What is hill start assist?

Back in ancient times, y’know before smartphones and Facebook, not all cars were fitted with automatic transmissions and electric park brakes.

No, back then cars came with annoyingly interactive manual gearboxes that required use of both feet on three pedals… think about that. Meanwhile, the park brake was a lever usually found between the front seats.

All that made the hill-start something of a challenge. Feed the clutch out to bite point, creep the revs up and release the park brake… all in one dextrous motion… and proceed smoothly into traffic.

Or bunny hop into traffic. Or stall. Or even worse, roll backwards into the car behind.

But such embarrassments need no longer apply, because most modern cars employ some form of hill-holder or hill-start assist.

While mechanical hill-holders have been around in some form since the 1930s, the current iteration exploits the digital dexterity of the modern automobile to read the angle of the road, pedal position and more to apply the brakes on a slope, independent of the driver when the car has come to a halt.

It then releases the brake once more when it senses the driver going through the motions of accelerating. Smart.

Modern hill start assist systems usually work for about two-to-three seconds after coming to rest, so if you’re stopped for a longer time it’s best to cover the brake.

Or you can extend the function by pressing a button as some cars allow or activate the park brake. Whichever way you do it, no roll-backs!