Thanks for that - but the manual States:
INTELLIGENT STOP/START
The Intelligent stop/start system is designed to improve fuel efficiency and is automatically activated when the ignition is turned on. Unless it is required to support other vehicle systems, the engine will turn off if the vehicle is stopped,for example, at traffic lights. When the brakepedal is released and a drive gear is selected, the engine will restart automatically.
So to my untrained eye, when the handbrake is applied the car is no longer in gear as the handbrake has been applied and the car gears are effectively disengaged.
To activate an automatic engine restart:
Release the brake pedal with Drive (D) orSport (S) selected.
For manual transmissions, neutral must also be selected and the clutchpedal fully released
This is an automatic however - so at this stage I've not selected a gear - the handbrake is on.
Ok it may be that my interpretation is flawed, but at this stage:
The car is stopped and the handbrake has been applied, thereby allowing the footbrake to be released. It's more dangerous to actively hold the car with the footbrake depressed, I've been a good lad and applied the handbrake, just not popped it into PARK yet.
How do other cars operate? Mentioned this at work today to a Beamer driver and he was pretty dismayed.