[GeeWhy]

My Niro HEV has an auto-hold button but I have never operated it. I've read the manual about it but I am still unclear when drivers actually use it?
I don't seem to need it for hill starts (I live in a very hilly town), the car never rolls back even on the steepest slope.
Am I supposed to use it when waiting in traffic/at lights etc? I have been putting the car in neutral and putting the handbrake on (just like my old cars) when waiting.

It's not in the handiest position to operate so I assume people switch it on for the whole journey?

I'm fine without it but having just read discussions about using it in other threads, I'm curious what I might be missing. Thanks.

 

[iooi]

Auto hold is just like hand brake. You switch it on (have to do it every time you start the car) puts a white "Auto Hold" on dash. When you come to a stop, it should go green. That is it activated and will hold the car just like parking brake. As soon as you press accelerator car will move forward & brake will come off.

Only time I do not like it is when parking car, as you need to press accelerator to move car, rather than auto creep moving car small amounts.

Given the complectlicy of cars now. People really do need to read the handbooks. Even if they are big & thick & seem to be full of warnings.

 

[grantp]

I think Autohold is a slight extension of the "Hill Start" concept.

I read the manual section but spotting the nuanced differences (for normal use) between the Autohold and the auto-off for the Electronic Handbrake was, I thought, a tad opaque.

However, as a long time Automatic driver with left foot braking habit, the use of Autohold is not so interesting. To a right-foot-only user there would be greater benefit. Or at least that's how I see it. I may have missed something.

 

[firefly6260]

It really doesn't matter HOW you brake. Having come to a complete stop, auto hold will engage, if activated, and you can then take all your braking limbs off all pedals and/or hands off braking paddles until you need to move on again. Very useful in city/town driving and traffic situations on main roads. Less so on the open road. I reckon!!

 

[Turnipmadras]

Do your brake lights remain on when in Auto Hold? Annoys me when folks in front of me at traffic lights, sit with their foot on the brakes, especially at night.

 

[Indalo]

People really do need to read the handbooks. Even if they are big & thick & seem to be full of warnings.

There's no need to be insulting towards large people, 'iooi'. For all you know, the OP may not fit that label at all; he could be small, thin and very mild-mannered!

 

[Indalo]

Do your brake lights remain on when in Auto Hold?

Yes. However, if I expect to be at a halt for more than a moment or two, I will use the EPB so that I avoid dazzling any driver behind........except in the case of Audis!😁

 

[mr.macspot]

All my experience is with a manual car, it may be different with an auto.
Hill Start Assist is always on, however I've found it is not consistent and may not work in every situation. When Hill Start Assist works it only holds the foot brake on briefly, just enough time to move the foot from brake to clutch.
Auto Hold is a different ball game, when it is active it applies the EPB automatically and most importantly - every time. It is great for pulling away at junctions or roundabouts and hill starts. The down side is it does indeed operate the brake lights, a pet hate of mine, so as others have said, I switch to EPB if sat any length of time. I find a useful driving aid.

 

[GeeWhy]

There's no need to be insulting towards large people, 'iooi'. For all you know, the OP may not fit that label at all; he could me small, thin and very mild-mannered!

Sadly, Neither of those is true.... BTW 'iooi' read my original post - 'I've read the manual about it... '

 

[Aln114]

Mine has the auto parking and if auto hold is on, when you select auto park a huge Auto hold appears on screen. As I think ioos says, it's probably as it's harder to just nudge the car along while it's on.

 

[RobinB]

Sorry, I'm in a BEV, so not sure how different this is to the OP's HEV...
I think there are some people who like auto-hold, under any circumstances and some who occasionally find it useful. I only occasionally use it. Most of the time I prefer auto-hold off because I really like the way that you can gently let off the brake pedal and begin to creep - just like conventional automatics. Moving away can be very smooth. If I am in a traffic jam on a dual carriageway it can get tiresome keeping your foot on the brake. Sure, in my BEV I could switch gear to Neutral and then engage the EPB, but that seems a bit of a faff.
If I am fed up keeping pressure on the foot brake I prefer to reach down and press the auto-hold. As @iooi said, the icon comes on green on the dash. I can now take my foot off the brake and the car does not creep. (To be clear, in my Soul BEV, the EPB does not come on - I do not hear the characteristic noise of EPB coming on).
When the car in front moves I need to apply some pressure to the accelerator to move away. So long as the auto-hold remains enabled, whenever I next come to a stop I can take my foot off the brake and it will not creep.
Auto-hold will remain lit on the dash until you cancel it (or turn off the car), it will change colour when you stop to visually confirm that the car knows you have stopped and has engaged the brake, so it is safe to take your foot off... but you probably wouldn't look... you'd just do like me and tentatively relax your foot pressure!

