Daimler to Sell Smart Cars in USA

[AltaRed]

Appears Daimler intends to start selling Smart cars in USA in 2007. For those that don't know, this is a micro-car 2 seater sold in Europe that is so short 2 of them can park in a 'normal' parking space. I've seen many of them in Europe in major urban settings as a commuter vehicle.

They may be great in major urban settings with continuous congestion, e.g. Manhattan, San Fran, etc. but I cannot see anyone wanting to put them on the Interstates. Would seem like a higher probability to meet your demise prematurely. Would you consider owning one of these for your daily commute (for those of you still w*rking)?

http://www.smart.com

 

[Nords]

Would seem like a higher probability to meet your demise prematurely.

So, in a head-on collision, do they rebound or submarine?

 

[Jeb-NY]

I have seen one on an interstate (I assume from Canada, it was going the other way) looked a bit scary.

There were pictures posted a few weeks ago on the net where a Smart Car was hit by a large vehicle and it bounced and rolled over a few times but looked like it was a survival crash with all the airbags. This was a stagged crash no humans in cars.

Jeb

 

[brewer12345]

I barely feel safe in my 3500# car now. No freakin way!

 

[Indexter]

Cost and Mileage?

 

[Outtahere]

That might be okay for buzzing around town but there is no way I'd commute to work in that, the SUVs would run right over me.

 

[justin]

I have kids, so it's a no go right now. I checked out the stats on the Smart car - looks like a no-go based on the numbers, too. Comparing it to a Honda Civic -

Smart Car (base model):
Base price (in U.K., converted to US dollars) - $12,339
Power: 50 hp
Weight: 1606 lbs
Weight/Power ratio: 32.1 lb/hp
0-60: 18 seconds


Honda Civic Sedan (4 seater, base model):
Base price - $14,700
Power: 140 hp
Weight: 2628 lbs
Weight/Power ratio: 18.8 lb/hp
Fuel consumption: 30mpg city/39 highway

Plus, what do you really want, Japanese/Honda quality or German/Daimler "quality"?

The lack of power and acceleration in the Smart car is also a no-go. I don't really care how powerful a car is, as long I can out-acceleration most school buses and 18-wheelers. The honda civic is no muscle car, but it'll git-r-done.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Here's a Smart car and a comparison to Hummer in size.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I'd like to see the hummer and smart car collision pictures.

Although I used to have a miata, and thats a lot closer to a smart car than a hummer in size and weight. The nice thing about a small car vs a larger vehicle in a collision is that theres less (mass x speed) involved and the smaller vehicle is more likely to be pushed along than hold its ground. Sometimes that inertia reducing benefit is mitigated by local environmental conditions, like cliffs or large bodies of water...

 

[Alex]

Last time I was in Italy we rented a smart car for a few days. It was alot of fun to drive and we never felt unsafe. Of course cars are much smaller in Italy.....

 

[laurence]

I was open to the idea (11 mile commute) until Justin's post. Why would I pay almost as much and lose the back seat, real trunk space, and only get a few more mpg than a Honda Civic? In my mind, the Civic is the "smart car".

 

[73ss454]

I was open to the idea (11 mile commute) until Justin's post.  Why would I pay almost as much and lose the back seat, real trunk space, and only get a few more mpg than a Honda Civic?  In my mind, the Civic is the "smart car".

Yeah, but the Smart Car comes with a whole life policy!

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Plus the Smart car in Europe was bought mostly by gays. That is true. I saw it with my own eyes. It's a gay friendly car.

 

[justin]

I was open to the idea (11 mile commute) until Justin's post. Why would I pay almost as much and lose the back seat, real trunk space, and only get a few more mpg than a Honda Civic? In my mind, the Civic is the "smart car".

If it was half the price and twice the gas mileage, I'd probably bite (except for the kid issue). Maybe in 20 years. Unless we have flying cars by then.

I was surprised at just how bad of a comparison it makes to what I know: the honda civic. Given that there are smaller/cheaper alternatives to the civic (Yaris, Fit, etc), that makes the choice of a Smart car less intelligent. Add to that the fact that there's a honda/toyota dealer or specialist within spittin distance of everywhere you go these days (for maintenance and service). Where would the nearest Smart dealer be? How much would maintenance and repairs be for such a unique car?

Maybe the gas price differential in EU vs. US seals the deal. Don't they also assess a "per kilo" vehicle property tax in some jurisdictions in the EU to encourage smaller, more enviro friendly vehicles?

 

[Nords]

Where would the nearest Smart dealer be?  How much would maintenance and repairs be for such a unique car? 

A local dealer used to have a deal years ago-- buy a Honda, get one free. It turned out that the "free" was a Honda lawnmower.

Maybe Daimler is giving away a SmartCar with every Benz purchase!

 

[73ss454]

A local dealer used to have a deal years ago-- buy a Honda, get one free.  It turned out that the "free" was a Honda lawnmower.

Maybe Daimler is giving away a SmartCar with every Benz purchase!

Yeah, this way everytime your MB breaks down you have a spare.

Great idea Nords.

 

[brewer12345]

A local dealer used to have a deal years ago-- buy a Honda, get one free.  It turned out that the "free" was a Honda lawnmower.

Maybe Daimler is giving away a SmartCar with every Benz purchase!

I seem to recall a Caddy dealer back in the day had a similar gimmick: buy a Cadillac, get a Yugo free.

 

[Nords]

Yeah, this way everytime your MB breaks down you have a spare.
Great idea Nords.

Hey, if it was a Hummer you could carry the SmartCar in the trunk.

GM & Daimler might be able to work together on this one...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I wonder if you could negotiate with the caddy dealer to pay extra for the caddy and have them keep the yugo.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Plus the Smart car in Europe was bought mostly by gays.  That is true.  I saw it with my own eyes.  It's a gay friendly car.

speaking of a hummer, there is a wonderful scene in dancer of the dance (circa probably 1970something) where author andrew holleran describes walking into a crowded party and knowing the size of everyone else's dick.

so of course we can drive little underpowered smart cars; we have nothing to hide and even less to prove.

 

[justin]

so of course we can drive little underpowered smart cars; we have nothing to hide and even less to prove.

So what does that say about me, as a Honda Civic driver (and not afraid to admit it!)?

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

either you're a grower, not a show-er, or simply living below your means. (there, now aren't you sorry you asked?)

 

[justin]

either you're a grower, not a show-er, or simply living below your means. (there, now aren't you sorry you asked?)

I'm not 100% clear on what the 1st and 2nd terms connote, so I'll go with door #3, LBYM.

 

[Indexter]

When the car is that small, and you intend to use it only for local commuting, maybe an electric car would be a better alternative.

 

[AltaRed]

I have kids, so it's a no go right now.  I checked out the stats on the Smart car - looks like a no-go based on the numbers, too.  Comparing it to a Honda Civic -

Smart Car (base model):
Base price (in U.K., converted to US dollars) - $12,339
Power: 50 hp
Weight: 1606 lbs
Weight/Power ratio: 32.1 lb/hp
0-60: 18 seconds 

The Canadian version of Smart car may be a better comparison than the UK version, but I still agree that it's way too little value for the bucks. I was amazed how you can load it up though with options...and the price takes off with those options. This is really no more than an inner city commuter car and may not be that bad of a choice for inner city dwellers, e.g. New York, where space is a premium. I wonder if they'll market it through Chrysler??