DOTS: A Wild Thicc Boi Appears!

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 10/16/2020 at 10:04 • Filed to: Dots, mobility ventures, MV-1

3

43

“ISTANCE”

This is the first time I have seen a Mobility Ventures MV-1 in person. This came as quite a shock.

Apparently MARTA operates this MV-1 as some sort of specialist wheelchair accessible shuttle bus on call. I know my college does something similar with having Transit vans on call that operate sort of like complimentary taxis for the convenience of disabled students, even though technically anyone can call them.

Seeing the MV-1, I just though, “wow, that is one chonky boi.” It’s not exactly ugly but it sure isn’t very graceful looking. If you look carefully, you can see on the bottom left corner of the hatch there is a V16 badge. What?

This was the only photo I got of the front. The styling is grounded in the same chunky early 2010s futurism as the first gen Honda Ridgeline.

The Taco got in the way but is at least not entirely boring. I like the red Tacoma script and brush bar. Rims appear to be quite nice too.

I can’t help but be impressed by the fact that these were made at all but their appeal is so niche I’m not surprised they failed. Are these a regular sight for any of you? Does anyone know what they are like to drive? 

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:15

1

I see one running around town fairly regularly. Nearest dealer is in Massachusetts.

Herb Chambers MV-1 of Massachusetts

facw > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:16

1

Used to see them with some frequency when I lived in New York (not the most common cab, but there were a lot of cabs). Also seemed relatively common in Chicago when I visited in 2012. I saw one here probably a month ago. I find them hilariously ugly, and it’s not at all clear to me why they aren’t just a normal van.

ibRAD > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:19

1

I’ve seen one around my town now and then. Never knew what it was beyond some sort of accessible tranport.

InFierority Complex > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:21

2

I see them pretty regularly at work and a nonprofit that is on my commute has a fleet of about a dozen of them.

It’s not a v16 badge i t says VPS, it’s the first company that built them before Mobility Ventures took over.

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:30

1

Yes, oddly enough, I used to regularly see a privately-owned one here in North AL. Local taxi company has one, too.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 10/16/2020 at 10:32

0

How does that dealer still exist? They have three cars!

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:32

1

I see them fairly regularly in my city, owned and operated by the local public transit. They were primarily sold to public transits, though the synagogue near where I grew up had one that operated privately, I assume as a shuttle for elderly members. Cool vehicles. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy 10/16/2020 at 10:33

0

Never seen one before now. My local taxi company had some real oddballs but never an MV-1. Not that their Nissan Frontiers and 4Runners probably got any better gas mileage. 

Kiltedpadre > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:33

1

There was one sitting on a buy here pay here lot near my old job for quite awhile. No clue if it’s still there, but I can’t imagine it would be an easy sell. A local nursing home used to have a couple in their fleet, but I think they’ve been replaced with regular wheelchair accessible minivans.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > InFierority Complex 10/16/2020 at 10:34

2

VPG, Vehicle Production Group, isn’t it? 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > facw 10/16/2020 at 10:35

1

I’m not sure either. I think it has something to do with needing a low floor but also minivans exist so IDK. Modified minivans get much better MPGs too and the MV-1 very much does not.

This is the first one I’ve seen though. 

InFierority Complex > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/16/2020 at 10:36

1

Oo ps, you’re right. Not sure what I got S from.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > InFierority Complex 10/16/2020 at 10:36

0

Oh, that would make more sense. It’s such a weird car in reality but it sounds good on paper. Not sure that the demand was ever quite there for them to exist in the first place when modified minivans are almost as good. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ibRAD 10/16/2020 at 10:37

0

Never seen one before now. Makes sense as an on call specialist disability friendly transport shuttle but I’ve never quite understood why it had to be its own thing.

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:39

0

Herb Chambers Auto Group is fairly sizeable. Sixty dealerships and 33 brands.

https://www.herbchambers.com/

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/16/2020 at 10:39

0

They’re pretty interesting and pretty wacky. I never quite understood why they were so chonky, heavy, and inefficient though. Seems like chopping the back off a minivan and building something up from there would be more efficient and more practical but IDK.

Roundbadge > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:39

1

There are several in this area, enough that seeing them is not uncommon .  A couple are owned by the local RTA, one by an ADA advocacy group, not sure about the other(s).

ttyymmnn > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:40

1

Cap Metro in Austin has the MV-1. I’m sure it’s quite utilitarian, but it’s also quite unattractive. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 10/16/2020 at 10:41

0

That’s a lot of variety there. They really do sell everything. 

