Launch Control - the little button with the BIG Mojo

Electronic driving aids have found their way from $200k cars down to $20k cars. In fact, nearly every car has some form of electronic driving aid, and there are a bunch of acronyms like VSC, DSC, ABS, ABC, PSM, ESP, ETC, ASC, and on and on. These electronic drivings aids do things like prevent our cars from skidding into next week during a panic stop, or from fishtailing into the median when turning too fast. Most electronic driving aids are designed to prevent accidents rather than outright enhance performance. Launch Control however, is all indulgence, enabling you to accelerate ridiculously fast off a light.

So who’s getting Launch Control? L.A. dahlings in Range Rovers; real-estate agents in Mercedes E-Classes; and accountants in Lexus SC-460s…you’re NOT getting Launch Control. It’s the balding venture capitalist in his Mercedes SL63; the night-club promoter in his Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4; the house flipper in his M3; or the wildly successfully car-wash owner in his Nissan GTR that’s gonna have the pleasure of this hot little button. There are other cars out there, but these few should give the Fans an idea of what type of cars will be getting Launch Control…generally cars with racing aspirations. No not the Pontiac Solstice, damn it!

So what's Launch Control? To your Pap, it's a very exciting, “tangible” electronic driving aid that enhances performance and delivers excitement at every light! Trickling down from Formula 1 racing, as many of these aids do, Launch Control enables a very powerful car to accelerate with blistering speed and immediacy that would be very hard to accomplish without Launch Control.

Pasadena moms won’t have a problem when they stomp on the accelerator in the family Camry – it’ll go without any theatrics like wheel spin, smoke and burning rubber. But for seriously powerful cars, stomping on the gas pedal will send the tires into a crazy spin. Or, the traction control will intervene and the race is over…the next thing you know, the nun in the Toyota Avalon is a whole block ahead.

With Launch Control, the light turns green and you’re a bullet out of a gun barrel. Launch Control seamlessly modulates the transmission, power and wheel spin – no drama, just instantaneous propulsion! It certainly is some consolation for having to stop at a damn red light…you’ll be ahead of the pack within seconds, and you won’t burn out your tires.



Now the lady-Fans out there will probably have no interest in this type of over-the-top performance enhancement, but gurls, you need to know about this nonetheless. Because if Vinny from The Valley takes you out in his base Carrera with the big wheels and the dark tint, you check for that Launch Control button before you get too serious…or maybe you prefer to lead your life in The Valley!

FOLLOW UP: Launch Control goes by different names in different cars. Mercedes (Race Start); Porsche (Launch Assistant); Nissan GTR (Launch Control); Lamborghini (Thrust Mode…now light yourself a cigarette!)