My younger daughter turned 17 on Monday, I promised I would let drive the FL2 as soon as she was old enough, have been working away this week so have just been out for first time this evening.

Girl next door is a DSA instructor so daughter got her first driving lesson at 10am on her birthday, which was good, this evening was her second time behind the wheel.

The FL2 has a lot gonig for it to make it a good car to learn in BUT there is one problem, on my car at least. The handbrake is very effective and has never failed to hold the car on all manner of extraordinary gradients but the effort required on the lever is high. This isn't a problem for me but is a problem for a more lightly built female frame. There is no way my daughter can apply enough force to the handbrake to make it hold on anything other than level ground

This means that its almost impossible to find the 'biting' point on the clutch without the car moving straight away. Anyway that aside there's plenty of other stuff she can learn, she noticed straight away that the driving position offers a very good view of the road. She's likely to get a couple of weeks with the FL2 before it departs from me. Then its out of the frying pan into the fire because the FL2's replacement (Volvo V70) has an electronic handbrake, so there's no lever to play with at all on that ....

I know handbrakes have been commented on before. For my purposes there is nothing to complain about, the handbrake is very effective and all the action comes in about 3 notches, which is fine, its just that the actual effort needed on the lever is quite high. Has this caused a problem for anyone else? Stornoway Grey GS ... What a fine motor ... but not any more ... ... psst look at my gallery!
Company cars ... a thing of the past - May 2013.

I noticed the same thing although the handbrake action improved a little with the PTC recall fix.
The handbrake is hard to put on and sometimes I don't know if it's on enough. I leave it in gear now as well.
I know that doesn't help your daughters situation, she needs to start some dumbell work on her right arm. It's ok for us guys we all have well built right arms.....

My wife's continual moan - if I put the handbrake on she cannot release it !!

adjust the handbrake right up then it is easier  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

snappa wrote:

I know that doesn't help your daughters situation, she needs to start some dumbell work on her right arm. It's ok for us guys we all have well built right arms.....

Your right arm might be abnormally well built - but isn't it a bit odd to lean over to operate the handbrake with the farthest arm?

- Dick

no wonder snappa cant work the steering , he is sat in the seat backwards  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

My steering is great now and after being down in the dumps with the motor it drives like a dream now and I can't get enough of driving it

The steering has obviously been since I bought it.

dick wrote:

snappa wrote:

I know that doesn't help your daughters situation, she needs to start some dumbell work on her right arm. It's ok for us guys we all have well built right arms.....

Your right arm might be abnormally well built - but isn't it a bit odd to lean over to operate the handbrake with the farthest arm?

- Dick

Its quite normal to use your right arm/hand to pull on the handbrake Its only in the UK that use your left hand to do something right  2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

snappa wrote:

It's ok for us guys we all have well built right arms.....

What have you been doing to build up the right arm and not the left ?  

I've found with mine that I don't need to give it the full pull to work.

If you pull it a reasonable amount, the backwards motion of the car actually makes it lock on.

Sure I don't have to put lots of effort it, unless I want it to lock on immediately, and have no roll back/forth to lock.

Rich