I bought the step bars for my '06 and was pleasantly surprised when my wife said "What a good idea". They make getting in and out of the vehicle much easier for my five-year-old daughter and her 72-year-old grandmother. One of the reasons we chose the FEH is that it has the highest ground clearance of the smaller SUVs, and that means that it's a pretty tall step to get in and out of it. As far as the appearance is concerned, I think they fit in well.

They are held on by three bolts on each side. It should take the dealer less than five minutes to remove them if you don't want them. If they are removed, make sure they plug the mounting holes in the frame so water won't collect in them.

 

Thank you, rcomeau!

wow, you're the 1st person I know who bought a car via email and phone! Cool!

Actually it's an immediate tax credit of $2,000 offerred by the provincial government here in Canada. yea.. I agree with your comments about the Conservatives haha..

 

But we still don't have any '07 models in Canada yet, at least not in Vancouver, so I went with the 06

 

Yea I agree they are good for kids and elderlys. But I don't have any kids or grandma nearby, heck, I don't even have a "girlfriend" currently

So are there any other intangible benefits of the step bar, like acting as a guard for accidental knocks and bumps from doors of other cars in a parking stall? Or maybe it shields flying rocks/debris from scratching the sides of the car body? Does it help with stability while crossing a stream/river? (ok I threw the last one in as a joke)

 

Oh, so it ws a provincial credit. The government here in Quebec introduced one this year but there is a fuel consumption cutoff that eliminates the FEH, Highlander and Lexus.

Cheers,

Roch

 

I did mine mostly over email. It was an x-plan order so there was no haggling; just a fixed price purchase.

 

it helps when you're washing your car...and you can't reach all the way to the middle part of the roof!

i would have gladly ordered the stepbars if they were an '06 option. anytime i'm in a dress/skirt it makes getting into the car a whole lot easier. plus, my grandma (often in her wheelchair) really needs them to get in the car. whenever i'm out with her, i carry a little plastic stepstool so she can get in/out.

 

That's a great idea about carrying a step stool. As a member of a family of mostly SUV owners, mine is the only one that my grandmother can get in, but it is still a struggle for her. Last week, she rode with me to a funeral and the stool would have helped out greatly. I am going to let my family know about the idea as I think it would work in their larger, gas guzzling SUVS.

 

At last, there's a "practical" use for the step bar

 

The problem with Step bars is when you dont really need them and when you step out of the truck directly onto the ground you get to brush the back of your trouser legs against the mud covered step bar which has just collected a fresh dose of wet mud from the ajacent front tire driving on that muddy winter road. If you dont need dont put them on.