Can stop/start be tuned out by dealer or anyone?
 

I really hate the stop/start feature. Its a pain to shut off every time. Great for hybrids, not for an XFR!

No. It's integrated into the ECU. There's a second battery and a clever starter to ensure it all works seamlessly.

Try it, you'll like it. There are no drawbacks. You save gas. You stop spewing pollutants while stopped. It's quieter. The restart is flawless.

Eventually, you don't notice it. You learn to very slowly creep forwards unless in slow moving traffic when you don't really have to stop completely. Very little reduction in brake pedal pressure is required to keep the engine from stopping, or restart it, and you quickly learn to just ease up enough to restart the engine but not enough to commence moving.

It is a great system if you give yourself a chance to get used to it. Really.

I thought someone stated it could be turned off by the owner. Possibly vehicle settings? Is that not permanent?

Not permanent. Button on the dash has to be used each start cycle.

Seriously, until I experienced these systems I thought they were dumb. However, if you just ignore it you stop noticing after a while it works so well.

In fact, after getting accustomed to it other cars that don't do this seem weirdly wasteful and unnecessarily noisy.

If you want to turn it off completely, Just remove the negitive battery cable from the small battery in the wheel well. You will need a 10mm socket. On the first start up once removed, it takes a minute or two before the car notices the change. The "Eco" icon on the dash will be displayed in white with a slash though it. If you push the "Eco" button when the battery is disconnected, you will get the message that "Eco Start/Stop not available". That is the only way I know how to defeat the system with out having to push the button every time you start the car.

WOW! I didn't know there was such an ignorant feature on the the car...Personally I think it's STUPID!..If you want a Prius, then buy one, but don't turn a Jaguar into a leaflicker's car for gosh sakes..:icon_gunhead:The amount of pollutants from these cars is less than the hot air and ass gas coming from people who like this feature.

I am sure it can be disabled with a tune. It's a software program just like on any other car. I know it can be done on BMWs.

Give it a little more time, some tuners will come up with a solution.

I personally think it's the dumbest thing on a car that makes all that power. Cars use more fuel to while restarting anyway.

On top of that, it's very dangerous. I have already heard enough stories of the engines shutting down on roundabouts right when instant power is needed to take off.

Tesla owners think they are saving the earth by not buying gas too. In reality, all they doing is increasing the emissions on power plants that provide the "electric fuel" for them.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a stupid feature - it does allow Jag to post competitively high fuel Econ ratings, but it is hardly seemless or unnoticeable. I am thankful that my '12 Portfolio has the NA V8 and no stop start function. I've driven two with the feature and they seemed to operate basically the same, which is not very well. There is a shuddering in the car when it restarts, and you sure can't make a really quick getaway! I asked the technician at a dealer in Colorado about it and his quote: "everybody hates it, but it ain't goin away"

I have to think that on the '12, the engineers actually purposely programmed the fuel and starting systems to deliver more fuel than needed to allow the car to provide the characteristic "growl" when started. Best couple ounces of fuel ever spent in my opinion!!

gas guzzler tax
 

I have a 2014 XFR-S and this feature does seem pretty absurd on this car (although I wish my wife's 12mpg Range Rover Sport had it...). I was told that this feature allows Jaguar to avoid hitting customers with the gas guzzler tax. Whether true or not, I don't know but it seems plausible.

So in essence you agree then..It's STUPID..Especially for a Jaguar..:icon_redcam:

Well, not exactly LOL... I think stop start was an inevitability that Jag hasn't implemented particularly well (shuddering), and that I'm glad I don't have (and would turn off). The notion suggested of creeping up to a light like you were a big rig not wanting to lose all momentum sounds like a Prius like move, though... And it's absolutely clear that it wouldn't have ever seen the light of day if not for the CAFE requirements.

Same here ..I'm so glad I got a 2012..as of right now..I do not see myself buying any Jaguar in the future as long as these idiotic features keep being added on to keep up with the greenies and their leftist agenda, a long with the V6 or worse....I might as well go back to a Japanese or Korean car.:icon_playing:

This is all nonsense. Restarting the car uses much less fuel than idling. The system cannot shut off while the speedometer registers ANY movement at all.

This is a very sensible strategy to reduce emissions where up I does the most good, heavy stop and go traffic.

The vibration complaint is dumb, every start event on any engine causes som vibration. Countering that is the complete silence and no vibration while engine is off.

Americans waste so much fuel and are childishly resistant to any attempt to economize. Then again Americans refuse to wear seatbelts as well resulting in some truly absurd work arounds.

You really shouldn't 'blame' Jaguar. They are only playing the game with the 'cards' that are available to them. If you want to get mad at someone, get on the 'De-fund the EPA' bandwagon. We have Stop/Start to earn 'points' so they can sell a few XFR's and make some people REALLY happy. Anyone with an XFR is a happy guy. It's the same reason we now have the 2.0L 4 cylinder. Think CAFE.

I'm not sure, but my money says they will probably do away with the ability to turn it off at some point, though I hope not.

I'm not really a fan of the system, but I will add a couple of things. Jagular's points are all valid, like them or not; and if you knew all the technical aspects of how it's accomplished and what went into it, you'd recognize it as absolute genius.

Cheers,

Steve, thanks for your input, your being a tech means you see and hear what goes on behind corporate doors more than us..


I don't think anybody will argue with you that the engineering design of this feature and how it works isn't space-age and truly is genius..But it is an insult to the pure Jaguar aficionados to have this ECO feature.

I also understand the points they earn to sell a few XFr's...GM sucked into it by shutting down the production of the HUMMER line (all about Image and not fuel facts..My Hummer gets 20 MPG)..mostly to get the Obama stimulus money..Yet, Cadillac Escalades, Tahoes, Yukons and Suburbans are still coming off the assembly line...And they burn more fuel than any HUMMER ever thought of....Course, I will also add that they now have a Hybrid version of the Escalade and Tahoe..:icon_special:

Well said, but it's apples and oranges. That is in terms of the massive numbers GM puts out compared to Jaguar Land Rover production. It's MUCH easier when you spread the MPG over such large numbers.

Cheers,

Got it..that makes sense on why things are done the way they are..

I see LR is comming out with a Hybrid Rangie soon..wow! that is really a kick in the purest of offroaders knuts..:icon_doh:

Great feedback and debates! I respect all points of view presented, but mine will stand at the fact that it is a bogus politically motivated feature. It is not smooth or seamless and I stand by my comment that its great for a hybrid but not for an $85k luxury performance sedan!

I will be disconnecting the aux battery this weekend.

That's all very well but can you turn off the stop start?

Let's save the politics for the off topic section, where you are welcome to debate away to your hearts content.

Folks, I did not intend this to become a political or philosophical war. I hate the feature for how it operates. Its poorly implemented, and is not smooth or transparent by any means. I admire what it is trying to achieve, but it's current iteration is a total miss.

These topics are usually very subjective and get emotionally charged quickly. That was not my intention and I had hoped a tune was available to fix this.