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I really liked the feature, but one thing I did not like when I test-drove a 5 series with start/stop was right after starting and driving a few hundred feet to a stop light the engine shut off. Now I did not pay too much attention to whether the engine was completely cold or if it was semi warmed up, but I'm pretty sure it was cold. If so, I don't like the idea of shutting off an engine without warming up the oil properly first. I would be curious to see the longevity of components with start/stop vs conventional vehicles after 5 years or more. I hope it does not result in having to replace a BMW starter, which I would assume must cost significant $$$, in order to save a bit of fuel.
Out of curiosity, Lotus or anybody else, would you happen to know if the US spec related components (starter, battery, alternator, etc) are identical to those cars available worldwide with start/stop enabled. Is the US car just missing the button and some software? Would there be any problem (starter, battery drain, etc.) with regularly switching off the ignition at stoplights manually in a US spec car? I noticed the manual advocates doing so in the fuel efficiency section.
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