The armrest is not a problem folks.
On the test drive I did find it got in the way and I was a bit concerned.
However after owning the car for a few days, I found that the armrest has two positions.
Lift the arm rest up and lower until it locks into place, this is the highest position and in my opinion not very user friendly.
For the lower position, lift the front lever and very slightly lower the armrest a fraction. Then release the lever and push the armrest down further, it will then click into the lower position.
In this position (I suppose about 1" or 25mm approx lower?) it is more comfortable and does not get in the way of the handbrake operation.
If you adjust it and it touches the handbrake- you have gone too far.
It's a shame that the salesman didn't go through this adjustment when I picked the car up or even showed me on the demo car, as I did mention it after the test drive!