With the cars that I have had over the last 10-15 years, auto start occurs when I take my foot off the break rather than when I step on the accelerator. As long as you aren’t two-foot driving an automatic, the engine is idling before I give it gas.
That was certainly my initial reaction too. Heart in throat at Every. Damned. Red. Light.
Two weeks later instead I’d be wondering why I was still feeling the mildly annoying vibration of the engine running while sitting at a traffic light. Which reason turned out to be that the guys at the carwash had toggled the auto stop/start button from enable to disable while wiping off the console.
Funny how habits change in response to different but consistent stimuli.
This. It just works.
For me, the hate is 100% the annoyance factor. It annoys me (I’ve driven a few rentals with it).
I understand that there are a lot of folks who are not annoyed by this. That’s fine. I am not one of them. Perhaps, over time, I would get used to the frequent engine re-starting, but, to me, it wouldn’t be worth the journey getting there.
Your mileage (heh heh) may vary.
mmm
My first encounter was with a Toyota Camry hybrid (2008). The engine ran pretty much all the time in those older models, the battery existed to provide that additional oomph for acceleration and recoup energy while braking -hence the same size engine as my previous little Honda Civic hatchback, 1600cc. But the engine did not start (automatically) until I was halfway out the garage on electric power, shaking the car a little.
I wish this was more of a factor in the cost/benefit analysis in the US and personally. Unnecessary idling is a contributor to the pollution we all breathe, and especially for residents who live near major intersections.
I don’t mind it except in one situation. Occasionally, when I’m backing out of my driveway I will be pulling out in reverse and I have to put the brake on to let traffic pass. If I’m braking long enough, the engine will shut off and when I release the brake, for a moment I’m in reverse backing down an incline with the engine off (which doesn’t feel safe).
That’s why my town has done away with drive-thrus. I don’t miss them at all.
I doubt they’re going to get rid of autostart/stop. First it takes a lot of engineering work to remove it. And then there’ll be a likely admin change that reinstates those penaties. So they’d have to put it back in in a few years. Much easier to just leave it alone.
Plus it’s still a benefit/requirement in other parts of the world. Easier to leave it be.