Cynthetiq

A pack of Smart Cars driving in So. California in this video. I have seen them overseas for a few years, and just recently saw one here in NYC. What do you guys think of these little runabouts?

Video

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DEI37

See, that's silly. So, it gets 60mpg. Get a normal sized car...in other words, a VW Jetta TDI, and get 54+ mpg in a car that is regular sized.

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KirStang

I think it's more or less about the size of the car though. In urban areas the streets can get pretty tight...the 60 mpg is probably just a side effect of it's size

I'd rather get a super bike tho

MSD

I think they're hideous.

todd

Maybe in the city they might be economical, but I'd be afraid to drive one. One good hit from any car at all and you're a goner. Not to mention you'd look pretty silly driving around in a little thing like that. I think some people in Mini Coopers look silly enough.

If I had a huge ass mansion on a huge ass chunk of land, i'd buy one. It would be a nice 'get-the-newspaper' car.

Tech

i think they are very impractical... while they are great for "getting around the city" for those who can't handle a bike or public transportation, i wouldn't ever take it on road trips or long drives (can we say no storage space?) if i ever had to move anything, i wouldn't be able to. basically, i would have to be financially affluent enough to have ONE car, and then have this one as a SECOND car. and if i ever have enough $$$ for 2 cars, i'm going to get something classic to cruise around in. that's just me though.

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present_future

They were all over the place when I was in Spain. The thing is, our tour guide told us they were illegal to drive on the highways because they're literally a death trap. No crush zones or anything because of the small size.

I don't think anyone over 6 foot could comfortably fit in one of those either.

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Vaultboy

I fit comfortably in the car, and I'm 6'0". remember, its two-seater. And the car has got crumple zones. The engine is also designed to fall through the floor in the event of a front impact. The Smart Roadster (not shown in this thread) is a very nippy little car with better aero, wider tyres and a lower centre of gravity, so its a nice little sport-runabout.

How much of a deathtrap any car can be in the States is a mystery to me, given your low speed limits.

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BigGov

Low speed limits that no one follows.

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lt1s10

I wouldn't be worried about the low speed limits that people follow or don't. It's all the soccer moms in full size SUVs that shouldn't drive anything bigger then a civic coupled with all the idiots with their hemi powered full size pickup that'll make any safety features on that car useless.

Tech

lol, if they were in civics then they couldn't BE soccer moms because how do you haul 7 kids with you to practice in a civic? i would say soccer practice is one of the best arguements FOR full size SUV's

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Cynthetiq

I remember seeing A Class Mercedes and Audis in Germany on the autobahn... I'm trying to recall if I saw any of these, I'm pretty sure that I did, and am looking in my library of photos.

catback

That's just rediculous, another fine example of corporations trying to milk money from us with their crazy and often times wasteful inventions. I bet that thing cost more than a motorcycle that beats it hands down for compact size. I could park 2 maybe even 3 or more motorcycles in the space it takes to park that thing.

TM875

Motorcycles are also much more difficult to drive. And probably less safe.

Anyway, it's not for me. However, if you lived in the city, then I think it just might be worth it. It would be perfect for someone who lived in New York, and had to commute to local areas.

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geeza

Are these things legal and/or available in California yet? I have a cargo elevator that I could use to park one in a basement if so. Anyone know?

NotMinus

They should be, they are stocked at my local Mercedes dealership up the coat.

I am glad they brought the design to North America although I doubt I will ever drive one. The NA autoindustry needs to start looking to other trends and other countries due to how innovation here has ceased to exist in place of refining basic designs. I don't think this Smart Car will solve everything but it is a step in the right direction.

big_bubba

wtf?

I'm glad I haven't seen them here

BoomTruck

Uhhh... no.

1- I'm 6'6", 225 pounds.

2- I've driven full-size pickups or larger the entire time I've been driving. I can't stand driving a car or a minivan.

3- I routinely hook onto heavy things (gooseneck trailers, etc.) and attempt (and usually succeed) to move them.

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Vaultboy

The pics in this thread only have the Smart ForTwo models.

Smart also produces a Roadster (very kart-like ,little thing. Fun to drive (play with), but expensive.
And they also have a ForFour, which falls nicely into the small hatch segment and is probably going to be their volume model come 2005.

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bullmoose

I think they are probably right for an urban environment where parking is hard to find. Would not be my cup or tea, but I do like small cars, as long as they have plenty of power and handle well.

As for safety considerations, that should be up to the individual buying the car. Personally I think SUV's with their high center of gravity would be as, or more dangerous than these tiny cars if evasive action was necessary.

I think it's great that we have so many choices when buying a car.

My personal criteria is :

1. Performance
2. Handling
3. Styling
4. Comfort
5. ..... Rather than bore you with the rest, let me say that gas
mileage and safety considerations are way down on the
list.

I think producing better drivers should be a bigger priority than producing safer cars.

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RaDiAn

Not much room for the family, car seats and n'such.

Dyze

Thats THE urban car. It was never intended to be bought by people who have a 2 hour way to town, it´s meant for those who live/work in NYC, Hongkong, Berlin, Rome etc... It has plenty of room for going shopping (2-seater!), can be parked everywhere, has easily removeable plastic bodyparts (just polish out scratches), saves fuel and is even safer then it looks. Of course it is legal to buy and drive wherever you want in Europe. It runs 130 km/h on the Autobahn, which is enough, because except weekday nights between 3 and 4 am you cannot go very faster.
Take a SUV, move to a big city and few weeks later you would be happy to have one of those!

