What Should NYC Cabbies Drive Next?

I live in Miami and most of the police stations have switched over to the Dodge Charger. They look and drive great so charger it is. check out toxicvid.com

civic? pruis? hybrid? um ok guys.. they need to have a trunk, a large one at that, decent room inside.. not a little tin can with no trunk, not enough power to pull up a grade with 5 people in the car, and a trunk full of suitcases… the new ford taurus or impala would be a good choice.. also the charger or magnum.. you need at least a powerful torquey V6 maybe a V8 to do this job with reliability and effeciency.. let me tell you for areas such as new york, LA, chicago, and atlanta a hybrid is out for along time.. fuel economy comes a far second to overall dependability, comfort, and drivability. The crown vic, old body taurus, and many other full size american sedans are known for rock solid reliability.

hAHA,Nissan63 ure a GENIUS!!!we could eliminate all pollution with them.BUHAHAHA

hAHA,Nissan63 ure a GENIUS!!!we could eliminate all pollution with them.BUHAHAHA

Nissan63
Jan 23, 2008 6:26:45 AM

They should just get a bunch of Chinese people with rickshaws.

hahahahahaha thats great and a good idea

My list goes like this:

1. Chevy Impala (Seems to be the most popular on this blog)
2. Ford Fusion/Taurus (not sure which one is bigger but should be considered)
3. Dodge Magnum- until it is discontinued- Big romm plenty HP
4. Nissan Altima Hybrid/Camry hybrid/Accord hybrid

Keep in mind there will always be a market for hybrid taxi’s but it will be a while until it is the majority due to cost/reliability.

They should just get a bunch of Chinese people with rickshaws.

How Impala LS’s w/E*% compatibility, or Pontiac Vibes???? I can’t think of any better use for a Vibe.

Its about time they change those inefficient junks for something more sustainable,in my city the whole new fleet is the new Toyota Prius,i think that would be a great idea everywhere!

Impala, they are good, fast enough and not too expensive. But I’d rather be in a crown vic.

As a cab driver, I’d want to drive the Crown Vic. I have a Grand Marquis and there isn’t another car that I would trade it for when it comes to driving for a long period of time (except maybe a Town Car). I drive up and down I-95 from Jersey to college in South Carolina. The trunk holds my entire dorm (except the fridge) and I can drive for 10 hours straight I get out as if I only went around the block. It’s not that bad on gas around town, about 18 mpg. Granted it’s not as good as a hybrid, but it’s roomie, easy to drive, and comfortable. However, I do realize that there are rumors that Ford is dropping the Panther chassis (unfortunately) and they’re promoting the Escape Hybrid as a taxi replacement.

impala,300c one of them

I think either honda civics or scions. Here in my town there is a new taxi service with brand new scion XBs and they both get good gasmileage and you could get some performance out of them.

I live in a small town and see plenty of different types of cabs.

Toyota Camry, Prius
Nissan Altima
Chevrolet Impala, Mailbu
Ford Crown Vic (Obviously)
Dodge Caravan, 300
Honda Accord

Now as a huge domestic fan, I still have to say that they will not make good cars for taxis although I like them way more than imports. I work with cars every day and are in and out of them all day long. Personally I think Honda Accord and Toyota Camry make excellent choices. Plenty of room along with fuel efficiency, and even a hybrid in the Toyota. I don’t see why the industry is having such a hard time deciding PLUS Toyota is probably trying to sell their butts off to these companies.

Conclusion: I wouldn’t be surprised if the Toyota Camry is the cab of the future.

ITHINK THEY SHOULD USE DODGE CHARGERS WITH HEMIS………MAYB THEY CAN GET SOMEWHERE FASTER

They should use the new Chevy Impala. Then when the NYPD gets rid of them they can buy the cars from them.

try civics great on gas and can push 800,000kms

Someone mentioned the Chevy Chevette, a cab company in Harrisburg, PA used the Chevettes for years and was successfull.
The reason the cab companys used the Crown Vic was the interchangable parts for year after year. The cab company would nee to find another car like that.
I can’t think of a car that was interchangable for more than a few years, MAYBE, Subaru WRX???????

Someone mentioned the Chevy Chevette, a cab company in Harrisburg, PA used the Chevettes for years and was successfull.
The reason the cab companys used the Crown Vic was the interchangable parts for year after year. The cab company would nee to find another car like that.
I can’t think of a car that was interchangable for more than a few years, MAYBE, Subaru WRX???????

Nissan Maxima, or some Hybrid, save them Cabbies a few Bucks….

toyota prius there roomie and good gas milage

Probably be the impalas, or maybe then charger but probably not. Im in chicago and i’m sick of seeing those disgusting looking crown vics with the blue oval logo, i’d much rather have chevy’s roaming around my city.

ill probably driving a hybrid of some sort.

DODGE RAM CUMMINS TURBODIESEL..NAA IM KIDDING!! i would prolly go with toyota camry hybrid

well,, me being a resident GM technician, i would say that about 50% of you nailed it on the head. The Impala. I pretty much live with these things, between working on them and most of my family and friends owning one. There are so many pros to this decision.

