Is anyone impressed by these 'smart' cars?

[Mike T]

I can carry a week's shopping for a family of five in the smart, and with the roof down, a grandfather clock too.

[BumblingB]

I'll be the other person to chime in with Mike T and say something positive about the Smart.

The first thing is the mileage ratings, this is for a "Average Joe" driver. I think one with a hypermiling background can easily achieve 50mpg - which is well over the advertised 40mpg. I read the cleanmpg article and see Wayne got 60mpg. What he failed to mention was how many miles were on the car? Is it loose? (for non-car people, Has it been broken in?) Brag all you want about your CRX, Metro, Chevette Aveo etc, of course they "should" get great mileage since they are essentially - loose.

The Smart has to have an acquired taste, its finally grown on me though it took some doing - much doing. I'll get one since I know that I'll achieve a better rating than the advertised one - I just wish Americans were offered the diesel as I love them diesels. All this being said, I did the initial ordering on my Smart this morning after waiting for 5 months just for the order form alone. The car still won't be in for another 8 months or so, no big deal as I don't need a car and when it comes in I probably won't constantly drive it anyhow. (another story in itself)

Sooo, I see the haters side of the story too......but geesh, "all that hate is gonna eat you up boy."

[samandw]

Utterly unimpressive.

Especially when a 1976 Plymouth Feather Duster got 24/36 with an ancient design I-6 and all the aerodynamics of a barn door.

http://www.valiant.org/duster.html

[cfg83]

Hockey4mnhs -

Originally Posted by Hockey4mnhs

if it can change the mind set of America then will be impressed. I think if it can get people out of there suvs and big trucks then it did its job.

I think this is very important because you can argue that the CRX proved there was a market for the Toyota Paseo, Nissan Pulsar/NX, and Mazda MX3. If the Smart can help to establish a "micro car" market in the USA, then we all win.

CarloSW2

[JESSE69]

The Smart is not a very Smart car! And an old CRX HF is better!

[cfg83]

Wazabi -

Originally Posted by Wazabi Owner

I'll be the other person to chime in with Mike T and say something positive about the Smart.

...

The Smart has to have an acquired taste, its finally grown on me though it took some doing - much doing. I'll get one since I know that I'll achieve a better rating than the advertised one - I just wish Americans were offered the diesel as I love them diesels. All this being said, I did the initial ordering on my Smart this morning after waiting for 5 months just for the order form alone. The car still won't be in for another 8 months or so, no big deal as I don't need a car and when it comes in I probably won't constantly drive it anyhow. (another story in itself)

Sooo, I see the haters side of the story too......but geesh, "all that hate is gonna eat you up boy."

Yeah, it's funny, but the CRX is also an acquired taste. I think it's gorgeous, but when it first came out, some people didn't get it. I remember someone making fun of the CRX, saying it looked like it was hit from the rear. One of the reasons why I loved it was that it was a "form follows function" design. It was a small two-seater, but the shape allowed for practical use of it's cargo space.

CarloSW2

[Mike T]

Originally Posted by samandw

Utterly unimpressive.

Especially when a 1976 Plymouth Feather Duster got 24/36 with an ancient design I-6 and all the aerodynamics of a barn door.

http://www.valiant.org/duster.html

And that is tested to the 2008 EPA standard, no doubt. Come on smart haterz, you'll have to do better than that. Your arguments are utterly unimpressive.

[samandw]

Originally Posted by Mike T

And that is tested to the 2008 EPA standard, no doubt. Come on smart haterz, you'll have to do better than that. Your arguments are utterly unimpressive.

Well maybe not the 2008 standards, but the point remains. Compare the Smart to many older cars, and it is outperformed in FE, passenger carrying, acceleration, cost, etc etc. The 1995 Honda Civic VX for example, carries 5 people, gets far better FE, has a better power-to-weight ratio, and had an MSRP of $16,434 in inflation adjusted 2007 dollars.

[trollbait]

Bear with me, I'm going to throw up a bunch of numbers.

car(w/ 5spd man.) city mpg/ combined mpg/ highway mpg from fueleconomy.gov
'90 CRX ...........................27/29/32
'90 CRX HF .......................36/39/44
'90 CRX HF w/ SIL..............40/43/47
'95 Civic VX.......................37/40/45
'95 Civic VX w/ SIL.............39/43/50
'08 Smart...........................33/36/41

Except for the SIL cars(why would a shift indicator light be such an improvement), the smart isn't greatly outclassed. It's better than the regular CRX, and within 10% of the non-SILs. Yeah, it's a niche car, but so was the CRX. Any two seater will be. Most people are just driving themselves around, though, with families having access to a second vehicle.

It won't have widespread availability, in the beginning. How available are those Hondas? For a person buying in the next couple of years, finding any of those cars without major effort may not be possible. Smarts are being built now while the numbers of those Hondas slowly decrease. Plus, not everyone wants a car that's 13+ years old. A lack of safety features is a reason beyond possible maintenance.

Let's do a more reasonable comparison for an average person looking for a new smaller car.
Fit................27/30/34.........21
Civic.............25/29/36.........12
Yaris.............29/31/35.........13
Corolla...........26/29/35.........14

Those are the numbers for automatics, since that is what most people buy in the US.
The trailing number is cargo space(cu. ft.). The Smart is 7.8 to the belt line and 12 to the roof. I don't know where the EPA measures to for their numbers, but I don't think they ignore anything.

The Smart beats them all. A hybrid can do better, but then you might be paying twice as much.
Aside from the Fit, it has cargo space comparable to the others. Granted it doesn't have the versatility for bulky items, but it has versatility in parking. It is also all-weather capable and safer than a motorcycle.

The Smart isn't a perfect car. It won't work as an only car for families, but it is a niche car. That niche is to get a person to and from work economically. It does that better any new car available now. Hopefully, it will do well enough so that other small, fuel efficient cars will become available.

[CaliberMan71]

I have sat in them they are kind of roomy. They are a near zero emision car as well. Besides I was considering a motor cycle, but I can drive the SMART year round.