The tourist in shorts and t-shirt makes no secret of his rejection: thumbs down, shaking his head, turning away. New Yorkers also encounter the boxy minibus in a taxi outfit with mixed feelings. The new mayor Bill de Blasio rejects it because Nissan does not produce the good piece on site, but in faraway Mexico – and because it is old hat in terms of CO₂. Unlike most other models with NYC taxi approval – which is now being phased out – the NV200 does not have a hybrid drive, diesel and stop-start system.
Nissan won the fight for “The Taxi of Tomorrow” in principle back in 2011 when the Japanese knocked the Ford Transit Connect and the Turkish Karsan V-1 out of the race in the last lap. However, the city vetoed and appealed, which was rejected in June 2014. For the manufacturer, the deal is a million dollar deal. After all, it is about 26,000 vehicles at a unit price of 29,700 dollars (about 22,100 euros) that will be delivered to the east coast metropolis over a period of ten years. Since taxis in New York automatically lose their registration after six years of continuous use, the exclusive contract also applies to the next generation of models.
Test taxi without passengers
During the rush hour in Manhattan, the employees pouring out of the skyscrapers do not care whether the more than 13,300 yellow individual vans are buzzing with a Stromer or a V8. Up and down 5th Avenue once would have brought us what felt like $ 250 that Friday, but we have to ignore the forefingers raised skywards as well as the tough curses that followed. The Nissan test taxi looks deceptively real at first glance, but on closer inspection the metal approval sticker on the hood, the taximeter in the cockpit and the switch-off button for the brightly lit dial tone on the roof are missing.
Because Nissan has not yet delivered 500 NV200 taxis, the narrow high-roof knob also causes a stir among colleagues. Ahmed is interested in fuel consumption, Dimitri tests the driver’s seat – six-way adjustable and covered with air-permeable fabric. In hardly any other city is the proportion of taxi drivers with a migration background as high as in New York. The 82 percent non-Americans only get the certificate with proof of the required language and local knowledge.
Lots of space for passengers and luggage
It’s not pretty, the NV200. But functional. If you leave enough space to open the rear wing doors hinged on the side, you will find a trunk, the volume of which can easily take on taxi classics like Chevy Caprice or Crown Victoria. Automatically operated running boards and wide sliding doors make getting in and out as easy as possible. The rear bench seat is enough for three, if necessary a fourth person could take a seat at the front next to the driver. Of course, the authorities want special cargo such as wheelchairs or guide dogs to be accommodated there.
In the absence of our license to carry real passengers, friends and acquaintances modeled for the camera – and found the brick-sized cab to be good. The bright panoramic roof, the generous space, the powerful second air conditioning system and the comfortable bench were positively rated. There was criticism for the hard suspension and for all the crackling and roaring.
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