Now that mobile-phone hailing's taken all the intrigue out of getting a taxi in London, somehow it seems less important that the iconic Hackney Carriage — that black car in which knackered (or pissed) Londoners ride home to Kensington — has been updated. The new TX4, whose name recalls the original FX4 of 1959, now has a Euro IV compliant 2.5-liter turbodiesel engine. Replacing the TXII models introduced in 2002, the TX4 comes in four spec levels: Driver, Bronze, Silver and Bob's Your Uncle Gold. They still have the famous 25-foot turning radius, but the new ones don't smell like old cider, John Player fags and a bit of the old "up and under."
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Form Follows Function: A New Standard Taxi?; Nemo, Here's Your New Mom: The Finnish CityCab [internal]