Gas mileage

[pasgas]

I received my Smart on 4-8-08 and now have 4500 miles on the car. I drive 90 freeway miles round trip and have been getting 38 to 40 MPG driving with the AC on at 70 to 75 MPH. I’m very pleased with my Smart; if I was still commuting in my 2500HD pickup at today’s prices it would cost $32.00 per day verses the Smart at $8.00. What a great car!!!

[bull8042]

Originally Posted by pasgas

I received my Smart on 4-8-08 and now have 4500 miles on the car. I drive 90 freeway miles round trip and have been getting 38 to 40 MPG driving with the AC on at 70 to 75 MPH. I’m very pleased with my Smart; if I was still commuting in my 2500HD pickup at today’s prices it would cost $32.00 per day verses the Smart at $8.00. What a great car!!!

Same reason my Dodge Ram 2500 4WD is sitting at home alone...

[Dave777]

Oh no, another gas mileage thread!

[WhiteNBlack08]

I'm in a similar situation, 87 miles round trip, I avoid the freeways and am averaging 43-44.5 with A/C! One of these tanks, I'm going to really try and "hyper mile" and see if I can hit 50mpg.

[hauptmann]

We rented a Smart on our last trip to Germany for 9.99 Euro/day. It proved more than satisfactory. It had all the power and room we needed, and handled beautifully under all conditions, including gusting sidewinds and driving rain. Through large and small towns, on Autobahns and narrow country roads, all through the Rhine and Mosel valleys, we averaged about 45 MPG. On an autobahn, I once got the Smart up to nearly 100 MPH on level terrain (per speedo). Needless to say, we were sold on the Smart!

But US Smarts, we're told, top out at 90 MPH and get less mileage. Is this due to US emissions controls, or tuning issues? Or was our speedometer off?

[hauptmann]

Pasgas:
As a fellow Texan (but only have driven a Smart in Germany) I wonder how adequate the A/C is for these hot, humid Texas summers?

Hauptmann

[pasgas]

The A/C has worked fine so far. It does seem to take a little longer for the car to cool down especially when you first start out after the car was parked all afternoon and your getting onto the highway. The A/C does reduce its output when accelerating to increase horsepower.

[JPaul]

Originally Posted by pasgas

The A/C has worked fine so far. [...] The A/C does reduce its output when accelerating to increase horsepower.

From the Owner's Manual, page 151:

The air condition will be suspended temporarily:
-if the engin speed is too low
-when driving off
The air condition is switched off:
-at a coolant temperature of more than 239ºF (115ºC)
-at outside temperature below 38ºF (3ºC)

[Smartfor2guy]

Originally Posted by hauptmann

Pasgas:
As a fellow Texan (but only have driven a Smart in Germany) I wonder how adequate the A/C is for these hot, humid Texas summers?

Hauptmann

Mine will freeze your cohones off...

[jwight]

Originally Posted by hauptmann

We rented a Smart on our last trip to Germany for 9.99 Euro/day. It proved more than satisfactory. It had all the power and room we needed, and handled beautifully under all conditions, including gusting sidewinds and driving rain. Through large and small towns, on Autobahns and narrow country roads, all through the Rhine and Mosel valleys, we averaged about 45 MPG. On an autobahn, I once got the Smart up to nearly 100 MPH on level terrain (per speedo). Needless to say, we were sold on the Smart!

But US Smarts, we're told, top out at 90 MPH and get less mileage. Is this due to US emissions controls, or tuning issues? Or was our speedometer off?

What year did you rent that smart and what model was it? If it was the 450 version with one of the smaller engines that would explain the mpg delta.