Well, as SmartDesign said, Mercedes of Devon has one you can test drive, but make an appointment. They are located near the intersection of Rte. 30 and Waterloo Rd. next to the Commerce Bank.
I test drove it last night. Before I tell you of my impressions, let me say it was most disconcerting walking in to the main showroom. Sitting there gleaming is a handmade BiTurbo 16 Valve dream machine.. which runs.. oh.. $200,000.00 with a SOLD sign on it!. I am standing there in my army jacket and clogs and I can feel the sales people's eyes waiting for me to pass out from sticker shock.
Anyway.. on to more important things.. the SMART Car!
I've seen video and photos of course, but I wasn't quite prepared for the size. They have an all silver Passion model there. This particular car is from Germany. I asked about the American version but he said no, this is it: this is the world version of SMART.
Tom showed me the inside first. Since I ordered the Pure, I asked about differences. He said the seats have no pattern on them, there is only an FM/AM radio, no CD player and of course no sun roof. Also with the Passion you can get the dials at the top. The shifter is like some have said semi-manual which I will get into later. The key port, like most Mercedes is in the center console Heat gauges and hazard flashers are centrally located. He said it had FOUR airbags, not just 2. The Side ones are in the outside seat edge. Getting in, it is like everyone has said. Suddenly you are mentally in a regular car. The rear view mirror is sloped on each side so your view is a tad limited, but side view mirrors are large.
Ok.. the transmission. It has 6 gears. The gear you are in is displayed on the dash. If you want to do it yourself, an arrow flashes on the display and you push the gearstick forward. You can downshift as well. The car is noisier then I expected, slightly reminiscent of a VW.
Ok, Here is the rub. I drive a stick and am known for my heavy foot. I'm safe but I like a little get-up and go that occasionally lets loose my Inner Child that says Me First. Bad I know, but hey.. recognizing your issues is the first step in curing them. And cure them I shall have to - to have this car. It is not to say that this car has no power. It does. But you can feel that it is not designed for the shall-we-say, American heavy footedness. Those that are like me will have to make a conscious decision to slow down and let the car do what it was designed to do - be a SMART car - and leave the rest of the non-SMARTS to munch up fossil fuels.
Back to the Test Drive. I drove down Rte 30 almost to Berwyn. I had trucks and SUV's all around me and I didn't feel the least intimidated. Pulled into a parking lot and turned around. Note to all SMART owners and Pre-owners - The U-TURN is NO MORE. As to be expected, the little bugger turned on a dime. We got back and (after I parked 5 ft away from the curb because I forgot the size of the car I was in) Tom showed me the rear. The glass 'hatch' unlocks remotely, then the little 'gate' comes down. There is some room in there, I would say 4 filled shopping bags can get in there side by side standing up. On the gate there is a nifty little compartment for tools. The bottom of that compartment lifts out and you can easily check and add oil here. Fluids are in the front like always and that is easy as well.
Also, I asked about fuel. Tom said the best fuel economy is from 89 Octane. You can use 87 but the car won't run as nice and will munch gas.
That is it for now, I hope I helped someone with the SMART and didn't repeat items that are already in this forum.
Lisa
Today
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