FiST doesn't roll back on hills?

[PENN]

Something I've noticed almost immediately is that when starting from a standstill on a hill the car doesn't roll back as quickly as other cars - it's almost as if there's something holding it place for a split second to give you time to release the clutch and engage 1st gear.

Maybe it's because this car is lighter than my previous car?

Or did Ford design this?

 

[jaynometry]

Hill Assist is on. You can disable it through the MyFord Touch. First thing I did before I even left the dealership.

 

[hot_hatch]

Yeah I hated that feature. Turned it off as soon as I could.

 

[MKVIIST]

Hill assist basically holds the brakes for two-three seconds if you depress the clutch and release the brakes. I find it perfect for going up drive ways.

 

[Boro]

- it's almost as if there's something holding it place for a split second to give you time to release the clutch and engage 1st gear.

I believe this is exactly right, and I think the auto DCT fiestas use this too to keep you from rolling back on an uphill.

It weirded me out at first but I think it's helpful, especially when there's a ram 3500 half an inch from your bumper.

 

[PENN]

thanks! this is a definitely cool feature!

 

[CanadianGuy]

hmm. Guess i'm old school using the hand/emergency brake.

 

[wrongwheeldrive]

I make sure hill assist is on when my girlfriend drives the car ;-)

She is getting really good at driving manual, but is still scared of hills, and I'm scared of her being scared of hills.

 

[MMMTRBO]

The Fiesta is my 2nd car that has had hill assist. Initially I HATED it, but give it some time, it is actually a very useful feature IMO.

 

[redsilvy]

I love it here in vegas where there are a ton of parking garages and usually some traffic in them.

 

[Phreak]

hmm. Guess i'm old school using the hand/emergency brake.

I've never used the handbrake on any of my cars for getting started on a hill. Just too much effort compared to getting the clutch engagement right, haha.

The Fiesta is my 2nd car that has had hill assist. Initially I HATED it, but give it some time, it is actually a very useful feature IMO.

This is my second car as well, my first was my Hummer (yes I know... it was a Hummer with a manual transmission, lol). It was awful, you would start going and it would still be holding... so you would end up dragging your wheels for 5 feet, lol. Plus to engage it you had to push the bake pedal too the floor, and it felt like I was going to blow out a line every time.

The Ford one is almost seamless, I don't notice it at all unless I am at a light on a steep hill... then it is kind of like "oh yeah, isn't that nice". Once in a while it bugs me, when I am getting mail (my box is on a hill) and I have to squish in between cars. I need to roll back a bit to get back out, and it holds on me. Other than that it is good, I like the feature overall and I keep it on.

 

[William.LEJA]

Call me old fashioned, but I learned how to drive a manual transmission without hill assist and it unnerves me to not have the car roll back on a hill. The "feature" also seems to turn itself off and on based on the car's discretion so sometimes I get caught off guard. I expect the car to roll, it doesn't, so I ride the clutch on an incline waiting for it to grab.

I will say that if I ever let someone drive my car (not likely unless I am incapacitated) I will turn hill assist on because until I got good with hills I peeled a lot of rubber in that first car by accident. Now I prefer to do it on purpose .

-William

 

[Joker328]

Today was the first I really noticed it kicking in on the road. I was in traffic on a hill so a lot of stopping and starting again. I was thankful for it. It's not overly aggressive and it's better than wearing the clutch. The only other time I've noticed it was one time when I was parallel parking on a slight incline and I actually found it more difficult to judge what the car was going to do. Might turn it off if I have to do that again.

 

[PENN]

btw how do you turn it off?

 

[redsilvy]

btw how do you turn it off?

If you go into your settings on the MyTouch screen it's in there somewhere.

 

[meFiSTo]

Being pretty much older than anybody here (except Rick, heh), I've had many stick and navigated my way around SF and now Seattle. I would have loved having a hill holder with those old cars. My (stick) cars all had center console handbrakes (actually my auto S4 does as well), so holding with the hand brake was always easy enough, but this makes traversing our hill city street pretty much care free (with regard to holding stops on a hill). Sitting nose up at the crest of hill waiting at a long red with cars right on your tail is a PITA. I've done it with no issues -- save the one time when my little Tercel was super rear loaded coming into Seattle MANY years ago. That was not fun. It took me two hills (in the dealer demo) to get used to the hill holder and now it's like driving an automatic. Personally, I love it.

 

[D1JL]

Well I think I am older than Rick.
Of course I learned how to drive a clutch when they were first invented.
I also have driven for a few years in San Francisco and there some hills there.

I must say that I like the Hill Start Assist.
I am also sure that clutches will last longer because of it.



Dave

 

[Bo Bo]

Me too...that's how I was taught.

hmm. Guess i'm old school using the hand/emergency brake.

 

[rodmoe]

Haha I'm so old I was happy when they invented the clutch so we didn't have to use our feet any more .. yabba dabba doooo .. LOL sorry had to
Now back on topic hill assit for me is ok either way on or off it work with it on I can be lazy going up my drive waiting for the garage door to open..

 

[jaynometry]

It's surprising how many of you guys like that feature. It's not so well loved in Subarus. Just don't get used to it so much that when you do drive a more traditional stick shift, don't forget it will roll back haha.