Reading several confirmed reports thats the Paceman will ship to the US with both the auto start/stop engine and brake regen features. Anyone know how much those features will reduce MPG and what it does to performance?

 

Current BMWs have this already and it does increase mileage but performance is not decreased. I do not know how much it will increase the current MPG but ever bit helps.

I know on the next gen MINIs there will be a switch to turn the auto stop off, for spirited driving and things like track use. So the Paceman may also have this.

 

Countryman EU Spec already has this feature and I can say it's not bad, but the difference is not very significant. It's works nice in the traffic jams or in the city, but when you drive more than 50% of time outside the city, it hardly saves more than 0,2-0,3 litre per 63 miles (please convert to MPG )

It's function isn't uncomfortable, it starts very fast and doesn't bother you (you just can't shift the 1st gear faster than engine starts).
And about recuperation...you can't turn it off, so the only thing I can tell you is that brakes feel solid, progressive and "engine braking" is very predictable and smooth, so it works perfectly and you won't ever notice it.

 

And don't forget the most important reason for that switch - for the many, many old farts (of all ages) who cannot handle the idea of stop/start. It does take a little bit of learning to live with the stop/start, for example if you are quick enough letting the clutch up, you can catch the engine in the milliseconds before it's fully running and stall it. And stalling is at least as bad as having "can't perform" written on big letters on their car to some guys......

Having recently switched from a stop/start Cooper to a stop/start diesel, the chance of stalling has disappeared as once that diesel starts turning, ain't nuthin stoppin' it. I think the diesel starter motor makes more torque than the justa's engine.

Stop/start was said to be good for 1-2mpg in Yurp on urban mpg. But of course that is on our real man's gallon, not the weedy little thing you use ......

Having stop/start does mean you can play the game of reverse engineering the logic of the stop/start controller. It won't work below 3 degC (37F), when the cabin or engine isn't warmed up, when the battery is low - all of which seem quite sensible - but then also it won't work if you haven't got your seat belt on (possibly because the stop/start display in the tacho is taken up with a seat belt warning), it will restart the engine if you let the car roll down a hill in neutral (like in a queue on a hill), it won't stop the engine if you haven't moved since the last time it worked (so dipping the clutch restarts the engine and keeps it running until you pull away). Rumours that the stop/start doesn't work if there is an 'r' in the month aren't true.....

 

"Rumours that the stop/start doesn't work if there is an 'r' in the month aren't true....." I love urban legends. Thanks for all the great info. Really looking forward to being able to finally order the paceman. I love my jeep liberty, but the paceman is going to be so much fun to drive.

 

I don't see what the track has to do with it, I'm never travelling below 4 mph while on track. If you're moving, in a spirited fashion of not the start/stop isn't going to kick in.

Having driven a couple of MINIs in Europe with the start/stop feature, I didn't have any trouble using it. I did find it a bit annoying in really slow but not not stopping traffic. The kind of traffic London is good at, you inch along at a few mph, but never actually stop. The start/stop feature would cut in at annoying times and I'd turn it off when it got annoying. I don't get traffic like that in the US (at least over hear in CA), traffic lights are on much longer timing, so you move forward a good bit, then stop for a good bit. That's perfect for start/stop.

The bit I reverse engineered was that it kicks in at 3 or 4mph (can't remember which), if I was coasting to a halt in neutral, the engine would stop when the display got to 3 or 4.

I can personally attest that the start/stop works in September, so the bit about the 'r' in the month does seem to be false.

 

I don"t like the idea, when it is 105 degrees in Tucson AZ. and I am stuck in traffic, I want my air conditioning working. Soooo! I hope there is a switch to turn it off.

 

There will be.

 

Well, never intentionally...

I recall a "Top Gun" episode where Clarkson spins the Panamera on track, and it auto-stops on him.

 

When the air conditioner is turned on, they handle the auto start/stop in some special way or disable it depending on conditions (such as outside temperature). Google to see how it's done in BMW models.

 

The only problem I see is that if you have a loud exhaust, it will get quite annoying. Especially at traffic jams when you move 1 car length per minute. lol

 

The main priority for the whole system is running climate control and sufficient battery voltage, so when you have A/C turned on and required temperature isn't reached-start/stop won't work.

 

My father has a 2013 3-series BMW with auto start/stop. It is a little strange at first (kind of like driving a gas-powered golf cart), but you get used to it quickly. The A/C, stereo, and all other accessories continue to work when the engine shuts down. Adding to lists of how it works/doesn't work, if the engine shuts down and you turn the steering wheel, it restarts the car as well. As mentioned above, once the car has restarted, it doesn't shut down again until the next time you stop.

On whether or not it would be in the U.S.-spec Paceman, by now we obviously know. Clearly, if it was going to be on the Paceman, it would be on all of the other U.S. MINIs, since the engines are the same.