mmarshall

...or the classic 1994-99 Integra. That car was not only (IMO) handsome, but, also IMO, was probably the best-built Acura product ever sold in the U.S. An ex-co-worker of mine (who unfortunately passed on from cancer) had a '99 sedan he had previously bought from another co-worker. He used it for commuting every day, 25 miles one-way. With almost 200,000 miles on it, it still felt, rode, drove, and operated virtually like new....and the controls and buttons were like silk. I would occasionally drive it back home for him (as a designated driver), with him in the passenger's seat, after cookouts at our friend's house, as he liked beer, and I was a teetotaler.

To this day, I'm still a firm believer that Honda and Acura both built some of their best vehicles in the 1990s....and, in some cases, so did Toyota. Lexus did so from 2000 to about 2006.

Sulu

The ILX has a mechanical parking brake lever because it shares a platform with the 9th-generation Civic, which also had the same type of parking brake.

mmarshall

Except for those with a weak right-arm or shoulder, I think a pull-up hand-brake makes sense. Just one less electric motor and linkage-system to break down.

BippuLexus

What I have been saying since the introduction of electrical e-brakes. They are a solution to a problem that didn't exist. The only reason electric e-brakes happened was because they wanted to clear center space. That was achieved with the simple step-down foot-well e-brake.

My problem with electrical e-brakes are:
1) More expensive to fix.
2) More expensive to repair brake-pads.

LexBob2

Have there been any widespread problems or failures with electronic parking brakes? I've had them on several vehicles with no issues and I use the parking brake regularly.

JDR76

I love the electronic brake on my GS. No complaints.

As for the ILX, meh. It's okay but I doubt I'd really look at one if I were in the market. Frankly, at that price I'd rather get something like a GTI.

BippuLexus

Complaints that are the most common I have seen on forums are:
1) Cost more to replace rear brake pads (at dealer or shop because of the requirement of computers)
2) Cost more to do it yourself because you have to buy the computer/application to do it.
3) I have seen people that actually had their electric parking brakes break or fail. Some one on a VW/Audi forum claim to have costed him 3K to fix the system.
4) Some hardcore people/drivers don't like that you can't drift, hand-brake turn, and etc... on cars with electric e-brake.

I think, overall, people find the cons outweigh the pros within the electric parking brake. Besides clearing room in the center stack, I don't know what else its good for.
Off topic: What are some reasons people like the electric parking brake besides clearing center console space?

JDR76

It allows automatic parking brakes. I love it in my GS. Not something I ever thought I'd care about until I had it to experience for myself. I've been spoiled and now I hate that my Highlander has a foot brake.

I haven't experienced any downsides to it.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

IMO one less thing to have to remember to do. Put the car in Park, E-brake comes on, put the car in R, N, D, and E-brake comes off. It's always a good idea to put on your parking/emergency brake on as even the slightest incline/decline can wear on your transmission.

LexBob2

Even though it's probably rarely used hill descent control, hill hold braking and from a safety standpoint, some cars automatically set the brake if you exit the car with it in gear.

Toys4RJill

bagwell

Not that I've heard but it's just another non-essential electronic that will fail sooner than a traditional pull style...FACT. ...but if you don't plan on keeping g the car a long time then it won't matter.

BippuLexus

I believe not all cars have the automatic parking brakes function. The C300 from Turo I rented didn't have that function. I still had to push the button to engage parking brakes.

Anyways - the other "pro" is just having a system that sets the parking brake for you and dis-engage it for you? I do think its pretty cool that it can engage and disengage the parking brake for you so you don't have to think about it. But personally, I don't think that's worth the extra cost to repair the electronics if it fails or the extra cost to replace rear brake pads.

This is what I feel as well. I feel its almost like another non-essential electronic that will fail in time and will cost you money to repair in the long run.

Also true - if people just keep their cars for a lease term of 3-4 years, it will likely not affect them. Long term owners and 2nd hand owners might feel differently.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

True. My comment was geared towards all Lexus models equipped with an automatic parking brake. 'Auto' can be disabled, but when engaged it is tied into whether the transmission is in P R N D.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)