Example 2 role and lateral support perception

The perception of driving is quite different between standard cars and minivans. Minivans are often perceived as having poor road-holding properties. This is believed to be linked to the fact that the driver is seated in a higher position, which induces quite different sensations from those in standard cars. 

To improve the driving sensations provided by the minivans, we need to better understand this phenomenon of road-holding. 

The road-holding sensation seems to be associated with two of the vehicle s functions the roll of the car, and the lateral support of the seat. To understand the impact of these two functions on the road-holding sensation, we carried out a sensory description study and a consumer study on seven minivans under driving situations. 

Although the focus of this chapter is on descriptive analysis, the consumer study will be presented because the results will emphasize the fact that even rapid descriptive methods can be used to understand consumers perceptions, through External Preference Mapping for instance. 

Seven minivans were evaluated in both a sensory profile and a consumer study (Table 20.1) three cars from the European market and four prototypes that were combinations of several rolling chassis and seats from different cars. 

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