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New Comfort Hyundai i40 taxi

Stooky

By Stooky,
in Korean Talk

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Bicolor

Bicolor

5th Gear

Cant believe taxi in HK already at least 10 years or more?! They seems to be quite in good condition and looks new.

 

Yup, the vast majority (no exact figures but I guess at least 70% or more) are between 8 and 12 years old. The owners/drivers do maintain them well though, that's why they look quite new. If you happen to pass by a small side road next to a gas station at 3:30 to 5 pm, you'll see lots of taxi drivers giving their cabs a good wash - and some of them even bother to clean the rims one by one!

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Yamapi

Yamapi

6th Gear
(edited)

are there any LPG-powered Toyota Crown taxis in singapore? I remember back in 2007 Transcab wanted to bring in a fleet of LPG Toyota Crown taxis, but not sure if its approve by the authorities

Edited by Yamapi
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Yamapi

Yamapi

6th Gear

Haha, I took that diesel taxi once. It's 15 or 16 years old and apparently the owner is holding on to it because he doesn't like or trust the LPG vehicles. It's said he even keeps a spare engine just in case anything happens!

 

The LPG engines might not be as environmentally friendly as claimed. Don't have time to dig up those files, but I remember reading that a test showed older LPG taxis had lots of toxic emissions, just that they're colourless unlike diesel smoke.

 

As for being underpowered, it's subjective. I drove taxis in HK about 2 or 3 times a week for nearly a year to earn some supplementary income. The older LPG crowns behave very strangely - from 0 - 60km/h, they surge ahead of most non-performance cars below 2l from a standstill at traffic light with normal throttle input, but the acceleration from 60 - 100km/h is slow as hell, and the engine really struggles after that.

 

6470765679_5842c3545c_b.jpg

 

6470774661_88b22b0609_b.jpg

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Spurman

Spurman

Supercharged

Afterall C180 not say very small la, normal sedan car size, and afterall it is a mercs le. [rolleyes] People here still want face value, if they would to pay $200K for a car now, surely they will go for C180 instead of i40.

 

Seriously if the merc badge is replaced by a jap or Korean badge. The car would be completely in a different story.

 

C180 is indeed a nice looking car. Test drove it. Good n responsive. But if one have driven say sonata, camry, cefiro. Taking the c180 is a downgrade. Not in "class". Downgrade in size. Haha...

 

 

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Bicolor

Bicolor

5th Gear
(edited)

are there any LPG-powered Toyota Crown taxis in singapore? I remember back in 2007 Transcab wanted to bring in a fleet of LPG Toyota Crown taxis, but not sure if its approve by the authorities

 

If I'm not wrong, they brought in a couple of test vehicles, but the LPG scheme never took off in Singapore.

 

edit: Found a link here, apparently there was only one test vehicle

 

http://www.mycarforum.com/index.php?showtopic=2147406

Edited by Bicolor
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Beehive3783

Beehive3783

Turbocharged

First batch since 2007 till now? Only 5 years le, so fast change? [:/]

A very casual calculation:

 

600km per calendar day (two shifts) x 365 days a year = 219,000km

 

What most people would clock in a decade, teksi already clock in a year.

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13177

13177

Hypersonic

Yup, the vast majority (no exact figures but I guess at least 70% or more) are between 8 and 12 years old. The owners/drivers do maintain them well though, that's why they look quite new. If you happen to pass by a small side road next to a gas station at 3:30 to 5 pm, you'll see lots of taxi drivers giving their cabs a good wash - and some of them even bother to clean the rims one by one!

Looks like HK taxi drivers really maintain their taxi well. Unlike here those crowd taxis which are still running on the road, they looks like 10 over years!

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13177

13177

Hypersonic

Seriously if the merc badge is replaced by a jap or Korean badge. The car would be completely in a different story.

 

C180 is indeed a nice looking car. Test drove it. Good n responsive. But if one have driven say sonata, camry, cefiro. Taking the c180 is a downgrade. Not in "class". Downgrade in size. Haha...

Seems like many people say until C180 very small le?! But small as in interior or the engine?

