Smart Car... .

[Kustomkaps]

I love the idea of the Smartcar and have thought about checking into one, but here are my opinions regarding the car:
1. It is a cute, but ugly car. Put it into the "unique look" category.
2. Gas milage is too low for such a small car. Needs to be about 40 city and 60 highway.
3. It doesn't help in reducing traffic or pollution as only 2 riders are possible. It would be better to have a 4 door car getting 21mpg with 4 riders if you are trying to 'save the world'.
4. The smallness of the car fits Europe very well- with all the small streets... here, the smallness of it doesn't reflect the effort.
5. The price needs to come down by about $2000 to make it a good seller. Granted, they need to sell more cars to get the price reductions, but I still think for what you get, the Smart car is over-priced.

So, if you want to buy one of these cars, I am very happy to pat you on the back for getting such a unique car- kind of like the Sky. If your buying it to help cut your 'foot-print" on the world... there are better things to spend your money on.

[Bogie]

I bought a Ford Aspire over a DECADE ago. Manual trans. 1.3 Liter engine. Regular gas. Seats 4 adults. I achieved 35 mph on a regular basis. On the highway when A/C wasn't needed, I would easily run 45 mpg.

What I don't understand is over 10 years later we somehow think hybrids and two seat mini cars are somehow "Smart" and "Economical" when they barely hit the mark we were at 10 years ago. We ain't got no smarter. We just got dumber for 10 years and decided to become economical again.

Actually, I think it may have more to do with the current competition. Look around. Manufacturers are building, and we are buying, vehicles that suck up gas like it was $1 a gallon. Look at all the new muscle hitting the streets. Challenger. Camaro. GT500KR. ZR1. G8. It seems given the chance to drive a wimpy ass 70 HP eco friendly, whiny, high mpg car or a Bad ass, 400HP, big foot CO2 print, rumbling, gas hogging V8...Americans know what to do. And it ain't smart.

[RichL]

Originally Posted by Kustomkaps

I love the idea of the Smartcar and have thought about checking into one, but here are my opinions regarding the car:
1. It is a cute, but ugly car. Put it into the "unique look" category.
2. Gas milage is too low for such a small car. Needs to be about 40 city and 60 highway.
3. It doesn't help in reducing traffic or pollution as only 2 riders are possible. It would be better to have a 4 door car getting 21mpg with 4 riders if you are trying to 'save the world'.
4. The smallness of the car fits Europe very well- with all the small streets... here, the smallness of it doesn't reflect the effort.
5. The price needs to come down by about $2000 to make it a good seller. Granted, they need to sell more cars to get the price reductions, but I still think for what you get, the Smart car is over-priced.

So, if you want to buy one of these cars, I am very happy to pat you on the back for getting such a unique car- kind of like the Sky. If your buying it to help cut your 'foot-print" on the world... there are better things to spend your money on.

You raise some very good points. Stepping back and considering some of your comments gives me pause.

1.) Ugly? - Yup... LOL That was my first thought.
2.) MPG is a little disappointing for its size I agree.
3.) Unless the grandkids are here it's only my wife and I. We never have 4 people in the car.
4.) The smallness works great for my driveway. I can park it on the side of the house. Shopping in crowded malls etc makes its size an advantage.
5.) $2,000 less to make the base line car $9,000 which would be a killer price point.

I was most impressed by it's safety roll cage construction. In my application this car would rarely see a freeway. It would be used only for local runs and speed limits that don't exceed 45 mph.

My $99 deposit is refundable so I have a lot of time to think about this.

I appreciate your comments, thanks.

[lostcause]

To those who are saying that it's a great car to have if parking space is limited in your area, let me ask you a question: are you legally allowed to park in spaces not designated specifically as a parking space? In most big cities, parking spaces are clearly marked and most spaces on the side of the street are metered.

Where I live (Miami), if I tried to park somewhere not designated as parking space or tried to fit my car into leftover space in an already occupied space, or in between two cars parallel parked on meters, it would get towed very quickly.

[CJsSky]

I love reading all these comments. It reminds me of the banter about the sky when they first hit the road.

Acceptance of the SmartCar is in what it was design for. Its primary use is inner city travel and ability to park in small places.

As far as comparrisons to the competition:

Gas mileage may not be the absolute top, but then again I am spending half of what I was spending on fuel. Vue vs Smart.

Visibility is better with the higher profile, cost is gas mileage, but then again the only people that have cut me off thus far are the issaniacs that are allowed loose on the road vs my sky with the low profile has been cut of so many times from those who just dont see it.

Storage is reasonable, I can put as much in the back of the Smart as I can the Sky.

Safety, M.G. its a small car, everybody loses against the big vehicle. Just get the Big A$$ cars off the roads. Who needs to commute in a 8 passenger SUV with only one rider. This was one of the reasons I bought this car. I do not need to commute in a 5 passenger SUV when it is just me or when the Wife and I carpool.

The SmartCar is new and its fun. When gas is $4+, then the car is worth it. I feel safe driving it. I suspect more people will give me a wide berth, just because they are afraid to get to close, this has been the case thus far. I get more thumbs up from the biking community then anyone else on the road. The best part is serves my overall needs, to keep the mileage low on the more important cars like my sky.

Added note:
I purchased this car on a whim that my daughter needed my Vue since her Jeep is down, maybe for the count.

I have no regrets.

So consider this:
For every big car that is replaced by a small car, no matter the make, it makes the roads a little safer. We will never see this in our life times, nor will we see $2 gasoline.

