Motortrend smart roadtrip LA to Detroit reports

[spdickey]

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6225063/...art/index.html

smart organized a rally from smart house, Venice, CA to the Detroit Auto Show. They left last night (Sunday). Drat, I left there at 4 pm yesterday and must have just missed them.

Its posted in blog style, so the older stuff is at the bottom of the page. Here's what's posted so far that's revelant.

Originally Posted by motortrend.com

I'm here to drive a smart fortwo (no, I don't like the e.e. cummings affectation, either) from L.A. to Detroit in time for the North American International Auto Show.

...So, let's get this straight: I flew from Detroit to Los Angeles so I could drive a fuel-efficient car back to Detroit to show that it's not just a city car, that overweight Americans can learn to love tiny cars.

...smart organized this caravan

I'm one of two American journalists on this trip. The other is The Washington Post's Warren Brown, who also drove a Bluetec E through Kazakhstan. The rest are mostly Italian and German journalists. I haven't formally met them yet, although a few of the Italians gathered at a little reception in Venice this evening. smart rented some sort of artist's loft-style three-story house and used it as a temporary showroom for the fortwo. Tres chic. We got there about 5:30. Potential customers streamed in and out. One young woman behind the wheel of a white car on the showroom floor said, "I've been waiting for these," as if out of central casting. And here, she probably is, a casualty of the writers' strike. A middle-age woman in jeans, a raincoat and flip-flops was delighted that the fortwo's passenger seat flips down. "You can fit a surfboard in here!" A silver Mini Cooper was illegally parked in front of the "showroom" causing much consternation. The smart people managed to get the Mini towed so they could park three fortwos -- including a Euro-spec stop/start hybrid and a diesel - in front of the showroom. Then we got into two of them and drove them back to the hotel.

...I can tell you the smart fortwo makes some nice, easy u-turns in cities like Los Angeles. The steering is good; the brakes feel spongy to me.

...Only three smart fortwos along for the ride, including mine. One Italian team and one German team each with diesel smarts. Mine is a mild-hybrid, a start-stop sort that only runs pure electric at red lights.

...At times, the fortwo's steering reminded me of Andrews' car (a rear-projection-driven '61 Plymouth). No, actually, it's quick, light and precise in the smart, but the now-tiny 15-inch wheels provide for darty steering on the uneven California freeway pavement. High winds along I-15 on the way to Barstow blow around the tall, narrow, short-wheelbase car, and Bots' Dots feel like Detroit potholes underneath its tires. I was racing a Honda Element around an uphill right-hander doing about 75 mpg (me in the outside lane) but lost my nerve just as I was about to nose ahead of the Element.

On the other hand, the bubble of glass - my wife, Donna, calls the car a glass egg - make for a nice panorama along the road. The glass top is like a wide-screen movie for the Big Western Sky.

...One big plus, the fortwo apparently got an amazing 57.6 mpg. I can't really tell, because I don't know whether the mileage (in kilometers) was zeroed out in the fill-up before I got the car. But I did zero it out when I refilled it with just $25.62 worth of 91-octane gas at $4.19 9/10 per gallon. That's pretty impressive. I'll be even more impressed if I get something similar in the next fillup.

[Carnut]

A little birdy told me that the start/stop feature will be available to all rezos with a number of 1368 or higher.

[evoluzione]

... I was racing a Honda Element around an uphill right-hander doing about 75 mpg ...

i guess these really are efficient cars - instead of a speedometer they use a gas meter to determine speed

[mdfortwoguy]

Originally Posted by Carnut

A little birdy told me that the start/stop feature will be available to all rezos with a number of 1368 or higher.

Well, I'm 1352.

I'm glad... personally - everything my engineering degree had taught me would rather not have the engine starting and stopping that much - regardless of any testing that has been done.

I suppose this means that 1368s are definitely '09s?

[spdickey]

Originally Posted by mdfortwoguy

I suppose this means that 1368s are definitely '09s?

Perhaps not, depending on unknown production levels and unknown drop out rates of those before you in line. You may get your car earlier than you think. Stay close to your local smart dealer!

[Old smart]

Originally Posted by Carnut

A little birdy told me that the start/stop feature will be available to all rezos with a number of 1368 or higher.

Do you s'pose that Carnut (reservation date 1369) is having some fun?

[StevenM1TX]

Originally Posted by mdfortwoguy

Well, I'm 1352.

I'm glad... personally - everything my engineering degree had taught me would rather not have the engine starting and stopping that much - regardless of any testing that has been done.

I suppose this means that 1368s are definitely '09s?

They have been using it on gas golf carts for years. Is this really such a stretch?

[Willy]

Originally Posted by Carnut

A little birdy told me that the start/stop feature will be available to all rezos with a number of 1368 or higher.

I'm not sure I understand... can someone enlighten me as to what this start/stop feature is???

Thanks

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by mdfortwoguy

Well, I'm 1352.

I'm glad... personally - everything my engineering degree had taught me would rather not have the engine starting and stopping that much - regardless of any testing that has been done.

I suppose this means that 1368s are definitely '09s?

It seems to me also that starting and stopping type pertibations will tend to use more energy than a small engined, very lean idled Smart ICE.
As an 1174, I won't even have to worry about it on my car.

[spdickey]

Originally Posted by jonnysan

It seems to me also that starting and stopping type pertibations will tend to use more energy than a small engined, very lean idled Smart ICE.

Seems to work fine on my Prius. Big "starter motor" (the generator) spins up the engine without a hiccup.

Funny they gave these guys diesel and the semi-hybrid to drive to Detroit for the USA smart launch. Guess the Europeans don't care and giving the Motortrend the start-stop engine encouraged his participation!