I drove my dad's old V70 recently and it's fitted with a brilliant system for starting the engine:

Instead of having to fumble around fitting a chunky key into a slot tucked away behind the left side if the steering column, his key has a funny metal prong on it that slides much more easily into a hole placed, hugely more conveniently, on the right hand side of the steering column.

When it's there, you simply twist the key and the engine starts without even having to depress the clutch! This radical system even frees your left hand up to get the car into first gear ready to move away (or Drive, if you're a bit weird).

When you come to a stop, you simply twist the key back and remove it from the hole. No irritating button pressing is required.

It even has a Stop Start feature for when you're in traffic: If you come to a halt in traffic you twist the key to turn the engine off. When the traffic starts moving again you twist the key again and the engine restarts! Not only does it keep you amused when stuck in traffic but, during the whole time I had it, it never once cut the engine out just as I was about to pull into a small gap on a busy roundabout! So, yet another advantage over the Land Rover's antiquated automatic Stop Start system.

It's so much faster and more convenient and I hope that Land Rover are able to fit this new system it to the 2013 MY Freelander. Alternatively, does anyone know of any aftermarket mod kits that would allow me to upgrade my existing system?

Last edited by Tigger on 14th Jul 2012 6:07 am. Edited 1 time in total

In one of her Ladyship's other cars you don't have a chunky fob to dock - and - you don't have a metal blade to insert.

You just remote enter the vehicle - throw the device wherever you want (floor - door bin - centre console - back seats etc) and turn once a small black handle on the steering column and off you go.

Eco downside - it has no Stop/Start - but does return a decent 5.6l per 100kms from it's 1.6i petrol engine.

Horrid thing - i dislike it and will not drive the dam thing - after 6mths she's already complaining loudly about the thing and I do not see a long future for it in her hands. Jolly Good.

athelstan wrote:

In one of her Ladyship's other cars you don't have a chunky fob to dock - and - you don't have a metal blade to insert.

You just remote enter the vehicle - throw the device wherever you want (floor - door bin - centre console - back seats etc) and turn once a small black handle on the steering column and off you go.

I know what you mean having "test driven" the dam thing I simply left the carbuncle and went indoors for a cuppa. Half a day later she's back in her FL2 and said she's got a "house" patient visit to do in a hamlet of very very narrow streets that the FL2 will not squeeze through and demanded her "keys".

So there I was like a headless chicken going round in ever decreasing circles looking for the damned SX4 remote. No problem she said I'll use the spare. When she came back home she lambasted me for leaving the remote to rattle around under the front passenger seat. See - I hate the irritating oriental pest.

It's about time she learnt to ride a motorbike and then I'd buy her a real "emergency" aka paramedic bike - that would solve the narrow alleys - but only in the summer. When the snow falls it truly 4x4 time.

athelstan wrote:

It's about time she learnt to ride a motorbike and then I'd buy her a real "emergency" aka paramedic bike - that would solve the narrow alleys - but only in the summer. When the snow falls it truly 4x4 time.

Funnily enough, my daughter and I are just off to a Triumph open day for a test ride. Or two

Grand