Volkswagen took the covers off the new Golf hatchback today, and with it, announced the most terrifying feature I’ve ever heard of in a car.
The Mark VII Golf is lighter, more efficient and has more gadgets than its predecessor. Gadgets include a five- and eight-inch touchscreens in the infotainment systems a feature that stops the engine while idling to save fuel.
But by far the most terrifying sounding feature is one that turns your engine off when it recognises you’re coasting down a hill.
I’m sure it’s perfectly safe and a wonderful fuel saver, but the idea of an engine that cuts out on a hill is the realisation of one of my greatest fears. I can only imagine just how unnerving it would be, to pass the crest of a hill, begin coasting down it with a foot covering the brake to hear the engine just cut out.
Good idea, or worst fears realised? [Volkswagen via Between The Axles]