Pulse and glide for a car has to do with the efficiency range of those engines and shutting off the fuel injectors instead off idling, that's a different process unrelated to the analogy. It also doesn't apply to cars with carbs or older ecus that don't shut off injectors (early 2000s).
Cool you also came up with the eight hour figure I'd stumbled across in the past--years ago I'd tried to find reliable research where the point was and was surprised how little there was.
Realize also that you seem to be thinking about the furnace, not the structure. We don't care about the furnace. Think of the energy stored in the walls, joists, mattresses, beams, air space in walls, in insulation, carpets, everything under the roof except contents of fridge/freezer and water heater. Thermostats are designed to let the temp drop 4°, then run until the air temp has increase four. My furnace does this in a few minutes, then doesn't run for an hour. Most people turn the temp down overnight to save energy. They also turn it down while at work. Some also turn it down whenever they go out.
In the first two cases, energy is initially not used until the temp drops to the lower setting, then the furnace runs as usual. Now what happens when it's turned back up in the morn? It runs until the higher setting is reached, mine, for over half an hour. Then does it run as usual? No, because than energy has to disperse into the walls, furnishings, toilet seats, etc. The furnace comes back on sooner and runs for longer than status quo. This extra energy is used until it seeps back into everything. Stability is reached when all that stuff no longer saps heat out of the air. Now the furnace runs for a regular amount of time as usual, no longer cycling more frequently.
If you turn the temp down for an errand run, the duration of time the furnace isn't running is brief (savings) while the amount of energy needed to be put back in to everything is significant. However, apparently eight hours is the typical break even point where using less/saving energy over that period is greater than the extra cost to warm everything back up.
Note, I have no experience with two stage furnaces, so am out of my element there.
My point was purely that most folks typically lower the thermostat regularly, or roommates might adjust it frequently (particularly if one colder than other) causing it to be run more often than were it set appropriately and left alone.
Perhaps a better analogy would be comparing city mileage down a street with traffic lights verse highway cruising?
Or trying to maintain simmering water by turning the burner off then back on rather than keeping it consistently set?
No matter the system, it tends to be more efficient to maintain a standard level (in the short term) rather than lose a bunch of energy that then needs to be replaced, unless you pass the usage point where you break even (that eight hours apparently).