, so I just kill the stop start once out of town (well, out of Annecy!) and then I only have to account for the lag in acceleration

In my car, it will only switch off once per stop.

If yours is similar, perhaps just touch the throttle to get the engine started? (Foot on the brake too)

[Mr. Dazzle]

That's what I do in mine sometimes, typically if I'm waiting at a junction. Just touch the accelerator and it will start and then stay on even if you never let go of the brake. You have to go through a move -> stop cycle again before it switches off.

[mangocrazy]

All this stuff you have to go through to defeat a function that you never asked for in the first place...

I buy old tat (current 4 wheeled vehicles date from 1980, 2002 & 2005 respectively) but when I do eventually need to buy a car with stop/start it will be turned off permanently, I can assure you.

[Mr. Dazzle]

There's certainly a certain demographic who are most opposed to it.

It's basically invisible to me. Don't even think about it, even when I'm accounting for it. Like changing gear or using the wipers.

[mangocrazy]

There's certainly a certain demographic who are most opposed to it.

Yeah, that's me... But then I'm also able to switch on the wipers when the rain is persistent enough and really prefer a manual, cable operated handbrake...

[MrLongbeard]

All this stuff you have to go through to defeat a function that you never asked for in the first place

What like press one button once per journey, yeah it's taxing all right.

If I was in a company car or PCP, then I'd not bother and let it do it's thing, but in my own car, nah shut it off every time

[Mr. Dazzle]

That Honda "maximum number of starts" thing is super weird though. I asked the old hands over at the mothership, I can assure you at least one German OEM doesn't do that on their stop/start system

[mangocrazy]

All this stuff you have to go through to defeat a function that you never asked for in the first place

What like press one button once per journey, yeah it's taxing all right.

If I was in a company car or PCP, then I'd not bother and let it do it's thing, but in my own car, nah shut it off every time

I'd forget and it would annoy me. At least, I think it would; not having ever owned a car with s/s I can't actually be certain. But in general I tend to operate on the KISS principle, and s/s definitely doesn't.

[MrLongbeard]

All this stuff you have to go through to defeat a function that you never asked for in the first place

What like press one button once per journey, yeah it's taxing all right.

If I was in a company car or PCP, then I'd not bother and let it do it's thing, but in my own car, nah shut it off every time

I'd forget and it would annoy me. At least, I think it would; not having ever owned a car with s/s I can't actually be certain. But in general I tend to operate on the KISS principle, and s/s definitely doesn't.

You soon learn and it becomes an automatic gesture

[mangocrazy]

What like press one button once per journey, yeah it's taxing all right.

If I was in a company car or PCP, then I'd not bother and let it do it's thing, but in my own car, nah shut it off every time

I'd forget and it would annoy me. At least, I think it would; not having ever owned a car with s/s I can't actually be certain. But in general I tend to operate on the KISS principle, and s/s definitely doesn't.

You soon learn and it becomes an automatic gesture

Two fingers or one?

[Mr. Dazzle]

I specifically turn the super eco start/stop on in my car when I get in S/S is always on, if you put the drive train in eco mode it'll also kill the engine when you're moving and "sail" as above.

Also does loads of other very clever drive train switcheroony stuff based on camera and sat nav data, which is very much not KISS :

[Cousin Jack]

Buy a hybrid, ICE stops at traffic lights but electric power gives you the edge in the traffic lights GP.

[mangocrazy]

I specifically turn the super eco start/stop on in my car when I get in S/S is always on, if you put the drive train in eco mode it'll also kill the engine when you're moving and "sail" as above.

Also does loads of other very clever drive train switcheroony stuff based on camera and sat nav data, which is very much not KISS :

Yes, totally different way of viewing the world. I'm from the era when complication = unreliability. These days that isn't necessarily the case, as modern manufacturing, production and research methods have made stuff much more reliable. But given a complicated structure and a simple one, I'll take simple every time.

[Mr. Dazzle]

The most unreliable (powered) vehicle I own...have ever owned...is also by far the simplest

[mangocrazy]

The most unreliable (powered) vehicle I own...have ever owned...is also by far the simplest

It's also older than you...

That's a low blow - bringing Triumph into the conversation...

[MrLongbeard]

eco

The one button in my car that never gets touched, OK I get a pretty light show when driving all boring like, but it also restricts the temperature the AC will achieve

[Mr. Dazzle]

eco

The one button in my car that never gets touched, OK I get a pretty light show when driving all boring like, but it also restricts the temperature the AC will achieve

One of the nice things about an over complicated car is customisable profiles I only have the drive train in Eco, interior climate stays in "Comfort" for exactly that reason

The AC pump is leccy too, so it doesn't rely on the engine. In fact my car has no belt driven anything.

[Mussels]

I've never known any of these systems to take more than 2s to start, usually much less than 1s IME, and if you can't time/judge your pull away to account for that you're probably doing something wrong

It takes around a second to restart but also there is a lag on the acceleration. So, even with the engine on, from a standing start I have to account for the delay in the vehicle actually getting moving when I'm looking at gaps in the traffic (roundabouts are the main issue as folks here are slightly random on them!). Add in the time to get the engine started to the lag in acceleration and it makes things 'interesting'. I never go for a gap if the engine isn't already going!!

I may well be doing something wrong, but I've not worked out what it is yet, so I just kill the stop start once out of town (well, out of Annecy!) and then I only have to account for the lag in acceleration

You're lucky, I can't turn it off in my Jag. It's very quick to start, probably the time it takes to get my foot from brake to accelerator but with getting in gear it takes about a second to get moving. When it does finally move I've pushed the accelerator too far and the wheels spin.
Not a problem at traffic lights or slow traffic but when I'm pulling out of a T junction where I can see about 5 seconds up the road It's really irritating.
The only way I can get around it is to leave it in drive with the handbrake on, then it's continuously pushing against the brake which does release instantly. After seven years of ownership I sometimes still forget I need to do that.

[Saga Lout]

My Mazda has the stop/start thing. I thought I wouldn't like it and would need to turn it off but I've got used to it. If you want it off you have to turn it off every time you start the car. It also has an automatic "handbrake". Weirdly, you have to turn that ON every trip if you want it.

[Nordboy]

Always turn start/ stop of in my cars, bloody hate it.

Electronic handbrakes though especially with auto hold and release, brilliant bit of tech. However, if i'm stopped at lights for a period of time and i have someone behind me i apply the handbrake so the person behind doesn't have to sit staring at my brakes lights because they stay on when you use auto hold.

I've had the pleasure of driving a £80k Kia EV9 this week. 7 seater, fully leccy, all the bells and whistles. Drives brilliantly and has a fair bit of go for a big vehicle. But £80k is a shit tonne of cash for a Kia. Saying that, it's probably better to drive and a load more reliable than something like a range rover.