[1100D]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Finally someone did!! THANKS, avishar. The Amby should be a part of Indian heritage, protected under the National Mobile Monuments Act, 2010. How can anyone ignore it?

Well, in that case one should prevent the cabbies from "upgrading" suspension components in interest of surviving "heavy-duty" abuse.

Generally Tyres are changed for the Taxi-duty tyres, the springs are replaced by thicker grade steel, sometimes even an additional leaf is added to the rear. The result: a constantly bobbing ride.

However a fresh Amby from the factory with radials rides smooth. But how many Amby's can one spot that retains the original configuration.

Some cabbies stare at you when you pull down the center arm-rest at the rear seat, i'e if its a model with it, and you can still access it without any horrible seat cover hiding it.

[Ice]

Either an Indigo CS or an Omni would be my bet

[fx45]

THe most surprising cars used now in MUmbai are Versa's for cool cabs and SX4s tooo.. i love the SX4 for cool cab..

[akhilesh51]

Indigo xL: One of the most comfortable cars and also the most VFM. In classic, variant, it could very well be a great luxury taxi sedan.

For more frugal choices: Indigo and Logan are good options and have been used very often by operators. Indigo CS is not a taxi car for the simple reason that with excise benefit, Normal Indigo costs the same as Indigo CS.

On a different note, There are some cars that will NEVER be used as Taxis like: Alto, Fabia, Civic (City is a good option for Taxis).

Also in my years in UK, I have never seen a BMW taxi even though you will easily find hoards of Audis and Mercs doing the commercial job outside ASDA and TESCO.

[Mordred]

Hey guys, I am a taxi operator in kerala, and since the thread has been deactive since 2009, just wanted to revive it by asking which would be an ideal one in the present scenario?. I mean a lot has changed since then. I am looking into a VW Vento taxi, mainly because I want my drivers to enjoy and my passengers feel pampered. Bored of the Etios. Any suggestions?

[Mordred]

well I was thinking in the lines of moderately cheap yet comfortable compared to the Veritos and Indigos. And also just learned that VW dosent promote taxi registration, which means i will have to buy them with full cash and then convert them to taxis and this will make the loan 2nd owner type. Unsure what to do. And not many banks promote taxi loans

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Mordred

well I was thinking in the lines of moderately cheap yet comfortable compared to the Veritos and Indigos. And also just learned that VW dosent promote taxi registration, which means i will have to buy them with full cash and then convert them to taxis and this will make the loan 2nd owner type. Unsure what to do. And not many banks promote taxi loans

What do you mean VW doesn't promote? They cannot stop you from registering it as a commercial vehicle. Sure, the dealer may deny it, just get the relevant forms and approach the RTO directly. You don't even need to tell the dealer your plans, just say you will be registering it on your own. He may give the car to you on temp reg. in that case.

Why not consider the Dzire Tour? Traveled in one recently and the backseat is comfortable enough.

[Vishal.R]

1.) Nisan Sunny/Renault Scala.

Advantages : Leg room in second row. Good build quality.

2.) Ertiga

Advantages : Maruti service network, good GC compared to some sedans, second row can have good leg room, if seats are moved back.

Disadvantage: Second row may not be comfortable for 3rd person, as compared to Varito/Indigo/Etios.

3.) Nissan Evalia.

Advantages: Generous cabin space, very usable 3rd row of seats and a large luggage capacity (As per official review)

Not including Etios since It is already a favorite choice for cab, you must have already considered.

[Mordred]

Nissan Sunny is a nice choice but the dealer at our area is having problems with maintaining a regular service operation. But still I will try and look into it. Maybe the first can be a Sunny and the second something else.

Also Ertiga is already being run in the fleet but neither do I or my fellow operators have much of an opinion in the matter of its durability. MUV segment we prefer Xylo over Ertiga.

The problem is nowadays we are having problems with everything that in the end we reach to the conclusion of Toyota.

[humyum]

Verito Vibe Diesel= Lower to mid variants would be a good buy. It has every quality which suggests it was only made for the Taxi segment and not for the personal car buyers.

Mahindra Verito Diesel/Etios Diesel - Again if you want a booted one to serve as a Taxi for those Nasik - Mumbai Airport or Pune to Mumbai Airport trips - The best, cheap and fuel efficient alternative

Ashok Leyland Stile - Cheap, Diesel, Reliable and BIG

Apna Innova toh hai hi.

Swift I think would not make a great taxi, it has nothing a taxi guy would want in it, neither boot, neither rear leg room, neither the superb build quality that would take him lakhs of kilometers without it starting to rattle and have parts replacement. Swift is for people who love the car for what it is and take care of it like a baby, rough and tough use main Swift ka kaam nahi. Same for the Dzire, rough and tough use is not its forte.

[Vishal.R]

Few more suggestions.

Honda City Diesel and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

Also one not so common (as a cab) option is Hyundai Xcent CRDI.

For Xcent,
+ Interior quality.
- Target customer base would be limited. It would mainly useful for corporate customers with one or two occupants for a limited run (Typically air port <-> hotel <-> office).
-I have observed that fleet operators stay away from hyundai, long term cost may not be in the league of Toyota or Maruti.

[D4D]

Originally Posted by Mordred

I am looking into a VW Vento taxi, mainly because I want my drivers to enjoy and my passengers feel pampered. Bored of the Etios

Sorry to say, the Etios looks your best choice-cheapest to run and maintain. And also has terrific reliability.

I'm not too sure all C segment cars can be registered as commercial vehicles. The manufacturers want to keep C-segment exclusive to private customers, so they mostly won't sell it to taxi operators.

You could try getting a getting a Corolla Altis diesel.

Hatch for taxi=Liva.
Here's a conversation with a cabbie: The conversation was in Kannada.
First time I got into the Liva, Me: "The vehicle is spacious."
Cabbie: "Yes sir, new vehicle the owner has bought."
Me: "Why not Indica?"
Cabbie: "Indica has so many problems sir, we have to get something replaced very often. So we requested our owner to buy a Liva. Worth the premium sir, how many times have you seen a Toyota car broken down sir?"

[ramzsys]

Originally Posted by D4D

Cabbie: "Indica has so many problems sir, we have to get something replaced very often. So we requested our owner to buy a Liva. Worth the premium sir, how many times have you seen a Toyota car broken down sir?"

The reason why we don't see new yellow board Indicas on road- a few CR4 versions were seen(belching out black smoke) until Liva/Etios came into the scene.

Don't know about the chassis, but the engine will last a long time- longer than the European 1.5 Dci and cheaper to maintain as well.

On a lighter note, the cabbies who feel confident in the heavy Indica and the Logan might drive more responsibly the lighter Toyota twins!

[asit.kulkarni93]

A VW Vento cab is really not a good idea. The service cost and the incapable VW aftersales are a big problem. If you seriously want something upmarket and comfortable for your services, Dont look beyond the Nissan Sunny. Because its not a car its a caaar.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Mordred

I am looking into a VW Vento taxi, mainly because I want my drivers to enjoy and my passengers feel pampered. Bored of the Etios. Any suggestions?

A taxi is meant to be on the road rather than at the ASC. So getting a VW will be an issue. I love the Vento TDI but hate the company after sales.

Your choices other than the Etios could be the Scala / Sunny, Dzire TOUR.

If looking at pre-owned then you may go for Corolla Altis D-4D, which again is a Toyota.

Anurag.