Auto News 5

The most famous image of a New York City taxicab is probably the opening of the TV series Taxi, in which, through five seasons and endless cable repeats, Judd Hirsch piloted a yellow cab across the Queensboro Bridge. Drive your cab across that bridge for real and you end up at Dynamic Auto Repair, right off the bridge in Long Island City, where thousands of taxis are repaired and maintained each year. Dynamic was founded a decade ago by three brothers from Corona: William (pictured above), Junior, and Gio Ibanez. The shop stands next to one of the city's largest fleets, whose 300-some taxis mean a steady stream of work. "These cars run twenty-four hours a day, and the shocks and tires take a beating," says William, who directs the place. "You've got to change the oil every two weeks or these cars won't last." At shift changes, the cars gather like cattle in a feed lot. Guys yell at the drivers to hurry up the swap. Wounded cars come in for work. "It gets really crazy and chaotic," William says. The windows of Dynamic's two big garage doors are frosted with grime. Inside are eyeless yellow shells of Ford Crown Victorias up on lifts and car doors tilted against the walls. At one time, almost all taxis were Crown Vics, but today there are also hybrid Ford Escapes, Nissan Altimas, and Toyota Camrys.

Finally, a Nissan in a mainstream segment that possesses some of the charm and style of the brand's many niche offerings. I love the Quest's slab-sided styling, if only because it goes directly against the swoopy-van trend currently pursued by the new Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. It's almost like it's saying, "Yeah I'm a huge van designed for carrying around juice boxes and dog kennels. You got a problem with that?" I don't. The interior isn't quite as spunky -- no shag carpets here, like in the Cube -- but is still more interesting to look at than the cabins of its main competitors. I'm too young and too single to test the van's kid-and-crap-carrying capability, but I do like the utility of the deep underfloor storage bin behind the third row.

I wish I could have spent more time in the Grand Caravan to fully judge the interior of this van versus the Chrysler Town & Country and the others that recently passed through our garage. But for ten grand less than the Honda Odyssey and five grand less than the Chrysler and the Toyota Sienna, this Dodge is tough to quibble with. In fact, the most glaring complaint I have about the Caravan still holds in the Town & Country: the light gray plastic on the doors is too plasticky and also is a bad choice as a color, since it is too light and will immediately look scuffed, worn, and dirty in the hands (and feet) of any family.