Cars/Brands that do auto start-stop well

My father had a 19 Malibu as a work vehicle, and while I never drove it, he also commented the same to me, that he thought he'd hate it but it was seamless enough to not notice normally.
I found a rented malibu annoying because the AC compressor stopped - this is a problem in 100+ temps.
 
It's ok on my wife's hybrid Camry. I wouldn't call it seamless and unnoticeable, but it's not awful either. Can tell when the engine is running, nor not, and certainly when starting. Could use a bit of work IMO to be better.

No experience with anything else though.
 
Like I said in the OP, this tech has been out for a long time now and I haven't heard about any pandemic of failing starter motors. They are overbuilt for this purpose compared to normal starters. Do you worry about wearing out your windshield wiper motors or blower motor?
Nope but a starter motor on one that starts and stops yes.. If I had one like this I would turn that feature off if I could... Thats me...
 
I like the start stop on my 2016 F150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost. My only gripe is how much the ventilation shuts off, particularly on a humid day with the A/C on...

The start stop on our '21 Explorer with the 2.3 Ecoboost is a bit more noticeable. The actual engagement on a restart in particular is what is more noticeable than the F150. Much prefer the ventiliation logic on the Explorer vs. F150 though...
 
Yes, on BMW with the 48V system. Then the alternator/generator acts as the starter after the vehicle has warmed up. Very seamless.

Edit: also helps the brake “switch” is not a contact switch, so even lifting the brake pedal up slightly will restart the engine.

How does it work?

Is there an onboard 48V battery of some size?

How long will it run the AC compressor before the engine kicks on?

Thanks - very curious.
 
I rented a 2020 Kia Soul back in 2019 that seemed to have Start/Stop pretty well figured out. But that has been my only experience with S/S thus far. It would only shut the engine off when you were at a full stop and if you so much as flinched on the brake pedal, it would fire right back up in winter weather in Wyoming/Colorado and the HVAC did not stop from what I remember.

I am 100% ignorant, but I would imagine there would be some check valves in the engine to help hold oil volume and/or pressure, no?
 
How does it work?

Is there an onboard 48V battery of some size?

How long will it run the AC compressor before the engine kicks on?

Thanks - very curious.
Yes, a 48V lithium battery on board. It gets charged by the generator/starter when decelerating, like a hybrid vehicle. It can also add power for acceleration.

As for how long it can run the compressor, I guess it really depends on many factors. It is a quite complex system. But if the 48V battery SOC starts getting low it will start the gas engine.

Even the cooling system is better designed for this as there is no longer a condenser on our cars. There is a high temp and low temp cooling system, each with their own rad and coolant. The A/C refrigerant is cooled in a refrigerant to water cooler (looks like a transmission oil to water cooler) on the low temp circuit, and that coolant is circulated by an electric pump.
 
Last edited:
I'll echo others, of those I've had experience with VW is quite good. I don't even bother to turn it off.

GM no, but it was older so maybe they are better now. My son has a 14 Malibu with it and its been a source of problems, but again, older.

I've not driven one but on multiple occasions I've seen people at work trying to maneuver their BMW back and forth trying to park and stop/start was constantly activating while they did it. Thumbs down.
 
In the vehicles I’ve driven, GM by far is the best. You really don’t even feel the engine stop/start, it’s very smooth.

The worst I’ve been in is Chrysler and Mercedes. The Hemi V8 shakes the whole truck as the engine stops/starts. I’ve even seen them at Al traffic lights shake as the start/stop. Mercedes just feels very clunky.
 
The only vehicle we have that starts/stops is my 2015 Accord Hybrid. I dont notice it and it works perfect. It bugs me more when the engine turns on and off on the highway, than when around town. Obviously everything, traction included, works fine since its a hybrid...

Ive only driven start/stop cars in Europe, in frigid and cool-mild temperatures. That means Finland in the winter and Germany in the early spring. Maybe Ive had a start-stop rental car now and again in the states... In Europe, one was MT, the other was automatic. One was BMW, one was VW.

I cant say that any of them bothered me enough to really be concerned, or for it to phase me at all.

I can see the issue with start stop if AC is lost in the summer... ive never encountered such an issue with my hybrid... It will cycle the engine for heat and power for cooling when necessary....

I just dont have any issues with it that I can tell...
 
Not a fan of auto start-stop system in wife's Q5, so it stays disabled.

If there is a good auto start-stop implementation out there, I haven't had a chance to experience it yet.
How many other makes have you driven with this feature?
 
Thought this could be a nice topic,
HAHA you must be new here. This is a hot button topic on BITOG. I've been driving cars with stop/start for over 20 years so I'm used to it and like it. Not so much for the fuel savings but for the quiet and total smoothness while the engine is off.
The most common instance is say you pull into an intersection to make a left turn and stop with the wheels straight (like you're supposed to) engine shuts off. You then go to turn the wheel to go fro the opening and you can't because the engine is off, you have to release the brake first.
1) Why would you turn the wheel BEFORE crawling into the intersection to make the turn?
2) Most modern cars have electric power steering and I can't imagine any car with stop/start doesn't, so the engine doesn't have to be running for the steering to work.
 
In the vehicles I’ve driven, GM by far is the best. You really don’t even feel the engine stop/start, it’s very smooth.

The worst I’ve been in is Chrysler and Mercedes. The Hemi V8 shakes the whole truck as the engine stops/starts. I’ve even seen them at Al traffic lights shake as the start/stop. Mercedes just feels very clunky.
This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Based on my experience, I'd say none.
Volvo's are horrible. I base that on a rental 2018 that we had for 5 days. Couldn't get rid of that thing soon enough.
When I bought our '20 Pilot, the deciding factor for me besides price, was the fact that the EX-L did not have stop start on it for that model year.
Honda did add it for the '21's.
 
HAHA you must be new here. This is a hot button topic on BITOG. I've been driving cars with stop/start for over 20 years so I'm used to it and like it. Not so much for the fuel savings but for the quiet and total smoothness while the engine is off.

1) Why would you turn the wheel BEFORE crawling into the intersection to make the turn?
2) Most modern cars have electric power steering and I can't imagine any car with stop/start doesn't, so the engine doesn't have to be running for the steering to work.
Driving 101 is that you don't turn the wheel-that way if you are hit from behind you are not pushed in to the motion of turning left and possibly in front of another car.

Gee....I though this was common practice.....and common sense.


(Over a million miles on the So. Cal freeways in Industrial sales position).
 
Back
Top