Considering My Next Car

[Bwill9886]

Originally Posted by VOLDAR

With the technology they had in it, I don't think it is too far from the reality. Imagine how would be our Focus with the start-stop technology in it ? I'd bet that 35 mpg would be very easy to obtain in city driving.

I'll take mine without, thanks.

I'm personally not a fan. Thankfully more automakers that do include the technology are offering an on/off switch for it. Mainly due to complaints of it being annoying.

[spazzboy]

Start/Stop tech is awesome.
I've had it on my rental BMWs while in Belgium, and it does help with saving fuel while city driving (even with the manual transmission). Honestly, it is seamless. You will not notice it interfering with your driving habits at all. It is also safe, in the sense that the engine starts up right away as soon as your right foot eases off the brake or the left foot engages the clutch. I'm disappointed it hasn't trickled down to NA yet.

At $1.30-$1.45 per liter of gas (roughly $6-$6.50 USD per gallon), you will appreciate the savings.

Now, for the OP, I don't see why you rate RWD cars as a negative, as I would rate it a plus (and I live in Winterland). Once you take high performance driving education (HPDE)courses, you will learn that RWD cars are safer and more fun for the experienced driver. Unfortunately, most cars, not just FWD cars, are engineered to understeer since most drivers panic easily behind the wheel.

[swansong]

Originally Posted by spazzboy

Start/Stop tech is awesome.
I've had it on my rental BMWs while in Belgium, and it does help with saving fuel while city driving (even with the manual transmission). Honestly, it is seamless. You will not notice it interfering with your driving habits at all. It is also safe, in the sense that the engine starts up right away as soon as your right foot eases off the brake or the left foot engages the clutch. I'm disappointed it hasn't trickled down to NA yet.

The reason we don't see more start/stop tech in the US is the EPA (go figure..). Basically, the feature doesn't help EPA MPG ratings, which consumers rely far too heavily on to compare efficiency between cars. Without it being a selling point, manufacturers choose not to implement it.

The problem is that the EPA's current testing methods don't accurately assess the real-world fuel-saving benefits of stop-start technology, which shuts the engine off when the vehicle is stopped. The EPA only has limited idle time built into their fuel use tests, which means that most models equipped with start-stop get absolutely no bump in their official fuel economy ratings. Without any sort of official support, automakers see no boost in CAFE numbers for their start-stop vehicles.

Source: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/09...e-mpg-problem/

Personally, I would love to see more cars with start/stop.

[gkirk]

Originally Posted by swansong

Good insight from a former MS3 owner, thanks!

Like the OP, I'm starting to consider my next-car purchase. Current plan is to buy a new Focus ST in a few years and keep the SVT as a winter car, but I'm really tempted to get a 07-09 MS3 for a year round DD. It would save a hell of a lot of money over the ST, and I have always had a thing for the Gen-1 MS3. Had a chance to drive the new ST and came away as impressed as I thought I would be, but haven't driven an MS3 yet.

To the OP, St. Louis doesn't get a whole lot of snow in winter does it? I bet a RWD car with a good set of winters, or possibly even all-seasons, may get you by. Also worth noting is that the Focus (and other hatchbacks) obviously offer more interior and cargo space, and while that may not be a necessity in a daily manner, having the ability to occasionally haul a large amount or awkwardly-shaped crap is very valuable. That said, good list! I'd take any one of those cars, (if they were given to me!)

I'd second this. I lived in a very snowy place and had a 5 series with no functional traction control and snow tires. RWD is not the major liability it was in the past. With traction control, it is actually a lot better in many snow situations and has the advantage of being a hell of a lot more fun to drive in non-snowy conditions.

But that's my .02. If I live in a place where it snows, I invest in snow tires because my life is precious to me. If you invest in snow tires, FWD vs RWD in a car with traction, stability and ABS becomes almost entirely irrelevant.

AWD is better in the snow though, so in my list, if snow performance was important I'd make RWD and FWD both black and AWD green.

Good luck,
gk

[erato]

Originally Posted by Bwill9886

I'll take mine without, thanks.

I'm personally not a fan. Thankfully more automakers that do include the technology are offering an on/off switch for it. Mainly due to complaints of it being annoying.

It works like a charm in my Focus (I think it's a standard feature on all Norwegian Focus models), you don't notice it at all. But it's easy to turn off if you don't want it. It's a feature I think the EU have decided to make mandatory in new cars in a couple of years time and then I cannot really see any new cars being released without it.

[GhiaFan]

Originally Posted by swansong

The reason we don't see more start/stop tech in the US is the EPA (go figure..). Basically, the feature doesn't help EPA MPG ratings, which consumers rely far too heavily on to compare efficiency between cars. Without it being a selling point, manufacturers choose not to implement it.



Source: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/09...e-mpg-problem/

Personally, I would love to see more cars with start/stop.

Ford USA offers start/stop on the new Fusion if equipped with the 1.6 EcoBoost automatic transmission, I think they charge an extra $295.00 for the option.