If you are getting low gas milage I would say try changing gas companies. If I use the station that I normally use I get around 35 avg. When I used another I lost around 5 mpg. So I would say shop around. Maybe even change gas pumps.
I just finished watching BBC's Top Gear, pirated from the Net. In it, the three show principals ran an economy race, a drive of 700 miles, attempting to make it on one tank. They drove cross country as well as traffic jams. The astounding results? The VW Bluemotion Polo, a car we are not allowed to buy, got 80 mpg! A Subaru Legacy Diesel, also not allowed here, got 63 mpg. The astounding number, though, was Jeremy Clarkson's Jaguar XJ6 TDVI with twin turbo and twice the cylinders and weight, and not even attempting to drive economically for half the race, got 53mpg!
W T F ???
Is the reason our Smarts are getting poor mileage due to US-ordered crippling of the cars with smog controls and bad gas that are not being shoved down the EU citizens' throats? Can it really be that bad? My Smart Passion gets around 32 to 36 in town and the one long road trip I took got 46 while spending most of its time at 75. How fast did Clarkson drive his Jag? 70.
Since this forum is limited to American participants, we probably don't have any European owners of the same model which, I believe, is also being sold in Europe as of 2008. I do know the earlier models, which we were NOT allowed to buy without hanging about $6,000 worth of extra safety and smog equipment on them, got better mileage than the current ones.
Americans are being ripped off bigtime by somebody.
Isn't the DIN concept a great way to build something?
A very good point. When I visited Germany I didn't see the citizens walking around coughing because of polluting cars.
I wish that there would be a compromise between all developed countries standardizing gas formulas and pollution equipment. The same goes for safety equipment.
I remember reading about the fantastic safety equipment such as on BMW's in Germany, yet when they and other manufacturer's cars were brought over to the US, they had to be modified because they did not meet the specs here. Lighting, windshield, adding catalytic converters and a myriad of other super duper features had to be modified.
Are the Germans less enthusiatic about safety than we? I think not.
When vehicles are build in Germany for example, they must be designed that pedestrians will not be impaled in any fashion, yet I have never heard of such an issue when a Buick is displayed or tested in a car magazine. It's a non-issue. Do we have these safety features in our domestic cars and it's just never mentioned? Again...I think not.
I believe it's just another layer of defense against foreign automobile industries to protect the big three from the evil imports. So our mileage has been compromised to pollute even less. There is a law of diminishing returns and I believe that is our problem here.
Last edited by HGB; 01-10-2009 at 03:25 AM.
Reason: fix
mklprc wrote: Since this forum is limited to American participants, we probably don't have any European owners of the same model which, I believe, is also being sold in Europe as of 2008.
The forum is not limited to Americans; there are a number of UK, Euro, and other country members.
HGB wrote: When vehicles are build in Germany for example, they must be designed that pedestrians will not be impaled in any fashion, yet I have never heard of such an issue when a Buick is displayed or tested in a car magazine.
One of the reasons that the ‘07+ Gen II W451 smart is longer than the original Gen I W450 is that Euro NCAP identified the need for more head protection for struck pedestrians, requiring a front-end design change.
N.B. When considering mileage figures published in the UK and Canada, remember that their Imperial gallon is 20% larger than a U.S. gallon.
Last edited by Old smart; 01-10-2009 at 05:34 AM.
Reason: add N.B.
Vehicle pollution and safety regulations in the EU are at least as strict as in the US, the exception being diesel emissions due to the US not regulating diesel emissions until 2008. Our lack of choice is due to market constraints (the US is really large and we have held our currency in check over the years); and in the fact that we have domestic manufacturers that until recently supplied what most people wanted.
If you want a real choice of vehicles, go to Mexico where you can buy almost any brand or model of car made in the EU or US- just be prepared to pay a lot. Cars in the US are a bargain compared to most other countries.
California gas has a lower performance than other states.....city/stop and go driving will give you way less gas mileage than hiway.....and, your mileage should improve with time. Also, you need to adjust to the smarts driving style. Keep at it. If it doesn't get better, take it back to the dealer for a check.
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