diff --git a/assemblies/apache-karaf/src/main/filtered-resources/minimal/org.apache.karaf.features.cfg b/assemblies/apache-karaf/src/main/filtered-resources/minimal/org.apache.karaf.features.cfg
index ed41ffd..1357ce0 100644
--- a/assemblies/apache-karaf/src/main/filtered-resources/minimal/org.apache.karaf.features.cfg
+++ b/assemblies/apache-karaf/src/main/filtered-resources/minimal/org.apache.karaf.features.cfg
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 ################################################################################
 
 #
+# Defines if the startlvl should be respected during feature startup. The default value is for 3.x is true. 
+# The default behavior for 2.x is false (!) for this property
+#
+#respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup=false
+
+#
 # Comma separated list of features repositories to register by default
 #
 #
diff --git a/features/core/src/main/java/org/apache/karaf/features/internal/FeaturesServiceImpl.java b/features/core/src/main/java/org/apache/karaf/features/internal/FeaturesServiceImpl.java
index 049015a..3c9daa7 100644
--- a/features/core/src/main/java/org/apache/karaf/features/internal/FeaturesServiceImpl.java
+++ b/features/core/src/main/java/org/apache/karaf/features/internal/FeaturesServiceImpl.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.Dictionary;
 import java.util.EnumSet;
 import java.util.Enumeration;
@@ -99,6 +100,7 @@ public class FeaturesServiceImpl implements FeaturesService, FrameworkListener {
     private ConfigurationAdmin configAdmin;
     private PackageAdmin packageAdmin;
     private StartLevel startLevel;
+    private boolean respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup;
     private long resolverTimeout = 5000;
     private Set<URI> uris;
     private Map<URI, RepositoryImpl> repositories = new HashMap<URI, RepositoryImpl>();
@@ -143,6 +145,10 @@ public class FeaturesServiceImpl implements FeaturesService, FrameworkListener {
         return startLevel;
     }
 
+    public void setRespectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup(boolean respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup) {
+        this.respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup = respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup;
+    }
+
     public void setStartLevel(StartLevel startLevel) {
         this.startLevel = startLevel;
     }
@@ -388,8 +394,8 @@ public class FeaturesServiceImpl implements FeaturesService, FrameworkListener {
     }
 
     public void installFeatures(Set<Feature> features, EnumSet<Option> options) throws Exception {
-        InstallationState state = new InstallationState();
-        InstallationState failure = new InstallationState();
+        final InstallationState state = new InstallationState();
+        final InstallationState failure = new InstallationState();
         boolean verbose = options.contains(FeaturesService.Option.Verbose);
         try {
             // Install everything
@@ -439,8 +445,18 @@ public class FeaturesServiceImpl implements FeaturesService, FrameworkListener {
                     }
                 }
             }
-            // Start all bundles
-            for (Bundle b : state.bundles) {
+            // start all bundles sorted by startlvl if wished for
+            List<Bundle> bundlesSortedByStartLvl = new ArrayList<Bundle>(state.bundles);
+            if (respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup) {
+                Collections.sort(bundlesSortedByStartLvl, new Comparator<Bundle>() {
+                    @Override
+                    public int compare(Bundle bundle, Bundle bundle1) {
+                        return state.bundleInfos.get(bundle.getBundleId()).getStartLevel() -
+                                state.bundleInfos.get(bundle1.getBundleId()).getStartLevel();
+                    }
+                });
+            }
+            for (Bundle b : bundlesSortedByStartLvl) {
                 // do not start fragment bundles
                 Dictionary d = b.getHeaders();
                 String fragmentHostHeader = (String) d.get(Constants.FRAGMENT_HOST);
diff --git a/features/core/src/main/resources/OSGI-INF/blueprint/gshell-features.xml b/features/core/src/main/resources/OSGI-INF/blueprint/gshell-features.xml
index ddedd98..aba621d 100644
--- a/features/core/src/main/resources/OSGI-INF/blueprint/gshell-features.xml
+++ b/features/core/src/main/resources/OSGI-INF/blueprint/gshell-features.xml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
             <ext:property name="featuresRepositories" value=""/>
             <ext:property name="featuresBoot" value=""/>
             <ext:property name="resolverTimeout" value="5000"/>
+            <ext:property name="respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup" value="false"/>
         </ext:default-properties>
         <ext:location>file:$(karaf.base)/etc/org.apache.karaf.features.cfg</ext:location>
     </ext:property-placeholder>
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@
     <bean id="featuresService" class="org.apache.karaf.features.internal.FeaturesServiceImpl" init-method="start" destroy-method="stop">
         <property name="urls" value="$[featuresRepositories]" />
         <property name="boot" value="$[featuresBoot]" />
+        <property name="respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup" value="$[respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup]" />
         <property name="resolverTimeout" value="$[resolverTimeout]" />
         <property name="configAdmin" ref="configAdmin" />
         <property name="packageAdmin" ref="packageAdmin" />
diff --git a/manual/src/main/webapp/users-guide/provisioning.conf b/manual/src/main/webapp/users-guide/provisioning.conf
index a08d249..8c7d25e 100644
--- a/manual/src/main/webapp/users-guide/provisioning.conf
+++ b/manual/src/main/webapp/users-guide/provisioning.conf
@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ The OSGI specification allows for installing a bundle without starting it. To us
   </feature> 
 {code}
 
+{warning}
+Before Karaf 3.0 the start-level was NOT considered during the feature startup, but only the order in which bundles are defined in your feature.xml. Starting with 3.0 the start-level is no considered correctly. If you need to use the old behavior you can uncomment and change the respectStartLvlDuringFeatureStartup variable in org.apache.karaf.features.xml to false. But please be aware that it will be removed in 4.0 and should therefore be used only temporarily.
+{warning}
+
 h4. Bundle 'dependency'
 
 A bundle can be flagged as being a dependency.  Such information can be used by resolvers to compute the full list of bundles to be installed.