I'm coming from a 16 Outback which was very comfy. Dose anybody feel the brake and accelerator pedals are higher creating a less comfortable drivers seat? I love the car but it seems less comfortable than my Outback after driving for awhile
Pedal placement
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This is definitely something mentioned before. It also is a natural progression to the larger SUV type vehicle. It 's an attempt to give a more commanding and attentive view out the front. I heard there is an extension for the lower knee area now. Adjusting seat low and the extension out? Maybe?
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Sorry for the late follow up but I experienced the same after a lot of stop start traffic. My right ankle ached from being at an extreme angle. I fixed it by raising the seat height significantly which lessoned the angle on my ankle. Thankfully the seat has surprisingly good adjustment range.
Can the brake pedal position be adjusted in any way, e.g. up/down toward the floor, by dealer or ?
Did a short test drive yesterday and the brake pedal placement seemed extremely unusual and potentially a deal-breaker, but I didn't get a chance to ask about it at the time.
In most cars I've driven one can keep the shoe heel on the floor while using the gas pedal and then pivot to the brake with the heel kept in-place, i.e. not raising the foot. Similarly one can "slide" the foot off the brake and over to the gas.
In the test drive vehicle I had to physically lift my leg/foot up and over to the brake, raising it upward by maybe 2 inches or so, same with going back to the gas.
My feet aren't particularly small, women's size 10, men's size 9.
Will test drive again, but this is a big negative impression at the moment and I'd like to banish the concern asap if possible.
Did a short test drive yesterday and the brake pedal placement seemed extremely unusual and potentially a deal-breaker, but I didn't get a chance to ask about it at the time.
In most cars I've driven one can keep the shoe heel on the floor while using the gas pedal and then pivot to the brake with the heel kept in-place, i.e. not raising the foot. Similarly one can "slide" the foot off the brake and over to the gas.
In the test drive vehicle I had to physically lift my leg/foot up and over to the brake, raising it upward by maybe 2 inches or so, same with going back to the gas.
My feet aren't particularly small, women's size 10, men's size 9.
Will test drive again, but this is a big negative impression at the moment and I'd like to banish the concern asap if possible.
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Yes, it seems higher than on my other cars. I think that the off idle jumpiness of the throttle exacerbates the height a little bit as well. So, you have a combination of high pedal placement and needing to feather the throttle off the line to get a smooth start which makes for an unusual foot motion. I find my foot slipping off the accelerator on the Ascent on occasion, I've never had that happen before (and I have large feet so it's not like I'm struggling to reach the pedals). And it's not like the pedals are small, or placed oddly other than being a little high..
They simply messed up the brake pedal placement. It is WAY too high unless you're bigfoot. I've found that in the last year of driving I'm getting muscle pain/tightness up in the thigh area on the right side. When my therapist mentioned driving ... I realized where it was from.
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Brake pedal is placed for a foot only halfway up the gas pedal, which puts the heel farther back. That also allows much better pedal control and more foot room.
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Robert are you suggesting that we are placing our foot incorrectly?
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Some people, yes. That would be per their private admission to me. I literally made a vid about this two months ago because of those conversations.
But does everyone who's having problems do it wrong? No. But I can't see everyone's feet, so, hoping that helps both those who have messaged me, and those others who haven't. I know it won't help everyone.
I do not have the problem described.
But beyond foot position is each of our unique leg and ankle structures, feet sizes, etc. So, hopefully, some people find it helps. I do not expect it's everyone's problem or will help everyone.
My right ankle has been fused from arthritis for over 40 years so I adopted your suggested foot position out of necessity years ago, since it is the most comfortable and effective way for me to press the accelerator.
I also have always used my left foot on the brake pedal when driving cars with automatic transmissions, which most people think is weird.?
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I have a very lazy driving and leg position, so, whenever I get a car with a top hinged pedal instead of a floor hinged pedal, it really works out for me.
I'm trying to improve parts of that, though. It's horrible for my posture.
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It’s only weird if you’re that person driving down the road resting your foot on the brake so your brakes lights are on the whole time
I don't, I use the dead pedal but see that all the time, usually at least 1 of their brake lights is burned out too and nice toasty brake rotors!It’s only weird if you’re that person driving down the road resting your foot on the brake so your brakes lights are on the whole time
After a lifetime of driving stuff that requires all available hands and feet (farm machinery, airplanes, motorcycles, etc) it just feels natural to me.
Ofc you don't have the problem described. In fact I don't think you have had ANY of the problems people have brought here. I'm learning to take your posts with a grain of salt.Some people, yes. That would be per their private admission to me. I literally made a vid about this two months ago because of those conversations.
View attachment 840 Not everyone has driven a car with a top hinged gas pedal.
But does everyone who's having problems do it wrong? No. But I can't see everyone's feet, so, hoping that helps both those who have messaged me, and those others who haven't. I know it won't help everyone.
I do not have the problem described.
But beyond foot position is each of our unique leg and ankle structures, feet sizes, etc. So, hopefully, some people find it helps. I do not expect it's everyone's problem or will help everyone.
A lot of cars are now using top-hinged pedals. That in itself does not mean that it requires drivers to lift their entire leg to switch from gas to brake pedal.
Also more importantly while both Ascent pedals are top-hinged only the brake pedal is set too high, therefore the point about being "top-hinged" is not a reason.
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I don't lift my leg - as I said earlier, my heel is far enough back that I NEVER lift my leg (video link). I also never said I had any particular problem - perhaps you misread my post? I've spent copious amounts of time helping others (including some dealerships) with theirs though, through literally hundreds of messages, and thousands of posts, and many many hours spent talking with service techs, SOA and on STIS or in the service manuals. As I said, that video was for others, by request, who had their foot all the way covering the pedal - which requires lifting one's leg to use the brake.
I am not sure why you're in such a bad mood today, much less taking it out on me. I hope whatever is putting you in a bad mood gets better.
Robert your posts are for the most part very helpful but I have to say I find you somewhat biased often for some reason. In any case I've been through many cars and the brake pedal on the Ascent sits too high just like the OP is describing. That's all there's to it. We can go on about the right placement of the foot and many other details but most folks after having spent most of their life driving all kinds of vehicles would know when something feels different with this one.
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Bullshit. I don't have to lift my leg to use the brake pedal either. Robert provided a frickin video actually showing how he doesn't have to lift his leg to activate both the go and stop pedals, and yet you still feel justified in saying, "... the brake pedal on the Ascent sits too high just like the OP is describing. That's all there's to it." Like I said, bullshit. That's all there is to it.
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So can someone put this to rest with a tape measure and simply go measure how high our brake pedal is or how far it is from the gas pedal? We should get measurements from a few other vehicles for comparison.
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This is actually a pretty common thing for over half a decade in cars for the U. S. market.
So, sadly, for those who don't like it, learning how to better use it may be helpful.
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So, sadly, for those who don't like it, learning how to better use it may be helpful.
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