SKODAs are a SMART choice for cab fleet
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SMART automobile has recently included 5 brand new SKODAs into its modest fleet of 500 vehicles, bucking an industry of Toyota Crowns, Nissan Cedrics, and Mercedes.
the 5 new vehicles, Skoda da Superbs, took delivery yesterday from the local agent for the Volkswagen-owned brand, which is Czech Auto.
Said Mr Johnny Harjantho, managing director of SMART Automobiles:
"The Superbs will be marketed as a premium service, such as Airport Limousine.
The Superbs, which boosts lots of legroom can also be flagged down at a rate of $3.00 (a premium of 60 cents over the normal cabs).
We will start with 5 (Superbs), and if they prove to be reliabvle and popular, we will buy more."
Cabbies who drives the Skodas will pay a daily rental fee of $98 (10% more than their toyota counterparts).
The Skodas are equipped with Euro-IV emmission standards, which qualifies from a sizeable tax break. The 5 Superbs has a 2.5 Litre turbo diesel V6 engine and costs more than $70,000 (marginally more than the 3L toyota crown). Mercedes Benz cabs costs around $110,000.
SMART will also start to try out a Mercedes-Benz bi-fuel. This merc is capable of using petrol and CNG..
the 5 new Skoda da Superbs reg. no. range:
SHB9002E, SHB9003C, SHB9004A, SHB9005K, SHB9006U. all uses the electronic front display (found on Comfort cabs as well).
The 5 Skoda Superbs are registered on 04/08/2005 and will retire on 03/08/2013
(05 August 2005 The Straits Times HOME page H6)
MORE information of Skoda Superbs can be found HERE -
woo niceeee
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Premium taxis to me...
But 5 nia.... -
Premium to me as well. other Mercedes Benz cabs are also "premium" as well
i also never take them, and all those london cabs and Mercedes Vito Limousines
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Lovely. Another alternatives to the Crowns and Cedrics. Won't mind riding one of these, would be interesting.
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Hmm...5 only?
Btw..when was the Vehicles were out? -
yes.. only 5 vehicles, and if the perfomance is good, there may be more orders.Originally posted by Volvo Olympian:Hmm...5 only?
Btw..when was the Vehicles were out?
nobody buy things bulk without first acknowledging the quality at first. good, buy more. if bad, then its the end!
the vehicles are out on the streets since Thursday (04 August 2005).
may see them in changi airport........... -
Wow this new taxis are cool.
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taxi company should try different models and not stick to just toyota.
maybe lexus 300GS or 400.
afterall, mercedes is losing mkt shr.
and maybe have auto , more smoother. -
Not just Toyota. Nissan taxis are just as numerous. Hope to see gas-powered Chevy Luminas used as taxis one day. Australia already has them.Originally posted by AF2005:taxi company should try different models and not stick to just toyota. -
yeah i do agree.. i dont understand why are the taxi companies so keen to flood the roads with toyota crowns..Originally posted by AF2005:taxi company should try different models and not stick to just toyota.
maybe lexus 300GS or 400.
afterall, mercedes is losing mkt shr.
and maybe have auto , more smoother.
maybe the cab companies invited several makers to tender for new vehicles and toyota has the lowest tender, or it offers the cheapest price when ordered in bulk, or just that they fancies toyota crowns..
like SBS transit likes volvos and SMRT, mercedes-benz buses.. -
HOLDEN COMMODORES, not Chevy Lumina.Originally posted by iveco:Not just Toyota. Nissan taxis are just as numerous. Hope to see gas-powered Chevy Luminas used as taxis one day. Australia already has them. -
Lexus GS300?! If they were to be used as taxis it'd be quite expensive seeing from the fact the current model goes for $180k. And my friend would probably dispose of his new GS300 if they were to be used as taxis.Originally posted by AF2005:taxi company should try different models and not stick to just toyota.
maybe lexus 300GS or 400.
afterall, mercedes is losing mkt shr.
and maybe have auto , more smoother.
What I would love to see is Volkswagen Passats or Volvo S80s being used. ooooh. -
Now that's what i call Masterpiece,Rather than those boring and dull Toyotas and Nissans.The engine sound sucks big time!Hopefully with this new Skodas the attitute of these drivers will changed for good unlike most others including those driving the Merc one
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Originally posted by SBS9818A:
Same car different badge.Chevy sounds better
[b]HOLDEN COMMODORES, not Chevy Lumina.
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Ford Falcons or Mitsubishi MagnasOriginally posted by SBS9818A:Lexus GS300?! If they were to be used as taxis it'd be quite expensive seeing from the fact the current model goes for $180k. And my friend would probably dispose of his new GS300 if they were to be used as taxis.
What I would love to see is Volkswagen Passats or Volvo S80s being used. ooooh.
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Lancer EvolutionOriginally posted by LazerLordz:Ford Falcons or Mitsubishi Magnas -
yea i hope the taxi company will use some diesel version of the Evolution 9...with full Recaro Seats......
but seriously...
ii will be happy if the Skoda Superb turbo is tuned to 1.25 bar and the front stock seat changed with Recaro seats...
Also, do anyone known the specs of the stock 2.5 Turbo-diesel V6 car?0-100km/h and top speed,Newton-meters and Torque?
