When you think of a comfortable, luxury ride; a three-wheeler does not quite fit in. In fact, in many developing countries in Asia, three-wheelers are public transport and are used because not only are they cheaper fare wise, they are also cheaper for owners or drivers to buy. Comfort, however, is not a word commonly associated with the autorickshaws of India or the tuk-tuks of Thailand.
In other, more upscale parts of the world, three-wheelers have been a “car culture” of sorts, much like ATVs and other ridiculous means of transportation that people buy because they have money. Even so, many three-wheeled cars or trikes failed because they weren't safe enough, fast enough, comfortable enough, or most importantly: affordable enough.
It all ends with the Vanderhall Carmel. It promises to be a three-wheeler that adds all the trimmings of luxury, power, and comfort to a car but is cheaper because its not really a car... Read on.
Finally, A Trike, With Doors
The first three-wheeler came about in 1885 under Karl Benz's design, and there have been many since then. Initially, three-wheelers came about as a need for cheaper and smaller vehicles, and later, as taxes evolved, they began to be seen as a way of reducing these very taxes to bring about a cheaper vehicle, more balanced than a two-wheeler.
Others were made for sheer show value, like the Peel P50, the smallest production car ever. Later, three-wheelers began to be made for sport and for status value. Enter luxury three-wheelers like Vanderhall, but even they admit, they have made nothing like the Carmel till now.
Most three-wheelers do not have doors, sometimes lacking a roof even, and no space for air-con. But the Vanderhall Carmel, named after an upscale town in California, boasts it all. Roof, doors, and aircon, we mean. 19-inch wheels make it a high rider, and the 1.5-liter turbo-charged the inline-four engine makes a very cool 200 horses and 203 ft-lb torque, plenty for a three-wheeled wonder. Like the other Vanderhall three-wheelers, this engine is also sourced from GM, only its aluminum instead of being iron and all the lighter because of it.
So not only can the Vanderhall Carmel take you fast with all eyes on you, it can provide all the creature comforts of a car with all four wheels. Only thing is, since its a three-wheeler, make sure you check the road laws in your area before driving it down because some state laws demand it to be driven with a helmet on, like with motorcycles.
Luxurious Yet Affordable
As we stated, the very idea of a three-wheeler is to save on costs and on taxes. So mostly, three-wheelers are not very expensive, but the Vanderhall Carmel is a whole thesis in economizing.
Let's extrapolate: A Polaris Slingshot, with no doors, no roof, and no luxury is priced around $30,000. Similarly, the 2017 Morgan 3-Wheeler, which basically uses a motorcycle engine (as opposed to a car's engine that the Vanderhall uses) costs between $35,000-40,000. Again, no doors or luxury to speak of.
But the Vanderhall Carmel starts at about $34,500 and tops out at around $43,950. For this price, not only does it come with everything every three-wheeler gives but has the added advantage of really cool suicide doors and a cap shade for a roof. Along with this, the Vanderhall Carmel also boasts good brakes, cruise control, Bluetooth, a heater, heated seats, and much, much more!
In Three Trims, At 138MPH Top Speeds
The Vanderhall Carmel is completely hand-built, and sort of an eighth wonder in these times of complete automation. It is offered in three trims of GT, Standard, and Blackjack all with varying features.
Blackjack is the base trim, priced at $34,950 and has only the bare-minimum essentials, with a matte-black paint. The Standard costs $39,950 and gets 19-inch wheels, synthetic seats, and two paint choices between a silver and a blue. Finally, the GT is the top trim at $43,950 and gets paddle shifters and a cap shade with a shorter windshield, leather interiors, and a lot more.
The GM-engine can not only make the Vanderhall Carmel whiz about at top speeds of 138mph and do 0-60mph in a flat 4.5 seconds; it sounds like a World Rally car when you press that pedal. There is no cooler trike out there, yet...
To prove that it’s not just another car or even an autocycle, Vanderhall even made a trilogy about the Carmel with three microfilms. All three are out on YouTube and weave a beautiful story about the Carmel and why you simply must have one.
The final verdict is simple. It's not a car, or even close to what three-wheelers have been. Its a Vanderhall Carmel and it comes cheap, oozes with luxury, and promises a thrilling ride. Plus, all eyes will be on you when you drive down any road in it. So, do we want one? Hell, yeah!
Sources: DigitalTrends, TopGear, CarBuzz