Comments on: TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: Smart Car Hits US in 2008!

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:01:50 +0000

Some people don’t seem to understand the MPG rating scale- like the people that said this car gets the same mileage as a Civic or Sentra. There used to be different EPA testing standards that allowed automakers to kind of cheat on the tests. The civic hybrid really only gets about 34 highway MPG. The smart car gets a tested 42 or so MPG. New testing standards started in 2008. Thank you people who know nothing as usual opening their mouths. Go check one of these cars out. They really are pretty cool in person.

By: Francesco

Francesco — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:24:06 +0000

Spare tyres are not foreseen, very small trunk ( not a single bag can get in ), poor adherence to road. On the other hand, it is very useful in traffic jam, easy to park and “ForTwo” concept is very futuristic. Anyway, there are a lot of utility passenger cars in Europe doing much better at a lower price and with very low CO2 emissions (compared to heavy vehicles such as SUVs): see new Fiat Punto, new Pegeout 107 etc… Mercedes-Benz can do better than that.
Francesco, Rome, Italy

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 02:31:10 +0000

The one incentive for me to buy this car would be if it meets NY State clean pass HOV lane requirements. I believe the threshold is 40mpg combined city/hwy. Currently only the Prius, Civic hybrid, & Honda Insight can be operated solo in the HOV lane (I commute 120miles round trip daily). I carpool now but would like to have the solo option available. If the Smart doesn’t meet the HOV threshold here or in California they will have missed a tremendous market opportunity, I only hope they don’t fall short or I’ll have to spend 10k more for a hybrid.

By: John Wade

John Wade — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:34:12 +0000

I had a ride in one last year and was suprised how noisy it was inside. Reminded me of an old Datsun 210 we had in 72′. Basically a tin box. They are not cheap to buy either. I live in Vancouver Canada and we seem to have a lot of them here though. I’ll stick to my motorbike.

By: MARC

MARC — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:16:04 +0000

This car has been available for a while in Canada. It`s not rare to see one in the worst snow blizzards of Quebec…. as for mileage, the bluetek tdi VW will kick ass next year.

By: Tim Martin

Tim Martin — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 07:34:06 +0000

I already put my $99 down in October I can’t wait to be a new smart owner!!

By: Nick Simpson

Nick Simpson — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:06:10 +0000

Sorry – hre’s that article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cars/story/0,15383,1357788,00.html

By: Nick Simpson

Nick Simpson — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:05:25 +0000

As I thought, the miles per gallon here are too low – look at this article:

I know a few people that have had these and said they get brillinat mileage out of the rather small tank.

I also know someone that has crashed, flipped the car on it’s roof and slid along the road – and then promptly stepped out of it unscathed. Don’t worry about this car in terms of safety…

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:16:19 +0000

I had high hopes for this car, but the milage should be much higher. My mini S gets nearly 40 mpg when driving on the highway and my 2000 VW TDI would get 40 with all city driving, 50 mpg on the highway. I like the price of the smart, but think that in the long run we shouldn’t be encouraging more people to drive or buy more cars, but looking at alternatives such as public transport, bikes, etc. to solve the problem.

By: greg

greg — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:44:20 +0000

p.s.

if the value of a smart car is as a “second car” we are in trouble. one car per household is bad enough…

By: greg

greg — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:43:27 +0000

as many have pointed out, 42 mpg is nothing to scream about when there are multiple models of vehicle available now with real trunks, passenger space, and SUPERIOR mileage (diesel jettas, priusus, hybrid civics…). this will never sell well in the US unless its sub-sub-compact size is compensated for by REAL fuel efficiency or an electric engine.

with defensive, slow driving, i get 35 mpg in my subaru impreza (combined city-highway) – and it’s a safe, heavy, all-wheel drive vehicle.

there’s no substitute for a walk or a bike ride to the grocery store!

By: anna

anna — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:28:27 +0000

my 93′ vw cabriolet gets 35 mpg on the highway, i would expect a smaller engine car, lighter car and much newer technology to do better than 42mpg

By: giuseppe

giuseppe — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:10:15 +0000

I have one smart car and it´s the best car i have ever bought. think there is no other car better in a traffic jam and more economic. two passenger are enought in 90% of cases. It’s the perfect second car in US and europe. the only problem it’s people must open is mind.

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:56:51 +0000

I love the concept and would love to for everyone to drive one, but in SoCal, you would get crushed in these things by the ridiculous over-sized SUV and trucks that flood the roads and highways.

By: Andrew Dryden

Andrew Dryden — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:10:08 +0000

It just seems like there was a great missed opportunity here, why not offer hybrid or electric versions. If the US is to embrace ‘smaller is better’, it needs all the help it can get, and gas mileage just seems like a no brainier. This just comes across as a novelty, no matter how great it looks.

By: ToddF

ToddF — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:21:58 +0000

I’m kind of puzzled that something this small gets such crappy mileage. My ’03 VW Jetta TDI gets around 50mpg (95% highway miles) running on dino and biodiesel. The ’08 models coming out next fall supposedly get around 70mpg.

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:48:39 +0000

It’s just too bad they’re not offering the diesel version that Europe gets. Because 65mpg sure is a lot better than 40mpg! They were stupid not to offer the diesel. My Jetta TDI gets better mileage than the gasoline Smart and it carries 3 more people and has a large trunk. I do love the body style of the Smart though.

By: GeorgeD

GeorgeD — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:32:04 +0000

As much as I would like to like this car, I don’t think it will have much of an impact in the US. Europeans have a different mindset than Americans on some things, and this will be one of them. I just don’t see it happening…and my guess is that it will be more of novelty than a revolution for commuting. As a few people have said, it only gets 42 mpg which is pretty low, and even though it may have a good crash test rating, what kind of rollover or stability rating does it have? A strong body doesn’t do me much good if I am rolling over and over down the street. I hope I’m wrong though, and please feel free to prove me wrong in the comments…. I love be schooled every once in a while…

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:04:25 +0000

I’m really glad that we are getting the Smart Car. I am just a little disappointed about it’s gas mileage. My 02 Sentra gets 30 mpg in the city and up to 40 mpg on the highway.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:56:33 +0000

When I first saw these Smartcars in Europe a few years ago, I thought “wow, I need to have one of these.” And then when they finally make it to the US, the 70hp, 3-cyl engine only gets the mileage of… a civic? Sure, it’s cheaper and easier to parallel park, but…

If I recall correctly, Consumer Reports rated an early version of this as “the worst car we’ve ever tested.” Oh well.