In a few more years, prepare to say goodbye to one automotive feature: mechanical handbrakes. Research by U.K.-based automotive shopping site CarGurus reports that more and more carmakers are ditching them in favor of electronic parking brakes or EPBs.
In CarGurus’s research, they found that just 24 percent of new cars sold in the U.K. come with a manually-operated handbrake, a reduction of 6 percent from 2019.
Models such as the BMW 1 Series and 3 Series, Peugeot 208, and the Nissan Juke have all dropped the classic manual handbrake over the last year. Majority of car brands offer the technology only on sportier cars such as the Mazda MX-5 and BMW M2.
While traditionalists would argue that the electronic parking brake removes the tactile feel, mechanical simplicity, and interactivity of the classic handbrake, they are still considered a luxury convenience and safety feature by many, requiring less physical effort to hold the car more securely without the need for any adjustments.
Most electronic handbrakes disengage automatically when you pull away, plus they often offer an automatic hill-hold assist function as an additional safety benefit. From a design perspective, the switch helps de-clutter cabins too, taking up less interior space than a chunky lever.
I dont have any issues with traditional handbrakes. Same with traditional infotainment. I prefer traditional knob control rather than touch screen or touchpads.
ReplyDeleteWill still go for the traditional one. Simpler, more tactile and easier to confirm, plus easier to find. These pointless advancements need to end, like fully touchscreen infotainment systems that they had to backtrack on(Civic RS comes to mind).
ReplyDeleteI would happily sacrifice a couple of inches of armroom in my cabin for a simpler, less complicated and reliable system that has stood the test of time. And no, my reason is not because "I wanna do hand brake turns". These things seem to be made to make cars more and more subject to the "planned obsolescence" thing. The moment the complicated motors run out of stock for specific models, how the eff would you fix it? Oh wait, just buy another car! Pffft.