Using the electronic parking brake or the P button whilst driving at speed??

[wandle MG4 trophy]

I’m curious about what would happen if I pulled up the Electronic Parking Brake (the lever next to the gear selector) or pressed the big P button whilst driving at speed.

The reason for asking is that I may be accompanying a very inexperienced new driver and wonder what the best response from me would be if they lost control of the car or were about to hit something. Obviously this would be a very last resort as an intervention like this could in itself be very dangerous.

As an experiment I tried pulling up the brake lever when I was driving at a 4 mph and the car came to a very sudden stop. Would the car do a controlled emergency stop at higher speeds? What would happen if I pressed the P button at speed? Thanks in advance.

 

[MG Clive]

I’m curious about what would happen if I pulled up the Electronic Parking Brake (the lever next to the gear selector) or pressed the big P button whilst driving at speed.

If you pull the EPB lever, the rear brakes will be applied, and the vehicle will stop, but only if you pull and hold the lever, if you just flick it up and let it go, nothing will happen.

Not sure about the P button, but I don't think the car will allow anything to happen, it would be very dangerous.

 

[Tuareg]

Why don't you try it yourself on a quiet road or big empty car park. For your new driver, set the drive mode to 'ECO' before they pull away.

 

[GaryMG4]

Hopefully the 'P' button will have a software interlock, otherwise inserting the pawl will probably destroy the gearbox. Of course that's if you trust the software!

 

[the2ems]

I’d be more worried about allowing a very inexperienced new driver to drive at speed in what appears to be YOUR car

 

[securespark]

This is something I too have always wondered, but from my perspective as a passenger and if the driver had a medical emergency: in an older car, I could knock the box into neutral and apply the manual handbrake gradually notch by notch, then steer the car gently to the side. With an electronic set up of course, there are no graduations.

Unless, of course, the software would understand that no sane human being would want to apply full parking brake at 70 mph and that there must be an emergency and, let's say, if the EPB is held up, the car would apply the brakes gradually to bring the car safely to a halt, hopefully at the same time showing brake lights and hazards....

Even better, if the software could be configured such that in such an emergency, all the brakes were activated, not just the rears, even better.

That is how I would set the car up, if I were the designer.

 

[securespark]

I’d be more worried about allowing a very inexperienced new driver to drive at speed in what appears to be YOUR car

Have you never put your kids on your policy where you sit in with them while they drive when they are learning?

We did with all 3 of ours. No worries at all.

 

[Kithmo]

I may be confusing this with the Prius or the ZS EV, but ISTR reading somewhere that pressing the gear selector "P" at speed puts the car in neutral "N"
On the MG4, pulling the "P" switch up will operate the rear parking brake fully, which will slow you down rapidly, the slower you are going the more abrupt the stop, basically the same as pulling the handbrake lever full on with a manual handbrake.