There was a SMART demo today in Seattle that I went to. I already ordered my MC, but I figured it was still worth checking out. I was all prepared to hate it, but it really didn't drive too bad. The throttle has that annoying feeling that you have to almost floor it to actually raise the RPMs. I had heard alot of complaints about how the transmission programing is bad( 5 speed automated tranny with electric clutch) I left it in manual mode the whole time. Test drives were pretty much around the block, probably a mile total. Alleged milage is upper fourties, according to the employees. Has anyone else driven one here is the states?

 

I test drove it twice, two separate days, when the tour was down in the SF bay area last wk. I waited 30min one day, and 1hr the next day and just my luck ended up in the same Passion model with the same chapparone despite having 4 cars on rotation.

 

Did it feel like a car or more like a heavy golf cart?

 

I "reserved" a SMART some months ago and was invited to an "exclusive test drive" last month. test drove around a football stadium in a closed off parking lot. didn't get it up past 50 mph!

If I lived in a gated community with a few errands to run every day in town, I would love it. But not for the highway and definitely not for long hauls.

on the plus side:
It is pretty cool looking design wise and the interior is really nice and surprisingly roomy.

[Sadly makes the MC dash look el cheapo.]

Also, got free food and drink, so it was a nice couple of hours.

 

IF they get a dealership around here and IF they sell them for no more than MSPR, I may get one for our kids to share. It's cheap, it's slow, it's safe. Right now, there is an "exotic" car dealer in the area selling them for $35k!!!!!

 

Smart had several ForTwos in Virginia Beach last weekend for test drives. My wife and I both test drove them. You got to drive a loop through a neighborhood behind the shopping center they were set up in. I thought the design was excelent and the overall build quality seemd very good. Plenty of leg and head room for two people and reasonable cargo room behind the seats. We both thought the interior felt "cheap". Couldn't really get it up over 40 or 45 on those roads but handling felt good. With the transmission in automatic mode the shifting harsh pretty harsh/jerky. With the transmission in the paddle shifter mode I could wind the RPMs up a little higher and it would shift a little better but I still didn't like it. We're not planning to get one but it was fun to check them out.

 

Saw one on the road today .....It looks like a golf cart .

 

I test drove one where the Road Tour was here outside Philadelphia. The engine is ok if you have realistic expectations. There is a trick to make the manual shift smoothly (i.e. take your foot off the gas when you shift). It is roomy on the inside to say the least! Huge panoramic roof too.

Some things that I just didn't like: First and for most the interior looks cheap as can be. Secondly the Smart really pitched and yawed when I went into a corner with any kind of gusto. Made me nervous actually.

I cancelled my smart reservation and will soon be ordering a new MCSc to replace my current 2003 MC.

 

Probably best for close range 45mph max going to work kinda car. I see a lot of them in Toronto.

 

I was camping in Wisconsin a few years ago and there was a smart car from Canada. They actually pulled a small trailer behind it on their trip. I think that setup attracted more attention than anything else there.

 

I had the opportunity to drive a smart today, the tour was here in Northern VA. The drive was short so it didn't give me an opportunity to really experience the car as much as I would have liked, but I was impressed overall. The ride was smooth and it the car felt tight and solid. It definitely lacks any real speed, but the engine seemed reasonably responsive. The seats are up high which makes the car feel a lot bigger than it is. In talking to some of the representatives there, I mentioned in passing that I had a MINI and both were quick to point out that the Smart Car was NOT a MINI competitor. I agree to an extent, but they seemed a little defensive about it, which I found funny.

As mentioned above, if you live in a busy city and you need basic transportation, a basic Smart could be a great option. However, once you load one up you're getting close in price to the MINI Cooper and I would take a bare bones Cooper over a loaded Smart any day. The MINI is a driver's car, the Smart is basic transportation, they are VERY different. The only similarity is that both are small (although compared to the Smart, the MINI is massive!).

 

those tiny cars are pretty incredible. makes the MC feel like a GTI
vs those, huh?