Roundbadge > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/16/2020 at 10:41

2

Yep.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ttyymmnn 10/16/2020 at 10:43

1

If anything, it almost seems too utilitarian. It just seems like a minivan would be almost as good and not weigh 50,000 pounds and get 2 mpg. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Roundbadge 10/16/2020 at 10:44

0

This is the first one I’ve ever seen. They’re such a wacky vehicle in practice with a hilariously small niche audience. It’s kind of odd I never saw a specialist disability friendly shuttle vehicle for the transit sy stem back home.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Kiltedpadre 10/16/2020 at 10:46

0

Well regular converted minivans get much better MPGs and aren’t a massive unwieldy body on frame beast. They always seemed overbuilt for what they needed to do to me.

A buy-here-pay-here back home had a random NIssan NV200 in full NY Taxi livery that still had all the lettering intact. Sometimes you really have to wonder how or why they buy some things. 

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:47

1

The y do have quite a big selection of premium brands, and something for the rest of us.

ibRAD > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 10:47

1

I guess if you have a big enough market it’s worthwhile. I imagine it’s better than a van conversion but I don’t have any experience with either.

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 11:06

1

First time I saw one was on the highway, couldn’t see any badges or anything.  I ended up Googling something like, “Car that looks like a London taxi” to figure out what the heck it was.

Maxima Speed > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 11:06

1

It is a regular sig ht for me now as i work for a university which operates several of them for shuttle service. Was very cool the first time i saw it and had no clue what it was.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 11:08

1

They’re really heavy and big. They have a V8 for long term reliability and fleet service.

They do the job way better than a minivan or a BOF van with a lift setup. Here’s what they look like inside:

The ramp stows under the floor. Really, it an ingenious design, but it was so niche that it’s surprising it was a s successful as it was.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 11:16

1

It answers the question “what if we max the stats of functionality, and put no points into style?”

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/16/2020 at 11:57

1

Yeah the large flat floor and integrated ramp was its big selling point. They're honestly probably some of the most overbuilt vehicles of their size made this decade but they are quite niche. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 10/16/2020 at 11:59

1

Though it’s not like they really needed to be good looking. Problem is they are really dopey looking.

Reminds me of how weird looking Workhorse’s el ectric pickup thing was/is. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Maxima Speed 10/16/2020 at 11:59

1

Indeed. It took me looking at my pictures for a badge to remember what they are called. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy 10/16/2020 at 12:00

0

Don't insult the London taxi like that. They're way better looking. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Roundbadge 10/16/2020 at 12:00

1

I didn't know they were made by AM General. The history of the thing is so much stranger than I thought 

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 12:01

1

Yup

Jim Spanfeller > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/16/2020 at 12:21

0

... Is it weird that I kinda like it?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller 10/16/2020 at 12:28

1

Yes but we're all a bit odd ourselves. . . 

Taylor Martin > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/18/2020 at 17:51

0

I mean, here in Florida there are lots of old people, so I see these once every month or two... still, certainly not a super seller, but old people gotta be driven around somehow...

I want to drive one, just to know what it’s like.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Taylor Martin 10/18/2020 at 18:16

1

It’s probably like driving a Crown Vic with another Crown Vic on the roof. It weighs the same as a small star and probably ha does about as well. Probably not the most fun to drive.

This is the first I've ever seen. They're ungainly brutes aren't they?

Taylor Martin > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/18/2020 at 18:22

0

They’re quite tubby, yes, but for good reason... though the front end didn’t have to be that gargantuan.

You say it handles about the same as a small star, and I’d like to point out that the fastest star is going at 745 miles per second, and is taking the racing line straight out of our galaxy.

https://www.space.com/28737-fastest-star-galaxy-strange-origin.html

Though yes, the thing weighs 5000lbs and is being pulled by 258 horses... not stellar...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Taylor Martin 10/18/2020 at 19:20

1

Well that’s more horsepower than my mom’s XC90 and that weighs about the same. With RWD it honestly might handle better too compared to the FWD Swedish barge.

Most stars clearly don't nail that apex like that.  8nteresting though.  

Taylor Martin > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/18/2020 at 22:27

0

That Volvo is a large lad, but I feel like because the MV-1 is so tall you wouldn’t want to handle it around a corner. At least the XC90 is kind of wide to make up for it, but the MV-1 would probably take the cake on a straightaway...

Would be an excellent road test though.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Taylor Martin 10/18/2020 at 22:52

1

The MV-1 is reasonably wide though. Probably still a pig in the corners.