jawfish

Smart Fortwo Car Reviewcomment
john posted in rides on March 28th, 2008

Update: I test drove a Smart coupe today on my daily driving loop. It is plenty fast on the freeway and merging, and did well in strong, gusty winds. The auto mode transmission still lurches, but not as badly. The paddle-shifters manual-mode work fine, even with quick downshifts. I had forgotten how easy it is to get in and get out of, the doors are huge. The interior was nicely done for a small car. So my objections about the transmission are put to rest. The gas mileage is reported by new owners as 40 mpg on the freeway, which is just what the EPA sticker says. This is quite disappointing, considering a Honda Insight ( no longer sold) can get up to 70 with practice. A Toyota Yaris or Honda Fit is just as good on mileage, or nearly so, and a lot bigger car. In Europe they get a very-high-mileage diesel version.

We went down to LA to the uber-hip Smart House to test drive a Smart Fortwo.

long shot not-your-usual-showroom Venice CA

Our car spec is:
1) minimal cost - Prius is too much at $26k+
2) minimal energy use - Smart is in the same range as Prius.
3) two seats and room for light luggage or groceries
4) more interesting than boring old Prius
5) AC, CD-Radio, electric locks and windows
6) freeway capable
7) airbags and roll-over protrection
fits my six foot well-over 200 lbs frame
10) alloy wheels - I don’t ever want to see another hubcap.

See a gallery of pictures here.

The Smart meets all these, plus has a cool Tiptronic-style auto-manual paddle shift transmission, and is so tiny you can park it end-in instead of parallel. Cost, for the middle level of options, is somewhere between $13.5K and $17k .

yellow Passion model with silver frame.

Options:

Pure is the base model - I bet they sell none. no AC or radio or sunroof! I am ignoring it from here on.
Passion is the middle model - I bet 80% are these. Has fixed glass ( polycarbonate) roof, and all the options we need.
Cabriolet is the convertible version of the Passion.

All are three-cylinder, gasoline powered rear drive. ABS brakes are standard on the Passion.

The sales people weren’t entirely clear on some small items like MP3 support, glove box, and the funny ash-tray or CD holder choice. The cars also have built-in attachment points for bike racks. The Passion and Cab have only one engine option so far, though in Europe they have several engines, and battery-electrics and super-clean diesels are said to be in the future. Update: Passion ( Coupe) has plug-in MP3 capable CD-player.

Why?

Because its cheap, hip, gets something like 32-42 mpg in the real world, and parks where no other car dares to go. Keep the SUV for towing your boat, and drive this little puppy to work every day. Pick up girls/boys/whatever.

Driving Impression:

We drove a Euro-spec one with the Tiptronic-style auto-manual tranny, but no paddle shifters. ( see update) The transmission was not working correctly, it had a huge lag in shifting. Either it’s automatic-adjust-to-your-driving-style was totally confused by the multitude of testers, or it’s just plain broken. I can’t believe it comes that way based on the large number sold in Europe. This is the smallest car on the road, but it is quite comfy for two men, and easier to get in and out than my Honda Civic. Visibility was excellent, and oddly it feels far bigger than it is. It’s no racer, but it keeps up with traffic more or less like a base-model automatic Corolla. It felt solid and quiet, given that it is a tiny econobox.

Fit and Finish:

Because it is so light, a bit more than half the weight of a Prius, you have to expect the body work and interior to be a bit motorcycle-like. The front hood for example, is just a plastic cover, without hinges, that snaps in place. The gas door is similarly just a cheap piece of plastic. The seats and interior panels looked fine, and the controls and knobs were similar to inexpensive cars from other makers. The trunk releases were flimsy, as was the special storage panel in the trunk door. I think you expect some breakage in these parts, and they should be handled gently. Angry teenage drivers will tear the plastic stuff right off the car. But steering, door handles and seats felt solid. From the start the Smart has used snap-in replaceable body panels, so you can decide to have a different color just by buying the set of panels. This will make minor repairs cheaper, as no paint matching is required. The frame is actually a kind of roll cage, visible from the outside and inside ( see the cutaway views on the gallery) . It comes in two colors, metallic silver and standard black. You get to mix and match with the body colors: white, grey, black, blue, red, and yellow. Just exactly why anyone would buy such a cute car in a boring color is a mystery, they should have electric green, orange, plus some nice pastels.

Aftermarket:

The car screams for customization, from the replaceable body panels, to the wimpy little motor. It has a very cute but masculine personality -unlike VW bugs, men will buy them - much like the eager quality of the original Mini Cooper. I foresee photo-realistic murals on body panels, LED lights, sound systems, fancy seats, lots of engine upgrades, wider wheels and the usual suspension bits. I would think an autocross or even road racer would be possible.

What to ask about:

There is a power steering option, which I had no need for.
Which transmission are you getting, with the paddle shifters and manual option?
Does the CD-Radio have an MP3 option, or is that only on the Cab model?
Is there a real glove box, or just a space?
Some colors are extra, as are leather seats and special wheels.
Check out the racks for bicycles.

How do I buy one?

They are going to sell through Mercedes dealers ( Daimler Benz has been an owner since the Swatch company bowed out). The Penske organization holds the distributorship, which usually means everything is organized down to the paperclips, but there is a certain vagueness about dates and locations. They say, January or February 2008.

Dear Smart:

Let’s get more daring with the colors!
Get the super-clean turbo diesel in.
Move as fast as you can on the lithium-electric version.
Clean up the cheap plastic.
ForTwo is the dumbest name since the Charade.