Does the brake
pedal feel too low or too hard?
Across all models, the brakes feel more than up to the task of dragging the hatch to a halt, and there's reasonable
pedal feel too, if not quite the tactility you'd expect from more overtly sporting Skodas.
If the brake
pedal feels too loose, tighten the cammed nut little by little.
However the driving position feels a little off, as you sit quite high up and
the pedals feel too close to the steering wheel, so you end up sitting in a slightly unnatural fashion.
If the brake
pedal feels too low, the brakes need to be serviced.
Not exact matches
It
felt perfectly stable at this sort of speed
too, although the brakes are not the most encouraging part of the car (they're effective enough, but need a good shove deep into the
pedal travel) so it
felt wise to leave plenty of margin for slowing.
Right from the off the Carrera
feels spot - on, its PASM adaptive damping (standard on the «S») delivering a firm but supple ride, its nicely weighted steering clean, direct and full of
feel, its brakes responsive from the top of the
pedal but perfectly progressive
too.
When you try you find that what
felt like slightly
too long of a
pedal travel with your right foot suddenly
feels perfect.
It's spot - on,
too, in terms of steering - wheel reach and
pedal position, while the fact the top of the door sill is level with your shoulder gives a real
feeling of security as well as sportiness.
Old cars with less than perfect lubrication or gears and ball bearings slight mis - aligment audibly
feel the difference between holding the
pedal up or down, the RPM audibly changes
too.
The standard four - wheel - disc antilock brakes
feel strong, though the
pedal is a bit
too touchy for smooth stops.
The seat
feels more accommodating,
too, the cabin more spacious, and the
pedals somehow even better aligned than those of the Mazda.
I tried some dummy actions, with my car shut off and in neutral but it
feels too difficult to successfully place my foot on both the brake and gas
pedal.
Although the Genesis's
pedals are spaced a little
too far apart for easy heel - and - toeing, the Brembos give fantastic brake
feel, and when we took the Genesis for hot laps around a racetrack, they refused to fade.
The brakes also require less effort than others, to the point that the
pedal felt a bit
too soft on occasion.
Stronger brakes wouldn't go a miss to match the performance available, however, and a more natural
feel early in the
pedal travel would help moderate retardation better,
too.
Acceleration and braking are
too smooth to be real, and slamming on the brakes or putting the
pedal to the metal
feel like you're barely changing speed.
The brake
pedal is a little
too soft although it never
felt like the car didn't stop fast enough during very sudden braking.
The driving position struck a chord
too, only one critic
feeling the
pedal box was skewed
too far outboard for left - foot braking, but not heel - toe operation (which is arguably redundant anyway).
Lastly, I have to push the brake
pedal too far downward before I
feel the brakes engaging.
The brake
pedal has a reassuringly firm
feel,
too.
The M sport brakes are phenomenal and
feel perfect and smooth (not
too sensitive and not
too soft) when I need to apply my foot to the
pedal.
The ergonomics are a little wonky at first, thanks to a seat that
feels either a tad
too high or a tad
too close to the
pedals.
The only thing that needs improving upfront is better thigh support and a more ergonomically sound driving position — the
pedals are slightly off - set and the steering wheel
feels a tad
too close to the driver.
So,
too, the brake
feel is vastly improved over before, though a large amount of
pedal travel is still required before the stopping starts.
Another weak spot we found is the 4Runner's brake
pedal that at first
feels a bit soft, but after applying more pressure, causes the brakes to grab
too quickly.
If the system
feels you're getting
too close to the car in front of you, not only will it apply the brakes, but it will also push back on the accelerator
pedal.
The ABS system doesn't engage
too quickly, and when it does, you don't
feel much pulsing at the
pedal.
Several staffers also complained about a soft -
feeling brake
pedal, and at least a couple thought the Forester's suspension allowed the compact SUV to lean
too far in corners.
You can still hear the engine crank if you listen for it and
feel the slightest bit of hesitation if you jump
too quickly from the brake to the gas
pedal, but for casual around - town cruising, this is one of the most transparent, nonhybrid stop - start systems that I've ever tested.
The brake
pedal feel is exceptional,
too, and the gearshift is far slicker than the Renault's.
Ticking off the other dynamic disappointments: the clutch
pedal action is
too light and short to easily moderate city - creep driving, using the handbrake lever
feels like you've reached down and clicked a biro, and the squidgy ride means the Mirage leans over like a windsurfer trying to regain its balance.
The brakes
feel smooth and linear, but on this car they sink low,
too far below the gas
pedal if you're trying to heel - toe brake.
The brakes,
too, have been improved with a much firmer
pedal feel that requires far less travel to engage the beefy disc brakes.
«Besides the
feeling of freedom that comes with cranking the
pedals on a sunny afternoon, mountain biking is not
too shabby and should get your priorities straight.