You may have noticed a new trend in hatchback design, cars like this VW here.
They are essentially still hatchbacks, but a bit taller
and quite a lot more expensive.
Their makers will tell you that they're a lot more versatile,
a lot more practical and all the usual old toot.
But are they actually any good?
Well, to find out, Hammond and I had to subject them
to years' worth of hard abuse, but we had one evening.
So, how were we going to give them a lifetime's use in half a day?
Easy. We'll take them minicabbing on a Friday night in south London.
Our shift starts at four in the afternoon
and it goes all the way through to one in the morning.
So, let's have a look at the minicabs we'll be driving for nine hours.
I'm starting with the Renault Scenic.
It's got five seats, it's well-equipped... but it costs £18,500,
two grand more than the equivalent Renault hatchback.
There are loads of cubbyholes in here, some quite obvious such as this one,
and some not so obvious, such as...
this one.
The centre console can be made to slide backwards and forwards
so you can trade rear legroom for cup holders.
And there's more. There are three individual rear seats.
They all slide, they all fold, or they can all be removed completely,
so that you can moonlight as a van with a helpful driver.
And this is Ford's version.
It's called the C-Max. It's based on the next Focus
and it too has got five seats and a hefty price tag of £16,500.
It's a tall car, presumably for tall people.
It seats five, but if there's only four of you,
then the rear two seat passengers have got a treat,
because you can roll that middle seat forwards, actually take that out,
then the outer two slide backwards together. Which is clever.
At the front, there's the centre console. It's like one of those puzzles.
Open the top and there a bit of storage space,
and then you open it up again and there's loads.
Shall I tell you what amazes me about this?
When I went for the test, I had to fill in a huge form
that said I hadn't murdered anybody, I wasn't psychotic.
And you could drive a car.
I wasn't going to overthrow the British government and then I had a medical.
At no point did anybody ask me if I had a sense of direction!
Well, we'll soon find out. Here we go.
This is me.
You want 315 Wimbledon Park Road, 24-Mary.
Roger. Thank you.
UK9-91, Replingham Road, off Merton Road.
Replingham Road?
Okay.
Here we go, minicabbing.
Unlike Hammond's minicab, my Renault has sat nav.
I'd be cheating if I used it
because, A, it's a £1,000 option and no minicab would have it,
and, B, it would mean I knew where I was going.
Instead I've got a plastic stick-on compass
and, of course, the trusty old A-Z, which is now more like the B-Z.
It is, I've got to say, a bit gloomy in here
but there's loads of space.
If I got a call saying the Pope needed picking up from a nightclub.
No worries, straight in here.
In truth, I'm probably not the one to test for headroom.
But my first customer, that was a different matter.
I'm your cab.
-Now, you're really tall. -I am. Do you want to know how tall I am?
-How tall are you? -6'5".
And have you got room?
I have a problem with headroom in a lot of these cars.
There's a little bit of a headroom problem here, but you know...
It's not bad!
Are there any perks to being a pathologist?
When I did find my first fare, she happened to be a fencer,
with a bag of nice long swords.
An ideal test, then, for the Scenic. Would its boot swallow them up?
No.
-Cheers, Mark. -Nice to meet you.
My first fare.
Are you being recorded to test if you would be good as a presenter?
No, I am a presenter. Do you mind?
-Sorry. -This isn't my real job.
Don't tread on my radio or I'll be...
At last, a car full of people, including a couple of burly rugby player types.
-Oh, right. -Where are we going?
Wandsworth Common.
-Straight ahead! -Oh, thank you.
-We're testing this car as a minicab. -It's quite good.
It only takes four though.
You've got loads of gadgets on that steering wheel.
We've got a stereo.
-Is that for each seat? -Yes. That's for him.
-Yeah. My arse is burning off. -Yeah.
I left his heat setting on five. I thought that might...
It was the wrong thing to do.
UK 98. UK 99.
UK 98 receiving you.
-Yes. -It's a lady's hen night.
Make sure you get the right people. Two cars. Contact name is Bonny.
I just hope nobody's sick.
There's a man with his girlfriend being sick on him. That's nice.
It's quarter to one.
-Are you waiting for a taxi? -Yes, we are.
-Are we going to swap cars? -Well, I'll have a go in yours.
There you go. Somebody gave me cheese. Really stinks.
Smells nice in here.
Good evening.
Do you mind if I come back a bit? My colleague is rather short in the leg.
-I want to ask your opinion on this car. -It's smooth.
-Smooth, okay. -Spacious.
-It is spacious. -Legroom.
-Lots of legroom. -Plenty legroom.
Rear legroom you said is not that good?
-It's ordinary. -It's nothing special.
-Good... what do you call it? -Suspension.
Suspension. That's it, darling.
This car is much harder than the Renault in front. I was just about to say that.
That's actually French and very soft and feels quite luxurious,
whereas this feels a bit more sporty, I suppose
Yes, the unmistakable sound there of a woman pretending to be interested.
Meanwhile, my lot focused in on what mattered to them.
-We have a drinks tray! -Brilliant! Do we have a mini bar?
-That's good. -Is there vodka?
So, are you going somewhere else tonight?
No, that's the end of our shift. You're our last job.
So, you can come party with us afterwards.
No. Generous as their offer was, we had to decline the champagne and Jacuzzi,
because we had something much more interesting to do,
come to a verdict on these people carriers.
So, we've driven them. What do you think?
Well, I think I'd have the Renault.
Well, I reckon the C-MAX is gloomy.
-It really is dark and miserable. -Like living in a piece of coal.
They're all about the interior and the Renault interior is simply better.
-It's also got a stronger engine. -Yeah.
If I had to have one I'd have the Renault, but I do have a serious issue,
which is that compared with the equivalent straightforward hatchback in each range,
these are about £2,000 more
and I still can't quite work out where the £2,000 goes.
I'm thinking, for example, tonight, at what point did I really feel
that I needed the Scenic rather than just a Megane?
The duelling girl with the swords, I still couldn't get those in the boot.
Your tall bloke, he still couldn't really fit in the back properly.
-I agree. -It's a slight con in that respect.
I think maybe it is. So, we're agreed. Of the two, we'd have the Renault.
We can see the point of mini MPVs as an updated hatch,
but... they're just not worth it.
We can't square the price difference.
£2,000 extra just smacks a bit of a rip-off.
What are you paying for?