Where I live, one local plumber uses one for his business. He has a complete toilet mounted on the roof. The first time I saw this thing coming down the road at me, I nearly, you know, crapped my drawers laughing.
Posted at 2008-03-28 05:04:05 [PermaLink]There are quite a few Smart cars here in Montreal. You're right. They are an attention grabber.
That's why you see so many of them delivering fast food. They're ideal for that kind of job. They are easy to park, and because of their innovative look, they're great for advertising.
Whether they are practical for going long distances here in North America is quite another thing.
Here is what Consumer Reports in the U.S. had to say about the Smart for Two:
"This tiny two-seater is four feet shorter than a Mini Cooper but it doesn't feel as vulnerable as it appears. While the first generation was sold in Europe and Canada for a few years, the new second-generation model is available in the U.S. It will feature a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine rather than the anemic 40-hp turbodiesel that powered the Canadian Smart we tested. That car had a jittery ride, unimpressive handling, and a transmission that shifted slowly, causing the car to lurch. ESC and curtain airbags are standard on the new version."
Their older review of the previous version said (from memory) that it "might be the worst car we have ever tested."
You know, 40HP isn't so bad on something that's tiny and light.
My old '89 Metro had about 55HP, but it was reasonably zippy if you floored it (as one should!), because it didn't weigh anything.
(I'm still confused that modern car magazines think a car is "slow" if its 0-60 time is over 10 seconds.
The hell?
As a friend of mine says, he likes his old Justy because he can drive it at 90-100% all the time, and that's more fun than having 300HP and never being able to open it up.)
"I'm still confused that modern car magazines think a car is "slow" if its 0-60 time is over 10 seconds."
Try pulling onto the GW Parkway in Northern Virginia. If you can't get up to highway speed quickly you'll probably get rear-ended and have a multi-car collision.
The problem isn't modern interstates, which are designed to allow a car time to get up to highway speed, it's older highways with nearly blind access points where people drive 80 mph and can't see you in time to slow down.
I remember seeing a ForTwo in Waterton, Alta when I was in Canada in '06. So people are driving them some out of the city.
Posted at 2008-03-28 13:16:03 [PermaLink]Fad with a capital "F". Resale values and service issues (at the MB Dealer what is the hourly rate?) will ensure that it ultimately ends badly.
Posted at 2008-03-28 16:27:21 [PermaLink]Has anyone seen this?
"Toyota Prius proves a gas guzzler in a race with the BMW 520d"
[External Link]
I've owned one here in Canada for almost 2 years, and still love it, but it will have a fad appeal to it, in that they'll sell lots for the first couple years, and then sales will taper off some.
Overall, mine has been a great car for the short drive to/from work, picking up groceries etc. Also been pretty good for highway trips of any distance. Has the disadvantage in that it's so small you can't take a lot of luggage with, but for a weekend, it's no problem.
I don't quite get the gasoline version of the Smart car given what can be accomplished for similar dollars by a Toyota Yaris or Honda Fit. The latter is a real car with great carrying capacity and reasonable performance.
Fifth Gear did a review of an electric Smart car which is being tested in the UK. This could make a very good urban vehicle as long as it's confined to the city. [External Link]
It all depends on price of course.
I still wonder why GM gave up on the Firefly. They last and run forever,given that you do real regular oil changes,are fun and peppy to drive,look good and best of all,don't have German engineering in the beasts.
Posted at 2008-03-29 11:55:49 [PermaLink]