Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Kristen asks: I’ve read your articles about ASS (Automatic Stop/Start) and am very much not interested in buying a car equipped with this “feature.” Can you tell me which makes/models do not have ASS?
My reply: It’s more a matter of which models don’t have it . . . yet. Regardless of the make (e.g., Chevy, Toyota, Nissan, etc.) almost all new cars that are new designs do have ASS. The only ones that haven’t got it are “carryover” designs – i.e., those designed before ASS became a must-have (that is, from the standpoint of the car companies, as a way to please Uncle).
So, you will need to search for a 2019 that is actually a 2018 or a 2017 or even a 2016 – in terms of when it was designed.
Expect that anything touted as “all new” will have ASS – as well as some other things you may not want, such as automated breaking and Lane Keep Assist.
I know. It makes my teeth ache, too.
. . .
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Love the ASS acronym, BTW.
Some vehicles with ASS can have it disabled by pressing a button and it STAYS disabled. I had a BMW X5 that worked this way. Most vehicles with this option will re-enable it after a restart. Thus it becomes a habit to smack the disable button every time you start up the vehicle, just like buckling a seatbelt has become since seatbelt laws came into being. Some vehicles have different driving modes where ASS is disabled by default, usually the “sport” modes. A few, but growing number, of vehicles do not give you a button to disable it.
In some cases, usually trucks and SUVs, if you have a trailer plugged in, the ASS will be automatically disabled. This has led to the invention of workaround plugs that fool the truck into thinking there’s a trailer hooked up by plugging it into the trailer wiring plug Andy leaving it there. There are home remedies where you ground out certain plug wires to accomplish the same thing.
Finally, many computer “chip” and reprogrammers will disable the ASS optionally for the sake of performance.
The EPA only grants you mpg credit for ASS if it is on by default and resets to on after every restart.
Excellent, SJ!
And: I love that the idiots fell into my trap… Automated Stop/Start…. ASS!
Yeah: I’ve decided that I WILL NOT buy a car that has this, and which can’t be turned off. This has to be THE MOST asinine thing I have ever seen. Hopefully, it will not enter into the 3/4 ton trucks. I see them as the only workaround for brand new vehicles. That, and maybe taking the VIN plate off of an old Jeep CJ2 and putting on the Roxor….
My gf’s 18 Golf, my ’19 Rebel Hemi w/out the e-torque and manual Challengers as far as I know don’t come with ASS
Shame it’s not optional, like other bs is, but at least I can provide a few examples