Words by Marcus Boothby
Taxi’s are a key backbone in transporting people who choose not to use other means of public transport. Taxi’s are quicker in almost any other mean of public transport, especially if you don’t live near a bus/tram stop or a train station. We’ve used taxis hundreds of times, ranging from going to and from job interviews, or coming home from a club at 5am after drinking far too much alcohol.
A taxi is always a few minutes away, and now with taxi haling apps like Uber and Lyft, easier to pay for with a lot apps taking Apple Pay and all major credit/debit cards. However, what makes the perfect taxi? Well, we’ve come to a solid conclusion. But first, what does a taxi need to do to make it perfect?
It has to be comfortable for both you and the passengers
Out of all the taxi’s we’ve been in, the first thing we look for is a comfortable ride. Soft, yet supportive seats are essential, especially in the back where most taxi riders sit. Also, legroom and headroom is important as you may have the most comfortable bench seat in the world, but when you’re cramped thanks to an overly aggressive roofline, your experience as a passenger is ruined.
We’ve found that the most comfortable back seats are in three main cars; the Toyota Prius, Mercedes E-Class and the Skoda Octavia. The Prius has some ridiculously soft and squishy seats which excel in offering rear seat comfort. The back seat in a Prius is like an expensive sofa, where you just sink into it. The E-Class is just nice with as much comfort as the Prius but we wish that the E-Class was offered with a cloth interior to make it ever so slightly more comfortable. But the E-Class does offer more than enough leg and headroom, which is more than enough to keep people taller than 6ft happy. The Octavia combines all the points given in the Prius and E-Class so the winner here is the Octavia.
Rear seat of the latest generation E-Class
You don’t want a sporty car
Sports cars and cars with sporty suspension are great if you want something to hoon on a back road, but you don’t want that in a car where you’ll be driving for hours on end everyday on main roads and housing estates with potholes and speed bumps. This basically renders sports saloons and anything with a trim level like S Line out of the window.
This point also harks back to interior comfort. Sport line cars usually have slightly stiffer suspension and sports seats compared to more humdrum versions. The last thing you want is your passengers complaining they’re uncomfortable on their way to work or an airport. Again, this is where an Octavia starts to make sense.
What type of taxi driver are you going to be?
You see, there are different taxis and drivers for different jobs. We’ve noticed that the three main roles taxis play are for people who commute, going to and from clubs (so drunk), or going to and from an airport.
If you’re going to take commuters and people who use it just to get get from A-to-B, you want something cheap, comfortable and durable. This is why so many normal taxis have turned to the Prius. If you’re buying new, the Prius starts at £23,449, but you can find nearly new ones for under £20k easily. The Prius also makes sense in London and other big cities as they’re good on fuel, have a good turning circle, and even dodges the Congestion Charge in London.
Now, if you’re going to appeal to the late-night crowd, there’s no point buying something fancy as it’ll get wrecked within the first night of service. You’re better off getting something not new, big and durable. Avoid fabric seats as they are a pain to clean when something gets spilled or even worse, when someone throws up. You also want space and enough seats for a small party of people. We recommend an MPV or a van-based people carrier like a Transit.
And if you’re doing airport runs, you can risk getting something a bit fancier than a Prius or a van. In an airport taxi, you want comfort, space, economy and a decent sized boot. A lot of airport taxis are either the fancy Mercedes vans or any of the mid-sized German saloons. However, we’d suggest you look at the new Skoda Superb iV estate. Not only is it vast on the inside, but it is incredibly comfortable, has E-Class beating space in the back and thanks to it’s hybrid powertrain, it can travel well over 550 miles before filling up again.
But I want to be a taxi driver with no compromises
So you’re the type of driver who has a can-do attitude? Well, we can’t blame you as we all have to make a living somehow. If it isn’t clear, we’re a huge fan of Skoda’s, with our favourites being the Superb and Octavia models. But there is still another one we are yet to mention.
If you want to be a little different than rival drivers, while having the capacity to do a commuter job, then an airport run, have a break and then do some late-night jobs, we have the answer. The Skoda Kodiaq.
The Kodiaq makes a great taxi
See, the Kodiaq offers everything the Octavia and Superb are known for but with the option of seven seats. And the thing is, a Kodiaq is a great value too. For just under £28,000, you’re getting a practical and spacious seven-seater which will keep everyone happy. In the basic SE model, you get a strong 2.0TDI diesel engine and AWD. This gives you a 700+ mile range and a tax band of £150 a year. And on top of that, you get everything you’d expect in a modern SUV.
Conclusion
So there we have it, the Skoda Kodiaq SE is probably the best value for money car to use as a taxi you can get, without compromising on efficiency, comfort and features. It’s the one we’d go for.
