[MightylilRen]

I noticed on my 1.3 turbo 2020 TH the gas saving mode that seems like the engine shuts off when fully braked at a stop, since my 2016 Limited did not have this feature. At first it bothered me a lot, but I got used to it. I learned how to get it ready to go, just before the light turns green, by letting up on the brake...Also if the brake is not fully pushed down you can go quicker from a stop. This is a gas saving mode for city driving and takes some getting used to for sure. At first I thought the vehicle was going to have a seizure since I tend to take off fast. I called the service department and they explained it to me and I got used to it quickly.

 

[MightylilRen]

This must be a feature of newer models? My ‘17 Limited with the 2.4L doesn’t have this.

Yes my 2016 did not have this but 2020 does. It takes some getting used to but is not a defect.

 

[MightylilRen]

Yeah, they recommend this because they use cheap oil and more changes means more money. If you use good quality synthetic and a matching filter there is no reason you can't go 8 to 10k between changes.
I am sympathetic of the transmission problem. Keep in mind that any new vehicle has the potential for these challenges. Have heart and good luck working it out.

Mine requires 100% synthetic (2020)

 

[MightylilRen]

Further on the shifting...mine is automatic 1.3 turbo 2020 so it seems to me the brake acts somewhat like a clutch? make any sense? I was never great with manual as a teen so have always went with automatic trans. I tried to pay attention today on busy rush hour traffic drive home. If the brake is not pressed down hard it does not go into gas save mode I have learnt how to maneuver it just so, kinda like a clutch, I imagine. I have never turned it off and would have to figure that out...but instead figured out how to work it.

 

[MightylilRen]

George since I first seen it's conception many years ago in an old VW Polo that my Bro In law was driving and it left me dismayed and bewildered. Having a car run as normal and then shutting down on me was an alien concept. It is still alien today, to me.

Why on earth does anyone want a vehicle that stops and starts? Stop, stop guys. I don't literally mean that.

I am old school in the way that cars were made. It starts, it runs until you turn it off.

On this occasion my Jeep is the first car vehicle I have had with this function. Some like it, I don't.

I feel your pain!

This is the way of the future like it or not...to save gas😉 In US it will only get stricter and stricter to comply with EPA and energy use guidelines.

 

[MightylilRen]

Yup. And I would have expected the default (or even mandatory) auto-stop/start feature would have been introduced in Europe even earlier; because of their price of fuel and, um, higher eco-consciousness (just ask them... ).

Of course, tests have shown that the fuel savings are very marginal...

Amazing if stricter and more Eco conscious than CA! 😮 Btw I am getting at least a couple more MPG overall than my 2016 Limited even with the added weight of TH package
It all adds up I guess, to save the planet for our children (grandchildren)

 

[MightylilRen]

True but CA is the highest in the states.

 

[MightylilRen]

Well, now that I've taken delivery of my 2021 Renegade Trailhawk and searched my USB-based 2020 Service Manual, I can shed some light onto the auto stop/start feature -- at least the U.S. version. Particularly the question about the "second tiny battery."

When driving the vehicle home from the dealership, I noticed a warning on the dashboard -- something to the effect that the auto stop/start system was disabled because its battery hadn't charged up enough yet, or something to that effect. By the time I got home, there was a notice that the system was now working.

Nothing about this in the Owner's Manual. So I just searched through the Service Manual, and found some details on how the system works. Since the weird copy protection prevents me from cutting-and-pasting or even doing a print-screen on anything from the manual, here's an old-school literal screen shot (* grumble grumble pain-in-the-ass *). Hope they don't get me for a copyright infringement (coughJeepCarescough)...:

View attachment 2396350847

So it looks like there is indeed an "Auxiliary Battery" for the ESS system. I haven't digested all of this yet, but it looks like the Auxiliary Battery kicks in when the engine is automatically stopped, to power all the vehicle's electrical systems so that the Main Battery isn't burdened and is ready to start the engine again. So if the Auxiliary Battery isn't working or isn't charged, the ESS is disabled. Pretty smart.

Also, according to the owner's Manual, there's a long list of conditions that will prevent the ESS from engaging -- high-power-draw stuff like the HVAC system not being at its set level, or seat heating on, etc etc etc -- all to make sure that power isn't drained when the engine is off. Again, pretty smart...

Who knew? Not me. I love how they say in the NOTE: The terminology on the relays in this procedure can be confusing.....