Thaddeus Robinson rolled his wheelchair off SEPTA's new railcar, grinning.

"It's much better than the old cars," said Robinson, of West Philadelphia, after a brief tour of the Silverliner V prototype that went on display yesterday at Suburban Station. "It's much easier to get on and off. The hardest thing on the trains now is getting in and making that side turn. This is perfect."

Commuters who checked out the mock-up on Track 0 were generally enthusiastic, though they won't be able to board a real one for at least a year.

"It's a big step up. I can't wait to use them," Brandon Shaw said. "They have much bigger windows. I appreciate that."

Shaw, of Plymouth Meeting, said one feature lacking was rest rooms. "That would be good for the longer rides, like the R5."

Kara Lindstrom, a design student at Drexel University, may do her thesis on public transit, and she evaluated the car with a critical eye.

"It's more spacious. The lighting makes the ceiling seem higher," she said.

She liked the scrolling digital signs that announce the next stop. She didn't like the narrow aisle at the front of the car.