Pit-Pony

The default when in comfort mode, (the default condition when starting), also defaults to turning off the engine when at a stop light.

I was caught the other day and forgot to turn off the feature when I started the car. At an intersection I was waiting to turn left and I had enough time to make it as the oncoming traffic was far enough away and BAM, the engine turns off, it starts as soon as you push the accelerator but the delay in power was dangerous.

Is there a way to have MB reverse the default. My son's M3 is the other default, why can't my AMG do that?

spacegeek

I suspect someone could code that out for you. Doesn't sound good if it creates an unsafe condition while driving the car.

LAC300

It's beyond annoying even with the non-amg cars. I would think the extra wear on the amg engines is worse. The S63 does this too, every MB is programmed this way thanks to the EPA credits.

It wouldn't be the end of the world if it shut off after stopping at a red light, but it's far too eager to shut off, the left turn thing is a prime example. You just have to be diligent about hitting that start/stop disable every time you start the car, which isn't easy. Nobody has been able to figure out how to reprogram it.

cays

Under certain circumstances that's a recipe for a red-light ticket.

Harold1898

Just sold my 991S and I hated that feature. Also in the Porsche, the dumb system has a coasting function, when you lift off the accelerator it disengages drive so there is no engine braking. My 2012 C63 had the best system, should have kept the car.

FastLaneJB

So not got my C63S yet (3 weeks to go roughly) but I have this on my 335d and it's just not a big deal in my eyes. It is to save fuel and cut pollution that governments force this on them.

I've had 2 test drives of the new C63 before I ordered and it seems similar to my BMW in reaction time. The engine starts when you release the brake pedal and is ready pretty much by the time you press the accelerator. When I need to get into a gap quickly I just release the brake a fraction earlier. It's not like the car is going to roll backwards on a hill or anything.

It's only if you use the hold function that it starts when you press the accelerator. That I can understand would introduce some lag. If so and at a junction you need to get out of quickly I'd suggest not using the hold function in those situations.

As for coasting. This will be my first car with that feature and I imagine it will take a bit of getting used to vs engine braking but that doesn't make it a bad feature. Once you've adapted your driving style you should use less fuel again.

I know people buy these cars and not care about the fuel consumption but I don't see the harm in saving fuel when it's not needed either. When you get to maximum attack it'll still gulp down fuel at a great pace

For info by 2021 it's likely AMG will have been forced to go hybrid because of extremely hard to achieve any other way European emission requirements. Quite a few more years beyond that still but you can see we'll have electric only AMG's. When all this of happens you might look back and wish you had your auto / start stop C63 again

Will617

Well said and true

JPMBenz

Or you could just shut of the feature when you start the car....

sack5000

Just turn it off. Another thing to think about.

RDOCA

OR:
If you drive in any mode other than comfort (like sport) doesn't it disable start/stop and also disable coasting???

irablumberg

Correct, coasting and start / stop are only active in comfort mode.

Also, coasting switches to engine braking the moment you tap the brake, so it really isn't an issue.

PeterUbers

When I turn in the car my habit is to switch to s mode and problem solved... Don't see why this is a issue for peeps

I like Eco when I'm low on gas and looking for gas stations

betrezra

If pushing the little floppy switch on the console is too much trouble, then yes you'll have to deal with this "issue">

My start-up routine is: hit brakes, hit start button, hit pkg brake button, swith to "I" mode, then put it in REVERSE to back out of my Driveway.

If the extra single step of switching modes to something other than default comfort is too taxing, then perhaps another ride is better

irablumberg

Actually, you don't need to bother with the e brake. It disengages automatically in R or D when you give it some gas.

Thus, my routine is step on brake, push start button, flip toggle to I mode, shift to R or D as appropriate, and go.

irablumberg

P. S., no offense, but anyone who routinely drives in comfort mode may have purchased the wrong car ;-)

betrezra

IRA.... you sir, just saved me another step in the morning! ..... but I seem to recall my car not moving IF I don't switch off the ebrake.... I recall from the amg drive academy that they insist you switch it off....... but I'll test your theory at tomorrow's coffee run!

mJstk01

A reputable tuner should be able to shut it off...mine is off permanently unless they re-code it back on

FastLaneJB

Depends when your driving the car. Sport mode isn't going to be much use if your stuck in rush hour traffic.

Pit-Pony

Yes, once you have a routine great, even so I catch myself forgetting to turn the dumb thing off, BUT, if my wife drives it, which is seldom, I need to warn her of the start/stop issue and she just shakes her head.

The BMW in North American anyway, has this feature that you can turn off and it stays off till you manually enable it again. This is by far the better option.

I also don't like the automatic park brake application. Leaving the parking brake on if the car is parked for long periods is not good and after some hot laps where the brakes are super hot, it's a PITA to switch the car on and off a couple of times to finally disengage the park brake leaving the transmission in park.

If you want to swap out the rear pads, you have to go into the "Workshop" feature and engage the rear brake pad release first.

irablumberg

Again, no offense, but if someone bought this car as a daily driver and the daily drive is slow moving rush hour traffic, I say again, probably the wrong car.

That sounds like more of a job for a Prius ;-)

Pit-Pony

No need to respond with assinine comments. Everyone ends up in commuter city traffic at some time in the day.

MB screwed up by making this feature a default.

FastLaneJB

I go to different client sites, some get me stuck in traffic, others don't. I don't also solely use my car for getting to and from work. On occasions I'll be able to push the car and other occasions I won't. When I'm not pushing hard I'm quite happy for the car to save me fuel where possible. More because it means less trips to the fuel station of which not all sell 98+ RON in the UK.

No offence taken but no need to be so judgemental. If someone purchased this car to sit in traffic and never push the car hard that's their choice. Maybe they just like to listen to the engine note.

irablumberg

Sorry if I offended anyone with my attempt at humor and gentle teasing (see winking smiley face emoticon). But really folks, get a grip.

The root issue is the need to push one extra button at start up to disable the auto start / stop. I understand that it can be a minor annoyance. However, given that you don't need to mess with the e brake which is necessary in most cars, that saves a step, so even with the extra step of turning off the start / stop, you break even.

Yes, I understand that this feature can be confusing for a spouse or other infrequent driver. But all cars have their idiosyncrasies.

I understand that it is annoying that you can't permanently disable this feature. But really, is it necessary to get defensive and hostile?

FastLaneJB

Maybe not directed at me as I've made it quite clear I have no problems with having auto start / stop enabled. I actually quite like these features and as you can disable it you have the best of both worlds.

Maybe if this is too much hassle for you then you purchased the wrong car, I'd suggest a Google driverless car. :p

Note I am just pulling your chains. Chill everyone.

You've got to accept that they are forced to do this to keep the cars emmissions down. Who knows if they didn't do it maybe the car would have creeped into the U.S. Gas Guzzler tax for instance.

In the UK cars are taxed on CO2 output of which amazingly this car is lower than my brothers BMW Z4 30i despite having twice the horsepower of that car. So this and coasting likely saves me tax money each year just by the car having these features enabled by default.

Pit-Pony

Who knew this feature would be so obtrusive before you own the car and live with it.

I just hate when a programmable feature is imposed and can't be tuned to suit the owner.

Without feedback through a forum like this how would MB know how people feel. Telling the dealer does not necessarily get passed on. I owned the W204 C63 and did not expect this single irritant, specially when it almost cost me an incident.