Insignia electronic handbrake

But that scenario makes no sense.

If you have your (electric or otherwise) handbrake on, you can take your foot off the brake without consequence. In the electronic handbrake scenario (with a manual box) you simply then use the clutch to find the bite (as you would with a "normal" handbrake), apply a little throttle, and the handbrake disengages, you pull away smoothly, no fuss, no rolling back, nothing.

All HHA does on the A6 and A4 is automatically apply the handbrake when on an incline and stationary. It's HHA that I can't see the point of, I'm capable of pressing a button.

I roll back more (granted only inches) with my "automatic" gearbox and electronic handbrake than I did with my manual gearbox and electronic handbrake.
 
We are talking about different systems then. You are presumably referring to the equivalent of the BMW auto hold system.

Still hilarious Audi make you pay for it. Do they call it something silly like 'Audi hill start assist' too? Wouldn't want people thinking they had Ford hill start assist.

Hill start assist leaves the main brakes applied for a few seconds or until you move off.

I don't often drive it but the Z4 always ends up in some handbrake button clutch step dance routine on a steep hill due to the bone headed omission of hill start assist. Of course I am capable of doing it but there is no doubt that it's more faff than it would be with either regular handbrake, an auto box or hill start assist.
 
Must say having initially had reservations about electronic handbrakes I really like them now, Volvo have a very good one on their FH HGV range which detects hill starts and automatically applies the hill hold feature.

Also, because it automatically engages the handbrake when the ignition is turned off the incidents of Volvo HGV's rolling away due to the driver forgetting the handbrake (surprisingly common!) has been very much reduced.
 
Maybe I'm just crap at driving manuals then. Driven loads of cars with electronic handbrakes (A6, A4, Passat, and others) and always had trouble parking smoothly on the hill outside my old house. Never had an issue with a normal handbrake though.
Saying that though, I've never owned a car with one and a manual box so maybe it's just something you get used to.
 
I find the one in my Avensis terrible, i think the main issue is there's no form of hill hold at all and it has very slow throttle response thanks to the valvematic system so parallel parking on a hill is pretty much a no go. Truly awful system, so much so i really waned to sell the car after i got it as it was doing my head in so much.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Both fitted with hill start assist.

For reasons known only to themselves BMW omitted hill start assist from 4 cylinder Z4s so the electronic handbrake is tricky to operate for hill starts. By contrast the 6 cylinder is a breeze.
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Why they even put one in a car that is supposed to be a "drivers" car is bit silly. How are you supposed to do a handbrake turn?
 
Nasher said:
Yes but in a car like that you want options and to be in full control. A button isn't being control :)
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It's fine. Never felt the need for the car to have a mechanical handbrake, and if it did, I'd either have to lose the arm-rest (or it'd be massively too high), or some of the MMI/infotainment controls.
 
[TW]Fox said:
On a particularly steep hill jumping off the foot brake onto a perfectly balanced clutch can be more tricky than a flat road or a slight gradient. Especially if reverse parking. In these fairly rare circumstances most would use the analogue nature of a conventional handbrake to provide a little more control.

If this wasn't the case nobody would have bothered to invent hill start assist.

For me this is the only circumstance when the electronic handbrake can be inferior.
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For me, hill-hold is actually the problem with an electronic handbrake. Sometimes I want it, sometimes it comes on when you really don't want it.

Used to have a B6 Passat and, as it was an early one, it's electronic handbrake was pretty unreliable - kept getting stuck on or off. So we stopped using it (handbrake). Went about 4 years without a handbrake, including parking it up (left in gear). And that was less annoying, for me, than the autohold keeping kicking in when I don't want it - fortunately, you can turn it off.
 
Nasher said:
Why they even put one in a car that is supposed to be a "drivers" car is bit silly. How are you supposed to do a handbrake turn?
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The car is for use on the road. If you want a car for the auto-cross can I suggest that a new Audi is not the best idea?
 
blueboy2001 said:
Stamp hard on the brakes and hold for a couple of seconds, release the handbrake, lift of the brakes and use the hill hold instead.
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Pretty much this for our Nissan..

Hill hold works either uphill in first gear, or downhill reverse.. but you have to press hard on the brake first with a slope > 3 degrees before the symbol lights up, release the brake and electronic handbrake, find the bite point and off you go..

Feels a bit unintuative at first, but I'm slowly getting used to it..
 
I found on my mates Insignia you have to go beyond the bite and make the car pull to disengage the handbrake, perhaps its because I wasn't used to it but I hated it and found it really annoying.
 
On the mondeo for the EPB you need to have revs on first then go slightly past the biting point and it will release. For the hill hold you can just use the clutch and it moves off very smoothly. Easy to turn on and off when required as well, quick press of the button and the brakes dont hold you.
I couldnt do without EPB now must have feature.
 
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