The paddles also give the driver control of regenerative braking, which translates the kinetic energy that is dissipated when the car slows down into electricity that tops up the batteries.

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The A3 also boasts two paddles behind the steering wheel that let drives control the level of regenerative braking that adds charge to the battery.

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It was hard to control the bike on braking and in the exit of the corners, so I was defensive because I knew my corner speed was not so good.

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Not only acceleration, but braking as well is taken out of your control.

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"Autumn in Australia brings the possibility of rain, which would make driving without traction control and engine braking control a real challenge, " Heidfeld said.

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The big brakes, working with car's track-tuned ABS, the stability control and the fancy magnetic dampers' "body-control logic, " enable the F12 to perform truly miraculous feats of trail braking.

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Meanwhile, there's some code in the stability-control system dubbed Agile Handling Assist, through which the car, actively braking one of more wheels, helps drivers hold their line with smaller steering inputs.

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Mercedes-Benz's Distronic Plus system, for instance, contains radar-based sensors as part of its cruise-control system, to keep the car at a preset distance from the vehicle in front, braking automatically if the gap narrows quickly.

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