Thanks moneypit.
I have tried depressing the gas pedal before after and during the start and it doesn't really help.
Because we are in the middle of a move I am running out of time to personally try different options. I am going to get a tech to look at the car in the next couple of days for a possible diagnosis.
As far as oil consumption. I made a 4500 km trip recently and used 3 litres of oil. By the way there is 188,000 km on the car.
Appreciate your help.