fastest starting car

[Robster]

This might be a strange but after looking at some u tube videos I wonder what the fastest starting car is? For example some of the hyper cars take a while I guess because of fuel pumps etc... although my Honda jazz (don't judge) is almost instant, so do modern cars especially with stop start start quicker and is there a difference between petrol diesel ?

[northwest monkey]

Diesel from cold tends to be a bit slower as you have to wait for the glow plugs to warm up. I've always found smaller engined cars to be quicker to start - presumably because they're easier to crank over?

[Rickyy]

My old VW Caddy SDI, despite being a diesel, started instantly, even in the depths of winter.

My first car however, a Peugeot 306 TD, took forever to start and was always accompanied by a cloud of smoke upon starting!

[Limpet]

northwest monkey said:

Diesel from cold tends to be a bit slower as you have to wait for the glow plugs to warm up. I've always found smaller engined cars to be quicker to start - presumably because they're easier to crank over?

Modern diesels don't tend to need glow plugs for cold starting unless the temperature is well down towards zero (or below). My 320d's starting time is the same from hot, or cold providing the ambient temperature is over about 3°C. Below this, with a cold engine, you will see a preheating message in the display. That said, it still doesn't start quick enough for the Stop/Start system to be usable.

Glow plugs are as much used post start for emissions control as they are for getting the engine started nowadays.

[anonymous-user]

I'd say most modern cars start up almost immediately.

One thing happily missing from winter nowadays is the sound of many a car coughing and spluttering into life (if at all). Spraying HT leads with WD40 - aye, them were't days

[Nickbrapp]

Electric cars are instant.

[Gad-Westy]

Nickbrapp said:

Electric cars are instant.

You'd think that but when I drive the other halves leaf, the delay between pressing the start button and being able to drive away is infuriating.

[northwest monkey]

Limpet said:

northwest monkey said:

Diesel from cold tends to be a bit slower as you have to wait for the glow plugs to warm up. I've always found smaller engined cars to be quicker to start - presumably because they're easier to crank over?

Modern diesels don't tend to need glow plugs for cold starting unless the temperature is well down towards zero (or below). My 320d's starting time is the same from hot, or cold providing the ambient temperature is over about 3°C. Below this, with a cold engine, you will see a preheating message in the display. That said, it still doesn't start quick enough for the Stop/Start system to be usable.

Glow plugs are as much used post start for emissions control as they are for getting the engine started nowadays.

Fair enough - didn't know that. The last diesel I owned was a Cherokee with the 2.5 diesel lump & that you definitely had to wait for the light to go out. I haven't driven a more recent one long enough to notice.

[furtive]

DHL delivery vans appear to be the fastest starting vehicles. They seem to be able to start and pull away before the driver has even sat down properly

[GTIAlex]

Fiesta 1.0 ecoboost is very fast.Stop start system Is superb

[Quhet]

For some reason, my old diesel 9-3 used to start pretty much instantly, it was quite disconcerting sometimes

[Huff]

The instant start of our old office pool hybrid Civic was the only joy to be had from the car. 0-settled idle instantly thanks to effective 15hp starter motor/flywheel...

[Hooli]

What I hate is engines like our VW Caddy van, it starts the moment you turn the key. BUT if you don't keep the key turned until it's done about 2revs the bloody thing cuts out again. The starter isn't still engaged or anything, I think it's just a delay in the ECU noticing the engine has fired.

[lbc]

northwest monkey said:

Diesel from cold tends to be a bit slower as you have to wait for the glow plugs to warm up.

Maybe 20 or more years ago that was true, but there is no waiting for glow plugs these days.

[Searider]

I seem to remember that the McLaren F1 was set up to only fire after two complete engine revolutions as this gave the impression that something special was going on!

[C.A.R.]

furtive said:

DHL delivery vans appear to be the fastest starting vehicles. They seem to be able to start and pull away before the driver has even sat down properly

Indeed, the indicators don't even get a chance to blink before the van is on the move.

[Hasbeen]

Back in my youth, before mandatory seat belts, & a pile of other paraphernalia that has destroyed grassroots motor racing, we still had Le Mans start sports car races. I was just lucky to do some of the last few of them.

My Morgan +4 with it's low cut doors, & high tunnel & chassis rail was perfect to jump into, & you landed with one foot on the accelerator, & the other on the clutch pedal. It's Ferguson tractor/Vanguard/TR3 engine started instantly, much quicker than any other race tuned engine I have known.

I was always in the lead at the first corner. Hell in 1964 I made it all the way to the top of the mountain at Bathurst, before a Lotus 19B went howling past. That Morgan was the fastest starting car I've ever owned.

[catman]

In my youth, I had a Singer Vogue 1600. It started as you turned the key. There wasn't any sensation of the engine turning before starting.

It was a very strange experience and I've not seen anything like it since then.

Tim

[Triumph Man]

My Triumph would go from starting almost instantly when cold, to taking a minute of cranking when left for 20 mins or so...

In fact one day, when I had parked it directly in the sun, it wasn't having any of it so I left it at the shops and walked home, then walked back to pick it up when I knew it would have cooled down.

[daytona365]

Funny thing, my 300 gbp Fiesta starts instantly as soon as you turn the key. My 6000 gbp BMW has to turn for maybe 2-3 seconds. Actually the Fiesta is the quickest starting car I've ever experienced.