Please excuse this basic question.

[Skyrider]

On the manual the car starts on depressing the accelerator. Why can't that be done on the CVT? There is obviously a reason but I can't work out what it is.

Perhaps with an automatic in gear the car would surge forward as soon as the engine started, not a good idea if in stationary traffic.

Vic.

This is probably the reason it works like it does as the car automatically holds the brakes until the engine is restarted

Really? Neither my manual or CVT cars have any brake hold other than hill start assist unless you have a foot planted on the brake pedal.

Yeah it’s in the manual for the cvt only

■ Starting Assist Brake Function
Briefly keeps the brake applied after releasing the brake pedal to restart the engine. This can keep your vehicle from unexpectedly moving while on an incline

Unless it only does it on an incline?

That's my experience, wheel rotation is one of the things which will start the engine in a manual car.

[csp]

Honda's inplementation of the start / stop on the automatic is really annoying, surely there must be a way that  system could be made to remain in stop mode when the hand brake is applied and the foot brake is released.
It can be uncomfortable sitting tehre pressing on the foot break, although that is what I end up ahving to do, uless there is a long wait then I put the car in neutral with the hand brake on and if neseccary turn the ignition off.

[peteo48]

I think the only way round it csp is to dispense with Auto Stop. In that way, it's stop, into neutral, handbrake on, engine ticking over, back into drive, handbrake off and away you go.

Tried this for a bit and it became a faff. I think it's a bit of a trade off. In stop/start traffic, the auto is an absolute boon.

[Skyrider]

Honda's inplementation of the start / stop on the automatic is really annoying, surely there must be a way that  system could be made to remain in stop mode when the hand brake is applied and the foot brake is released.
It can be uncomfortable sitting tehre pressing on the foot break, although that is what I end up ahving to do, uless there is a long wait then I put the car in neutral  the hand brake on and if neseccary turn the ignition off.

It's not worth too much effort outwit the stop start system unless you are an economy extremist, the car will only use about 0.2 litres of fuel an hour when idling and it keeps the Aircon on and the battery topped up.

The stop start is only there to improve the laboratory test figures for marketing and manufacturers tax management. It does little in real life driving conditions. I frequently turn mine off, but you don't buy a 1.5 if you are worried about economy.

[Ralph]

[.]
The stop start is only there to improve the laboratory test figures for marketing and manufacturers tax management. It does little in real life driving conditions. I frequently turn mine off, but you don't buy a 1.5 if you are worried about economy.

I agree I think Honda know their system is flawed thats why they make it so easy to turn off I just wish it would stay off

[andruec]

Am I the only one to leave it in D and hold it on the handbrake? I find it uncomfortable to sit with my foot on the foot brake. I always turn auto stop off as I don’t like how it’s implemented on a cvt

I'd like the option to go into neutral, handbrake on and still have the auto idle stop functioning. On the manual the car starts on depressing the accelerator. Why can't that be done on the CVT? There is obviously a reason but I can't work out what it is.

A question I have asked many times. I even asked Honda in an email. They helpfully replied by explaining how idle stop works. It might make sense if there was no switch on the gear lever as then moving out of neutral wouldn't start the engine and I can see some drivers being confused. But there is such a switch. You can select 'N' without the engine restarting but selecting anything after that will restart the engine anyway.

Interestingly it's not just Honda that have done this. Several other manufacturers have done the same, though not all. There are some automatics that don't require you to keep the foot brake pressed to maintain idle stop.

[Skyrider]

As you may have guessed I like this guy, he talks a lot of down to earth sense about things motoring.

[andruec]

Meh. I think he has some valid points but the bit about the engine idling for 10 minutes before it's consumed as much fuel as restarting it requires is crap. That's based on the erroneous assumption that starting the engine requires a significant number of revolutions and is typically the result of people who haven't experienced the system in use. Idle stop restarts the engine almost immediately - within a single revolution. The electrical drain is negligible and various studies have suggested that having the engine off for only two or three seconds is enough to make it worthwhile.

Does it save money? Possibly not. There is a cost to designing the engine such that it can handle the wear and tear, including a special design of battery and that cost is added to the cost of the vehicle. However it likely does over the lifetime of a vehicle save fuel and reduce pollution.

And if anyone is finding that it interferes with their driving then they should learn how to drive. I have no difficulty in anticipating when a light is going to change or when the traffic in front is starting to move and it's easy to lift my foot off the brake in time to have the engine ready and willing when I want it. If it's unclear how long I will be stationary I can use a lighter pressure that brings the vehicle to a halt but does not activate idle stop. It's called 'understanding how to operate your vehicle properly'. The only times (very rare) when it causes a problem is if I fail to correctly judge roundabout flow and come to a stop when not required. Very occasionally then it will catch me out. That's my fault. I'm not perfect.

So the way I view it: It's reduces pollution. It probably reduces the overall environmental impact of my car ownership (a little bit). It probably doesn't save me money but since I have to pay for it anyway I ought to utilise it.

