I’ve never been a taxi driver, but I own a decommissioned Tx4 and use it as a private car. I love driving it, I’m 6ft 3 and squeeze myself in in, I find it comfortable and a good seating position. Family members like riding in it, it’s a brilliant versatile vehicle. Enjoy watching your videos by the way.
I wanted to buy one a few years ago (was a tx1 or 2 from memory) and the wife was having none of it mate. Dog in the back, room for my bikes or any sports gear etc. They’re even cheaper now so I might just not tell her next time 😂
Never understood why they had to make the txe so much bigger . Tx4 was perfect size imo and for how often you get 6 passengers together once in a blue moon. Electric tx4 shape with bit better build quality Would’ve been the perfect taxi
Its simple really, batteries, to have enough range and still keep the interior large enough to carry all those people they needed to make it bigger to fit all the batteries.
I’ve always thought the tx 4 has always looked more traditional then the new electric ones. They look smarter in advertising wrap as well in my opinion
The electric version has taken design cues from the Range Rover of all things. The A-pillar and front roofline particularly, but the door handles are meant to posh it up too. The illegitimate child of a Range Rover and a TX4 basically.
@John Hill a true 1,000,000 mile taxi. There were TX1’s in Liverpool that had done 600,000 miles and then the engines were put into blown up TX4’s for another 400,000.
Great video Tom. You have led a privileged time driving a cab. I started on an FX4s. 2.5 land rover diesel engine. A lot of complaints for those cabs but I'd still rather drive one of those over the TX4. Again, since the launch of the TX1, the price constantly increased whilst the build quality of them reduced.....
Love the vlog Tom I remember my first TX1 bought from KPM 3 years old £24000 in 2001. The taxi sign on the roof used to leak and fill the unit that held the meter till it filled to the brim , then when you did a hard left or right water used to run down the inside of the windscreen!
i started with the FX3 for London General Brixton rd my first drive was in the garage i remember i turned the Cab around and took out the rear door and the rear wing as the turning circle was pretty sharp.
Started on a Fairway, had the TX1 / 2, then all three variants of the Vito, and now have the Nissan. EU6 Vito still shines out as the best of the bunch. Just an all round pleasant vehicle to work in. Had never ending engine issues with the TX2. One plus side to The Nissan, it does go through Jackson’s Lane a tad easier ……
I started on an FX4.... No power steering a manual gearbox with the gearstick being a long metal rod rising from the floorboards with a plastic ball on top. No servo brakes plus they were drum all the way round and the indicator was just a toggle switch in the middle of an all metal dash which would either stay on or just do one click and return. The best version of the FX4 without doubt was the last version of the FX4 shape the Fairway Driver model which I had for sixteen years. It had the Nissan 2.7 TD engine (bullet proof) and a Nissan auto gearbox with front disc brakes and a modern dash which came over from an earlier version of the FX4 known as the FX4S. I would have had my Fairway Driver for longer if it were not for fat neck Johnson our mayor at the time (small "m" by the way) who imposed a fifteen year limit but I got the cab passed before its fifteenth birthday therefore the licensing regime had to give the cab another hackney carriage plate and I had it licensed for sixteen years.
As I have mentioned before, my wife has a TX1 you.’re right about the driver’s space = I have difficulty getting behind the wheel. The TX1 I believe, has a different engine - a Nissan 2.7l six. There is another odd feature, it has a switch on the dash which completely cuts out the engine, nobody seems to know why. It would be handy if we knew how to operate the wheelchair ramp - the near side rear door opens beyond 90 degrees for this reason. And the engine is very.sturdy and usually very easy to repair. Just make sure you fit a heavy duty battery.
The Diesel cutoff switch was brought in as a direct response to a tragic incident where a driver burnt to death in his cab. That's what I once read somewhere a long time ago, anyway.
Never been a fan of the TX4 for some reason, but I miss the FX4 and - god forbid - the metrocab now you don’t see them about any more. Don’t live in London so there is less urgency about bringing in the electric cabs, but when the TX4s have gone I’ll miss them
Nice to know that LTI kept up the same quirks that the TX1 had - remember the wet leg well. At lest you got the Transit turbodiesel, all I had was the Nissan which meant that i had to change down and gun the engine to get up a steepish hill.
