For those of us with a key, it doesn't engage the starter until it's good and ready to anyway. You can have the key in P3 and it can pause for a moment before turning over to start.
Yup, turning the key now does not connect directly to a starter. The ECU probably checks many variables before it applies power to a starter. Same as turning headlights on, slight delay before the Computer says, yep, all OK, now turn them on.
Nightmare to own and work on when well out of warranty though. A continuity tester is not going to cut it anymore to diagnose faults