[Ralph]

And if anyone is finding that it interferes with their driving then they should learn how to drive. I have no difficulty in anticipating when a light is going to change or when the traffic in front is starting to move and it's easy to lift my foot off the brake in time to have the engine ready and willing when I want it. If it's unclear how long I will be stationary I can use a lighter pressure that brings the vehicle to a halt but does not activate idle stop. It's called 'understanding how to operate your vehicle properly'. The only times (very rare) when it causes a problem is if I fail to correctly judge roundabout flow and come to a stop when not required. Very occasionally then it will catch me out. That's my fault. I'm not perfect.

So the way I view it: It's reduces pollution. It probably reduces the overall environmental impact of my car ownership (a little bit). It probably doesn't save me money but since I have to pay for it anyway I ought to utilise it.

Commuting 2 hours a day in today’s traffic is bad enough without worrying about how hard to brake just to keep the engine running. I prefer to concentrate on driving rather than on working around a badly thought out system

[mikebore]

And if anyone is finding that it interferes with their driving then they should learn how to drive. I have no difficulty in anticipating when a light is going to change or when the traffic in front is starting to move and it's easy to lift my foot off the brake in time to have the engine ready and willing when I want it. If it's unclear how long I will be stationary I can use a lighter pressure that brings the vehicle to a halt but does not activate idle stop. It's called 'understanding how to operate your vehicle properly'. The only times (very rare) when it causes a problem is if I fail to correctly judge roundabout flow and come to a stop when not required. Very occasionally then it will catch me out. That's my fault. I'm not perfect.

So the way I view it: It's reduces pollution. It probably reduces the overall environmental impact of my car ownership (a little bit). It probably doesn't save me money but since I have to pay for it anyway I ought to utilise it.

Commuting 2 hours a day in today’s traffic is bad enough without worrying about how hard to brake just to keep the engine running. I prefer to concentrate on driving rather than on working around a badly thought out system

I find it pretty much instinctive, not requiring a lot of thought.

[Skyrider]

And if anyone is finding that it interferes with their driving then they should learn how to drive. I have no difficulty in anticipating when a light is going to change or when the traffic in front is starting to move and it's easy to lift my foot off the brake in time to have the engine ready and willing when I want it. If it's unclear how long I will be stationary I can use a lighter pressure that brings the vehicle to a halt but does not activate idle stop. It's called 'understanding how to operate your vehicle properly'. The only times (very rare) when it causes a problem is if I fail to correctly judge roundabout flow and come to a stop when not required. Very occasionally then it will catch me out. That's my fault. I'm not perfect.

So the way I view it: It's reduces pollution. It probably reduces the overall environmental impact of my car ownership (a little bit). It probably doesn't save me money but since I have to pay for it anyway I ought to utilise it.

Commuting 2 hours a day in today’s traffic is bad enough without worrying about how hard to brake just to keep the engine running. I prefer to concentrate on driving rather than on working around a badly thought out system

I agree, why bother to work (fight) the system, life's too short,  just turn the damned thing off!

[andruec]

And if anyone is finding that it interferes with their driving then they should learn how to drive. I have no difficulty in anticipating when a light is going to change or when the traffic in front is starting to move and it's easy to lift my foot off the brake in time to have the engine ready and willing when I want it. If it's unclear how long I will be stationary I can use a lighter pressure that brings the vehicle to a halt but does not activate idle stop. It's called 'understanding how to operate your vehicle properly'. The only times (very rare) when it causes a problem is if I fail to correctly judge roundabout flow and come to a stop when not required. Very occasionally then it will catch me out. That's my fault. I'm not perfect.

So the way I view it: It's reduces pollution. It probably reduces the overall environmental impact of my car ownership (a little bit). It probably doesn't save me money but since I have to pay for it anyway I ought to utilise it.

Commuting 2 hours a day in today’s traffic is bad enough without worrying about how hard to brake just to keep the engine running. I prefer to concentrate on driving rather than on working around a badly thought out system

I find it pretty much instinctive, not requiring a lot of thought.

Exactly. All cars have their foibles. A good driver learns their particular vehicle's characteristics and adapts to them. If you're already good at anticipating traffic ebb and flow it's not all that hard to factor that into your use of the brake pedal.

It's only difficult if you're the kind of driver that operates their vehicle on automatic and doesn't really know what's going on around you.

I've always thought that most drivers see driving as a boring interlude in between point 'A' and 'B'. They zone out or think about other things. When I get behind the wheel of a car everything else fades into the background. I become a driver. Nothing else matters until I reach my destination. In fact that's probably why I love driving. It's fascinating and interesting and during that time nothing else in my life matters. It's an opportunity to focus on the hear and now without the distractions of modern living.

[Skyrider]

Don't get too carried away with self admiration, a car is just a transportation tool. OK it is satisfying to use a tool with skill but it is not difficult.

[andruec]

Don't get too carried away with self admiration, a car is just a transportation tool. OK it is satisfying to use a tool with skill but it is not difficult.

And yet you turn a system off (at some expense to yourself) because you are unable/unwilling to learn how to use it.

[Skyrider]

Don't get too carried away with self admiration, a car is just a transportation tool. OK it is satisfying to use a tool with skill but it is not difficult.

And yet you turn a system off (at some expense to yourself) because you are unable/unwilling to learn how to use it.

Quite capable of using and beating it, I choose not to. I don't find a Jazz too much of a problem after a Class one HGV.