Some medium duty trucks have used hydraulic release spring set parking brakes, either on the back of the transmission or at the rear wheels. They use power steering pressure or a separate belt driven or electric hydraulic pump to release the brake.I am not aware of any vehicle that uses a hydraulic parking brake...
Whats a good lube for the parking brake cables?You may find the EPB is going to be worse in the long term than the good old fashioned cables. Although I do understand your frustration, as it seems there are two types of Volkswagens, ones that have parking brake cable problems, and ones that will have parking brake cable problems.
Good news is, in most cases, you can keep the stuff lubed and make it last longer and when cables are needed they are usually not that bad of a job to do, even if the newer cars are usually a bit more labor intensive than the older ones.
I've had to replace a few EPB calipers, and of course the switch issues (B6 Passats and CCs were awful for this), and the price of those parts is quite sobering.