Hold the Glamour

The past week I had a trip out-of-town for work and it was as usual, pleasant and easy as I’ve come to expect with this lovely and regular client in Wisconsin. I took an early morning flight out, get picked-up in a Town Car or similar (with my Starbucks Grande Americano in hand), worked that day then it’s back to the hotel for the night. A shuttle bus takes me and the other models (straight-size, full-figured, men and women from all over the country) from the hotel to the studio and then it’s another day of work and playing it up to the camera.

Once I returned home and arrived at La Guardia Airport, not only was it bitterly cold, every taxi line or queue was also unusually long for this Wednesday night. I tend to walk a few minutes over to the American Airlines taxi rank which is typically the one people know least about and found myself behind approximately 25 people. During my wait, I noticed how many different types of New York City yellow cabs there are now. I counted at least five on this evening. They are all the same colour however, they are different in size, shape, make, model and most importantly, leg room.

Nissan NV200 – ‘Taxi Of Tomorrow’ – Image courtesy of Nissan

Being the tall chick that I am, I am usually hoping and projecting for one of the Ford Crown Victoria cabs that tend to have more room for my long legs. Then I spot the latest version of the yellow cab model emerging in to the market, approaching the line. It’s called the ‘Taxi Of Tomorrow’ and it was launched in April of this year by Nissan. I wanted it to be mine as I had never been in one to date.

Sure enough, this newcomer was mine. I was excited to experience this new yellow minivan style of cab and was hoping it was more like the London black cabs on the inside. Well, it wasn’t. I did have enough leg room however, the seats were hard and the second row of seating could still only accommodate three passengers. There were no fold out seats to seat more people like the London cabs have. I was disappointed.

NYC – Large Nissan NV200 taxi door

The doors were really big and there was an enormous amount of overhead space which both the driver and I had no idea as to why, in addition to this very large area for luggage etc. The driver drove fast and I felt like I could tumble out of my seat belt and go bouncing around this big, hard, square box. It was weird and not completely comfortable.

NYC – Inside the ‘Taxi Of Tomorrow’

I did like the large windows so you certainly had a better view of the world around you however, if it can’t carry more passengers and it’s not comfortable then what’s the big deal? What are the benefits if it’s not aesthetics?

Have you experienced one of the new Nissan New York City taxis? If yes, what are your thoughts?

Where do you think the best cabs are in the world? Who does them best?