Volkswagen Jetta Clean Diesel:
On the Sunday shift I was shocked to finally see the Jetta taxi. This might have been the first day of the first Jetta's hard life as a taxi. I have been waiting in anticipation for such a day, but now after seeing the car, it looks way too small to carry out the hard life of a taxi. Not to mention that being both German and cheap might make the maintenance costly and frequent. But it is a great idea for a civilian life, providing an mpg rating competitive with the best hybrids.
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15 comments:
a jetta? whats next , the smart car?
I wouldn't mind painting my mother's blue 2000 Toyota Corolla yellow and driving that around town instead of my garage's Crown Victorias. Obviously we don't live in the 3rd world so this is out of the question, but let me tell you... that little car has overcome everything I could throw at it. On the road, in the trunk, strapped to the roof with rope, you name it. It's a bonafide Japanese mule.
I second that, my grandparents switched from the work horse vw beetle in the 70's, to the corolla in the 80's, and the 90's. I passed my driving test in that car. My grandfather got hit by a big s.u.v on the side, and it still drove like new. He's okay, aside from being a crazy nut. If I were going to buy a car, it'd be a corolla hands down, or a honda civic. but about this vw jetta, not sure how tough this one is.
The Jetta is the standard bearer here, the regulator says it sets the standard?
Boring.
Oh look! A taxi cab!
Jetta beats the heck outta the Prius Hybrids we have here. Wanna talk about smaaaaall. And no room for luggage. And I was on my knees to buy one when the company sold 'em 'cuz of the gas mileage alone. :o) I'm a night driver, most of my folks don't have luggage.
Does anyone know if it's an automatic or a manual transmission?
oh I don't think we'd have a manual. Not here.
i drive a cab in Dublin Ireland and all our cabs are around the size of the passat, i drive a volvo s80 however i did spot a guy driving a vw golf the other night as a cab now thats a small car for our profession
Some of you guys seem to know nothing about the Jetta. Its a TDI (Diesel) which has great fuel economy, lots of torque and because its diesel, its made to last longer. It maybe smaller than your average Crown Vic, but most of the time you don't need that much space unless you only serve passengers are from JFK.
Its safer too.
Hey anonymous! actually you are the ignorant one. I didn't mention that it is a diesel, because this goes without saying. The only reason cabs are being chosen that aren't crown victorias is because of the superb fuel economy that these models provide. every other car is a hybrid, the jetta is the only one that is diesel. and obviously since it's a diesel, it's a turbo, again, doesn't ned to be stated. both trunk room and passenger room are important to us, very important. and being domestic helps keep the cost down. without a jfk in a shift, it is very hard to have a good profit for the day, I've heard about nissan altima hybrids and toyota camry hiybrids being passed over because of their small trunk space, I've seen a ford escape hybrid being passed over, because the old lady couldn't climb up the step. you are right that most riders don't need the extra room, but to get the full use out of the cab, which 90% of the cabs need to make the money that they put into it ( medallions are now going for $700,000) , they need a car that can best serve every purpose.
Look i'm only mad at you for the tone you are taking, that we don't know what were talking about, when all you're doing is stating obvious labels of the car. on a good shift, it would be better not to have an airport ride, and these smaller cars may help avoid airports.
That's the smell of a troll, dear Mr. Taxi Photo. You're great. Keeping the trolls in check. Let's be more in touch when I get back in town next month. I went to the west coast.
whats the problem. life goes on :D here in germany all the taxis are this size and we are still alive dude =O and yes there are also airports like JFK and there has never been a problem with space.. ;)
As you can see, this post was written in 2008. it this post is more for informative purposes than for opinion.
I like the idea of a small taxi, but it needs to have space for both passengers and luggage, and also be cheap to repair and run. You say they work fine in germany, well hello??? germany is not new york city.. there is a cost to repair an imported vehicle.. it is cheaper to repair an american car, and most expensive to repair german vehicles.. I am currently driving a toyota camry hybrid and it is perfect!!! it has good mileage per gallon, it drives great, and it has good passenger room and good trunk room. are you sure that jettas are driven as taxis in germany? i think you are confused, perhaps you are talking about passats, you also have to realize that cars are made differently for different market places. the newest jetta is made in mexico for the american market and is a completely different car than your model in germany. also the Jetta sedan is no longer an approved taxicab in new york city, only the wagon is allowed now. i like small taxicabs, but they have to have the best space for passengers and trunk room as well.
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