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Nzy

Nzy

Twincharged

Seems like many people say until C180 very small le?! But small as in interior or the engine?

 

Both also quite small la. For same amount of money should be able to get a bigger and more spacious car if you don't care about the badge.

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Caddilac

Caddilac

Neutral Newbie

if this experiment goes well, it is likely that i40 becomes the staple of singapore taxis considering that comfortdelgro is the biggest player.

 

sonatas are due for replacement soon, anyway. since komoco not willing to sell i45 to them (i heard they wanted to protect their premium image), i40 might be it.

The biggest problem with i45 is that it doesn't have diesel engine worldwide as i45 is engineered for US and Asia country so diesel is not available on i45... CDG wanna use diesel car so i45 sure cannot... If i45 have diesel I don't think Komoco will still want to protect the "image" coz the volume of i45 is so small now..

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Caddilac

Caddilac

Neutral Newbie

I drove a Korean car 5 years, now a jap for 3 years. Not necessary jap car more reliable. My 4yr old jap car aircon with 70k km mileage got to change aircon cooling coil n fan motor so far. My old Korean car only change driveshaft n shock absorber which is was wear n tear after 150k km. Drivebility wise both have same handling, seat wise my current jap car sucks.. previous Korea car have lumber support n much more comfy. Parts wise, Korea parts 60% of jap parts price.

Is your current Jap car a T or N? [:p]

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Stooky

Stooky

6th Gear
  • Author
(edited)
More new i40 taxis coming. Btw have the toyota crowns retired already?
3 OCTOBER 2014
Hyundai Motor will start supplying 3,000 i40 diesel taxies in Singapore next year through partnership with ComfortDelGro Group, the biggest transportation company in Singapore.
Hyundai Motor announced that ceremony for the contract to supply taxies in Singapore was held in COEX Intercontinental Hotel on October 2. Lim Jit Poh, Chairman of ComfortDelGro Group, Jang Won-shin, General Manager of Foreign Sales at Hyundai Motor and some other people attended the ceremony.
Following the contract, Hyundai Motor plans to supply maximum 3,000 i40 (VF) diesel taxies to ComfortDelGro Group within next year.
Since Hyundai Motor first concluded a contract to supply taxies with ComfortDelGro Group in late 2006, Hyundai has supplied average 2,000 Sonata taxies every year until last year. It also plans to supply additional 2,000 i40 taxies this year.
In Singapore, 27,000 taxies from eight transportation companies are currently being operated. ComfortDelGro Group is occupying 60% of the market share with 16,000 vehicles among total.
As Hyundai Motor, through this contract, will have supplied total 20,000 taxies to Singapore from 2007 to next year, it is expected to occupy 100% of taxies operated by ComfortDelGro Group and 64% of total taxies operated in Singapore.

hyundai%20motor%20taxi%20contract.jpg?it

From the left: Yang Ban Seng, CEO of Comfort Transportation; Kua Hong Pak, CEO of ComfortDelGro Group; Jang Won-shin, general manager of Foreign Sales at Hyundai Motor; and Teo Hock Seng, CEO of Komoco. - See more at:

Edited by Stooky
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13177

13177

Hypersonic

Seems like comfort delgro still like hyundai as their taxi? Actually between sonata and i40, the latter seems to be nicer to ride in?! Anyway, thought i saw elantra taxi? How come they didnt continue bringing in?

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Tohto

Tohto

Hypersonic

Seems like comfort delgro still like hyundai as their taxi? Actually between sonata and i40, the latter seems to be nicer to ride in?! Anyway, thought i saw elantra taxi? How come they didnt continue bringing in?

Elantra taxi is the Yellow Top taxi. Private own one lah.

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13177

13177

Hypersonic

Elantra taxi is the Yellow Top taxi. Private own one lah.

It is? No wonder like i see only a few then no more liao?! Lol.
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7hm

7hm

Turbocharged

Seems like PSA also bought a fleet of Hyundai i40 sedan. Spotted a RU plate i40 sedan on tow along Alexandra Rd

 

which PSA you referring to? Port Authority?

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