Every kind of car has its place and its use. I drove an expedition when I was a scoutmaster. Now I drive a very small car to commute to work.

[SteveSky67]

saw a Smart Car yesterday..ok you say big Deal, but this one of those wind up keys on the back that actully turned while it was driving..got a pic, but not a good one...damn..Stevesky67

[RedHeaded RedLine]

Originally Posted by ParrotHeadNation

guy at the gym has one, their so dangerous looking, i wouldn't even wanna be in a fenderbender with one, it also seems like one of those cars you drive if you have low testosterone such as a Prius or a Fit or a Yaris, nof offense if anyone has them

We are with you on this one. When we see a Prius, we just point and laugh openly. Hubby gives the South Park "Good for you" with the thumbs ups...fools. -J

[KappaMan]

Please.

3 stars for rollover resistance. It has one of, if not the lowest SSF for passenger cars at 1.16 - about the same as an average SUV. The Chevy Trailblazer is better at 1.17, and the Smart is only a hundredth better than the notorious Ford Explorer.

Most passenger cars are better - much better - more around 1.35 - 1.45.

Solstice and SKY - about 1.65 - very resistant to rollover.

Why does this matter? Because rollovers account for 33% of autmotive fatalities. Higher/taller vehicles (vehicles with lower SSF) have a higher probability of rollover in single vehicle crashes.

But, that gets missed...

Safe? Really? It's no secret that SUVs are more prone to rollover, and SSF is one of the keys to the probability of rollover in single vehicle accidents. The smart is no better than an average midsized SUV when it comes Static Stability Factor.

One of the other issues with regard to rollover is the vehicle profile - when a wider shorter car rolls, it is generally the doors that take the brunt of the damage and energy dissipation - so that if it lands on the lid, there is a greater chance that is will be less of an impact - but a taller, squarer vehicle usually takes damage around all of the profile - including the roof, header, etc. - usually the place where your HEAD is. Head contact to the roof, and resulting injuries, are normally expected fare for rollover accidents in SUVs.

Once any vehicle starts to rollover, it rolls about the center of gravity - this is physics.

When shorter wider vehicle starts to roll, it will roll less times than a taller vehicle - once a squarer vehicle STARTS to roll, it has a tendency to continue to roll more times, because the center of gravity doesn't move up and down as it rolls.

When it comes to rollover resistance - wider than taller is better, and shorter is better.

Just food for thought - and a ton of research has gone into rollovers, probability of rollovers, vehicle contributors to rollovers and driver contributors to rollovers - and the rollover star rating and research behind it is actually quite sound.

One other thing to keep in mind, the star rating only assesses the VEHICLE parameters that contribute to the probability of rollover. Some cars, especially sports cars, tend to be in more situations where they are exposed to a higher probability of being involved in an accident - people don't go on 'cruises' down the Tail of the Dragon in their Ford Explorers club - or blast down mountain passes in a Chrysler Minivan meet...

...but they do if you own Porsches, Miatas, S2000s, Solstices, SKYs, Mini Coopers, Corvettes, or other 'fun' cars. The difference is all of these cars have SSF much higher than the Smart. People think that the Smart may be the next 'fun' car - and expect it to handle like a sports car, but it's really a 2-person vehicle with dynamics closer to an underpowered SUV than a safe passenger car.

I sincerely hope that 'owners clubs' with Smart cars go for mileage contests and don't think that this is some racecar - that's a mix of factors that creates the worst of all worlds - a vehicle with a higher center of gravity, in the hands of people who think it may be a sports car, driven at meets where more of them are exposed to 'beyond normal' driving conditions...

[CJsSky]

KappaMan,

Roll over must have been a concern since the car is basically a roll cage with the Tridion Safety Cell. Beyond that the Skys roll over safety is to just not roll over. There is not much protection for the taller drivers of the Sky.

Thus, the point you made is right on the mark. The SmartCar is not some race car to take down the road. It's not designed to be. The drivers need to be cautious that this car can have a high roll over potential if driven recklessly. One needs to accept the car for what it is. A small fuel efficient commuter car that uses very little space in the garage. We have a Sky and BMW for all our sport driving.

[RedSkyMan]

Saw the Smart car on the web about 4 years ago before they brought it over here and the roadster wasn't bad looking, just the price. 13,500 SBP, about $26,500.

[RedSkyMan]

And this, I'm not sure of. Maybe you could fill it with beer.

[RedHeaded RedLine]

Originally Posted by RedSkyMan

Saw the Smart car on the web about 4 years ago before they brought it over here and the roadster wasn't bad looking, just the price. 13,500 SBP, about $26,500.

Now this car is kinda cute. I would consider it for a 7 mile commute. I would think of it more as a big bicycle than an actual car. It would have to be under $15,000. -J

[RedHeaded RedLine]

Originally Posted by RedSkyMan

And this, I'm not sure of.

Red Bull advertiser. -J

[RedSkyMan]

Originally Posted by SteveSky67

saw a Smart Car yesterday..ok you say big Deal, but this one of those wind up keys on the back that actully turned while it was driving..got a pic, but not a good one...damn..Stevesky67

Was it kinda like this?

Click image to see it in motion.

[RedSkyMan]

Did a little more digging and found the one you probably saw.

$180 if it's the motorized one.

[CJsSky]

Thought I should post some pics of ours. These things are a media crazy right now. Driving this sure helps to keep the miles off of the sky.