Recently I keep seeing black coloured Nissan Latio sedans on the road. I have a problem with the way the Latio sedan is styled. It basically has one of those failed hatchback to sedan designs. It may not be as ridiculously bad as the previous generation Honda City or that Pug Ugly Peugeot 207 Sedan. But it's close, quite close.

You see, the Latio Sedan maintains that ridiculously high roofline of the Latio Hatchback. It then has a truncated looking boot that makes the roof look even higher. And then it has small wheelarches, this also makes the roof and the body of the car look tall. The whole car is ungainly. It looks like it was designed for women whose hairdo require building permits due to height issues. It the good old days where men wore top hats the Latio would be well accepted. Men who wear such hats would love it. Women with those KLCC height hairstyles would adore them.

Racing drivers and tuners would totally hate the car for the unnecessary height. Anyone who thinks that their Nissan Latio is from the same Nissan tree as the GT-R must suffer from some sort of mental disorder. Really. The car that is the actual relation of the Nissan Latio sedan is actually a modernized London Taxi Cab. And if you buy a black Nissan Latio, it cements this link even further.

Let me give you a run down on the London taxi cab as well as comparing it with the Latio sedan.

Taken from everyone's favourite free encyclopedia – Wikipedia - The traditional black cab (so-called, despite being of various colours and advertising designs) is designed for its purpose. There have been many models over the years. The space beside the driver's seat can be used for luggage, although there is much luggage room in the passenger compartment. The turning circle is smaller than other vehicles of similar size (a black cab is said to be able to "turn on a sixpence"). The cab seats three people on the back seat, and two more in backwards-facing "jump seats"; there is good headroom, originally for passengers wearing top hats.

Now let's fill in the blanks with the Nissan Latio - The traditional Nissan Latio Sedan (so-called, family car despite being of various colours and advertising designs including something called the Latio Impul) is designed for its purpose. There have been many models over the years. The space beside the driver's seat can be used for luggage, although there is much luggage room in the passenger compartment. The turning circle is smaller than other vehicles of similar size (a Nissan Latio is said to be able to "turn on a sixpence"). The Nissan Latio interior seats three people on the back seat,"; there is good headroom, originally for passengers wearing top hats.

Okay, I've edited it slightly it slightly, but now take a look at the photos below. The similarities are striking and with that, I hereby state that if you buy a Nissan Latio Sedan, you're actually buying a London cab.  

It is THAT disproportionate in terms of looks.Press photos make it look decent. My photos make it look decent too. You have to see it for yourselves to see how horrid it is. Anyway, it is based on the the third-largest land mammal by weight, behind the white rhinoceros and both species of elephant. Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it can easily outrun a human with its efficient 1.6liter 156bhp turbocharged engine. 3008s have been clocked at 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances due to having the same engine as the current Mini Cooper S, the Peugeot 308GT and also due to its 6 speed automatic gearbox (over the ancient 4speed automatic in the 308 sold here in Malaysia).

And that folks, is the new Peugeot 3008. NAZA underestimated the demand for this in Malaysia as for RM145K, people seem to want this funny looking SUV. Some even chose to buy this due to Audi having a 1 year waiting list for its Q5 over the 3008's 8 to 10 month waiting list. Being more than a 100k cheaper yet still a European import makes it pretty desirable. But it's plain ugly and pretty pointless as it has no real off-road capability whatsoever. I'd never buy an SUV just for its commanding driving position especially if it looks like a hippo. People are buying for the badge, purely for the badge and the image (what image?) that a continental has over here in Malaysia.