When this big, black SUV-like thing came down Willamette Street going the other way in traffic, I could only take my eyes of the road for a second and thought Whoa! What is that? I know that big SUVs are back in style, but I don’t recognize this one. It does looks rather imposing and exclusive.
After a few seconds’ of vainly trying to figure out what I had seen, or thinking maybe it was time for a dementia check-up, I decided I just had to try to catch it and figure out what that was. By the time I found a street to turn into, turn around and get back on Willamette the right way, I knew it was a long shot. But thanks to the timing of the traffic lights and some rather brisk driving, I did catch it. And as I approached it from behind (and shot it) I recognized it: an MV-1! Of course! It was originally designed to be a new “standard taxi”; a Checker Marathon for the new millennium.
I thought that venture went belly-up a few years back. But this thing looks brand new, sporting big upscale alloy rims and the in-color for big SUVs. Is this thing back in production, and being sold as an SUV? Brilliant, if they can pull it off.
A bit of research confirms that MV-1 did go belly up in 2011. But it was resuscitated by AM General, which created a new subsidiary, Mobility Ventures, and substantially revised the vehicle. Whereas it originally sat on a Chevy van frame powered by the 4.3 Vortec V6, it now has a custom-designed frame (engineered by Roush), and is powered by Ford’s 4.6 L V8, driving the rear wheels.
And it’s being sold strictly as a mobility (wheel-chair accessible) vehicle, in three trim levels; the lowest level starting at $39k, and this top-line LX starting at $57k.
Ok; I’ve been enlightened. But now I can’t help but wonder if in this big-SUV-crazy market, this could be sold strictly as a high-end SUV, with all the exclusivity that comes along with driving a car that almost nobody else is. Or even recognizes. Isn’t that the goal of exclusivity?
Can’t help feeling the overall outline is rather like a ‘Black Cab’ (the new type, wheelchair accessible, of 1997). But bigger.
I’d like to think that was their point when it was designed.
Exactly. If you’re looking to do the same job it’s not surprising the appearance is similar, though it now seems to be made for a slightly different purpose.
These are in common use in New York City as access–a-ride vans where wheelchair accessibility is the main feature. I’ve not seen any in actual accessible taxi use in NYC, but did see quite a few in Chicago. They are quite imposing but also extremely well-adapted to their main purpose. I was glad to see AM General take them on.
Yep, they’ve been increasing in numbers at companies that provide transportation for patients to medical facilities in L.A.
I wonder if mobility vehicles are exempt from some of the federal safety standards, making them less expensive to bring to market. Would that make it difficult or impossible to refit and sell as a standard passenger vehicle?
The MV-1 meets all safety standards.
A “Rampside” for the 21st Century.
Why hasn’t anyone thought of that? Using a Corvair Rampside as a “mobility vehicle” (wheelchair hauler). Makes perfect sense.
Los Angeles is full of these painted white and in ACCESS Livery .
I thought ACCESS was some sort of Taxi thing ? .
-Nate
The vehicles say Access Paratransit, and they belong to an L.A. County government service that provides “shared rides” to disabled people who can’t get around on fixed route public transportation.
There are a decent number of these in Baltimore as well – some as private cabs, some as MTA mobility vehicles.
The first time I saw one it was as a cab, I was trying to figure out what it was. It looked like a Scion and a London cab had a kid.
Looks like a Tartan Prancer
The Tartan looks like a 1st generation Toyota Previa with different front styling.
Sounds like a Scotsman who’s had rather to much to drink on New Years Eve!
Having just seen a Honda Element in traffic, this reminds me of one on steroids.
I was going to say the same thing! Over-inflated Element.
It does appear very Element-al.
Yes, my thoughts exactly.
or an Element which just knocked over a bee hive, and is allergic to stings.
Given that most of these are used by state and private agencies that provide transportation for the disabled, it seems unlikely they will ever develop the same kind of exclusive cachet the Hummer H1 once held.
Being fairly ugly doesn’t help either..
From the research I did on the 2004 Chevrolet Venture Entervan sometime ago, the advertised price on these isn’t too bad for what it is. No, it’s not cheap, but pricing on a aftermarket modified Odyssey, Town & Country, or Sienna for mobility purposes gets pretty pricey in short order. Plus, with this being built for this specific purpose it comes across as less customized.
I’ve twice seen one of these from a distance in Kansas City and wasn’t able to get pictures of it either time.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/future-curbside-classic-2004-chevrolet-entervan-not-your-typical-business-venture/
I’ve seen these around NYC, Baltimore, New Haven as taxis. But thought they were versions of the NYC ‘Taxi-for-Tomorrow’ that Nissan won, and is supposedly selling, even tho’ I think that program got thrown out in NYC itself. But now I realize I’ve only seen these.
Ugly and ungainly looking things, they are, too! And really? A V-8 in 2015? That seems a ridiculous set up! The best thing about the demise of the Crown-Vic is that a lot of taxi’s have shifted to the multiple hybrid platforms available — and the hybrid is best suited to the in-city, stop-and-go traffic that is the Taxi’s normal environment. Not this thing (unless you’re in a wheel chair!)
