"Smart" Car For Two? Maybe not...

[REWahoo]

I've seen lots of discussions of late on small, fuel efficient cars. Consumer Reports just published a mini-review of the new Smart For Two, the Daimler-Benz mini-car CR describes as "an ostrich egg on wheels".

Pluses:
+ Lots of glass provides good driver visibility
+ High seating position and good interior design gives the feel of a small SUV
+ Extremely short turning radius allows a U-turn in a typical driveway
+ Scored a 'Good' in frontal and side impact tests
+ Real world tests averaged 38 mpg.

Minuses:
- Cabin is narrow and makes for 'an intimate driving experience' for two occupants
- Ride is 'horrendous' and driving on choppy urban streets 'pummels occupants mercilessly'
- 'Handling is not very responsive and it takes a lot of wheel winding to coax the car through corners'.
- The engine is 'slow, noisy' and takes premium fuel
- The auto transmission 'shifts in an uncomfortable way, with pauses and heaves between gears'.

Bottom line: "A car like this should be fun and zippy. Sadly, the Smart is neither".

[ziggy29]

When a vehicle offers such a bad ride and isn't THAT much cheaper or more efficient than many of today's conventional econoboxes... what's the point of it?

A vehicle like this needs to either be MUCH cheaper or get MUCH better MPG than a more conventional small car of today, or else there's really no niche for it to fill.

38 MPG? My wife's '06 Civic gets that on the highway when we slow down to 60. Color me unimpressed.

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by ziggy29

When a vehicle offers such a bad ride and isn't THAT much cheaper or more efficient than many of today's conventional econoboxes... what's the point of it?

A vehicle like this needs to either be MUCH cheaper or get MUCH better MPG than a more conventional small car of today, or else there's really no niche for it to fill.

38 MPG? My wife's '06 Civic gets that on the highway when we slow down to 60. Color me unimpressed.

With a MSRP of $15,355 I'd say there are better options. In an obvious play on words, CR suggests the Honda Fit as "a more intelligent choice".

[laurence]

I've been scratching my head wondering about this car myself. The more I see half baked ideas like this the more I am impressed with the engineers at Honda who made the Civic.

Lets see if the Volt lives up to the hype. It's well known most trips are short and close to home, a car that's all electric for trips under 40 miles is the best avenue IMHO.

[SC]

I never understood the appeal of the Smart car, besides the ability to park 90 degrees to the curb (yes, the car is that short). It gets horrible mileage for a car that size - about the same as a Civic, Fit, or Yaris - and much worse than the Volkswagen TDI's. It doesn't carry much in the way of cargo or passengers. It's not a lot cheaper. And I shudder to think of the outcome of an accident in one of those.

There are bigger, safer, AND more efficient cars for about the same (or a little more) money. Still, the Smart car gets frequent mention in the press and a lot of praise for being so "green." I guess a lot of people think that because it's tiny, it must be efficient.

Yeah, I don't get it either.

[ladelfina]

My niece in Italy has a Smart and loves it. For a while she even transported a cane corso in it!

The conditions that make it desireable are less common in the US: severe congestion and parking issues in larger cities, and the need for super-low consumption. There aren't really any other cars that are as small (that aren't modified lawnmowers), and while it's approved for highway use (unlike the modified lawnmowers) it's meant to be a CITY car, not a touring car. It does have the extra price of the marketing and Mercedes/Swatch overlaid.. it is "Swatch Mercedes ART" after all!

The Italian version gets more than 38 mpg: the diesel version gets 71 mpg, and the cheapest gasoline version here gets 50 mpg in mixed driving. Probably something was done to it on the US import end that reduced the mileage.

And if you saw the parking situation in Rome or Milan, you might well pay a premium for a car that you can literally fit head-on toward the curb into a half-space. It may be a "head-scratcher" for someone who lives in TX or CA (even I was stunned by the size of parking spaces in LA: sis said no one knew how to parallel park so the spaces had to be XXXXL) but it makes sense in its home market.

What I see around Rome in the (now) rich areas we frequent (due to family ) is that the Mini has overtaken the Smart as the "must have" car.. probably seems like less of a sacrifice.

Cheapest Smart = €9700 = $15.3k USD
Cheapest mini = €17k = $26.7k USD
Listino - Auto nuove - Quattroruote

Maybe this car will whet your appetite!
Who said US car companies aren't on the right track?

