For one day only, Manchester Taxi Tours took a trek around the city in something other than our famous black cab.
The Vauxhall VIVA is back, and it’s better than ever. Vauxhall have re-designed their iconic car with an all-new look. The only thing that has stayed the same is the name.
The vehicle has been completely reinvented with a sleek new high-spec design, perfect for the average day-to-day city commuter.
Manchester Taxi Tours‘ very own tour guide John Consterdine was honoured to be asked to road test the new VIVA around the city’s busy streets, and was impressed to say the least. Being more familiar with driving a spacious traditional Black Cab, John expected the car to be quite a remarkable downsize – but was left stunned.
“I’m surprised at the amount of space in here,” John said, “I can sit behind the driver’s seat as set for me, and there’s still room: that’s impressive. I could even use this as a cab; it would certainly be easy for nipping around the city streets.”
There was, of course, no better place to road test the new car than around the city of Manchester. From busy main roads to small cobbled streets, Manchester is the perfect place to put a new car through its paces, as well as explore the beauty of one of the UK’s greatest cities.
As John swapped his London Taxi for the new City Slicker, they took a trip to some of Manchester’s most iconic locations including Coronation Street, the Bridgewater Canal and a room dedicated to Manchester band The Smiths at Salford’s Lads Club.
In a video of the test drive, posted by Vauxhall, John can be seen gushing about his hometown which he knows so well.
“Manchester has got an absolutely fascinating history and it goes back over 2,000 years. Every era has left its mark on the city so we can go back to Roman Manchester, we’ve got a reconstruction of the Roman wall in Castlefield, right up to Media City and number One Angel Square. It’s just absolutely fantastic, what a great city that’s moving forward, building on the past but moving into the future. It’s absolutely spectacular.”
“We’ve got culture, art, music, history – everything you could possibly want to come for. Students come for the University, people come to visit for the football and the great concerts that are on. Fantastic city.”
A trip to Manchester wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Salford’s MediaCity, and so that’s where John took the VIVA for its last visit of the day. The city’s digital hub is home to the likes of BBC and ITV production companies, as well as many other media creatives.
John says: “There are so many aspects that fit together. Manchester is greater than the sum of its parts. You couldn’t take the innovation or the football, or the music out; it wouldn’t be the same. It’s the Mancunian spirit.”
After a fun day driving the VIVA, it’s safe to say that John was truly impressed but won’t be trading in his black cab for one any time soon.
Click here to read the full article on John’s road test of the Vauxhall VIVA.
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