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lefty8080

Not everyone HATES to drive a small car. I am a big guy 6'2" 300lbs. I do enjoy driving small cars sometimes. This would be a great car for a family that lives in the city or suburb, They would more than likely have a full size car or SUV for family trips and long distances and something like this for the short commute to work. No one (alright maybe some eco nut job) is saying everyone should drive on of these, but this option may be suited for more people than you think. Yes some people look funny in their cars (my nephews friends refered to my brother as "fat man little car") but often it is about what makes sense.

punx1325

That car reminds me of Just Married...I can just see Britney Murphey and Ashton Kutcher cramped in that european piece of shit.

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Scorps

Thats jkust Benz trying to make some more money!

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fastom

I think i'll wait for the 400 hp Turbo Smart!

Rdr4evr

They would be great for parallel parking, but that's about it as they are aesthetically hideous and probably would crush your skull upon impact with speeds as low as 30mph.

Dyze

Of course Mercedes-Benz is trying to make money. What else should they do? They are also trying to make money with the Maybach. Well, in fact they DO, my stocks raised a couple points again.

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RaDiAn

Not much of a family car at all.

impulse03

you just took the words right out of my mouth, hahaha

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Charlatan

I think that's kinda besides the point.

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GetRdone

Ach, another smart car post. Anyway. I think the "Family Car" issue is somewhat important. Not everyone is a single, eco-minded, person in a big city with little room. Some people have families and need transportation room, or have long distances to travel and want to do it comfortably...for those people the smart car is anything but.

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Charlatan

I don't think anyone is suggesting that everyone rush out and buy one of these cars... Clearly someone with a family needs a bigger people mover.

When we downsized and bought a Suzuki Sprint we did so because we had me, my wife and a 10 year old. Plenty of room. Of course no sooner had we bought it then we found out my wife was pregnant. Add one baby with seat, a dog and suddenly the car is too small. We traded up to Suzuki Aerio. Once again, plenty of room.

People this car won't work for:
People who haul trailers
People who haul equipment and tools
Men with small dicks ok... that was just a joke


That said, I'd love this car for a second vehicle or if it was just me alone.

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hunnychile

I don't have children by choice (Big surprise there!) I admitted it to the World! But I must say that after trying to park in San Fransciso, I'd drive this and often. We must think outside the box - that being a Big Ass Hummer - Ugh - no thanks Arnold!!

These are cool....bravo. Hybrids ROCK!!!!

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Lockjaw

I bet they make a wonderful casket to be buried in which you'll need after you get t-boned by a massive vehicle say...a GEO Metro or Chevy S-10.
If I ever move into a place that's so overcrowded that a car like that would be ideal I think I'd just move or simply walk.

wrongfullyaccuzd

I'm living in London at the moment and I see these little guys all over the place, and I think they're great! Some of them park perpendicular to the curb in between parallel parked cars and they're smaller lengthwise than the width of the regular cars. Sure they look a little funny but I'd think about getting one if I lived here for a longer time. The other thing is, there aren't nearly as many SUVs or even larger sedans here, so I'm sure the SMART car drivers are less intimidated than if they were driving in California.

The roadster even looks pretty decent, I think.

vector_1979

I can tell you have never driven in a busy city like; London, Rome or Paris, well any where in Europe. Our roads tend to be narrower and more chaotic (because the road layout was designed before the motor car!). I think they are fantastic city cars. Lite weight and economical.

Small cars will never be sucessful in America because your government does not give a shit about CO2 emissions i.e. Kyoto agreement, and fuel is cheap and your car culture is centred around pickup trucks! So there is no incentive to buy a small car.

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Lockjaw

You are kidding right? America's car culture definately is a ton more substantial than being centered around just pickups. I hope you are joking so I won't have to type up a 3 page essay about the U.S. car culture that focuses on classic cars from the 30s and 40s, to the muscle car era,to the numerous international race winners from the US to the import scene here etc...

Just because we have some folks that make their trucks go faster in a straight line than some Ferraris doesn't mean that's all we've got.

vector_1979

I work for a large American car company in Europe as an engineer. I have learnt from my American colleagues' that they sell more trucks (I count SUV's as trucks) than passenger vehicles. I am not trying to generalise, but the point I'm trying to make is that there is NO INCENTIVE in America to buy small cars, and the general trend is to buy bigger cars.

Before you saw the SMART car your definition of a small car is say, the Ford Focus or the Toyota Corolla??? In Europe that is a medium size car. Our idea of a small car is a SMART, Ford Ka, VW Polo (last two probably not available in the US).

*runs and hides*

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big_bubba

People say "it's just a car". Well, for some of us, it's not. For some of us, a car that's never let you down is like a friend, or a representation of the driver/owner. I couldn't sell my car, because of all the hours I've spent putting it together. It's more than a way to get from point A to B. It's a hell of a lot of fun doing it, as are a lot of other cars and I'm sure other people here feel the same way.

If this little POS catches on, it WILL be "just a car" and any connection between a car and its owner will be severed.

As for the gas mileage, like somebody else mentioned, there are VWs and other cars getting 50+mpg and have been for years. Or, worst case, ride a freaking minibike with a 3hp snowblower engine. Costs less, probably would get even better than 60mpg, and you wouldn't look so damn stupid driving it.