Toyota Sienna's new Cloud-based owner's manual will answer spoken questions

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Quick show of hands: when was the last time you went scurrying to your car’s glovebox in search of its owner’s manual after failing to decipher a new vehicle feature? If, like me, your answer is ‘just the other day’, then you’re in the vast minority.

Hey, at least you’re in good company with the crew here at Driving .

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Toyota Sienna's new Cloud-based owner's manual will answer spoken questions Back to video

But the reality is only a small percentage of drivers ever crack the spine of that increasingly thick tome that hogs all the space in a dashboard cargo cubby. It’s gotten to the point where some manufacturers add a bit of Velcro to the thing and stick it in the trunk. Add in the need to explain everything in two official languages and you’ve a recipe for a document that makes War and Peace look like a pamphlet for the local theatre.

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Toyota has a solution. Starting with the 2021 Sienna minivan, a new section will be added to the company’s smartphone app. It is called Toyota Driver’s Companion, and it seeks to explain features and benefit of your new vehicle in full colour with plenty of animations. They’ve teamed up with Google to create the program, using the power of Google Cloud to offer this pilot program exclusively on 2021 Sienna models.

Hosted within the Toyota App through Toyota’s Connected Services, the Toyota Driver’s Companion helps with tasks such as setting up personal driving settings, locating button controls, exploring various features, providing safety information, and a host of other tasks. The program permits users to ask personalized questions with the intent of providing real-time assistance for tasks.

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Some examples? The app can apparently answer certain spoken queries such as “What’s the height of my car?”, which is handy information to know before heading into an underground parking garage, for example. Interactive hotspots throughout the vehicle’s interior allow drivers to explore the cabin virtually, and the whole thing can be tied to a specific VIN for further personalization (and, just maybe, a bit of information-harvesting on the part of Toyota).

Owners of a 2021 Sienna can exclusively access Toyota Driver’s Companion by downloading the Toyota App.