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The May (2008) issue of Car and Driver has a picture of a smart fortwo on the cover the same color as mine. Seems they don't know how to drive it as they observed 32 MPG and I have been getting an average of 40 MPG.
The May (2008) issue of Car and Driver has a picture of a smart fortwo on the cover the same color as mine. Seems they don't know how to drive it as they observed 32 MPG and I have been getting an average of 40 MPG.
Argh, sounds like another review from people who neither know nor care how to drive the car/use the transmission.
I agree with you SmartAzz, if these people (from Car and Driver) don't like the car they write just bad things about it. From my experience my Smart is giving 38 mpg.
Try reading the article, they really liked the ForTwo except for the transmission. None of the magazines that test the ForTwo get the kind of mileage that owners get because they run the cars harder than usual to get valid exceleration and braking numbers.
This was easily the most positive article I have seen on these cars.
they run the cars harder than usual to get valid exceleration and braking numbers.
Then they should also run the car "normally" before they post mileage figures, wouldn't you think? Our guys (SCOA) are averaging in the high 30s easy and with effort are breaking 40+mpg. I think this should be mentioned in a 3 page spread. Also they were pretty harsh on the tranny. As we non professional drivers have discovered with a short amount of time the shifting is fine to work with. And yes, other than that it is an ok article.
Gah! I think mine should come tomorrow or Tuesday. I want it now
Quite frankly, I am surprised that they seemed to like it. I like C&D overall, but their overwhelming bias towards BMW and Honda most of the time is just laughable. They score entertainment points in my book, but don't have much credibility... I've still been a subscriber since '89 though.
My car took about a week to get working at its best. The shifting would make it porpoise at larger throttle openings a bit like having a teenager driving. Mileage has gone up, not from 32 but up. I used the auto mode to do initial break in and still do most of the time now. To this point all of my daily drivers have been RWD manuals. lil Booger shifts smoothly both up and down and all I have to do is keep my foot on the pedal. On a conventional manual you need to lift as you shift or the rpm climbs for redline. The clever computer in the smart does that for you. Your right foot is connected to the computer giving it suggestions rather than connected to a butterfly valve somewhere in the intake. I don't find this to be a bad thing at all after I get the car back from my wife there is a difference in how it reacts. Heel toe, are things to look for in shoes for her not something to drive a car with. I am not sure why I would do it in a two pedal car. Let the left foot take tap lessons perhaps. What I have observed on my own car to this point leads me to believe that the program for the transaxle is at least as adaptive we humans are. Yes you can smooth out the shifts on a green (not broken in) car by lifting tried it myself it worked. My point is you don't have to. My wife does not have the skill set to drive an MG TC. She has a wonderful time with our smart. There is a line that sticks in my head "too much of anything is just enough for me" can't remember who said that but they must have written the first transmission review and all the bozos that followed keep copying that. will climb down off my soapbox now and keep relatively quiet.
karl
My car took about a week to get working at its best. The shifting would make it porpoise at larger throttle openings a bit like having a teenager driving. Mileage has gone up, not from 32 but up. I used the auto mode to do initial break in and still do most of the time now. To this point all of my daily drivers have been RWD manuals. lil Booger shifts smoothly both up and down and all I have to do is keep my foot on the pedal. On a conventional manual you need to lift as you shift or the rpm climbs for redline. The clever computer in the smart does that for you. Your right foot is connected to the computer giving it suggestions rather than connected to a butterfly valve somewhere in the intake. I don't find this to be a bad thing at all after I get the car back from my wife there is a difference in how it reacts. Heel toe, are things to look for in shoes for her not something to drive a car with. I am not sure why I would do it in a two pedal car. Let the left foot take tap lessons perhaps. What I have observed on my own car to this point leads me to believe that the program for the transaxle is at least as adaptive we humans are. Yes you can smooth out the shifts on a green (not broken in) car by lifting tried it myself it worked. My point is you don't have to. My wife does not have the skill set to drive an MG TC. She has a wonderful time with our smart. There is a line that sticks in my head "too much of anything is just enough for me" can't remember who said that but they must have written the first transmission review and all the bozos that followed keep copying that. will climb down off my soapbox now and keep relatively quiet.
karl
The strange part is that many transmissions have been adaptive for years now, thanks to the ECU programming, and not only does the computer adapt to you, the driver (well some..) ends up adapting to work the transmission to its best advantage - yet somehow this escapes the 'professional' reviewers abilities to evaluate every time
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