Relative to the Nissan NV200, I would imagine that the MV-1 is quite pricey, and could very well be why the NV200 won the competition to be NYC’s ‘taxi of choice’.
The awarding of the NV200 to NYC was, of course, challenged (mostly by the NYC cab companies who didn’t much like being told what they could use) but, ultimately, I think Nissan won out (after many years of legal wrangling).
Saw my first one the other day
These are fairly common in the Washington DC area, where they’ve been added to the fleet of vehicles that the local transit authority uses to provide rides to disabled people (“Metro Access”). Given that they’re replacing full size vans that had been customized for this sort of duty, neither the price nor the size is out of line.
The District government is now requiring taxi companies to have a certain percentage of their fleet be handicapped-accessible. Rules like that are probably why people above have mentioned seeing these in taxi livery in other cities.
Here’s one of the less-than-compact vehicles the MV-1s are replacing:
It’s powered by a 3.7L V6, likely similar to the engine in the V6 Mustang.
I see Paul is not the only person here who likes his windows clean. Anyone else keep window cleaning wipes in his trunk, like I do?
I keep them in the center console of both of my vehicles! 🙂
I like the outside clear and just cleaned them last week, but I think it has been about 6 months since I cleaned the inside of the windows. I actually did not clean the rear window since the layers of dirt keep the glare down at night
The _trunk_ ? hell no ~ roll of towels and aerosol cleaner right in the glove box where it’s handy .
-Nate
I’ve seen them around Toronto. I wasn’t sure what they were.
The CC effect in full action, just the other day when I was coming home I saw one going the other way. The first one I’ve seen in the wild and it too was black.
Yes the original prototypes were based on GM components but before they actually started production they switched to the dedicated chassis and Panther engine/trans. Presumably that was done in part to appeal to taxi operators when they decided to go after that business.
Since the 4.6 and 4R75W have gone out of production they are now powered by a Ford 3.7 V6 and I’m guessing the 6R80 transmission since that is the only AT that Ford has put behind that engine.
Finally they still offer a commercial version for fleets that lacks some of the amenities of the retail version.
Yawn, another big black mobile chicane. Meh!
Yeah.
The MVs in NYC are generally powered by natural gas. I drove an access-a-ride for a little while and the company started to use these about four years ago. They were natural gas powered and had to be fueled up at the Con-Ed plant on east 14th street.
The majority of the access-a-ride vehicles in NYC are based on the superduty platform. They’re really big. And frankly, I was hauling one passenger at a time. If there was an electric wheelchair or scooter, the customer would be strapped in the back of the van leaving eight seats vacant.
They’re large but not nearly as large as the Ford trucks and a lot easier to maneuver in the city. If, on a one lane street, a car was double parked we were required to stop, turn on the hazards and inform dispatch of the situation. But to not drive on until were given permission to safely pass. If we failed to get permission, it was possibly a fireable offense, especially if a supervisor was watching. Really ridiculous. Also, because of the weight of the Fords, we were not allowed on some sections of highways and roads (but most guys drove on them anyways).
So basically, these smaller vehicles I think are much better suited for the city. They look like an American version of a London taxi.
I have seen these in Houston often enough to avoid being surprised. I frequently take my wife to the Medical Center and thinking back it seems that general area is where I saw them. Makes perfect sense.
I had similar thoughts about how they could be used. I had read about them after seeing them the first couple times and knew about the ford drivetrain. Didn’t know about the handicapped features. I wish them success and think with some of these new diesels that are rumored to be coming around that they would make great taxis.
I’m pretty sure I saw one of these today in “Yellow Cab” livery headed northbound on the I-15 in Southwest Riverside County, CA. It looked small compared to the lifted 4X4s so common in this area.
I have been seeing these things on the streets of Toronto for some time now and have been mystified. Thanks for the explanation.
I saw a lot of the taxi versions on my last visit to Chicago, and then saw one somewhere in the SF Bay Area within the last year. I had seen the “civilian” version on the manufacturer’s website but none on the road.
here in Peterborough Ontario the local dealer is the mobility store up the street from me.
they actually seem pretty well thought out to me and I seem to remember they can carry someone in a wheelchair OR be driven by someone in a wheelchair which seems like a bonus.
the few I have seen around all seem to be in private hands.
Saw one of these on Route 1 in Scarborough, Maine a couple of weeks ago (white w/no exterior markings) and couldn’t quite remember what it was, so thanks.
When these first came out, I did see a few as yellow taxis in NYC (or maybe just the same one a few times?) but they disappeared very quickly.. only to resurface overnight as the now-ubiquitous paratransit vehicles. That’s really a much more natural and practical fit for them. Seems like most, if not all, of the ACCESS-A-RIDE MV-1s are the old VPG version with the CNG-powered Ford V8. Terrible gas mileage, of course, but like max z. said, still probably much better than an F-450 short bus.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these “civilian” LX models. It definitely has a Honda Element vibe, although I think of it more like the ass-baby of an Element and a G63 AMG (visually, anyway).
The first time I saw an MV-1, quite a few years back, I really wondered if Honda had created some sort of Element-Van hybrid.
Looks like a Honda Element on steroids.
Wheelchair accessibility need not preclude a certain amount of style…