The Dearborn manufacturer is back in the taxi race for major American cities (except New York where the Nissan NV200 won the market) with this novelty, the Transit Connect Taxi which is intended to replace the venerable Ford Crown Victoria which is the car fetish of American taxi drivers.
Ford lost the battle of New York taxis but not those of other major cities in the United States. It is for these purposes that Ford too is unveiling a Taxi van at the 2013 International Association of Transportation Regulators Conference being held in St Louis. This 2014 version Ford taxi has the same practical spirit as the NV200. This vehicle meets the new specifications for yellow vehicles and that is why it has a bulky bodywork, sliding rear doors and a very large boot volume. The Transit Connect Taxi is powered by a 170 hp L4 2.5 L combined with a 6-speed BVA. This 2.5 L engine can be adapted to CNG or LPG as an option. To make this Transit Connect more comfortable, Ford has replaced the leaf springs on the rear axle with a torsion bar system that is much more accommodating with road imperfections and the backs of passengers! The Transit Connect also announces a good volume of loading since it claims a trunk of 1.71 m3 (60.5 cubic feet).
The Ford Transit Connect Taxi has been modified according to the needs of taxi drivers and customers, in particular with an inspection hatch allowing quick level control, a lowered loading and access threshold or even an adaptation of the interior of the vehicle to people in wheelchairs. There are also SYNC and MyTouch systems, a rear view camera or a 6.5-inch touchscreen. Connectivity systems for passengers are also planned by the American manufacturer.
This new Ford Taxi will go into production early next year and will be available for sale to taxi companies or independent taxi drivers in the first half of 2014.
Via Ford.