1999 Montero Sport fuse box access?
 

Allo!

I'm trying to get to the passenger compartment fuse box, which from the owner's manual, appears to be just in front of my left knee when seated in the driver's seat, BEHIND the paneling that's underneath the steering wheel.

From what I can tell, there is no easy way to access the fuse box, without first removing this paneling. Is this true? Is there something super-simple that I'm missing? Replacing fuses is a common thing to have to do, and I wouldn't think would require all the effort of removing paneling and whatnot.

Thanks in advance!

Justin