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First Drive: 2008 Smart fortwo
Affordable. Fuel-Efficient. Fashionable. Hey, this could work.
By Matt Stone
It draws as many stares as any Lamborghini. People stop to pose with it for photos. They give thumbs up. Kids point. But mostly, they ask, "Where can we buy one of these?"
Even though Smart has been sold in several global markets for a decade now, the smiling microcars are finally making their way to the U.S. market. That's odd in a way, as the first two Smart concept cars, dubbed Eco Sprinter and Eco Speedster, were born here at Mercedes-Benz's Irvine, California, design center in 1993. The connection between them, and the production coupe and convertible that bow for 2008, is unmistakable.
Many are the reasons the Mercedes-Benz-owned Smart brand was never brought here, but they no longer matter. The car was comprehensively remodeled for 2007, and part of that plan was U.S. certification. Roger Penske's United Auto Group will handle the importation, sales, and marketing, and a 70 or so dealer network has been established. But will The Land of the Large and The Home of the Suburban embrace the notion of hypercompacts-and buy them?
American customers can choose between two body styles, the fortwo coupe and Cabriolet convertible. The coupe can be had in two trim levels-Pure and Passion-while the open car is equipped much the same as the upper-level Passion coupe. There's only one powertrain choice at the moment, a rear-mounted 1.0-liter, 70-horsepower (no typo) inline-three-cylinder engine teamed with a five-speed autoclutch manual gearbox. Smart USA president Dave Schembri acknowledges that alternative powertrains such as diesels, hybrids, and particularly pure electrics are being studied, and that the location of the fuel tank in the center of the chassis makes all sorts of options possible. Still, the fortwo earns a more-than-respectable 33/40 EPA rating based on the new-for-2008 standards; using the older method, the 2007 rating would've been 40/45.
With a car that casts a shadow somewhat larger than that of a golf cart, everyone's concern is safety. While the laws of physics can't be denied, Daimler's engineers have done everything to counteract them. The safety cell around passenger compartment is super strong. The lower floor is part of a well-designed crash structure that uses the wheels, engine, axle-even the door hinges-to absorb and dissipate crash energy. Although most of the body panels are plastic, structural metal parts are the same thickness as those on a Mercedes S-Class. There are dual front airbags, of course, plus side head/thorax bags. ABS and an electronic stability system are standard. The front end employs conventional MacPherson-strut suspension, but there's a massive deDion tube at the rear that also helps in side-impact situations. A tussle with a Kenworth is still not advised, but know that the fourtwo passes every American and European crash test with flying colors.
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