A Blind Perspective

This was a test drive (or rather ride) from the perspective of someone with NO vision, all of my impressions are from tactile, audible and references to other vehicles I am familiar with!
The vehicle we tested was NOT the one we have ordered, which is a V (BRB) with AT package, but rather a Silver II. Since it may be several weeks before ours arrives, we felt we would get an overall impression of the NEW model.
First Impression:
Color, my wife thought the color Silver to be attractive.
Wheels, Though our V will have 17", my wife thought the 15" would have been more eye catching with the covers removed (however, I know they're there for aerodynamic purposes).
Logo, we both like the size and position of the Toyota Logo, on BOTH the Front and Rear!
SKS, the saleslady had the SKS FOB in her posession, and she unlocked the car, I had previously felt the Door Handles on an 09, and then on the 2010 they had earlier on the Showroom, it was immediately apparent where the Touch Sensor Strip for unlocking the door was located (on the inside of the handle), and it took me a few seconds to find the indention on the forward part of the Handle for the Door Lock. Naturally, for someone who's blind, the locking button on the Gen2 models is easier to find, but in seconds I was able to distinguish its position and use on the NEW model, and honestly, I prefer the 2010.
Windshield and Hatch Rake, I was surprised to feel the steepness of both the windshield and hatch rake, I was VERY pleased with both, this must give the car a more sporty appearance.
Front and Rear Ends, I am EXTREMELY happy with the treatment Toyota gave the Front end, I like the Grille opening and both Front and Rear fascias. I especially like the lower front spoiler.
Seating, On the test drive I was obligated to ride in the rear. The first thing I noticed was the headroom, I am 6 ft. and was VERY surprised to find there was only 1 finger between the top of my head and the headliner, I expected more clearance!
The seating material was quite comfortable, however, I expected to find the same material as I'd felt in the 09, this material was more cloth like, still VERY nice. Seating position and comfort were WONDERFULL, my wife said the seating comfort and position of the Front seat could be adjusted PERFECTLY for her 5 ft. frame. There felt to be ample room for 3 mid sized adults in the rear. I was also impressed with the fit and finish of the surfaces I was able to feel.
Ride, After testing an 09 just a few weeks ago, the 2010's ride and comfort levels are vastly suuperior to those of the Gen2. The test loop the saleslady had my wife negotiate, consisted of a mixture of curves, railroad tracks, potted roads, smooth sections and rough spots, the car handled them ALL with EASE. Even the fairly unsettling railroad tracks did not seem to disturbe this vehicle.
A/C, The temperature during the test was 88 degrees, and the A/C was easily able to cope with both the temperature and humidity, which was 74 percent.
My Wife's Opinions, ?She was luke warm to the console, VERY much liked the position and feel of the Gear Selector, LOVED the NEW instrumentation, liked, but was surprised at the small size of the Steering Wheel (and thought its oval shape "CUTE") and like me, would have liked more time in the vehicle.
Though the test drive was far shorter than we would have prefered, we both learned this car is EVERYTHING you have ALL been touting it to be!
David (and LaDonna, aka Blind Guy)
P.S. I will further evaluate our V, and the IPA, LKA and ACC when we receive it and get some seat time in it.

 

Thank You for the compliment, and probably because we were so excited to get to drive one, I didn't smell anything, even though this had only been unloaded a few hours, and 'm typically sensitive to new smells, I didn't notice any new car smell at all.
I was NOT aware of all the new safety features, I am IMPRESSED!
And, once again, I did NOT hear any unusually loud tire noises, in fact, I was struck by how quiet it was, however, our speeds probably never exceeded 45 MPH.
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
David (aka Blind Guy)

 

Hi JimboK;
THANKS for a warm reception from you and all the other Prius Chat members, all of you are a vast resource of invaluable Prius knowlege, you have NO idea how much value you have added to our upcoming car!
I was going to make this a separate Thread, but this is the ideal place to address this issue. My opinion of the Hybrid vehicles and the blind...it's a CROCK!!!
The first thing we must all remember is, this is coming primarily from the VERY strong lobbying group, the NFB (National Federation for the Blind), and this is the group that endorsed the passage of a law that would mandate that a blind person be allowed to occupy the seat on a commercial aircraft next to an exit!
The LAST person I want setting next to the emergency exit is someone who is unable to see how to operate the emergency door mechanism. Imagine the aircraft has crashed/ditched, it's on fire, the surviving passengers have made their way to an emergency exit and there's some blind person fumbling with the door and telling the other passengers, "brush that fire off your clothes or roll around in the isle for just a few more minutes, I'll get this figured out in a couple of minutes"!
Sometimes blind individuals think of nothing but themselves, and spend most of their lives at one big pity party and expecting everyone to bow to their wants and needs.
So as far as the Prius and their feeling that it should be modified to alert those blind individuals, that's what a white cane is for, to alert others that a particular individual is visually handicapped and to pay special attention. After all, it is the responsibility of the operator of a motor vehicle to yeild to pedestrian traffic. Lets be honest, NO ONE wants to have an encounter with a pedestrian, handicapped or NOT!
JimboK, THANKS for giving me the venue to vent what I have always felt about the blind and some of the ridiculous laws they have attempted to have enacted.
David (aka Blind Guy)

 

Tochatihu;
How i am able to read and participate on this forum, is with computer software called Synthasized Speech. It literally permits me to navigate the computer screen by the arrow and tab keys, and then wherever the cursor is placed, it reads EVERYTHING to me verbally. The older Speech Synthesis software's speech was VERY robotic, and extremely difficult to understand, but the newer versions virtually sound human.
David (aka Blind Guy)

 

Jim;
Not all of the symbols are interpreted by my software, it does read LOL,Roll eyes,and a couple of others.But anything animated or any kind of pictures it skips over,only text. It will also read hyperlinks, it simply says the word(link) as it reads the appropriate material.

David (aka) Blind Guy

 

Hi Dr. Fusco;
My wife and I are VERY much looking forward to meeting you and having you instruct my wife on the proper techniques of driving a Hybrid. This will be our 1st Hybrid vehicle, and though my wife likes the more luxurious aspects of our new prospect (she clains she doesn't wat to be a hypermiler, maybe you can help me work on her!), she really is anxiously anticipating learning from you at least the basics of how thing feel and what to look for, especially considering she's only test driven an 09 and a 2010 for a total of approximately 20-25 minutes.
Also, we're buying our's from (Un)Reliable, an since we're so specific about Model, Color and Package, it may be several weeks/months before it arrives (see upcoming Thread on Sales Knowlege).
Again Dr., we HIGHLY value your knowlege and opinion, and are VERY anxious to meet you and steal some of your wisdom on Hybrid driving techniques! We'll call you as SOON as we get more info about their alocation, and when it's enroute.
David (aka Blind Guy)

 

Pat;
A BIG Yeah, on ALL counts!
David (aka Blind Guy)