I'm not a fan. Call me old school, a luddite, or whatever, but when the engine shuts off at a stop, I'm flashed back to my first car which when that happened, I would sometimes have to get out and push. I also tend to take care of and hang onto my cars for quite awhile - it's nice having periods of time with no car payments. To that end, I recently traded my [paid off] 2012 Lonestar in on my 2021 Limited Longhorn, thinking ahead to the future and not having a car payment and 15-yr-old truck when I hit retirement age in 6 years. We all have our reasons for buying these things, and they're all valid.
I picked mine because I got a great deal on a nice truck. It was 'Certified Pre-Owned' with 4800-ish on the odo (that's apparently worth around $11K off the original sticker price, BTW). E-Torque came with it as a consequence, but the previous owner had defeated the auto stop/start to my delight... or, so I thought. It seems to 'forget' that mod when the outside temp is below 60, so I now have to hit the 'A-Off' button in the morning when I head to work. Such a small thing, mildly annoying, but it is what it is... just gotta get used to it. Knowing this now, I would not willfully order a vehicle with this technology, if I were to buy one new and the option available.
I've never understood the false sense of security that we're somehow doing more to save the environment by using technology like this - it's more of a 'pay me now, or pay me later' kind of a deal. Sure, shutting off the engine at long stops might save a buck or two per tank of fuel over time (dependent on fuel prices), but it's a known fact that most engine wear happens at start-up, so there's a very real danger that this technology could wear out the engine even quicker over time. The electric assist being more environmentally friendly is also a false notion because while it might give peace of mind for saving a few gallons of gas in the long run, what happens to those discarded electronic components when they fail (batteries, et al)? They wind up becoming toxic waste that must be dealt with at some point in the future... not to mention, expensive to replace for the vehicle to keep operating... much more so than the few dollars saved per tank. "Pay me now, or pay me later," both in money and environmental impact. Politics aside, it's just the latest means to get more money out of people with negligible return on any actual benefit.
For those that have embraced it, enjoy it, hate it, or whatever - keep on keepin' on. We're ALL still entitled to our opinions, after all.
