You’ll never guess who I had in the back...

We’ll start with the business end: what does a taxi offer your passengers? Well, first of all, there’s room for five in the ‘rear saloon’, which sounds like something from a cowboy movie, but is actually the official term for the area where the Billy Bunters sit, as a cabbie would put it.

If you have a relative who uses a wheelchair or mobility scooter (or even has a mountain bike), all the better, as most ex-london cabs come with a slide out ramp and an adaptable seatbelt – primarily designed to secure wheelchairs in place, but with no end of uses in a working vehicle. We bought our cab from a window cleaner and he used the wheelchair belt to secure his bucket!

Young children? No problem. That fold-down middle armrest in the rear has a second purpose – pull out the sides and it turns into a built-in booster seat. Eat your heart out Volvo. As for headroom? Not even Marge Simpson would struggle for space.

It’s extremely comfortable up-front, too. After all, a taxi was designed to be driven all day, every day, so a lot of attention was paid to the driving position. The driver’s seat is air sprung, with fold-down armrests and a vacuum-fed lumbar support that’s operated by means of a squeezy bulb rather than an awkward rotary knob – a bit like an office chair.

The dashboard is a car geek’s dream, as you can play ‘spot the part’. The dials are from a Rover 100, the door mirrors from a Ford Galaxy/vw Sharan, the heater controls from a Nissan Micra and the steering wheel and column stalks from a Nissan Vanette. And the air vents? Ford Mondeo, as it happens, as is the electric mirror knob.

It’s all intuitively laid out, albeit with function well and truly taking precedence over form, while the fake wood found on Silver trim upwards is cringingly naff. Nevertheless, it’s a comfortable place to be, with a huge centre cubby-hole large enough to hold a day-sized flask of tea, massive door pockets and a lockable glovebox that works off a separate key to the doors and ignition, which is handy for your cash fares. To the left of the driver is the luggage area, which is big enough for five large suitcases, as per the design brief, with lashing points to hold them in place.

One of the most appealing aspects of owning a taxi will be appreciated by anyone who has ever been asked “Are we nearly there yet?” for the four-hundredth time in a car journey. Simply slide the soundproof screen into place, crank Creedence Clearwater Revival up to 11 and pretend the ankle biters aren’t even there.