The new version of Chrysler's most popular vehicle comes with satellite TV, a carlike ride and a bin in the cargo box for hauling 10 cases of beer. It's set to go on sale in September, not the best time for a pickup that gets about 15 mpg in city driving and can cost more than $40,000.

Bloomberg.com: Exclusive

Even if the Smart is not a US success, who is the "smart" one, generally?

[Meadbh]

I first saw "smart" cars in Paris in 1992. The attraction then was parking in front of one's favourite salon or bistro.

Consider the result of an altercation between a smart car and an SUV: une personne pressée.....

[laurence]

ladelfina, I guess I'm missing your point. The car is a success half way around the world due to parking and congestion issues, that's great. But it's still a head scratcher to see why they would import it here! Should someone buy this car instead of a cheaper, larger, more fuel efficient car because it's a good deal in Italy when compared to a mini-cooper?

BTW, I didn't see anyone mention buying a big truck on this thread so I don't understand why you are posting the link to Chrysler's latest offering.

[ladelfina]

as to importing it into the US at this point, laurencewill, I agree.

But I caught the tone as being incomprehensive of the vehicle itself.

The more I see half baked ideas like this the more I am impressed with the engineers at Honda who made the Civic.

The Smart IDEA to begin with is not "half-baked". The Civic at this point in time may well be a more appetizing car to the US market, of that I've no doubt. Two different standards currently, that's all.

The reason I posted the new pickup link is to show how US car companies still haven't grasped what is happening all around them at this late date, although they've had plenty of notice. I know that's not entirely the topic, but it's just to offset the "Smart-as-half-baked-idea".. to show there are ideas that are far less than half-baked!!

If the US Smart got 71 mpg, then I think there would be a better market for it, don't you?

[laurence]

I would agree, definitely. I just thought the Civic with the same gas mileage, better cargo and passenger space, better ride etc. is getting ignored while everyone is falling all over themselves for this smart car.

[igsoy]

I think something about the Smart was lost in translation to American standards. They must have had to add safety features that make it get worse gas mileage, and are just hoping the trendiness will make it sell here.

I agree that as it is, it doesn't make any sense in our market.

[Midpack]

Originally Posted by REWahoo

Minuses:
- The engine is 'slow, noisy' and takes premium fuel

Didn't know that, why on earth?

[saluki9]

Originally Posted by laurencewill

I would agree, definitely. I just thought the Civic with the same gas mileage, better cargo and passenger space, better ride etc. is getting ignored while everyone is falling all over themselves for this smart car.

Also, don't forget that unlike the smart car the Civic doesn't look like a shoe with wheels.

[stargazer08]

With the price of gas and less people buying premium I'm fairly certain that this grade of fuel will eventually be phased out.

Do European cars have strict pollution control devices? Maybe that is the cause of poor mileage for US bound Smart cars.

If I were in charge everyone would ride horses instead of driving cars.

[UncleHoney]

In the past month I've seen 5 different Smart Cars driving around my local area. The first one was pulling into the grocery store parking lot and it drew a crowd in seconds after parking.

For the most part I think it's the cuteness that is the major drawing card, followed by the apparent economy. If you've been driving something that only gets 12-15 mpg, 35+ mpg is going to be a windfall. For some families in my neighborhood the Smart Car would solve the driveway parking problem. With 4 kids and about 6 cars it's a real zoo sometimes.

Not many Americans buy practical vehicles that only fill their actual needs. It's the arms race on wheels that had been the American way for the last hundred years.

Just waiting to see the first Smart Car tricked out with oversized tires, chromed wheels, maybe tinted windows and just for fun let's pop a V8 under the hood.

[UncleHoney]

Originally Posted by stargazer08

If I were in charge everyone would ride horses instead of driving cars.

Then we would have a "roadapple" problem instead of a CO2 problem.

[Zathras]

As I understand, it was the removal of a deisel option and the addition of some other pollution reducing/monitoring equipment.
I far prefer the more spacious Prius at 44/53mpg (winter/summer) than either the Smart car or Civic.

[TromboneAl]

I saw my first smart car yesterday. Parked next to my roomier, cheaper, 44 MPG Echo.

[Walt34]

Originally Posted by stargazer08

If I were in charge everyone would ride horses instead of driving cars.

In NYC the arrival of the automobile was hailed as a cure for the problem of cleaning up after the horses and what to do with all that manure.

[UncleHoney]

I knew it wouldn't be long.

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