Myy list of questions for the dealer includes asking what measures are provided to speed up the warming up of the engine so that the stop-start system works efficiently. I was told that the latest model CR-V includes a thermostatically controlled blind for the radiator. It's a no-brainer to keep the cold out of the engine compartment until the engine is hot.
I'm particular sensitive to this aspect since watching the trip mpg on a cold morning start at around 10mpg and creeping upwards before stabilising after about 10 miles.Significant miles at half or less of the warm weather fuel economy wreaks havoc with the overall fuel economy.
The ideal winter solution, at least for starting from home, would be to use a bit of mains power to pre-warm the car. The 1kWh battery won't provide much heat (think 2kW electric fire for 1/2 hour provided the battery is full).
Hybrid Accord and CRV also have an exaust gas heat exchanger like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=74&v=wHLgnTO9d7I&feature=emb_logoProbably Jazz and Insight, since they are cheaper and have a smaller engine, doesn't have this device. We will check.
Concerning the electric warmer, L series engines can mount a PTC heater fixed on the rear side of the engine block. In USA the heater is an OEM part (working at 115V), in Europe we can mount a third party heater provided by Defa
https://www.defa.com/electrical-preheating/engine-heaters/find-engine-heater/Easily this heater will be avaiable also for the mk4, since it will go on the coolant drain plug.
As a former hybrid Jazz owner I'm not convinced about this. I was under the impression that the 12V battery did the initial starting of the engine (and this is also the case with the new hybrid). Otherwise, if the big battery is flat then the car is dead with no easy means of getting the engine started. Also see the hybrid Jazz forum. Member @Ozzie had to put a new 12V battery into his hybrid because it wouldn't start https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=12007.0 .
In the IMA and I-DCD hybrids the startup comes by the high voltage battery and the hybrid electric motor. They still have a traditional starter motor but only for backup, driven by the 12v battery so if the high voltage circuit fails, then the car can still be used.
The I-MMD has not a backup starter motor, so the only way to power on the ICE is to feed one of the two motor/generators, that work only with high voltage. Consider that the high voltage battery can keep its charge for years, since it is completely disconnected when the car is off: the 12v last much less because it stays connected with some ecus (such as the door lock), so there is a little but continuos power drain. So it's better to use the 12v to feed ecus and relays, and then leave the high voltage system to drive the ICE.