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What do you think of the Eco-Drive on the Jaguar XF?

I have recently taken delivery of a new Jaguar XF 2.2d and find it a very comfortable motorway cruiser, if a little underpowered but manage 45mpg at a push. One feature that I am having difficulty with is the Eco-Drive. I live in London and often use the M25 with its constant stop start traffic when the Eco-Drive is switching the engine on and off constantly until I disable it. I also find the same problem in heavy local traffic. There is a slight delay with the Eco-Drive so pulling out into traffic can be a bit dangerous at times. As the system defaults to on I have to remember to turn it off in traffic every time. Does the system really save petrol and is it harmful to the engine to constantly turn on and off. I was told starting the engine was the time of heavy fuel use and wear?

Asked on 4 May 2013 by JB, Purley

Answered by Honest John
I have found that the only system of this type that works properly and pleasantly is i-eloop on the new Mazda 6 2.2d Skyactiv automatic. It's so clever, it switches off either if you hold the brakes or you move the auto lever to neutral. It starts if you move the lever from N to D without having to press the brake. It doesn't work below 4C and it also senses if the turbo is too hot for it to be sensible to switch off the engine, so instead allows the engine to continue to idle, pumping oil through the turbo as it cools down.
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