Hey Guys, as some of you may or may not know the classic Mini had a rival started by Mr bean and his classic......known as the Reliant Robin ( a 3 wheeled ugly little thing for people who couldn't get a drivers license) Here's a beautiful scene of the hate :



and in that spirit I delcare the modern rival to be the Smart Car!





SO WHO'S WITH ME???

These things have been in Canada for a couple of years now, but are just trickling to the USA, that's how they do it,
like the plague before you know it BLAM it's an infestation .

We need a Smart car haters club sig
Can some please modify this...

We should be able to get celebrity endorsement from Rowan Atkinson......... I'll email him

({fine print}Disclaimer: This is only in fun, I will assume no responsibility for harm or hard feelings towards the Smart or the Mercedes Benz Corp..................... so there na na na{undo fine print})


HATER #1: #20Works4me

 

I am kinda indifferent to be honest. The only problem I see with them is that there are plenty of cars that get equal to or greater than fuel economy, and are actually cheaper...

...ok, there are places that are easier to park with a SMART, but since I will be walking a distance from parking the MINI, I really don't care.

 

Great footing of a Reliant Robin getting it's due on Top Gear.

FLY ROBIN FLY!




BTW, how do you get the YouTube button to work for posting?

 

Hey Desert Sand no being on the fence, you're either in or out.... the plague will getcha

Gromit801 in or out? Comon join the army!
BTW great video I forgot about that one, LOVE Top Gear Sweet justice!

 

Nah, we might end up having to buy one of those. Our commute is killing us.

 

Commute is killing you with a MINI?? Sheesh!!!

I can't imagine how far it is. Mine is 80 miles total a day, and I am currently doing it in a 16mpg vehicle..!!! FTW....

....and while we are at it....screw the SMART!!!

 

ok, I am off the fence!!

 

Dude, your driving a MCS JCW!! At least try a MC not a Smart!! please please don't go to the darkside.. he's not your brother he's faking

Ataboy!

 

Some Smarts are beginning to pop in Miami. I think they look interesting (I saw them first in Europe years ago) but unfortunately these things are just street legal golf karts with a fancy interior and exterior. There are better "conventional" cars out there that offer more space, better performance and fuel economy for the same or less money than the Smart.

 

Aww, a whole club on NAM against me and my Smart?

Ah well, guess I'll go make myself feel better by parking in more spaces that Minis can only dream of In the last day or so I've already had multiple occasions where I'da been circling the area for a long time if I was in the MCS but instead got insanely small spaces with the Smart

Sorry you guys are hating on them though, I'd hate to feel so unwanted on NAM

PS: It actually is fun to drive and pretty darn safe too - and most importantly, heated seats!

 

I'd rather a 'infestation' of Smarts' than the current overpopulation of SUV's!

 

other than parking, and the fact that they are cool looking, I really can't see why people will buy one over a MINI or other small four seater.

I really thought that they would get more like 50 or 60 mpg, though. THEN they would have had something going on.

I did ride in a smart roadster around the nurburgring once. THAT was fun, but the roadster is not made any more, just the fortwo and the fortwo convertible thing.

 

The new Smart is limited to 90MPH and the thing takes like 14-15 secs to reach 60MPH from standstill. Soviet era Trabant performance if you ask me. Clearly, the Smart is nothing more and nothing less than a car to commute in the city. Not really intended to be a highway cruiser. Interesting concept that needs better mechanicals. A Toyota Yaris or Honda Fit will smoke the thing.

 

Only 80 miles??? Mine is 170 miles, and I have a Chevy because it gets better gas mileage than the MINI.

As for the SMART, I'm still on the fence. There are several vehicles out there I dislike more than the SMART. (Of course there are quite a few that I like more than the SMART.) I did get to drive one around an Italian AF base a couple of years ago. I kind of liked it, but it wouldn't benefit me on my long highway commute.

 

Take the string after the "v=" -- in this case "NwIhEDq6tdY" -- and wrap it in YOUTUBE tags. Voila! (Don't include the double-quotes, of course.)

 

I like the Smart for what it is (relatively efficient, 2-seater, city car)...the packaging overall is very, very clever. I don't see it as a direct MINI competitor, though, so I'm for it!!

 

What's cool about the Smart is the fact that you can change the plexiglass exterior panels with different colors. From a design point of view, the car is very interesting. It needs and engine and transmission that gives the thing the justice it deserves.

 

I said OUR commute. My wife drives 180 miles a day, round trip. My commute is 32 miles round trip. All gets drained out of the same fund. Moving is not an option.

I can get about 300 miles a tank if I behave. The JCW isn't sucking it down, it's my wife's commute. The part of the "OUR commute" I referred to.

I figured we spend over $4000 in gas over the last 12 months.

 

Those are crazy commutes! I would go insane if I had to drive 180 miles round trip every day! Sorry I am an urbanist and resist the idea of long work commutes because I believe those are detrimental to community living and quality of life in general.

 

Hey this is a fun thread let's not get all serious here! There's enough of those threads already.

Eval don't worry we still luv ya. But from what I read:

You actually are more exited about finding a parking spot and getting out of the car, instead of actually driving it!!!
Just Kiddin...... let's keep it fun that was my only intention.

 

Well, that what happens when you have a lot of years with a company, don't want to lose retirement and benefits, but they don't pay enough to live near work. In this case, the SF Bay Area. So you have to live where housing is affordable (kind of), and deal with a commute.

 

+1

 

Yeah, I don't believe the Smart car is really a direct competitor with Mini either. At best the Smart car is an around town car, I can't imagine how safe of a car it could be with highway driving or in any accident.

 

I was concerned about all those number too, but I'm glad I don't buy cars based on specs, numbers and what silly reviewers who don't even try to learn /optimize a car (like the Smart with its different transmission) have to say. The 0-60 really doesn't indicate how perky it feels around town and, again, is simply fun to drive with fantastic high visibility. The number don't reveal the responsive steering or the fact that most people are actually way slower off the line then me and my little Smart in real life, and once we are going it is as good or better then any car darting around.

Nothing Soviet era Trabant about the experience And fwiw, I didn't buy it for a long commute or highway cruiser, but there seem to be people actually quite happy using it that way and going up to its past the speed limit limiter (one that stands out is a BMWCCA instructor that popped up on a Smart forum). No doubt it is way more effected by wind then other vehicles out there, but then again there are cars and bikes dealing with the same stuff all over the road here and elsewhere in the world and they are fine, like the Mini you just have to be awake and involved with driving vs snoozing behind the wheel with cruise control on in an immovable insolated barge.

And again, it from my short time with it I can say that the fact it is so easy to park and won't dent or ding really is a nice quality of life improvement. This may be meaningless to those who live in a different environment, but for me and others in cities it really is notable.

So can I join the club as a mole? :D

 

I hear you loud and clear.