best review

[mr_Cash]

zer customs

[Carnut]

Quite comprehensive article, but no actual driving impressions. Say, don't those photos of the red cars look . . . . . . .

[SmartBob]

Hmmmmmmm....that article smells of Daimler/Chrysler. It wasn't a review so much as an advertisement. Certainly a pleasure to read but not really a critique.

[jwight]

The way I read the article, any time you take your foot off the brake the car is in creep mode and moves forward at a walking pace. If so, why would they need to add HSA? The car will be in creep mode on hills and should not try to roll backwards like it would with a conventional manual trans/clutch setup.

[a2jack]

Smartbob.

Hey. at least they are in town.

A2Jack

[lisat]

It says smart press release right on the page.

[SmartCard]

Originally Posted by jwight

The way I read the article, any time you take your foot off the brake the car is in creep mode and moves forward at a walking pace. If so, why would they need to add HSA? The car will be in creep mode on hills and should not try to roll backwards like it would with a conventional manual trans/clutch setup.

Presumably the creep mode is not enough to overcome a hill and would be similar to playing (balancing) with the clutch (with a manual tranny) on a hill. Probably not a sure fire way to accomplish this with the Smart's tranny. HSA, on the otherhand, will actually continued to squeeze the brakes until the gas pedal is pressed, thereby overcoming the hill, not with clutch play but with the brakes. Better for the life of the clutch, too.

[smarties]

Originally Posted by SmartCard

Presumably the creep mode is not enough to overcome a hill and would be similar to playing (balancing) with the clutch (with a manual tranny) on a hill. Probably not a sure fire way to accomplish this with the Smart's tranny. HSA, on the otherhand, will actually continued to squeeze the brakes until the gas pedal is pressed, thereby overcoming the hill, not with clutch play but with the brakes. Better for the life of the clutch, too.

From the article "In creep mode the car moves along at walking speed and can take uphill gradients of a five percent maximum. Creep mode is stopped as soon as the handbrake is engaged." Handbrake? Hmm must be a European thing.

In the photos the dash looks to be partly cloth, is it? If so yuck!

[mr_Cash]

possibly,

the best review,

of any vehicle,

of the last decade.


an example,

"To ensure adherence to the low emission and consumption values, even with different fuel qualities, the US versions have a lower compression ratio (10.0:1 instead of 11.4:1). This measure enables the engine to run closer to optimum combustion under a high load, resulting in low emissions and low consumption coupled with maximum driving fun."

so, if tall and big,
the smart will still run with near optimum combustion and low fuel consumption.

[MicroNut]

Mr Cash,

Sorry to disappoint you, but this really is a Daimler press release. Here it is in its original form at the Daimler media center:

smart_USA_driving premiere

If the manufacturer can't write a glowing review, who can?