Huh, I love my Nissan’s Intelligent Key system.
I do at home. But no big deal if I leave the keys in, I’ll be going back to get them so I can get in my house.
You just have to put the key in the ignition and turn it before it lets you drive. Apparently if you have a standard, they have to put in some kind of bypass on the clutch and you have to have left the car in neutral, which seems a huge pain in the arse.
Stole my response. And innovation, because futuristic stuff is cooler. I think this would be something I could get used to and even enjoy. Then I’d lock myself out or lose the key, and I’d be out $300 vs. a couple bucks for regular keys at Home Depot ($298 is what I knew a rental place charged, you might be able to go cheaper. Still too much!) Add on the fact that any repairs/replacements are going to be pricier, and I don’t like it. I’m a big fan of redundancy in cars, and not being locked out of mechanical stuff because the electronics failed.
The car is supposed to lock itself, isn’t it? Seems sort of a waste to have a magic key fob if you have to dig it out to lock the car.
If I leave my keys in the cupholder (I’ve done that once or twice), there are a few things that happen: after about 60 seconds, my car locks itself-- so no one would be able to get in and get the keys— and then, if the doors are locked, the cupholder isn’t close enough to door that you can open it by touch. So, yes, I’d be locked out of my car, but no one would be able to steal it either.
It also won’t let me lock it if the keys in the car myself (though it will override, as previously mentioned)-- it won’t lock if I’m trying to lock the car with the keys in it.
My car does have a semi traditional ignition (you put the whole fob in there-- no turning), but it also just has push to start. So, if the keys are in my bag or my cupholder, I can put my foot on the break, push the button, and the car starts.
This is an odd response: are cars out there completely getting rid of actual keyed entries? Again, my Audi has all this fancy FOB business, but it also has a traditional key lock right on the door. If you push a button on the FOB, the top comes off and there’s a regular key. I reckon you could copy that regular key and use it that way if you wanted.
I sort of love it. I have a real OPEN SESAME feeling whenever I get in the car. I never take the fob out of my purse, so it’s like the car knows me. We laugh whenever my husband walks out without his key/fob in his pocket. It’s like the car is playing hard to get. “It’s like you don’t love me any more!” 
**What problem is keyless ignition trying to solve?
**To work like a '59 Chevy. Or any any other from at least 1949 to the '60s.
You don’t use the fob. You close the door and press the button on the door. And the car won’t lock if the fob is inside.
You don’t use the fob. You close the door and press the button on the door. And the car won’t lock if the fob is inside.
Simple solutions to both problems, and I know some cars have these features because I have a friend who actually complained about one of them.
For the first one, whenever a door opens, the car should check to make sure there is a fob still inside the car, if not, it should beep or possibly shut off. It might be annoying if the husband forgot his fob and she has to dig hers out, but he won’t get stranded. And this is the one my friend complained about because he said he’d hold his keys in his left hand closing the door and push the start button with his right and it wouldn’t start because while closing the door his hand was outside the frame of the car, but if he closed the door or simply held the keys in his right hand it would start.
For the second, you just have to make a point of putting the keys in your pocket and, again, having the car check to see if there’s a fob inside when you open the door when it’s parked would help solve that problem. It could be unintrusively addressed by silently locking if there’s no fob in range, and beeping or honking at you if you open and shut the door and the fob isn’t outside the car afterward.
In either case, if I had that sort of car, and I do want one, I’d appreciate it not for the laziness but for the convenience and security. Especially when carrying stuff into or out of the car, it is a lot easier to not having to fumble with keys. Everyone forgets to lock his car from time to time, and one of the few times I forgot it just so happened that it was a night kids went car hopping and I got robbed, if I never had to take my keys out of my pocket and it locked whenever I got out, that wouldn’t have happened.
Really, the only issue I see with it is that it could be expensive to get a duplicate made, but with most cars these days having chips in the keys that are already really expensive, I can’t imagine it would be much if any more expensive.
People mention locking themselves out of the car. I’ve been driving for 36 years and have done that once, I think.
To avoid fumbling with keys while getting stuff out of the car, put your keys in your pocket, lock the door with the interior switch or latch button on the door, grab your stuff, and shut the door.
Futuristic cars will have facial recognition software that recognizes you and opens the door and starts the engine and adjusts the seat to your perfection.
My key comes out of my purse only when the oil gets changed. If I need to open the hatch (its a Prius), I open the door and then unlock the hatch - so I don’t even need it for the trunk.
Its wonderful. I’m one of those people who walks into the house and sets my coat down in one place, my purse in a second, my key card for work in a third and my car keys in a forth…then the next morning am running around looking for my keys, purse, coat, and key card. This is one less thing to look for - and the thing most likely to have gotten set on “nearest flat surface” and then gotten moved by kids, husband or cat.
Quite likely. I have an Infiniti and there is a button on the trunk so I do not need to take the fob out.
And the trunk will not close if the fob is in the trunk.
And I lock myself out 3 or 4 times a year. Not everyone is the same.
My habit is to take my key out of the ignition as soon as I arrive at my destination, but every so often something will interrupt me right as I shut the car off; a phone call or something like that. It breaks up the routine and by the time I’ve finished with the interruption I’ve forgotten about the keys entirely. And I always remember to slap the door lock as I get out.
I really really want a car with keyless entry and ignition.
I have a Prius with this feature, and I love it. One time the fob fell out of my pocket without my realizing it. It did not let me lock the door, put something on the display about key being inside, and was really quite angry with me. Same thing happened when I forgot to turn it off and tried to lock the door.
When I drive my wife’s car, which has a key, I almost always forget to put it in the ignition.
I thought that I had to open all the doors to open the trunk, but I will test it. That is one of the few downsides. My old Saturn not only opened the trunk with the fob but popped it, which was great for grocery shopping.
It’s awesome for people with kids. I need every hand free I can get.
Now that we’ve sorted out keyless ignition, what’s the point to electronic parking brakes?
Didn’t we just have a thread debating this? It seems awfully familiar.
In any case, the argument always comes up “but I can drive off without the key!” I have to think this comes from people who have either never actually tried that, or who have defective cars. No car I’ve driven with this feature (I own two and have driven several more) will let you drive the car without the key in it without making it very obvious (loud beeps and warning on the screen - if you don’t notice that, you’re too oblivious to be driving safely). It’s not an issue.