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2014 Honda Fit won't get 'stop-start' fuel-saving technology in North-America
for all the wrong reasons...
We've already written about the new 2015 Honda Fit hybrid, but the regular gasoline Fit is also interesting. It has an idle-stop, or stop-start system that turns off the engine when the car is stopped, and restarts it whenever the driver steps off the brakes. This technology has proven its worth for saving fuel in city driving over the years, yet Honda has decided not to bring it to North-America. That's right, the rest of the world gets the fuel saving technology, but not North-Americans.Why? Well, that's the sad part. I don't believe that Honda has very good reasons for making Americans burn more fuel... They told Automotive News that the extra split second it takes for the engine to re-start (it's very quick, usually by the time you move your foot from the brake pedal to the gas pedal, it's done) is somehow too much for drivers to accept. Nobuhiko Shishido, a lead powertrain engineer for the new Fit, said that in the United States, where speed and power rule, stop-start systems mean small cars will be left in the dust. Really? I think if you're buying a Fit, you probably care more about fuel economy than about racing against Mustangs at red lights...They "will lose at stoplights to V-6s," Shishido said at a recent Fit preview. http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i...crop-smart.jpg © Honda There also is a marketing problem because the EPA's fuel economy testing cycle doesn't give extra credit to stop-start systems. So even though their real-world performance is better than their official mpg rating, they are a hard sell. That's just a marketing problem. It shouldn't matter more than giving a better, more economical and environmentally-friendly product to your customers! Honda could even make ads with this, saying: "It might not show up on the MPG sticker, but our new Fit saves you more gas than the equivalent car from the competition."And stop-start has other idiosyncrasies. For example, the air conditioner compressor turns off during the stop phase. While the system continues to blow cool air, it's not quite as cool as full-blown air conditioning. That could easily be solved by having a way to turn off the stop-start system on very, very hot days. The rest of the time, it shouldn't matter much if you have a few seconds of slightly warmer air...Honda, we really like what you've done with the new Fit and Fit hybrid. It's an innovative, frugal car with a lot of interior space. But please, bring stop-start over to North-America and be a leader. Other carmakers will probably follow suit and also bring stop-start over, saving everybody a lot of gas. Via Autonews, ABG |
Good, I won't buy a car with that system. You can keep the pennies saved. Call me old fashioned.
I'm quite capable of turning the car off if I think it's warranted (known super long stoplight, long drive-through wait or something like that). Otherwise it's not worth my time, or impact on battery and starter. |
I wonder...
How much the stop-start system would affect drivers. I mean, there are times some impatient drivers honk at drivers ahead to get moving the second a light turns green. The worst is when I got honked at... BEFORE the light actually changed. I honk if it looks like they aren't moving after the light turns green, because they're occupied with something else. ~~~~~ When I test drove the Insight II before buying the Fit... the few times I got the engine to automatically turn off... it was a bit startling when it restarted. Not to mention, you could feel the delay. There's an unfortunate truth related to what Nobuhiko said... I mean, I do deliveries in an area that covers a few small villages. And too many times, have I seen Prius drivers drive like a bat out of hell. I'm pretty sure peeling wheels and slamming brakes goes against the "conserve fuel" ideology. |
Originally Posted by Goobers
(Post 1204225)
I wonder...
How much the stop-start system would affect drivers. |
test drove the hybrid one and it runs on the electric motor to move off the line and then fires up the engine nearly at the same time. There was no delay at all that I could tell.
There is a switch to turn the system off if you dont want to use it. Personally I think there is very little fuel used on idle and the savings in fuel economy are minimal. |
the hybrid also has an electric A/C compressor (not practical on a start stop system due to the small size of the conventional battery) so it doesn't lose cooling when the engine is turned off.
The loss of cooling, minimal fuel savings (none on the all important EPA rating), and stop-start idiosyncrasies coupled with the relatively low price of gasoline here makes this a non-starter. |
Originally Posted by Japan Tragic
(Post 1204320)
test drove the hybrid one and it runs on the electric motor to move off the line and then fires up the engine nearly at the same time. There was no delay at all that I could tell.
