LEVC TX
Autocar UK|August 23, 2023
Geely-built taxi is a cabbie favourite, but what's it like for the uninitiated?
LEVC TX

MODEL TESTED VISTA COMFORT PLUS 

Price £66,859 Power 148bhp Torque 184lb ft 0-60mph 12.7sec 30-70mph 11.8sec Economy See text CO₂ emissions 14g/km 70-Omph 51.4m

We all know them, the London taxicabs, and most of us sample them as 'fares' at some time or other. But very few ordinary car owners have ever driven a taxi.'

This was the opening line of a story published in The Autocar of 25 June 1937, titled "Three Days on a Taxi'. We took a 12bhp, Birmingham-built Austin taxicab to Brooklands, where it dispatched the 0-30mph dash in a fearsome 19.1sec and averaged 47.62mph over a quarter of a mile. It had a turning circle of 7.62m, cost £370 when specified with the single landaulet body and in town was deemed 'as handy as can be imagined'. It was nothing if not fit for purpose, and the only disappointment was that our tester was never in fact hailed.

The concept of 'fitness for purpose' is why road testing a black cab is as interesting an exercise in 2023 as it was in 1937. The latest TX model by London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) is as finely honed for carrying passengers around as a Porsche 911 GT3 RS is for lapping the Nürburgring or a British Army Jackal 2 is for traversing brutal terrain while laying down fire. Anything so specialised deserves attention - not forgetting the fact that anyone can own an LEVC TX.

The black cab has come a long way since 1937. Until recently, diesel was the fuel of choice, but since 2018 all newly licensed taxis have to be zero-emission capable. The LEVC TX here is a petrol plug-in hybrid range-extender, and with more than 10,000 sold worldwide since 2017, it currently accounts for around 40% of London's black cab fleet. The cabbies themselves clearly rate it, but how does it feel for the rest of us? Time to find out.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM AUTOCAR UKView all
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Autocar UK

The venomous nature of the Cobra

Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
SKODA KAMIQ
Autocar UK

SKODA KAMIQ

A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Autocar UK

THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH

Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
'Our time has come'
Autocar UK

'Our time has come'

Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store

time-read
8 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Lion kings
Autocar UK

Lion kings

Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI

time-read
6 mins  |
October 23, 2024
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Autocar UK

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh

time-read
7 mins  |
October 23, 2024
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Autocar UK

PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS

Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Autocar UK

MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO

Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Autocar UK

TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI

Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Autocar UK

DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP

Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024