I love the auto-stop function when waiting at a light or stop sign, it makes total sense to have the engine stop when not needed. The only draw-back is in the way Honda decided to implement the restart - the engine restarts as soon as your foot comes off the brake, which becomes very inefficient when in stop-and-go traffic. I'm also not sure why the engine would restart when shifting between "drive", through "reverse", to "park". When I come to a stop in my driveway or at work, the engine goes into auto-stop but then restarts as I shift into park, and then I turn off the key...? I have started getting into the routine of stopping, car goes into auto-stop, I turn the key off (but it won't come out while the car is in drive), shift into park, and turn the key off the rest of the way and remove before getting out of the car...Ugh. In general I am a big fan of the hybrid technology. I think my next car will be a Toyota since it does not restart the engine after an auto-stop until a minimum speed is reach or the batteries need charging.
I'm also a little concerned with some recent performance of the Honda hybrid. It has started revving by itself... When driving at relatively constant speeds I will sometimes feel the car surge forward and slow, surge forward and slow, and the tachometer will show a slight fluttering. I have also experience sudden excess acceleration when slowing for a turn and then accelerating out of the turn - it is a little unnerving... The discussion groups I belong to on hybrids indicate the EGR valve - which I had replaced at over $400 with labour, and I still have the problem. The other culprit seems to be the transmission, requiring a rebuild. I think it is time to trade-in the Honda for a Toyota sooner, rather than later.
In short, I love the hybrid technology and look forward to more innovations, but I think Honda may have missed the mark with their implementation...(though it is hard to complain when I am getting about 4.8-5 l/100kms, or ~48 mpg).
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