Well my uncle was telling me some features on courtesy cars he's been driving and my cousin was teling me about the Yaris he is learning in.

BMW's apparantly will only let you start the car if the brakes are on

And the New Yaris the clutch pedal has to be pressed before you can start the car.

IMO they seem like gimmicks.

Unlike BMW to promote sitting with your foot on the brake for longer than necessary. Not that it's contrary to Rule 114 of the Highway Code or anything...

I,ve always thought the handbrake in Merc's is a bit of a gimmick as it is operated by foot then released by hand on the right side of the dash near the steering wheel. Seems to over complicate using the handbrake especially when its manual and you have to go into neutral before you can use your left leg to depress the hand brake pedal.

I,ve also heard the new passats have an electric handbrake but don't know how they are operated?

I had a Scenic hirecar with an automatic handbrake a few years ago. It engaged when you came to a stop with your foot on the brake, and disengaged when you let the clutch out. It also had a little lever on the dash, supposedly to allow you to engage it manually, but I'm not convinced it was actually attached to anything!

2 of the meganes at work have the crazy handbrakes. And a card instead of a key. So far, the handbrake has failed to disengage on one, and the card wasn't recognised on the other.

I,ve also heard the new passats have an electric handbrake but don't know how they are operated?

They do, it's a button to the right of the steering wheel, if you raise the clutch and apply some throttle it takes it as a hill start and disengages the handbrake for you (most of the time). You also can't start the Passat unless you have the clutch in first.

2 of the meganes at work have the crazy handbrakes. And a card instead of a key. So far, the handbrake has failed to disengage on one, and the card wasn't recognised on the other.

That's Renaults for you!

on old hyundia's you couldn't start them unless the clutch was pressed

The clutch down (on manuals) or brakes down (on auto's) in the BMW's and others was IIRC added about the same time as the start buttons.

No biggy as it stops people jumping the car forward if they started it in gear.

The clutch down (on manuals) or brakes down (on auto's) in the BMW's and others was IIRC added about the same time as the start buttons.

No biggy as it stops people jumping the car forward if they started it in gear.

In the Passat once you first start it up you can't take the parking brake off without putting you foot on the brake first.

A lot of cars don't start unless the clutch is down. Autos don't typically let you start the engine unless the car is in park and then prevent you shifting into gear until the footbrake is pressed.

My car won't start unless the footbrake is pressed and the car is in neutral.

I,ve always thought the handbrake in Merc's is a bit of a gimmick as it is operated by foot then released by hand on the right side of the dash near the steering wheel. Seems to over complicate using the handbrake especially when its manual and you have to go into neutral before you can use your left leg to depress the hand brake pedal.

Just about every car in the US has this

It's not like it's a big deal usually anyway if you start the car in gear, car jumps forward a little and as soon as you realise you're off the starter. Saw someone do it parked behind my car and he looked at me like he was thinking thank God I didn't hit his car.

I think I've only made the mistake once in the one and half years I've been driving so I don't really need any such protection. I would tend to agree they're a bit gimmicky.

Starting with the clutch pedal down is the method prescribed in the manual for my Fabia , IIRC its so the starter is only turning the engine , not the gearbox (?...)

Okay , found it in my Manual: P37..

" On models with a manual gearbox , depress clutch pedal when operating starter so that the engine only has to turn the engine."

Its a force of habit now , I've been doing it ever since I read that in the manual the day I got the Fabia!

Lol thats should be " so that the starter only has to turn the engine"...d'oh!

LOL

Will the engine start even if the clutch isnt pressed?

Lol thats should be " so that the starter only has to turn the engine"...

...rather than the engine and the gearbox input shaft. The layshafts and output shaft don't turn until you engage a gear and let the clutch out.

Yeah I thought it would be that , and yes , Captain Sisko , the Fabia starts without depressing the clutch , its just become a habit for me now so i do it every time anyways!

It should have been habit since the day you first got your hands on any set of car keys!!!

Always start the car in neutral and with the clutch pedal down. Also tend to put my foot on the brake when engaging first gear before moving off, which I think is a habit I picked up back when I had an automatic.