There is a switch to turn the system off if you dont want to use it. Personally I think there is very little fuel used on idle and the savings in fuel economy are minimal. |
Eh, follow the money. It won't give Honda any benefit on the EPA tests. It would help the customers save fuel, but at a cost to Honda. They have to hit fleet average MPG ratings and cars like the Fit help offset the thirstier ones like the Odyssey. Including stop-start won't help them if it doesn't show up on the EPA test. Honda is a corporation. Their first order of business is to help themselves. They only help the customers when their and our interests are aligned.
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Originally Posted by Japan Tragic
(Post 1204320)
test drove the hybrid one and it runs on the electric motor to move off the line and then fires up the engine nearly at the same time. There was no delay at all that I could tell.
There is a switch to turn the system off if you dont want to use it. Personally I think there is very little fuel used on idle and the savings in fuel economy are minimal. There's practically no delay in restarting.... also not much fuel used on idle. Didn't know about the switch on the new Fits... I know the CR-Z's don't have that, and quite a few owners don't like the auto stop/start. They're able to bypass it by using the defroster (I believe). Hey Tragic... post up pics when you get your new JDM Fit. I wonder what else won't come to the US model... |
shit, i bought the 5MT sport cause it's quick and versatile. i dont care to save a few pennies on gas. honestly at 30.5mpg on surface roads with my kinda driving, that's plenty!
keep it off our cars. |
honestly, i can see how some people would get frustrated by this. every these days wants everything to be bigger, better, and faster. i personally think that this is a great feature and would love to have it on my car! they should totally bring it over here and the people that are really that bothered by the delay shouldn't buy this car...
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^^ people like you ruin the car enthusiast world for small hatches. :D
not everyone buys small cars for cheap price or mpg. honda should make a grandma edition. |
i didn't buy mine for either of those reasons... i bought it because i liked it. i'm just saying that i can understand why people wouldn't want it cause there are a lot of people that think they're race car drivers
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and fyi, i like to drive fast too but just because i don't have an issue with a "barely noticeable" stop-start delay DOES NOT make me a "grandma"
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Originally Posted by cjecpa
(Post 1204214)
for all the wrong reasons...
... They "will lose at stoplights to V-6s," Shishido said at a recent Fit preview... I rented a VW POLO (smaller than a Golf) during the summer driving around Amsterdam and Belgium. It was a MT diesel with the start-stop system. This was my 1st experience with such system. Dont know how much fuel it actually saved, but I like it. The weather was sunny and warm (not Texas like hot), we had the AC going, and it kept us cool for the whole time. For those who have not had a chance to try this system, if you really want to do a fast take off, it can be done very easily. Just anticipate the green like you normally would, and let out the clutch in N to restart the engine about a sec or two before the green. The system was not intrusive at all. If this is available for our new FIT, I would buy one. Putting in a switch to allow the owner to select system On/Off is still the best option. |
they arent a rocket ship but not slow either, getting reports of 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds...
for an econobox I think that is really good! |
I would not want this feature on any car I owned period.I saw it in action on a newer BMW SUV the other day and there was to much of a delay.
I dont care how seamless the Honda system is I dont want it.I also will never own a Muscle car with cylinder deactivation. |
Solution: Honda Fit SI
May be about 3K more, a few mpg's less, but producing about 10-15hp more. I believe that would keep us "grandpas" happy. Guess ill keep dreaming... :popc: |
Originally Posted by zilla8
(Post 1204452)
I would not want this feature on any car I owned period.I saw it in action on a newer BMW SUV the other day and there was to much of a delay.
I dont care how seamless the Honda system is I dont want it.I also will never own a Muscle car with cylinder deactivation. the petrol only cars have a switch to turn it off... Ill likely be disabling it if its at all annoying. little vid thing here while in japanese helps show how the system works on the hybrid and why there is no delay. «\ | tBbg | Honda |
looks like some folks are wearing out quickly. lol :D hahaha.
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