Freelander 2 Eco button

Hi all, I have just purchased a 2014 Freelander 2 SE tech. Really pleased with it. One thing I do not understand is the ECO button, what does it do. I was under the impression it stopped the engine at junctions etc when the brake was applied. The engine has never stopped since I purchased the car.

Boro Boy said:

One thing I do not understand is the ECO button, what does it do. I was under the impression it stopped the engine at junctions etc when the brake was applied. The engine has never stopped since I purchased the car.

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Engine shutdown at traffic lights is completely dependent on the condition of the battery.
If the battery is more than 3 years then it's likely to be judged by the ECM as having insufficient capacity to restart the engine, so engine stops are cancelled.
It's a pointless function anyway, saving almost nothing in fuel, but causing heavy wear on the battery, starter and ring gear, all of which cost considerably more to replace than any minor fuel savings.

Many thanks for the info, I had a sneaking suspicion that it may have been a battery issue. As you say how much fuel does it save versus strain on the started motor etc. I will just leave it switched off in future.

I thought the ECO button just turned off the air conditioning, saving you the fuel burned by the extra couple of horsepower used by the compressor.

I'll always disable the stop / start feature in any car I drive, idiotic idea to save a drop of fuel.

Rank Amatuer said:

I thought the ECO button just turned off the air conditioning, saving you the fuel burned by the extra couple of horsepower used by the compressor.

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You might be right there. That's what it's for on my 09MY SE. It turns off the compressor for the AC.
It probably saves a tiny amount of fuel, but I leave my HVAC on AUTO mode, which cycles the AC when needed.
I'm not so familiar with the 13MY FL2 stop/start system, so aren't sure what the controls for it are.

Stop/start is often an A with an arrow drawn around in a circle

Does it not display on the dash when you turn Eco on/off ?

Eco is the stop start. The dash will tell you it's status. It will only activate if you stop, take yer feet oft the pedals and put in neutral. Will restart on a number of conditions like if air con is needed, battery low, you put the clutch in. Starter is upreated on later FL2's. It will take it. Auto's don't have it. If I'm going to be sat for a while I switch mine oft myself. 5 mins or more.

as Hippo said. Stopstart does not work on Autos, only on manual gearbox.
Only once with a hired car i had stop start. Switched it off.