Nissan NV200 Chosen as NYC's Next Taxicab

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Jim Sharifi - RANKINGSANDREVIEWS - May 04, 2011

It might be rated 25mpg but how will it really do as a taxi? --Ed.

When you think of the New York City taxis, you might be reminded of the iconic Ford Crown Victoria. But times are changing, and the city needed to select a new vehicle to shuttle people down its busy streets. That’s where the Nissan NV200 comes in. Fox News reports, “Nissan has won a 10-year, $1 billion contract to supply New York City with the ‘Taxi of Tomorrow,’ the vehicle that will replace the Ford Crown Victoria as the standard yellow cab for the Big Apple’s taxi operators starting in 2013”.

But Nissan wasn’t the only manufacturer making a play for New York City’s business. “Ford got an early jump on New York City’s ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ competition – having launched a taxi version of its Transit Connect in early 2010,” writes Left Lane News. In addition to Ford and Nissan, five other companies competed for the New York Taxi and Limousine Commissions’ business, which transports more than 600,000 passengers every day.

Like the Ford Transit Connect, the NV200 is also a van initially designed for commercial use. “The Nissan NV200 taxi will be a modified version of the compact commercial vehicle currently available in global markets including Japan, Europe and China,” says Nissan in a press release. “Total manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of the vehicle, with all planned standard features, will be around $29,000.”... [Read More]

[herm]

"It might be rated 25mpg but how will it really do as a taxi? --Ed."

Its going to do a lot better than a cramped V8 Crown Vic, thats not in doubt.. but can this new unitbody minivan take the abuse for 3 years of Taxi duties on NY roads?.. if it does it will be a heck of durable transportation, and lots of available parts for repair.

[echoman]

Im sure that this will be a great taxi, but I had my hopes on the Ford TransitConnect. And if its even offered in the Nissan, why no diesel??

[Harold]

I believe the Prius has spoiled many taxi drivers!!! 20mpg will not cut it. H

[MaxxMPG]

Originally Posted by herm

... but can this new unitbody minivan take the abuse for 3 years of Taxi duties on NY roads?.. if it does it will be a heck of durable transportation, and lots of available parts for repair.

Many of the cabs you see on the streets downtown are Toyota Sienna minivans - unitized body, sliding doors, and probably mostly stock except for the thick-vinyl and rubber mat interior and probably heavy duty cooling. I suspect they have the 3.3L V6, although it is possible the newer ones have the 2.7L I4. They seem to be holding up well.

There are also plenty of hybrid cabs running around, including the Prius, FFH, FEH, and even some Malibu and Saturn Aura BAS "hybrid" cars. And while I don't know how well they're holding up, the cabbies certainly don't seem to be babying them.

The streets in Manhattan aren't really all that bad, and don't pose a threat to unit body vehicles. It's in the outer boroughs where you see some of the real rough stuff that resembles the surface of the moon. The real torture within Manhattan is the ceaseless idling, frequent braking, and mostly low speed driving. The powertrain will spend most of its time baking in the heat, with the cooling fan(s) cycling all the time.

If the NV200 proves to have an engine that is virtually sludge-proof, a durable transmission that can stand up to extreme heat and frequent ratio changes, and heavy duty brake components that are inexpensive to replace, there is no reason to suspect it wouldn't do as well as what's out there running around on the avenue/street grid right now.