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if expensive taxis are used, the cabbies themselves has to pay higher rental fees, and if petrol engines were used, it will also cost a bomb, at the expense of the customer as well.. still, i agree.. the market is flooded with crowns and cedrics and its looking sick
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I looked the info up from the Skoda website...if im right then the Skoda Superb have 160 horsepower.Part taken from the website which is related to the Skoda Superb
"....The offer consists of a modern and dynamic 6-cylinder, 2.5TDI, 120 kW engine...."
There is many varients of the Superb..
Full passage
We offer you a selection of six modern engines for the Superb, which will surprise you in terms of fuel economy and extended service intervals.
Three of them are petrol engines: The 6-cylinder V6 2.8 30V is the most powerful engine, which Škoda Auto has manufactured in the last sixty years – it has a power of 142 kW (193 bhp). The next are the 24V, 4-cylinder, 1.8T/110 kW and the 2.0/85 kW engines. All the spark-ignition engines meet the EU4 standards.
Three TDI engines uphold the extraordinary reputation and popularity of diesel engines. It still applies that a vehicle with this marking has minimum fuel consumption, is reliable and at the same time adequately dynamic. The offer consists of a modern and dynamic 6-cylinder, 2.5TDI, 120 kW engine and two 1.9TDI engines using pump-nozzle technology. The pump is integrated in the cylinder head where it injects fuel under high pressure. The result is, among other things, increase in the performance parameters of the engine and lower fuel consumption.
All the Superb engines have EOBD. This checks the equipment that has an influence on the content of the exhaust gases. If the values are out of tolerance, the light on the dashboard warns the driver and informs him that he must visit a service centre. The cause is stored in error memory, which speeds up remedy of the problem.
Depending on the engine, the Superb is equipped with a five- or six-speed gearbox. For both 6-cylinder engines, but also for the 1.8T and 1.9TDI/96 kW, an automatic Tiptronic transmission is available. The intelligent electronics adapt to your driving change style and in case of need makes it possible to switch to manual mode without the clutch pedal functions.
The chassis guarantees precise and easy control of the vehicle, mainly thanks to the use of compound-link front and rear crank axle. The efficient brake system coupled with electronic stability control systems ensures a high safety standard. The progressive negative pressure Dual Rate brake booster contributes to the quick response of the brake system and easy dosage of braking effect.
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What makes you think Mercedes is losing market share ??
For the latest generation Euro-4 diesel taxis, both E-Class passenger car & Vito mini-bus taxis combined, they are known to have total around 700 units on firm order. More orders not ruled out as the newer 3-litre V6 cDi charged-cooled diesel model doesn't seem yet available in RHD form.
Lexus ?? No big deal about this brand because it's essentially a Toyota, only re-badged !! In Japanese market, you find so-called Lexus labelled (righfully so) as Toyotas.
M-B remains THE reference standard for taxis, whether in Germany, much of Europe etc. Problem is not many places seem to have them because the local population have not 'arrived' to pay the price for them !
Anyway, these new Skoda taxis should be most interesting to try out !
I'm curious to see how far they advanced in their diesel engine technology not only from performance aspect, but equally important in their noise, vibration & harshness levels as these very directly affect passenger comfort, areas where even the latest Japanese taxis here are very lousy in !! Also how good the suspension ride comfort is ? The Skoda's wheelbase seem impressively long but space alone is no assurance of comfort as the dynamical aspect plays just as important as role in ensuring overall satisfactory level of comfort in a vehicle.
Does the Skoda have any engine & gearbox encapsulation ??Originally posted by AF2005:taxi company should try different models and not stick to just toyota.
maybe lexus 300GS or 400.
afterall, mercedes is losing mkt shr.
and maybe have auto , more smoother. -
$180000 is grossly exggerated pricing for this Lexus GS300 ?? I'm not surprised it's OMV only around S$ 40000, cheaper than the OMV of a VW, Volvo or M-B !
Futhermore, all these Lexus thing are really Toyotas, with superfictial embellishments to make them appear more 'different' to the more ignorant buyers. To me they can call it Lexus or Toyota, both fine to me as i'll really recognize them only as Toyota, no more & no less.Originally posted by SBS9818A:Lexus GS300?! If they were to be used as taxis it'd be quite expensive seeing from the fact the current model goes for $180k. And my friend would probably dispose of his new GS300 if they were to be used as taxis.
What I would love to see is Volkswagen Passats or Volvo S80s being used. ooooh. -
The OMV for a brand-new GS300 (Super Luxury edition) is about $53,000. BMW 520i goes slightly higher than that.Originally posted by hseochin:$180000 is grossly exggerated pricing for this Lexus GS300 ?? I'm not surprised it's OMV only around S$ 40000, cheaper than the OMV of a VW, Volvo or M-B !
Futhermore, all these Lexus thing are really Toyotas, with superfictial embellishments to make them appear more 'different' to the more ignorant buyers. To me they can call it Lexus or Toyota, both fine to me as i'll really recognize them only as Toyota, no more & no less. -
if you read the report the skoda cost the same as the crowns it will be nice to change all of them to skoda ....
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in malaysia, there is also no Lexus.. all are under Toyota as well..Originally posted by hseochin:Futhermore, all these Lexus thing are really Toyotas, with superfictial embellishments to make them appear more 'different' to the more ignorant buyers. To me they can call it Lexus or Toyota, both fine to me as i'll really recognize them only as Toyota, no more & no less.