Starting a Car With a Push of a Button

By JONATHAN WELSH


What It Is:
The motion of inserting and turning a key to start the car is about to join the annals of lost muscle memory that include
manually rolling down windows or starting a car with a hand crank. A broadening range of cars and sport-utility vehicles
are switching to push-button starters that use electronic codes instead of metal lock cylinders to control access to the
vehicle's ignition system. Some vehicles require a key fob to be inserted into the instrument panel -- like a thicker version
of a hotel card key. But a growing number use electronic so-called smart keys that can interact with the vehicle electronically
without ever leaving the driver's pocket. More than 50 vehicles in the 2008 model year have push-button starters, more than
double the number in 2007.

How to Get It:
Keyless push-button starters arrived on the market in the past few years in a handful of luxury cars but the buttons now are
showing up as standard or optional equipment on less-expensive models like the Nissan Altima and the 2009 versions of the
Maxima sedan and Murano SUV. Toyota offers keyless starting on its Camry, Avalon and Highlander.
Several BMW and Mercedes models have it, as do the Cadillac STS sedan and XLR convertible.
Cadillac's new model, the CTS sport sedan, has a smart key but instead of pushing a button, the driver turns a switch
on the steering column, which combines the convenience of a smart key with the feel of turning a traditional key.
By 2015, about 31% of vehicles will have these systems.

Upside:
No more fumbling in the dark to try to slide the key into the ignition switch. And never taking the car key out of your pocket
cuts down on the chance of losing it. The push button also tends to have a cleaner, more pleasing look compared with a key slot.
Car makers say electronic starter buttons give designers more flexibility in laying out a car's interior.

Downside:
Since you don't have to handle the key, it's easy to lose track of it. Valet parking attendants get more than a little annoyed
when you inadvertently walk away with the key. And watch out when the tiny battery in the key fob fails and you're far from the
spare key at home. Most car makers give you a metal key to open the door in such emergencies, but getting the engine started
may be more difficult. Lexus refers owners to two pages of instructions in the vehicle's manual.
The last instruction: "contact your Lexus dealer."
Who said inserting and turning a key was such a bad way to start a car?

Cost:
Push-button starters are typically included in option packages that range widely in price. It is available in $1,540 package
for the Toyota Camry XLE that includes heated seats and stability control. Mercedes-Benz offers its system, called Keyless Go,
in a $4,320 package on its E350 sedan.