i agree with you about the smart car. a disaster of design. and safety. i know benz pretends that they are as safe as a sonderklasse sedan, but i have seen one after a high speed t-boning. no survivors. and not much left of the car. benz is adroit, however, as they are able to squelch the airing of the photos of this. reminds me of ford and its pinto.

i have never understood why benz failed to make the sonderklasse diesels available in the usa. in france, some 8 years ago, my chauffeur used an S320CDI, as i recall.

and in montenegro some months ago, my chauffeur used an S430CDI.

both were wonderful cars.

no slouches for the tasks.

and of course, all the lebensraum that one wants from sedans of this stature.