Originally Posted by SkipSauls

I don't understand the "these are driver's car and therefore they need a manual parking brake" argument. I've had quite a bit of seat time on the track in everything from DEs in street cars to professional racing in 500+ HP GT cars, but I've never once needed a parking brake while driving. Most race cars have the parking brake removed, only retaining it if the class rules require it. On the street the only time I've ever used a parking brake while driving was to do power slides in a snowy parking lot or to hold the car in place while driving a manual.

I do use parking brakes in most cars, including automatics, every time I park. Even that is probably a bit silly in a modern car, but there are worse habits. The X5 is the first car that I've owned that has an electronic parking brake, and I like that it doesn't take up space in the center console. My 335i had the old style manual parking brake, but I'd have gladly traded it for a bit of extra room for my elbow.