On another topic, Jennifer initially complained that she needed to lift her foot off of the floorboard to press the brake,
 |
| The steering wheel is wonderfully formed for ideal 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock hand positioning. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
which is probably the correct way to do it but somewhat uncomfortable in stop and go traffic. I like to rest my heel on the floor, and just tap the brake pedal when needed, and although my size eight sneaker was able to touch the brake pedal I can appreciate that those with smaller feet, i.e. most women, might not reach it without lifting the leg. Jennifer wears size 9 women's shoes, which are not small by any stretch of the imagination, and felt that she had to lift her foot off the floorboard in order to safely press the brake pedal, as only the tips of her toes reached. Most of the time I experienced no noticeable problem with this, but on occasion I suppose I was resting my heel slightly rearward and when I went for the brake it felt like my toe might slip off. Disconcertingly I had to bring my left foot up to the brake so that both were now on it, and then move my right foot upward so that I had more control. Being that the majority of Tribeca drivers will probably be women, and that most will have smaller feet than mine, I think that this is important to note. And the problem would so easily be solved with power adjustable foot pedals, like those found in the Pacifica. What I love about this SUV is its steering wheel, which is wonderfully formed for ideal 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock hand positioning. It's made of high quality leather too, which felt good to the touch. Just the same, Jennifer complained about the lack of a switch to control the radio pre-sets, an omission that I was
 |
| The gauges behind the steering wheel are easy to read, if not a little too "Las Vegas neon light show" for my liking. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
surprised not to see. The positive to this is an uncluttered steering wheel, but I prefer the Pacifica's system once again, also shared with other Chrysler Group products as well as the Mitsubishi Endeavor, that positions multiple controls on the back of the steering wheel spokes for easy, intuitive manipulation. The gauges behind the steering wheel are easy to read, if not a little too "Las Vegas neon light show" for my liking, especially the "pods" that extend on each side of the gauge cluster to show digital fuel and engine temperature readouts. They are big, bold and highly legible, mind you, and the controls on the centre stack are mostly easy to read and access.