I am happy to use auto-hold in bad traffic so as to keep resting my foot from pressing the brake for long periods but it isn't my choice for normal stopping because I prefer the normal, classic automatic style of car creeping away as soon as you ease off the brake... it just feels smoother than a bit of accelerator to overcome some stiction of the brake. Each to their own I suppose.

 

[GeeWhy]

Thank you all. Very interesting! I used to think there was just one 'proper' way to do everything in a car but as they get more complicated it seems there are lots of choices. I wonder how driving examiners cope. Still at least they won't have people crashing the gears once we are all on automatics.

 

[iooi]

Thank you all. Very interesting! I used to think there was just one 'proper' way to do everything in a car but as they get more complicated it seems there are lots of choices. I wonder how driving examiners cope. Still at least they won't have people crashing the gears once we are all on automatics.

Sadly them days are long gone. 🤦‍♂️

Apologies for missing you had read the manual 🤷‍♂️

 

[Astra99]

I have been driving automatics for almost forty years; my 2020 facelift Niro HEV (with electric parking brake) for just over two years. Auto Hold is the best thing since sliced bread! Pull up at a set of traffic lights on a hill and Auto Hold will keep the car stationary without having to keep one's foot on the brake or use the parking brake. I appreciate the brake lights remain on, but it will prevent some Cressida-head (sorry Ms. Dick) from driving around you and claiming you were parked at the side of the road!

 

[LewisH]

Sorry, I'm in a BEV, so not sure how different this is to the OP's HEV...
I think there are some people who like auto-hold, under any circumstances and some who occasionally find it useful. I only occasionally use it. Most of the time I prefer auto-hold off because I really like the way that you can gently let off the brake pedal and begin to creep - just like conventional automatics. Moving away can be very smooth. If I am in a traffic jam on a dual carriageway it can get tiresome keeping your foot on the brake. Sure, in my BEV I could switch gear to Neutral and then engage the EPB, but that seems a bit of a faff.
If I am fed up keeping pressure on the foot brake I prefer to reach down and press the auto-hold. As @iooi said, the icon comes on green on the dash. I can now take my foot off the brake and the car does not creep. (To be clear, in my Soul BEV, the EPB does not come on - I do not hear the characteristic noise of EPB coming on).
When the car in front moves I need to apply some pressure to the accelerator to move away. So long as the auto-hold remains enabled, whenever I next come to a stop I can take my foot off the brake and it will not creep.
Auto-hold will remain lit on the dash until you cancel it (or turn off the car), it will change colour when you stop to visually confirm that the car knows you have stopped and has engaged the brake, so it is safe to take your foot off... but you probably wouldn't look... you'd just do like me and tentatively relax your foot pressure!

I am happy to use auto-hold in bad traffic so as to keep resting my foot from pressing the brake for long periods but it isn't my choice for normal stopping because I prefer the normal, classic automatic style of car creeping away as soon as you ease off the brake... it just feels smoother than a bit of accelerator to overcome some stiction of the brake. Each to their own I suppose.

Don't forget you can use the regen/brake paddle on the left to stop and hold the car, well my Soul EV FE does, thus with auto hold, the electronic parking brake, I have three ways to do the same thing. My old Merc had auto hold but the was controlled by the brake peddle, double tapping.

 

[Grahammrobert]

Don't forget you can use the regen/brake paddle on the left to stop and hold the car, well my Soul EV FE does, thus with auto hold, the electronic parking brake, I have three ways to do the same thing. My old Merc had auto hold but the was controlled by the brake peddle, double tapping.

My Stinger might be different, but once switched on the auto hold does not activate {go green} if I brake gently, so I can chose to activate it with a firmer push on the brake pedal once stopped to turn it green if I want. Also it does not go green when stopping when reversing, which caught me out a couple of times.

 

[BillyLu]

There's no need to be insulting towards large people, 'iooi'. For all you know, the OP may not fit that label at all; he could be small, thin and very mild-mannered!

WTH this made laugh sooooooo hard I completely forgot why I was having a bad morning .... this comment 1000% underrated

 

[Bear1]

Do your brake lights remain on when in Auto Hold? Annoys me when folks in front of me at traffic lights, sit with their foot on the brakes, especially at night.

Yes the brake light do come on when auto hold is activated it's no different than holding your foot on the brake to stop it from creeping forward