How intelligient is the intelligent key? (Driving without it in car)
 

If you try to start the car without the IK (Intelligent Key) in the cabin area, it'll flash a message and it won't start.
But I've noticed that when my friend tried to drive my Z away with the IK still on me, I thought that maybe the car would just shut off after a certain distance but it didnt. I'm thinking wtf.

Also, the car seems to auto lock under certain circumstances. Not sure which ones. Sometimes I notice it'll auto lock after a minute, but when I'm working on the car, ex: car wash, it doesn't auto lock if I remember correctly.

It's not just Nissan that will allow you to drive the car without your fob. I had a friend that started his GM product with the key in his nearby kitchen (thinking it was in his pocket), drove about 150 mi., shut the car off in a parking lot, and then when he went to restart it realized he didn't have the key and was stranded. The same thing will happen with a Nissan.

As for the auto-lock logic, I think this is explained in the owners manual. It is a security feature. If you unlock the car, but don't open the doors, then the car will auto-lock after a few minutes, assuming you accidentally unlocked the doors and still want your car secure.

Can start,but will have NO KEY lit up if the car cannot detect the key.

Won't start without the key fob being either (1) in close enough proximity to be detected; or (2) inserted into the fobgina.

I found that with fob in my pocket I can lean from just far enough away and be too far for fob to work, locking and unlocking door. Move an inch and it is range. So about a 3 foot range.

+1 this is what I have experienced as well

It is not uncommon for me to start the roadster (with my fob in my pocket) and back it out of the garage on a nice day if my wife wants to drive it to work. Like today. I ALWAYS ask her if she has her fob. On more than one occasion she did not. Just a matter of time before I have to drive to where she is stranded. :) Now that I have made this statement... sooner than later.

I'm always worried about the same thing.

theres an episode of top gear where the guys are in a diner and hammond is driving a challenger i believe. clarkson sneaks out of the diner and starts hammond's challenger while hammond was inside with his intelligent key, drives off, and leaves it in the middle of a road. it could have been some tv magic, but it was hilarious nonetheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34yCk723YNM

Strange, I can lock and unlock my car from inside my apartment, which is about 20-25 feet from the car.

Makes it fun to hit the panic button as people are walking by the car.

My key has a Masters Degree in Advanced Communication from Columbia University.

But he's terrible with women.

^^^ i totally agree with you. It is fun looking out the window and seeing people jump or scream when the alarm goes off. i think its more entertaining than top gear.

:rofl2:

How do you press the button on the door from 25 feet away? :D

They are talking about the passive fob mode - where it needs to detect the fob in close proximity to work.

When I get out with the fob and the car running, it does beep outside a few times to warn me I removed the fob. I would hope it would start beeping when you drive away from the fob as well.

Telekinesis. :tiphat:

I've pondered this question years ago when smart keys first came out in the Lexus and Mercedes....It's actually a liability issue if they shut off your car while car is in motion...Imagine this, if you drive off in your car and forgot the key, and all of a sudden the car just dies in the middle of a busy freeway while you're going 50+, you get rear ended or killed...your family will sues...it's not just Nissan, it's all manufacturer...

I have also noticed that.

I have also noticed that if my iPhone is in the front of the pocket and the fob is behind it it won't even let me unlock the door by touching the unlock button on the door handle

Well they did have a warning message telling the driver that the key is not in the car, and the driver should go get the key.