Thanks Tom really enjoyed this! I think back to all the cars I’ve driven in my 27 years as a cabbie (wouldn’t be allowed on the road let alone as a cab) I remember one that use to have a water leak and it would fill the footwell and I use to go home at night with wet feet😂
Hi Tom loved this video I drive the only tx4 taxi on the Isle of Man it still going strong and it working most days really enjoy your channel keep up the good work
A taxi owner in Oslo Norway bought one of this taxi cabs. His drivers refused to drive it after one shift. A nightmare on sleeping policemen. A nightmare driving up the mountain (500 m above the sea level) to some hotels. It is almost all the way uphill and often very steep. With my Ioniq 5 it glides up the hill with only the humming from the motor.
I scratched my head thinking why are there sleeping policemen in Norway and why are they trying to sleep in a taxi. 😂😂😂 It's called humps. Or road humps. Or speed humps. 😂
Tx4 the best cab for the streets of London. Not the most reliable or the best on fuel, but it’s so nimble , & the visibility is great. I did try a TXE for a few months, & that thing is massive, gave it back , wasn’t for me.
Its a shame to see the TX series of cabs being phased out. I think we have made the jump to electric to quickly. Considering you still see a few privately owned fairways on the road do you recon we will still see TXE's on the road in 20 years?
I've seen a few cargo van TXEs around, it's quite odd you see the front end and think it's a cab but then see the side of it where instead of windows it's a panel van!
Hi Tom great video mate as ex Liverpool hackney cab driver the is nothing that was more reliable than the fairway, that Nissan 2.5 Diesel wow what a fabulous engine and cab that truly was. My son today is a Liverpool hackney cab driver and runs the Mercedes E7 Awful imo. He did have a tx2 awful engine, Congratulations having passed the knowledge of London i take my hat off to you all 👍
im a brit but i dont think i saw one of these london style taxis until i was about 10, ive always liked them though. this is a similar story near me where the older skoda octavia diesel taxis are being phased out by hyundai iconiq hybrids.
The rank at my local shopping centre has so many oil patches. When it rains it’s like one long rainbow 😂 I’m tempted to buy a decommissioned TX4 just to experience the drive!
The best black cab is the Tx1 the Nissan engine never breaks down or nothing. The tx4 engine is good sometimes you get the feeling when it will break down because of the water is going to the oil another engine change .
In a TX4 you have to use the correct anti freeze. You must use Comma X Stresm G48 it’s anti corrosion as well as anti freeze. Don’t put the red stuff in. The core plugs rust from the inside out.
@@hassnainhussain3511 lots of drivers don’t even put anti freeze in. The core plugs are made from very poor quality metal. If VM had spent £1 more on each core plug that would have saved drivers hundreds of thousands pounds in rebuilds. Typical Italian penny pinching.
@@Br1anuk ok is that the reasons that water is going the oil and the engine but sometime if you do the re conditions the engine of the tx4 engines it could break down any time of the day or week. Have you had any re condition engine before what is like m.
Oh yes I remember drivers driving at night with side lights on as they were terrified of burning out the bulbs and cracking the glass. What a shambles that company is.
Ahhh happy memories. My fist cab was an Austin FX 4 Rs. 2.2 diesel engine. 4 bods in the seats couldn't do Highgate West Hill. Best cab I had was the Nissan fairway, Bullit proof engine as long as you gave it oil. 2.7 engine and it done the job and you could then take 5 passengers. TX1. Top heavy and very little stability when taking corners.was there on the launch at Earls Court. TX2 slight modifications but an engine definitely not fit for purpose. The Fairway in my opinion overall the best cab for the job. Average 36ave to the gallon, strong and sturdy and when derv cost 32p a ltr. The Metro cab with fiberglass body. No rust great Ford engine and great viability. In my opinion didn't look pretty but a great working vehicle. Now you lads and lasses are forced to by or rent a £70,000 Vehicle that does 50 miles on a charge then time out to recharge. Be lucky.
I'm looking for a nice tx4 currently. Where do they all go as I never see them for sale up here(Scotland). After waiting months on end for parts for new cars and the dpf making them cost thousands in repairs I'm over these modern plastic heaps. Rather a less reliable tx4 that's easy to fix and parts are everywhere. Don't want to buy a total pup though. Hoping to get one that's been replaced because of emissions rather than a tired out example. Not seen a single one for sale in scotland though, despite the ulez coming in next year.
I feel well old Watching that. I distinctly remember seeing on TV a TX4 taken to New York to get reaction from the cabbies over there and how luxurious they all said it was.
would you ever get a tx4 again whilst you can still use them in service as like a spare or a change every once in a while, mix it up a bit and have a bit of fun?
Interesting! Many moons ago I was one of the taxi marshal's at Heathrow dishing out jobs on the ranks - and I always wondered how some of the really tall drivers managed to sleep in the back of their TX4s! Loving your content keep up the good work and interesting London facts!
