smart
 

anyone have any info on the smart car? good or bad

A trucker buddy of mine says.......that they flip very easily.......unstable on the highways.....

The Smart crash video posted here in the recent past seemed to show a vehicle quite durable despite its size.

I've ridden along side tons of them on the autobahn pushing 80-90mph, so I'd say they do fine, all the ones I saw were still on their wheels. ;)

I've touched a few in person, sorry whoever german person's those were, but I just had to! :D :D

We had a C220 cdi 2.2 liter 4cyl 6-speed manual wagon. It was a ROCKET. 155mph we managed at one point, and in the city we averaged around 38mpg. Only around 23mpg at 120+mph though....still excellent.

smart fortwo
 

I have been working as a contractor for a company here in NZ and they want me to stay in a full-time so much they offered me the car of my choice. So, I got a smart fortwo in for a testdrive a couple of days ago... If I wasn't convinced before, I am now - they are quite extraordinary. The car is only 2.5 metres long, yet driving it, the interior has more space than my SLC. For only 700cc the thing really goes too. Kind of like a motorbike, with a sequential 6 speed clutchless manual gearbox. The sound is pretty involving too - a kind of throaty raspy sound, not unlike a real mini with a good exhaust system on it. The smart felt WAY bigger to drive than it's looks suggested and the standard equipment list is pretty long. It was very happy at our open road speed limit of 100kph and felt amazingly torquey for such a tiny engine. I guess it is only 720 kg though. If I do end up taking the offered position and getting to select my vehicle, I'm pretty sure the smart will win the race. 20km/litre of petrol is kind of crazy. I'll keep the SLC for long trips and weekends, but the smart witll be the day to day car.

I have seen a number of them up close while traveling in Europe. They are incredibly expensive for their size.

Their size is what will strike you the most. They are SMALL. I am quite sure that one of them would fit easily in my short bed Ford pickup with the tailgate closed.

If you drive around a crowded city, one might serve you well, but if you spend much time at all on the highway I would NOT recommend one. I too, saw a few of them rolling down the autobahn at 120KpH or more, but I personally would no more go down the freeway in one than I would do the same thing in a go kart.

Have a great day,

it is a sweet car, but i costs too much. for the price i would get a new jetta, which does not get that much more mileage. it is bigger, more comfortable and gets just 10mpg less than the smart.

when it comes to quality and car longetivity, i have heard both extremes. one saying they have lots of problems, other saying it is a solid car.

62mph? Was this the legal road speed limit or was the Smart limited to this speed?

Definatley their speed limit, I saw smarts going 80+ in Germany, so I doubt they are limited, especially the "larger" fortwo model.....

Yes, I remember running up on a Smart on a straight stretch of Autobahn between Munich and Stuttgart and he was running probably about 140Kph which would be about 85MPH. It seemed to cruise at that speed with no trouble.

I expect that the silly little things will run faster than most people would have the guts to drive them.

Have a great day,

www.mbcanada.com
we have a Smart dedicated section, most owners are real happy with them.

i saw a smart here in florida.. it had a canadian plate so it must belong to a snow bird.. i so wanted to go drool over it but they had to put stupid spinner hubcaps on it

100 kph/62 mph is our open road speed limit here in New Zealand. The standard smart that is imported here is electronically limited to 135 kph. The Brabus version about 150 I think. On my short test drive (1/2 an hour or so) I did get to about 120 kph extremely easily. It's kind of hard to go faster than that on our roads anyway, without being pulled over by a keen cop.

Taken from a review I found on the 'net:

"Oddly, many other drivers (especially the SUV crowd) want to pick it apart, and they focus entirely on what the Smart can't do. No, it's no good for families, or people with three Great Danes, or those who regularly haul cellos. But that's like saying a pencil has no value because you can't use it to send email. The Smart is a commuter car: dead-simple to park, dirt-cheap to run, and made for the city."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

:)

That's correct, 62mph. Same in Australia and Gawd help you if you get caught going over that.