 

ive been putting up with them for a couple years in canada now. just so you know, if you drive one, you must drive at least 70-75mph in a 55 mph zone in the left lane. You do not use the right or middle lane except to go to and from the on/off ramps in a single quick action (you can do that because the low center of gravity). I think you must drive the car with the pedal fully depressed because they are always the fastest cars on the highway. They must be compensating for something (or trying not to be recognized in the "car" they bought). Just a heads up on how to expect these things to behave on the highway. Every single one of them does this without fail. I wonder what kind of milage they actually get with these driving habbits?

Beecher

 

do they make you feel smarter after you drive one?

 

My GF and I paid that "reserve" price and are seriously thinking of getting one for her daily driver. As is she is using my Wrangler and that just eats gas. The Mini I have was 75 HP prior to my motor swap, so I know what to expect for that HP. I hope we get an invite to a test drive sometime soon. I'd like to see what all the talk is about. I personally will love the thing from the "I can park anywhere I please" perspective. There are places in parking garages locally that are NOT marked no parking as no normal car will fit. I tuch the Mini in just fine. I also wonder what the case law will say to backing into paralell spots like the Smarts do in England. They fit right in if you back them in, so it will be something that will have to be looked into I am sure. I will likely be in court over it at some point opinting out that the car fits.

 

Coupla reviews I recently ran across:

http://cars.about.com/b/2007/12/30/t...rtwo-coupe.htm

http://magazine.windingroad.com/wind...pm=1&u1=friend

http://men.style.com/gq/features/lan...d=content_6245


I wasn't sure about getting one, but all the tiny parking spaces I regularly have to pass up on top of the good reviews/first hand reports is making me kind of excited that we have an early reservation.

Plus, seeing so many of them (new ones included) in person 'smartly' zipping around London and France last fall made me appreciate them in a new way.

 

That's funny, just watched the video from the GQ review and the guy goes on Skyline Blvd here locally

 

hummm... only 33/40mpg? with only 70hp, i would've guessed more like
40/50mpg minimum.

my old civicEX was doing close to 40mpg and it had a 140hp motor.

 

Our Insight gets 60-70mpg. The SMART just doesn't quite impress me.

 

No worries, we'll be in the restaurant having found easy parking for a car under 9 ft long while people with other cars will still be looking

Really, as a city car parking is more important then even higher mileage to me. That and the seat heaters are key

From the sound of it though people are finding it fun, well sorted, and with good space for stuff for grocery runs or whatnot, so it sounds good to me. I'll be curious how the safety skeleton holds up with crash tests, but am happy it does have both front and side curtain airbags. Seems like a well thought out city car and am hoping it is.

 

I drove one in Cambridge MA when they came through, and I thought it was a piece of crap. The only remarkable thing about it is how short it is. The transmission felt unrefined and awkward. It's as tall as a minivan, yet has negligible storage space, and it gets the same fuel economy as Honda Fit or any number of other far more practical cars. Unless fitting into tiny parking spaces is a huge deal for someone, I don't understand why anyone would buy one of these, other than for attention.

 

To each his own of course, but based on the reviews and such a lot of people do not agree with your assessment. Perhaps the beat on test cars were not nec representative of the final 08s releasing here, I don't know. One thing though, is the tranny does not seem to have a torque converter and takes some getting used to.

In any case, it is a inexpensive car that does provide a huge day to day convenience when it comes to parking (and it is a big deal in cities like SF, parking can be a real PITA) so yeah, its worth considering for us. Plastic removable hard to scratch panels is also a bonus for a low maint car to park, a lot less stress and easier to deal with then even the Mini.

PS: It is tall but honestly, at 5' its not as tall as a minivan . However height is not a bad thing considering how frequently we are surrounded by SUVs, at least they are more likely to see it.

 

Because we all know how Mini owners hate when people notice their cars.

 

I saw my first one in the Home Depot parking lot yesterday. It looks MUCH better in person than in pictures. "Stylish" is the word that comes to mind. It just doesn't seem too practical to me for around here - too many multi-lane, high-speed arteries. I guess it had to meet crash-test requirements, has airbags, crumple-zones and all that, but it just seems to be too small to be on 70mph roads with the big stuff. I think it would be great if you lived in a large, kind of old-style (not like Houston) city and had something else to drive long-distance.

 

Agree... For a car that size and with that HP the fuel consumption is less than impressive, add in the price and you would be much better off with a Cooper for a little bit more.......