metalgeek

smart twofor in a small spot.


there are tons of these around Taiwan

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shakran

I wish they weren't making the US bound model bigger :P Those things rock.

1slOwCD8

Yea, those are cool. I saw a couple at the chicago autoshow. Some models are a little bigger, with back seats.

Charlatan

I've seen a couple of them around Toronto... I really want one...

I see them all the time when I am in Europe.

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Ilow

Hate to say it, but with all the cell-phone-talking-soccer-moms driving Expeditions out there, Smartcars look like a death-trap. I'd love to see a smartcar/motorcycle only HOV lane though.

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present_future

There's another thread talking about the smartness of small over here.
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ight=smart+car

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catback

That in the US, forget it your safer on a motorcycle than that thing. Motorcycle is smaller too. Only advantage that thing has over a bike is 2 extra wheels which are only needed in rain and snow. Perhaps a benefit but when the speeding over zealous 4x4 comes and rear ends you into the back of a semi on a snowy icy freeway you'll probably be wishing you were stuck at home cuse your bike wasn't good on ice/snow than crumpled like a piece of paper in that small death trap.

shakran

I'm getting kind of tired of people bashing smaller cars because they can't stand up to a 19 foot SUV in a crash. Number 1, yes they can. Number 2, I've seen plenty of car vs. car wrecks where one car got crumpled just as badly, and number 3, the SUV can't stand up to a Kenworth, so should we avoid them as well?

Maybe instead of bitching about the lack of safety of small cars, we should bitch about the danger presented to other drivers by oversized SUV's.

Charlatan

Good point Shakran...

The other thing, is that Smart cars are mean as urban transport... while they can travel the highway, they are really mean for getting around in a congested city... They are way more practical than a motorcycle. Try carrying your groceries on a motorcyle or comfortably driving in the rain on a motorcycle... I know how much it sucks. I drive a scooter.

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vector_1979

They are very common in Europe

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GetRdone

In my opinion, they are......evil. No im not some idiot with a hummer or a bigass v8 car, but cmon people, that thing is just TOO small. I'd have to sit in the back hatch to drive something that small. It just seems like a big golf cart. I agree with those who say a motorcycle would be a better choice, not to mention that motorcycles can actually go fast and be fun....a smart car is supposed to be smart, and thats no fun. Where is the future of motorsports gonna be if people start to drive things like this.

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catback

I have to iterate I never bashed the car. I was just pointing out that the car is just a more expensive motorcycle that is not ideal for the US market. As far as safety, I live in perhaps the best area for finding bad drivers and they seem to have a desire for the heavier more metallic vehicles. Sure the smart car can take a hit but can it take a crush between two heavy set vehicles, maybe you wanna try but I'll just not. The Kenworth vs SUV is a terrible analogy, first off the kenworth requires a more educated driver, tops out at maybe 85 MPH vs 100+, and more rare to find on the road. Not to say it's impossible but to be analogous how many pedestrians get hit by attentive, alert, good drivers driving family sedans? Not many. About being unable to carry groceries on a bike, you obviously haven't ridden a full-size touring bike. Not only can a touring bike carry groceries among other things, it's not a bad ride in rain.

With all said, if you want a smart car then good for you, you probably live in an area the smart car was made for. As for the US market, you might as well have a bike because the smart car isn't gonna give you anything worth the extra money cept for a roof and 2 extra wheels.

shakran

I disagree. First off a 23 ton semi doing 85 is going to do a hell of a lot more damage than a 1 ton SUV doing 100. Second, the drivers aren't guaranteed to be any better than anyone else. That educated driver got lessons in how to back up with a trailer, how to tell when your trailer has passed the car so you can get back over, and how to handle the big truck. All that isn't gonna help a sleepy driver or one who's jacked up on coffee or speed. And third, semis are far from rare.

Charlatan

Semis are rare... please. I welcome you to drive on the 401 anytime of day. The ratio of cars to semis is 5:1 at times... That's a lot of semis.

Motorcycles are NOT a better choice. As I said before, a motorcycle is:

1) WAY more difficult to drive
2) WAY more dangerous if you are in an accident
3) Sucks to drive in the rain
4) Can't carry your groceries or packages, conveniently (you can get ski racks and bick racks for the Smart Car
5) Carries passengers safely


This car is hardly evil. It is change. Don't fear change, embrace it. As the cost of fuel keeps increasing, these little cars are going to make a lot of sense to those who simply use their vehicle for getting from point A to B.

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catback

It's true that any kind of driver can cause an accident but statistically with the ratio of semi's to SUV's, the better education, and the fact that semi's can't accelerate fast so their's no mistake of thinking your in a sports car the ratio of semi vs anything to SUV vs anything is rather small. Fact is when you go out on the road and drive your more likely to be hit by a minivan than a semi. Smart cars are not so smart in the US unless your suicidal, their only selling point to a US customer is gas mileage, cost, and they seem less dangerous than a motorcycle.

You can buy what you want but not many here would feel safe in a golf cart driving around the traffic we have.