One- they are just as roomy as a crown vic, believe it or not
Two-The cops use these as well (since everyone is on the whole cop kick)The Chargers are overated, considering if you want anything that is going to be reliable you have to get the Hemi, and well, that blows most things to do with cabs.
Three-I seen alot of people talking about the Tahoe and Yukon hybrid. Well, not to burst the buble, but the only thing it is good for is emmisions. The reason they went this route is so they can still make the 400HP mark while keeping the emmisions low. It still advertises 20mpg!
Four- does anyone realize how reliable the Impala really is? These are a 300,000 mile car, I’ve seen so many examples of Impalas coming to the dealership with 200,000+ miles on them, with much neglect. And they still go.
Five- They are cheap. Both to own and fix. 30mpg, Parts gallore, and all this for around $16,000? i think the proof is in the pudding!

So why would they go with anything else? I work on all makes and models, because even though i work at a GM dealership, doesn’t mean we are always picky. I work on fords, Dodges, Hondas, you name it. But the GMs are still number one in my book for reliability.

i think they should replace the crown vics with the new taurus. they are fuel efficient and roomy. if not then a second choice for me would be the charger and third the impala. both are roomy and also pretty efficient. the last thing i want to see is thousands of hybrid toyotas and hondas crowding the streets of nyc, this is america and it would only be right to use american cars.

i would drive one of the E-85/hybrid suv chevy has.
-alex

as an owner of a cab company i know what to use, a vehicle like a scion with some small mods like a wheelchair ramp and fold down seats so the wheelchair can ride right inside. if someone could start a company like checker that caters specifically to the need of the cab industry. we personally use impalas they provide space and comfort for the drive while insuring low maintance and high fuel economy.

as an owner of a cab company i know what to use, a vehicle like a scion with some small mods like a wheelchair ramp and fold down seats so the wheelchair can ride right inside. if someone could start a company like checker that caters specifically to the need of the cab industry. we personally use impalas they provide space and comfort for the drive while insuring low maintance and high fuel economy.

I think a mid-sized hybrid sedan would be a great choice. Since hybrid technology gives the best benefit during stop-and-go driving (like in New York City), I think it would be the best choice.

Detroit is convinced (or wants to convince us at least) that greater efficiency has to be expensive and really complicated.
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Chevy Tahoe’s new 2-mode Hybrid system has an absurdly complicated transmission, equipped with 4 clutches, 2 electric motors, 3 planetary gear sets… Do you really want to be driving one of these things at 100,000+ miles, or buy one used and/or without a warrantee?
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You can’t compare NYC taxis with personal vehicles. Each taxi’s medallion costs about $600,000. When a cab returns with a tired driver, it leaves with a fresh one not long after, most of the time.
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Forget about comments about reliability. Shit breaks on all cabs. Have you driven in NYC? The roads can’t be much better than Baghdad’s, except there are no IED’s (thank God).

Why can’t Ford just produce a more fuel efficient hybrid or even electric Vickie? They have the equipment already in production for the Escape hybrid. Unless they plan to kill the Vic altogether, I don’t see why fleets should have to sacrifice space for MPG.

Either the new charger, magnum, or maybe the aspen.

we need an american car so it will help our economy….i would have to say the Impala seeing thats what there starting to use right now…i’ve never seen an import as a taxi…and i agree with what Ted said

This is a hard question they’ve been driving Crown Vics forever it seems. If they stick with the same concept I’m thinking maybe a Buick Lacrosse. But if they are thinking like the cops are the Charger would be my next choice.

1982 CHEVETTE

There are pleanty of minivans out there. Around here in the midwest thats what most of the taxi I see are anymore.

I guess in Canada there are a few Prius Taxis, from what my friend to visits there tells me. I’ve personally seen Camry Hyrbird Taxi’s myself too and its either going to be those or the flex fuel Impala’s. Anxious to see them get rid of the damn Crown Vic’s though.

down in miami there are a few xBs as taxis. Camry Hybrid if your going for the hybrid approach.

Honestly probably a Charger because it’s basically the new Crown Vic even for the cops. I’m sure it’ll be a 3.5 though because 2.7’s break down too much haha. I might Photoshop a pic later and put it on here.

I think at least some Hybrids would be chewed up in NYC. Cab companies like vehicles with reasonable repair costs and good reliability, especially when they have higher miles, when they’re paid off and making the most money for the company.
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Cab companies want tanks that can take punishment.
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My guess is that they will stick to large American sedans or possibly SUV’s.
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Possible contenders:
FORD: Flex, Fusion CHEVY: Uplander, Impala, Malibu DODGE: Grand Caravan, Charger
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I think the most likely car is the Charger, because Law Enforcement is utilizing that platform now pretty commonly. The Grand Caravan would be the most likely minivan and most likely “green” vehicle would be the Flex.

How bout a Chevy Volt cab. Lol, that’d be hot!!!

hmmm what car would be a good taxi from the american auto makers, well its hard to think of one but i will to my best, especially because i am hyper-aware of all cars on the market. there are no large sedans on the market right now other than say the lincoln mk-z or maybe the pontiac grand pre would be a good choice. maybe not the grand pre however because it is expensie but maybe the grand am they are cheap, but they are definetly not reliable. so another paradox the only good large sedans that get good gas mileage are european cars and we wont allow them to be sold here becasue of our dumb ass emmissions laws, therefore i have no good answer for you.

2008 Scion xB! There is enough people room and cargo holdings. If nissan would bring the Cube over to US soil that would be a great people mover as well. The Cube has third row seating.

Toyota Camry Hybrid