I grew up in London when the fx4 was getting phased out. I remember tx diesels a lot, and I could pretty much tell if a taxi was coming without even seeing it just from the diesel noise. I still can. But I'll miss the noise of it the new ones just don't have that sound. I do like the txe it is a nice modern taxi but it loses the character that came from the older cabs
the fx4 is a proper taxi, they should have kept some around like the routemasters. i don't really get how the txe is that good of an idea. slightly better air quality but mainly from not using diesel. seems electric for the sake of it, would a smaller, efficient petrol ICE for propulsion not be very similar, much cheaper and be repaired at any garage. smells of corruption and virtue signalling in my opinion. if any are on the roads in 20 years will likely have had 3/4 replacement batteries and maybe £100,000 worth of repairs and servicing
@@rrp6405 yes I agree most parts but don't think a small petrol engine only would be good. Too much weight on a small engine puts it under too much stress and makes it unreliable. Really a nissan diesel they had before in the new txe would be ideal imo
I’ve got a black 2007 TX4 for private use on the south coast,I bought during covid for a steal with a new engine that’s only covered 40,000 miles,I put a new leather seat and matching leather and walnut steering wheel in it,I googled the number plate and there’s photos of it in oxford street,Trafalgar Square,Piccadilly which is cool to have,I would love to know if anyone famous has been in it.
@@Richard-pu5nq you have to really want one as the the road tax is £600 a year on a 2007 tx4,insurance is expensive and they only do 23mpg,I wanted a london cab for over 20 years but I wouldn’t recommend just getting one on a whim.
@@fromaroundthewizzle yer I researched the tax today on a 58 plate I've seen in London it's £615 a year tax... I put a reg in before for a 10 plate that I was sat behind in Liverpool n that was £360..not sure if that's because it's not in London or because it's newer mate
@@Richard-pu5nq yes it’s the emissions,the engines are euro 4,5,6,i think my 2007 is euro 4 so that 2010 is probably a euro 5,lower emissions on the newer models.
Are ads on the cabs another source of income for drivers? Why don't all drivers have ads on their cabs? I guess fares for costumers will be the same regardless?
For the customer it'll be same price as the meter is set. Extra income for drivers or the company they rent cabs from. But most drivers will prefer a plain look
The TX4 must have seemed strange to the old hand taxi drivers and their passengers, after the larger, bulbous FX4. The TX4 has has a much shorter reign in service.
He's right - I have a TX2 as my private car & it feels lovely & solid but it rattles & rusts! I hit a muntjack deer in a Mercedes SLK a few years ago & it destroyed the front of the car, I hit one in the taxi earlier this year & not a mark on it (the taxi that is - the deer was sadly squished).
Free market economics - only taxi. No train. no tube. Mixed economy (Nordic model) - lots of train. Free tube. Some taxi. UK Model economy - Expensive taxi. Expensive Tube. Train on strike. Truss model economy - no taxi. No tube. No train. No idea.
is the TXE actually good for the environment? they are effectively petrol battery generators on wheels. would a petrol engine for propulsion be that much different to this method? rather than all the weight and the massive loss of energy converting fuel into electricity into kinetic energy. be a good video explaining how it works and if it is the best solution
In England 90 percent of power comes from gas, burning petrol or coal. Electric is a con In the UK imo. Actually worse for the environment as you have mined 100s of thousands of tons of rubble to get the metals for the battery alone. Then you are powering it like I said. Total joke tbh.
Not viable in terms of business. Electric is more efficient on fuel. Parts are very difficult to obtain. Also only have a 12 year limit and cannot be bought new, versus 15 year of electric. Khan has killed these diesels off
That makes sense I guess , but anyway I feel like the new cabs have a classier look to them ! I’m an Uber driver but I admire the hard work it takes for a cabbie to learn the knowledge and wish you all well in business! Which area do you cover most?
In terms of the build of the doors/body, just felt that these steel panels were more resistant against handlebar knocks than the aluminium panels of the TXE
Tx4’s are horrible taxis, complete bone shakers with a mountain high pile of problems. Terrified the engine will go bang after 100’000 miles. Ridiculous the taxi trade had to put up with such poor quality vehicles. Vito was the best but you looked like a minicab driver plus the rear wheel steering fiasco.
Vitro’s are rubbish parts and servicing cost a fortune. Don’t even start on the rear wheel steering. Ever tried putting a wheelchair passenger in the cab when it’s raining?
