[leo2300ti]

Dear All,

I had the chance of test driving a TCT Mito this weekend but I forgot to check the 'annoying' amber light that some people mentioned in this forum when you turn stop/start off.

What lights up when you turn it off? Is it a warning light over the side or something in the multi-function display?

I didn't find start/stop that obtrusive, and I would probably be happy to have it in the city, but I can see disabling it when negotiating A road roundabouts.

Leo

 

[Moultoneer]

Dear All,

I had the chance of test driving a TCT Mito this weekend but I forgot to check the 'annoying' amber light that some people mentioned in this forum when you turn stop/start off.

What lights up when you turn it off? Is it a warning light over the side or something in the multi-function display?

I didn't find start/stop that obtrusive, and I would probably be happy to have it in the city, but I can see disabling it when negotiating A road roundabouts.

Leo

It's just a yellow icon in the MFD, and isn't very annoying (at least for me!)

I also find stop/start unobtrusive, but as I only use my car occasionally it takes
a fair distance for the system to become operative (battery has to recharge etc.)

I've rarely needed to turn it off manually!



Chris

 

[mandyn]

Had mine over a year now and have never had the need to turn it off.

 

[segmito]

Dear All,

I had the chance of test driving a TCT Mito this weekend but I forgot to check the 'annoying' amber light that some people mentioned in this forum when you turn stop/start off.

What lights up when you turn it off? Is it a warning light over the side or something in the multi-function display?

I didn't find start/stop that obtrusive, and I would probably be happy to have it in the city, but I can see disabling it when negotiating A road roundabouts.

Leo

I don't find the warning light that obtrusive either.

I wouldn't agree about leaving start stop on in the city though, it is in city driving where it is most inconvenient (and sometimes down right dangerous). Particularly annoying is when you have to stop momentarily to get a view when pulling out into a stream of traffic or parking! In town I'm sure it wastes fuel and irritates following traffic when you sit at junctions with your foot on the brake to avoid the engine restarting! A simple solution to this would be the option to turn S/S off by default even if only on the TCT models.

 

[pookie]

trying not to be too cynical but without start/stop the car manufacturers wouldn't be able to claim their wildly optimistic emmisions and miles per gallon quotes

 

[leo2300ti]

Now that I have had the car for a month or so, I can say that I always turn the start/stop off (when I remember). I don't mind it being there if it worked properly, as it did in my previous car (the re-starts were much faster). But in a few situations the Alfa's S/S caught me off-guard, such as coming out of a junction, where it was too slow to get out. It also annoys me when stopped in gradients, where the car starts to roll backwards!

 

[simurg]

leo, what was your previous car?

 

[leo2300ti]

A bit ashamed to admit it, but I ran a Honda Insight (the new one) for a couple of years. Not the most exciting car in my car history. I went from Brera to Insight to Mito... but I was driving every day in Central London and it made sense.

The Insight has en electric motor connected directly to the clutch, so it can use this to restart the engine and give it an initial boost of movement, so stop/start is almost impossible to notice. And you don't hear the start motor (I don't think the Insight even has one, I think even normal starts are using the electric motor).

Talking about starting motors, I miss the sound of the Brera's engine starting, it sounded really cool.

So far I always turn S/S off in the Mito. It's acceptable when stopped at lights, but for coming out of junctions, I don't like it.

 

[numouse]

Don't know how to disable it and am told will only function if the battery has over 85% charge. I have run the car with various combinations of seat heaters, fan, and rear screen on and this does at times created too much draw for S/S to work all the time.

I use it permanently in city driving on my TCT and greatly enjoy not wasting precious fuel and a break from the vibration of the engine. I put it into neutral when waiting and the S/S does its thing without me having to sit on the brake actually. The merest brush on the throttle wakes the engine up, which I'm sure would also prevent the S/S turning the engine off at bad times. Usually though I just rely on moving into D to crank the engine, which it does quickly. I don't really have thought for impatient people behind me should they want me to pull away 1/4 of a second earlier, actually driving around in my Alfa has led me to enjoy driving once more and I also don't get the heat from other drivers that I used to get in my small Ford ! This is all in central London.

I do agree there was no need to make it an amber light, it should be red like everything else on there and a lot smaller. That includes the blue part of the heater dial. I am a design obsessive...hence an Alfa owner ; )

 

[simurg]

A bit ashamed to admit it, but I ran a Honda Insight (the new one) for a couple of years. Not the most exciting car in my car history. I went from Brera to Insight to Mito... but I was driving every day in Central London and it made sense.

I want to compare Mito's S/S with other cars, but hybrids don't count

I should try my friends Citroen C4. He says you can't even hear the car start but I'm having a hard time believing it since it's a diesel.

 

[smurfy58]

I want to compare Mito's S/S with other cars, but hybrids don't count

I should try my friends Citroen C4. He says you can't even hear the car start but I'm having a hard time believing it since it's a diesel.

It's not a patch on the BMW/Mini system. During the 3 years I had my Mini it was constantly available and the engine restarted before the clutch hit the floor. Fiat really need to come up with something like BMW's brake energy regeneration for it to really be of any benefit. I am skeptical about it though and I would like to know what the the carbon footprint of a new starter motor is versus fuel burnt at traffic lights.

 

[David C]

trying not to be too cynical but without start/stop the car manufacturers wouldn't be able to claim their wildly optimistic emission and miles per gallon quotes

That is very true.
Unfortunately once one manufacturer has S&S then the others need to follow otherwise their MPG & emissions will look artificially poor in comparison.