Stop-start systems have been around for many years now, cutting the engine when stopped in order to save a little gas.

The technology is more refined in some cars than it is in others, and many drivers of BMWs with stop-start have decided it's a little too much hassle.

In a BMW press release, the maker states that some drivers have "expressed the desire to deactivate this function in certain situations".

While drivers can press a button to deactivate BMW's MSA Automatic Stop/Start, the system reactivates automatically the next time the car is driven.

BMW now says customers can take their cars in to the dealer to have the system set to "last user mode", whereby the stop-start remains in whatever setting it was when the engine was last switched off.

BMW also confirms that its "M" performance models are already set to last user mode.

Is the new option a sign that BMW's stop-start system is occasionally too intrusive to be a usable feature? Or could it suggest that the driving style of some BMW drivers isn't conducive to the system's operation?

We'll let you decide that one...

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