Hill Start Assist

[SmartyPants25]

So I haven't noticed any hill start assist in my car. I was parked on a hill the other day, facing downhill and I was behind another car, I put it in reverse and it immediately started rolling forward, I had to use the hand brake in order to back up without rolling forward. This hill was not a very steep one either. Anyone else have this experience? This seemed to also happen last night, I wasn't even on a hill, I flipped a U on a small residential street and couldn't quite make it fully, put it in reverse and rolled forward to the curb!

[bmx43]

Originally Posted by SmartyPants25

So I haven't noticed any hill start assist in my car. I was parked on a hill the other day, facing downhill and I was behind another car, I put it in reverse and it immediately started rolling forward, I had to use the hand brake in order to back up without rolling forward. This hill was not a very steep one either. Anyone else have this experience? This seemed to also happen last night, I wasn't even on a hill, I flipped a U on a small residential street and couldn't quite make it fully, put it in reverse and rolled forward to the curb!

could be wrong, but i believe the hill assist is designed to work when going uphill, not downhill. i've never had a car that has downhill assist.

[GHammerly]

I guess you wanted to go up hill but in reverse, I don't know if it has hill start assist in reverse, I know it has this feature when going fwd. in first gear up a grade.
Some one out there with a smart try and find out.

[Javichanche]

I own a new Smart 451 and the hill assist is designed to work uphill and down hill.

[MarkB]

Originally Posted by SmartyPants25

So I haven't noticed any hill start assist in my car. I was parked on a hill the other day, facing downhill and I was behind another car, I put it in reverse and it immediately started rolling forward, I had to use the hand brake in order to back up without rolling forward. This hill was not a very steep one either. Anyone else have this experience? This seemed to also happen last night, I wasn't even on a hill, I flipped a U on a small residential street and couldn't quite make it fully, put it in reverse and rolled forward to the curb!

I just assumed it was for going uphill. Brakes do a pretty good job for downhills in my experience.

[bmx43]

Originally Posted by Javichanche

I own a new Smart 451 and the hill assist is designed to work uphill and down hill.

well, according to the Smart manual I have, it does not. (nor does it on the Lexus version of hill assist).

verbatim: "On uphill grades the hill start assist system maintains the pressure in the brake system for approximately one second after you have released the brake pedal. Therefore, you can start off smoothly without the vehicle moving immediately after releasing the brake pedal."

makes no reference to downhill grades.

[SmartAzz]

Yeah, I've never heard of hill assist working when facing downhill. On the test drive I tried it out uphill on a bit of a grade and it worked nicely.

[Old smart]

If the brakes are held set (for 0.7 second) at start-up, what difference does it make to the car whether the car if facing up hill or down hill? Brakes are brakes; they work in both directions.

Because rolling backwards on a down hill start is a non-problem, the manual probably ignored the situation in print.

[BandSofC]

With an automatic clutch - how do you know the computer isn't just slipping the clutch to hold you? For that matter - if there's no clutch pedal, why do you need hill-start assist? I have 2 feet.

[Old smart]

It is the brakes that hold for 0.7 second, not the transmission.