Pet Peeve—Smart keys, dumb and dumber

We’ve complained a lot recently about so-called "smart keys" that actually seem pretty dumb. BMWs and Minis now take multiple steps to start the car. And we’ve had trouble with Volkswagens not releasing the key. We’ve also had an awful time with our new A4—you have to insert a large block of plastic/metal into a slot, hold it there and then wait for the engine to fire. But what’s worse is trying to remove it—you have to very delicately push it all in and then gently remove it. Often, the engine shuts off but you can’t remove the key. Which means you then have to push it back in—which restarts the engine—and begin the whole process over. At best, we often find ourselves searching for an available cup holder or bin to stash the key that would otherwise go in the ignition. Which, of course, doesn’t work since these are not keyless systems.

But my least favorite thing about these dumb smart keys is that the start buttons that go along with them can’t simply turn the engine off when I get home without turning everything else off, too.

Let me explain. My news-radio listening habit is so severe that as a car reviewer, I’m almost uniquely incapable of giving an opinion of the sound quality of a car’s stereo. If I can understand what an anchor is saying, that’s good enough for me. (Radio reception is a different issue.) Consequently, I frequently arrive home and pull into my driveway in the middle of a news item and want to hear how the story ends. (National Public Radio loves to take credit for these “NPR moments” as they beg for pledges every month.)

But the advent of "smart" keys has left me feeling dumb. After I stop in my driveway, I face an ugly choice: turn off the engine and miss the crucial end of a report, or watch precious gas money evaporate out the tailpipe as the engine idles until the report ends.

While most start buttons do have an accessory position, you can only access it from having the car off and hitting "Start" without depressing the brake pedal. You can’t get there in a single step when the car is running.

This month’s Mazda6 was particularly annoying, because it took the radio a full 7 seconds to reboot—complete with a chime—an eternity in a 30-second radio report.

So I usually just leave the engine running, figuring it’s not much different than if I’d hit another red light on my way home. The good news is, as winter sets in at least it keeps me warm. And this is another reason why I’m grateful gas prices have gone back down.

—Eric Evarts

Comments

[Jong]

I haven't tried anything other than the BMW and Mini system so I will only comment on those. I agree that the two step start is annoying. But both BMW and Mini has a feature called "comfort access" and with that the start system is truly key less. I never take the keys out of my pocket. On BMW and Mini at least you can access the accessory position in two ways. One way like you mentioned is to have the engine off and start the car with out stepping on the brake (clutch pedal for manual transmission cars). The other way is if you have the engine running. If the engine is running a short press on the start/stop button stops the engine but everything else is running, one more press on start/stop turns everything off. If the engine is running and you want to go to the fully off state in one button press, press and hold the start/stop button until everything turns off.

[Derrick G]

I believe what NPR calls them are "driveway moments". I haven't been able to try it, but the Genesis' manual says that pressing the button with the transmission not in park activates the ACC position. Still, a simple twist knob like the Versa and Veracruz have seems like a simpler way to do a smart key system.

[Pete]

This makes me thankful for my "low tech" Chevy Cobalt with its old school keyed ignition. Seriously, isn't this "smart key" stuff just a solution in search of a problem?

One really nice thing about Chevys -- maybe all GM vehicles -- is that the radio will continue to play after the ignition is turned off, until you open the door or a certain time period has elapsed. This makes those driveway moments much more pleasurable for me!

[david]

Excellent article Eric.

Jong, did you forget to mention one thing? The "comfort access" is $500 option versus $0 for a traditional car key. On the BMW M3, the "comfort access" is part of an expensive package, making it a discomfort on the wallet.

[B. Goodman]

The SmartKey system in the Toyota Camry Hybrid lets me leave the key in my pocket at all times, even to open the doors. The non-intuitive part is that, to stay in ACC mode when turning off the car, you press the START/STOP button with the gear selector in Neutral. You can then shift to Park. Of course, with the hybrid system, you can usually just shift to Park and listen to the rest of your radio program as the gas engine will usually be off at that point anyway.