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Stop Start Technology...the future


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It looks like the 2020 Subaru will probably offer Start Stop technology like the 2019 Forrester.. Some auto reviewers do not like this feature- and at least intuitively, turning a car's engine off and on in bumper to bumper traffic can't be great for engine wear. However there is potentially significant gas savings:

 

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a22994303/automatic-start-stop-useful-fuel-savings/

 

Direct fuel injection may involve a similar tradeoff in fuel economy/performance versus longevity/maintenance costs.

 

Many of these technologies to keep the gas engine relevant in age of devastating climate change- beckons at least two questions: (1) What is the actual future of gas engines? and (2) What is Subaru's alternative fuels/electric strategy? Other than the new Crosstrek, the company doesn't seem to have one- and that may bode ill for their long term future. You would think a company that stresses the Environment in their PR and has a commitment to zero land fill would and could do better.

 

Still with the oil and gas lobby as strong as ever, and in America where it is sometimes cheaper to run on gas than electricity- the love of gas engines may not- unfortunately- die soon.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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My other car has start/stop and I really don't care for it. It is easily disabled with a push of a button and the car remembers the last setting so there's no need to disable it every time the car is started. I'm sure it saves fuel when driving in stop and go traffic but wouldn't make much of a difference otherwise. Car makers have to incorporate this feature to squeeze out that extra little bit of fuel economy but they know that many drivers don't use it.
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Between this and DI, I am going to try to keep my current cars going long enough for (hopefully) all the bugs to get worked out before I have to replace them.

 

Good plan. I have no problem with DI, having been familiar with it for some time now, but the start stop crap is, well, crap. Maybe we should invest in ring gear/flex plates and starter companies.

I plan to keep my Legacy into 2021 as my general rule is "never buy the first of anything".

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Good plan. I have no problem with DI, having been familiar with it for some time now, but the start stop crap is, well, crap. Maybe we should invest in ring gear/flex plates and starter companies.

I plan to keep my Legacy into 2021 as my general rule is "never buy the first of anything".

 

Aside from Toyota and one or two others, it is my familiarity with DI, and its associated carbon buildup problems, that make me want to avoid it, especially as my friend with a walnut blasting setup has moved out of state.

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Lots of cars have it now. I coded it to be permanently off in my BMW.

I tried it for several weeks in different modes (eco and comfort but not sport or sport+).

It might have given me maybe 20 extra miles per tank on eco mode from what I recall. Not worth it to me. Also eco mode is horrible. Almost got me in a crash when I tried to avoid someone and hitting the gas pedal didn’t do a thing because throttle response is retarded.

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Start/Stop works well in the EPA testing to bump up the fleet mileage. In real world driving it really does not save much unless you spend a lot of time stopped in traffic, which it only seems like most people do, in reality the gas use at idle is minimal for most people.

 

 

and the system isn't without its downsides:

 

 

So much for all that $$$ savings....

Edited by upstater
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Start/Stop works well in the EPA testing to bump up the fleet mileage. In real world driving it really does not save much unless you spend a lot of time stopped in traffic, which it only seems like most people do, in reality the gas use at idle is minimal for most people.

 

Start-Stop is not really meant to produce any benefit in heavy traffic. In most cases of heavy traffic due to volume, you'll constantly be inching forward a foot or two every few seconds.. Its really beneficial in scenarios when the traffic infrastructure is properly set up and you are stopped at a light and you'll sit there for 2 minutes till the light flips, or even better when you are at a light on an small street intersecting a main arterial ave where you'd wait for 3-4 minutes before the light flips.

 

almost 10 years ago, one of the Mercedes I drove in Germany had a pretty nice implementation. The engine would only turn off when the car was in neutral and the clutch pedal was released; and fire back up as soon as you pressed on the clutch pedal.

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My Benz had start/stop. Permanently disabled it within 5 traffic light stops on the way home from the dealership.

 

 

+1, mine did not even make it out of the dealership by the time I turned it off on my BMW.

 

 

 

Useless technology for most of the time. It might be bit environmentally friendly if your commute includes long traffic lights.

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  • 4 months later...
...Start-Stop is not really meant to produce any benefit in heavy traffic. In most cases of heavy traffic due to volume, you'll constantly be inching forward a foot or two every few seconds.. Its really beneficial in scenarios when the traffic infrastructure is properly set up and you are stopped at a light and you'll sit there for 2 minutes till the light flips, or even better when you are at a light on an small street intersecting a main arterial ave where you'd wait for 3-4 minutes before the light flips....

 

Sorry, but I'm late to this February discussion here in July.

 

However, since I've been driving my 2011 Prius since 2012, I truly miss it's stop-start feature while driving my wife's 2018 Legacy Limited. The silence at stops is golden. In stop and go traffic the engine doesn't even turn on unless you press too hard on the accelerator. Electricity does that job in hybrids. That is the major benefit in heavy traffic. That's also why you see so many Prius taxis and Ubers.

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I'm glad to see similar thoughts about a lot of the newer technology in cars. I'm not fond of eyesight and other like setups but that's a different thread. Most of it is unnecessary, makes the driver have to pay attention less, not better than what it replaces.
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I don’t like this feature i think it’s kind of annoying

 

Just curious. Since, according to your profile, you are driving a 2009 (my wife's was totaled in a head-on in 2014), have you driven a more current vehicle with the stop-start feature in traffic for more than a short period?

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I'm looking at getting the 2020 after enjoying my 2016 for over 182K miles.

Hard pass on this as it seems like something else that can fail.

IF I go with the 2020, it will be the first system I bypass with a positive always-on/always off switch.

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I posted a lengthy review of the Legacy on the first impressions thread.

 

The start/stop feature of the 2020 is intrusive and annoying. It reverts to on every time you restart the car. From the infotainment screen, you must go through at least three clicks to turn it off (vehicle settings, scroll down, start stop off).

 

The car is great but this was my biggest turnoff.

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Just curious. Since, according to your profile, you are driving a 2009 (my wife's was totaled in a head-on in 2014), have you driven a more current vehicle with the stop-start feature in traffic for more than a short period?

 

 

 

 

yes and it still stinks to high heaven. latest one is a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk

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I have had my 2020 Legacy Limited for about three weeks, and I find the Stop/Start feature beyond annoying. I turn it off every time I start up now. And having to touch the screen seven times to do so is also a PITA. I have asked Subaru if there is any possibility of giving the driver the option of setting the default to OFF in a future firmware upgrade. Other than that, I love the car.
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I think this forum's goal should be to entice Subaru to make the start/stop switch changeable with one click on the main infotainment screen. What is the best way to make this happen? We should probably ask about this on the Outback forums too where there is a lot more activity...
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