mavericck

Not too suprising considering that I have seen an S class taxi in Germany.

Nextourer

Those are corner markers. They're used to judge the far corner of the car when pulling into the curb (hence the left corner since it's RHD)

encore888

Ah, thx! Not just using Park Assist sensors I guess.

mmarshall

Maybe not in CA where you are. I've seen a few here in the DC area, but like I said, VERY few. They are not exactly as numerous as silver Camrys.

mmarshall

From what I understand, much cheaper, decontented S-Class models are available in Europe...Mercedes will not sell them here.

Nextourer

well parking sensors don't help with curbs since it's much higher than the curb right?

Also, they have both fixed "antenna" and retractable types. The one pictured in the LS looks like the retractable type.

encore888

True, they don't work with curbs.

MD350

I wonder if other countries laugh at us because we use the Crown Vic as our people movers?

Nextourer

what do you mean?

IronCobra

New Lexus Taxicabs Spark Envy

When Samuel Pekoh pulls up to a red light, he always turns heads.

From the windows of their Ford Crown Victorias, cab drivers peer enviously at his Lexus taxicab, "Samantha," as if a supermodel had suddenly entered their homely midst. Pedestrians stop to offer a thumbs-up. "Looking good!" they whistle and catcall.

Eight months ago, Mr. Pekoh, a taxi owner and driver originally from Ghana, and his colleague Clifford Hammon-Adler made a trip to a Lexus dealership on Lexington Avenue and came away with a brand-new pair of hybrid RX400hs, costing them each $52,000 and change. "It's a beautiful drive," Mr. Hammon-Adler said.

"I don't smoke, I don't drink, and when I drove for a company, I didn't like getting complaints about the smell of the car," Mr. Pekoh said. Now, the back seat of "Samantha," which he named after his daughter, smells like new leather.

The Taxi & Limousine Commission approved 10 hybrid-electric car models for use as taxicabs 15 months ago, but the new hybrid cars are only catching on now. "This is the point at which people start seeing numbers," a spokesman for the Taxi & Limousine Commission, Alan Fromberg, said.

MD350

Their cabs are, for the most part, are luxurys cars. We use, for the majority, basic stripped down fleet cars.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

we (I'm Japanese) mainly use cab specific cars. It's called a Crown or Cedric/Gloria but it's nothing like its counterpart. They're not nice at all... BUT, Toyota released a TRD version of this with a supercharger (RWD) 3pedals.

I dunno about anywhere else b/c I grew up in Kobe and Tokyo, but especially in Tokyo, there are a lot of nice taxis. Celsior, Aristo, Majesta, Crown, Alphard, Mercedes, Volvo, etc. Then again, we have cheap 'one-coin' taxi (1coin = 500 yen/$5USD) that uses smaller 5 number plated cars too.

The poles actually are really helpful in Tokyo. If you thought driving in LA was tough, try driving in Tokyo...it's a friggin nightmare.

encore888

Yup, hybrids as taxis...save gas while idling for the next customers...

mmarshall

Well, there's a reason why we use so many Crown Vic taxis. They are built not only with the durable, truck-type, ladder-frame that all Crown Vics get, but also, in many cases, with the heavy-duty police suspension, brakes, and cooling systems (the police-spec package is not available in ordinary dealer sales.......you have to be ordering the car for taxi or law-enforcement purposes). This package is popular with cab drivers because they they are constantly running the wheels and suspension into curbs, pounding over rough city streets like in D.C and Manhattan, and spend endless hours idling in traffic. The body-on-frame and police-grade suspension is far more resistant to damage from rough roads and curb impacts than what you will find on an ordinary, FWD, unibody car.....one reason why police and taxi firms have been so slow to give the car up.

Nextourer

True. I remember in Singapore, they were using E-Class as taxis for a new company called "Presidio" with fancy digital scrolling "TAXI" signs. It's not a limo company or anything, just a regular cab service I believe. To make matters worse, they painted their cabs white. Most MBs in Singapore are white.

But the cabs that replaced the Crown Vics in my city now are more or less stock from the factory. I.e. no special heavy-duty suspension or vinyl seats. If the Camry they bought had fabric, that's what they have (unless they add aftermarket leather). If they bought a Corolla LE with factory leather, then that's what you get to sit on. As you can see, most of our "new" cabs are Toyotas

Yeah, they have cab versions of the Cedric and Crown and for the most part look different too right?

heh. Come up to here. You'll see plenty of Prius cabs and TCH cabs. If not a hybrid, it'll be a regular Corollas (no idea why since it's still small for rear passengers) and Camrys as replacements for the Crown Vics and Luminas and Centurys.. oh and the Malibus too.