"The Smart" Car

You'll see these all over Europe nowadays - especially in Paris.

Originally, it was a joint venture between the Swatch company (yes, the same company that made those trendy watches) and Diamler-Benz. Later, Swatch bowed out and the result now, is just Diamler (as far as I know).

Great that you can get them up in Canada. As far as I know, they're not being imported to the US, although I have seen one in Atlanta - and only once - and I"m sure that some others have snuck in.

They're considered to be very well made and also to have good ergonomics and performace for their small size.

I would love to have one of them myself.

 

it is a pretty gud car. amazing fuel economy. went w/ my dad to the dealership but the saleman wasn't too helpful, i knew more about it from the SMART website. it is an awesome commuter car, if u live downtown n work downtown it is awesome. not great for everday highway use. my dad and i came pretty close to lifting the front off the ground. very light. uses a I3 turbo diesel (rear engined, RWD) producing about 42bhp. top speed is limited to 135kph. starts at about 16,000 for the coupe base model. u could also get a cabrio. its not bad as a second car shud u own a f-car or something and just need something to go pick up groceries(although u'd have a hard time gettin groceries in there). Plastic body panels, so its pretty dent resistant. also, if u dont like the color n u wanna change it, just go to the showroom and they will just change the body panels, although im sure there is a cost involved. pretty comfortable for two big guys. no more. an overnighter in the back is the maximum i would put in there. also great for parking. also if u wanna go and spend some extra money on it u can get a BRABUS SMART FORTWO. its pretty nice but i dont think its worth it.

Later
VIjeet

 

We're seeing a lot of these on the west coast too. Smart is within the mercedes group. Check out www.thesmart.ca .

On another note, it's surprising to me that this car meets Canadian DOT safety regulations, but the new Lotus Elise may not.

 

As for US market availability, I have heard that the Smart may be available in the US market in 2005...there are still crash test issues. Can anyone confirm this?

 

Thats for damn sure. I really want an Elise, and even if I couldn't afford it now, it'd be nice to have them here.

 

We have lots of these cars in the UK. They have a rear mounted 3 cyl 600cc turbo petrol engine which produces between 42bhp and 58bhp depending on the model. They can also be tuned quite easily to 90bhp+ which might not sound like much, but they only weigh about 500kg. Top speed is limited to 84mph although they can be derestriced. There is also a diesel, but I'm not sure of the spec. They have a 6 speed semi automatic gearbox, which you can shift by tipping the gearlever, or you can just let it change gears itself in D.

I had my first drive in one a couple of weeks ago, and I really liked it. People seem to either love them or hate them. The gearbox is what puts most people off, as it doesn't respond very quickly to driver inputs. Also, they are quite lethargic until the turbo cuts in, and then they take off! The ride is quite bouncy, but they change direction quickly. Overall, they are hilarious to drive, and certainly feel eager but they're not really a serious car. The slow gearchange and turbo lag can make it difficult to go for gaps in traffic.

 

i peeked into the interior of one of those smart cars while i was in europe. it doesnt seem to well made for me. also not very safe looking. as an alternate choice, i'd probably go with the mini

 

I have heard the same; It was planned to be released first in Canada ('04), then will be released in the U.S. the year after. But this was some time ago (just before the Canadian release), so things may have changed.

And I too question the fact that this car is certified for road use in Canada, yet the Elise is not. I'm positive that these two very different cars must meet the same regs in Europe (and don't kid yourself, their standards are very tough nowadays, especially the TUV in Germany), so if the Smart is okay, why not the Elise?... That's the car I want!

 

Actually on the contrary, they are quite well-made, even if most of it is plastic. One thing I was quite amazed with was how much room there was inside. There were two on display at the last auto show earlier this year and I had a chance to sit in it... Holy smokes was it roomy! I'm sure someone over 6 ft and over 200lbs would still feel quite comfortable... Although I'm sure it would certainly tax the motor with all of that weight it would have to carry!

I don't remember which TV show it was but they had said it was very safe. Even though it doesn't have much of a crush-zone, the front-end still collapses in stages to absorb the impact, and the steering column tilts away by design under the impact. Plus, that silver (or black) perimeter outer frame around the car is the safety cell which maintains its shape in impacts.

These are the pics I took of one that was on display. The maple leafs are decals that were stuck on the car.
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I don't believe there are any crash test issues, simply marketing issues. When smart launches in the US in 2005/2006 it will be the fortwo and a new small suv type smart. The reason it was launched earlier in Canada is that the market here for small cars is a lot bigger than in the US where they prefer SUVs the size of air craft carriers instead.

The smart fortwo is extremely safe. There have been countless tests by manufacturers, government organizations, and magazines/tv shows and they have all shows the smart is extremely safe. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it had a higher crash safety rating than the Elise.

 

I think the problem with the Elise is not one of safety persay, but the regulations require that a car have a bumper; my limited understanding of the Elise is that it does not. The US made an exception until the 2007 car, but Canada did not. The next iteration is expected to be a "world" car, meaning that it meets safety req'ts globally. We will see.

 

According to the Euro NCAP crash tests, the Smart is safer for it's occupants than the Chrysler Voyager, and equal to a Jeep Cherokee. Obviously it is a lot safer for pedestrians than both.

Full details here:
http://www.euroncap.com/details.php3?id=mcc_smart_2000

 

Northpoint - thanks very much for the info. Amazing that the Smart is so safe for such a tiny vehicle.