As far as semi's being more protective than SUV's so ppl should start buying them. Here, at least, semi's are too expensive, require a license that is also too expensive, require a Department of Transportation Medical Card that is also costly, and semi's don't fit in garages or parking spots well. So basically no one is going to buy a semi just because it's bigger or safer than a SUV. So no need to debate the safety of a semi or whether ppl should get one because semi's are not SUV alternatives.

Janey

they look cute but scary.

I myself am thinking of replacing my jetta with something more substantial. AFter hearing about the side impact safety tests (and how badly small cars did in general - especial the Neon) I am thinking that even a midsized car or a higher platform like a small SUV would be better. So I am loking at a Ford Escape.

catback

How nice of you to point out the 401, I've driven it many times and the ratio's you speak of are drastically off. The only reason you see so many semi's is because the cars speed like a bat of out hell. First you see them then they're gone (if you drive as slow as the semi). As for motorcycles being a better choice, if your scared of motorcycles then yes they are but if your a rider you'll stick with your bike rather than buy a microcar the size of your bike. The assumption that just because they have a roof, seat belts, and 4 wheels that they are safer is just plain wrong. All cars have crumple zones now-a-days, where's the crumple zone in the smart car? In a city of smart cars sure it may be just as safe as a typical car but mixing it with bigger cars and trucks it's just a death trap waiting to happen.

To readdress the points of passengers and groceries, if you have a passenger with you and you buy a fair amount of groceries, where is groceries gonna go? Also you may think all bikes are the crotch rocket type but there are bikes that ride nice and are comfortable for two passengers and have hard saddle bags and a trunk for your groceries. So I will not stress again motorcycles CAN carry two people AND groceries EASILY.

Charlatan

Sorry but where I come from motorcycles are just plain impractical... if you are lucky and willing to ride in the cold you can get 8 to 9 months of riding in before the snow comes. I ride a Vespa for 9 months out of the year.

I also know, from just looking at one I saw parked on the side of the road, that the trunk space of the Smart can hold more than any saddlebags on the average motorcycle. I also know from experience that yes a motorcycle can carry passengers BUT, it isn't especially safe to do so. If you have an inexperienced passenger... the lean the wrong way and the wobble starts.

The vast majority of people in North America, given the choice would choose a car over a motorcycle any day... Of course most people wouldn't and won't choose a Smart car... They rather drive an SUV.

Hell, I loved my Jeep Cherokee... I just couldn't justify the amount of gas I was guzzling. We now have one car and one vespa and I take the streetcar in the winter.

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GetRdone

If you wanna go point a to point b, walk and save the gas for me. As someone who works as a driver, and is also an automotive enthusiast. I have nothin against being economical, hell id consider gettin the "hybrid eclipse" that mitubishi used to have as a concept. 400hp at all times. But until electric or hybrid cars become more powerful and more interesting im sticking to gas. As a side note, some tuning company apparently got a Prius to make about 160hp + the electric motor. Kind of cool.

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KnifeMissile

Not to mention that you need an entirely different license to drive a motorcycle, ruling it out as an option for most people... and it also sucks to drive in the winter!

Charlatan

Point a to point b isn't always in walking distance.

North Americans really need to get over this whole more horsepower thing. It is not the be all and end all of transportantion. If I am driving from the suburbs to downtown on a traffic filled highway, do I really need more power?

Sure it's fun to go fast and all that... but I'd rather have fuel efficiency.

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geeza

OK folks, let's settle this safety debate.

Follow this link, read design specs, scroll down, watch video.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=260

Then tell me if you can get away with that in many 'normal' cars. A as a biker, I know you can't on a motorcycle.

You can't knock the Germans and their design skills. Harpooning a concrete barrier at 70mph, at 90degrees, and decelerating to zero in its own length.

You'd probably be crushed by your own SUV's engine if you tried this in a big American thing. Yes, that's right folks, because the vast tonnage of the back of your SUV keeps piling in even when the front has stopped. So the engine's coming back, and the back's coming forward. And you're the met in the sandwich.

And before anyone says "oh yeah, well what about side impact?!" note the distance between the axles: matches the front width of a car, axles act like giant shock absorber/brace units. Car flexes and bounces away.

Germans: very clever. Luckily they screwed up with that Second Front thing.

I have one of these. It goes really fast, and I haven't even chipped it yet. It's fun. I've had all kinds of cars, sports, SUV, exotic euro fast things, this has to be one of my favourites.

Someone I know was hit in one by a guy in a brand new Lamborghini Murcielago. Smart car was stationary, Lambo moving at speed, straight into the rear. Smart car bounced ten feet, cost $2000 to repair, occupant didn't even get whiplash. Murcielago was a write off. Occupant got a broken nose at the scene. After he got out, funnily enough.

MR_WALLACE

I used to have one and I liked it a lot. Its really a great "city car". Now i have a BMW 525 and an Audi TT. I prefer a smart over those two when it comes to driving in a city.

On the German Autobahn I prefer the BMW