Vilner Mini Cooper: From the “Good Things in Small Packages” Department

June 1, 2011 at 4:38pm by Steve Siler

Proving once again that anything a car company does, an aftermarket outfit thinks it can do better, is the decadent Vilner Mini Cooper, a Bulgarian bitch slap to the Mini Inspired by Goodwood. Like the Goodwood Mini, into which the Rolls Royce interior team sprinkled a few handfuls of fairy dust, the Vilner Mini looks somewhat conventional on the outside but features an extraordinary interior. Indeed, as cool as the satin silver paint, charcoal wheels, and racing stripes are, they do not prepare one for the diamond-stitched, pumpkin-colored leather feast inside. From seats to ceiling, the interior looks like the result of a Spyker C8 Aileron’s late-night visit to a hen in the Mini coop. No surprise, as spectacular interiors are Vilner’s forte. No word on how much it would cost to get a Vilner Cooper built and brought over here, but if you want to out-good the Goodwood Mini, this might be worth exploring.

Tags: Mini, Mini by Vilner, Mini Cooper, tuner |

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Nissan Gives More Information on NYC Taxi—And The Small Van We May Be Seeing in Dealerships

Nissan and the City of New York announced yesterday that Nissan’s NV200—a compact, car-based van—will be the exclusive new taxi for the five boroughs beginning in 2013. Since then, Nissan has released additional details about the future yellow submarine, and, just as important, that information gives us a clearer picture of the compact van the company will sell to American consumers, too.

What the Taxi Drivers Get

The NV200, which is already in production and is sold in other countries, is naturally well-suited for the rigors of New York taxi duty: Sliding doors are perfect for narrow streets and pose no risk to passing cars or hapless cyclists; there’s loads of headroom, and ample space for luggage and cargo. To further cabify the NV200, the taxi version will feature a transparent roof, and a mobile device charging system (though Nissan’s mum on whether that’s simply an AC outlet or some kind of induction charging mat). Nissan also touts a “low-annoyance” horn, which we take to mean one that’s less loud, and also flashes the exterior lights simultaneously. Exterior lights will also flash when the vehicle’s doors are open, alerting other drivers who are sure not to care about disembarking passengers. Nissan has set the MSRP of its NV200 taxi at $29,000—it seems pricey, but bear in mind that this includes all the trimmings for non-stop passenger hauling.

What We, the Consumers, Get (Hopefully)

There’s just no sense in Nissan importing or building domestically a small van if the only sales are to the 13,000-strong fleet of yellow cabs in New York. Even if other livery companies in other cities get on board the NV200 road train, the business case isn’t there. We reported previously that Nissan wants to bring an additional small van to the U.S., and it looks like the NV200 will be it.

Underhood, Nissan tells us, the taxi will pack a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. It’s difficult to imagine the company paying to federalize a completely new engine for the NV200, meaning the mill is probably the 2.0-liter out of the entry-level Sentra. In that application, the engine makes 140 hp and 147 lb-ft, and is hooked to a continuously variable transmission. It’s possible, of course, that Nissan’s got a new 2.0-liter four in the works for applications in other vehicles, too—unfortunately, it’s just too early to say what will power the NV200, on dealer lots or waiting in front of Gray’s Papaya.

We’ll be looking for news from Nissan about the NV200's rollout in cities—and hopefully, in dealer showrooms too. We love us some vans!

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New York City Picks Nissan NV200 Small Van as Future Yellow Cab

After considering a large number of proposals, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission announced today that it has selected a small van from Nissan, called the NV200, as the Ford Crown Victoria‘s heir apparent as the yellow cab for New York City. This will give Nissan an exclusive 10-year contract to supply New York City taxi operators with vehicles.

The selection process began in 2009, when Ford’s Crown Vic went into full zombie mode. Since then, companies operating yellow cabs in the five boroughs have been free to supply politically correct vehicles; most are Ford Escape hybrids, and the rest of the city’s roughly 13,000 yellow cabs are comprised of Volkswagen Jetta TDIs, Toyota Siennas, Priuses, Nissan Altima hybrids, and even the occasional Lexus RX400h or Toyota Highlander hybrid.

Nissan’s NV200 beat out the similarly sized Ford Transit Connect, as well as a Turkish company’s clean-sheet proposal; the latter company, Karsan, even suggested building its van in Brooklyn. (For a further Turkish connection, it’s worth noting that all Ford Transit Connects sold in the States are imported from Turkey.) While the NV200 isn’t sold in the U.S. in any form, Nissan has said it plans to expand its van offerings here beyond the hideously truckish NV. Unlike the body-on-frame NV, however, the NV200 is car-based, and is a fairly conventional vehicle in markets like Europe, where small vans are popular.

Interior of the European Nissan NV200. You can fuhgedabout ours having a stick.

We expect yellow NV200s to begin hitting New York’s streets in 2014, and they will proliferate as the existing motley collection of taxis wear out. To avoid the 25 percent chicken tax on trucks, Nissan may want to build the NV200 in the U.S.; this especially makes sense, as we fully expect Nissan to offer the small van to retail consumers. It’s also unclear what will power the NV200. In Europe, the van is offered with a choice of tiny gas or diesel engines. Neither of these is suitable or economical for Nissan to bring to the U.S., so we expect that the company will install a four-cylinder engine already familiar to the American market, like the 1.8-liter powerplant used in the Cube, Sentra, and Versa.

While 13,000 vehicles isn’t a tremendous number, New York City’s taxi choices influence fleet selections for other cities as well, as the big companies that operate regionally like to have a standard vehicle and set of replacement parts and tools.

Unfortunately, neither Nissan nor the City of New York has given any impression that there will be any changes to the incredibly annoying video clips forced on rear-seat taxi passengers.

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