The foot-operated handbrake bashing is uncalled for. Most of these cars will be sold with automatics, hence the use of a foot-operated handbrake. Those few buyers opting for the standard transmission will easily be able to cope with this. I've never had problems with a manual Mercedes and its foot operated handbrake.
If you're on a hill, simply put the gear in neutral, keep your right foot on the brake, depress the handbrake with your left foot, put your left foot on the clutch and depress it, engage 1st gear, move your right foot unto the accelerator etc. Very simple. Sure, you can't drive this car doing handbrake aided powerslides etc., but who cares? Most people don't even drive their 3-Series' in this fashion.
I'm willing to bet that most Ferrari owners don't do this either.
And this guy obviously didn't spend too much time in the interior. Aside from the center console, the dashboard is made out of a soft leathery type of material which I recently read was done to aid in the event of a crash due to its deformable qualities. The center console is really the only plasticky part and it's not as bad as this article makes it sound. I am willing to be that the Alfa Romeo or the Lexus IS has the same quality plastic on its center dashboard - except it's colored silver, which visually makes an initially higher quality impression. Funny how colors can change perception.
