The long-awaited "Taxi of Tomorrow", which was specifically designed for use in New York City by Nissan, got a workout on the city's streets this week in advance of the fleet's arrival in October.
"Nissan was offering rides, not drives, in its NV200 taxi, which still showed a few signs of being a work in progress," writes Jim Motavalli. "Only one of the rear passenger doors had a sliding window (which rattled when open), and some finishing touches had not yet been completed."
"In a 15-minute ride in the van, some of the taxi’s advantages were apparent. It had limousine-grade legroom, a big roof window to help passengers see the city and separate climate controls for passengers. A handy step emerged when either sliding door was opened. The cabin featured a full-length divider window incorporating a pass-through for payments, as well as a natural-sounding intercom system similar to those in London cabs. The passenger compartment had cup holders, as well as USB ports for recharging cellphones and other devices."
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