Smart ForTwo smart for few - CNN/Money review

[tipo158]

Haven't seen a pointer to this review posted elsewhere in these forums. My apologies if it has been.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/...iew/index.html

[Karl Roth]

smart is the only micro car available for sale new in the USA. I love mine and would not trade it for anything at the price cut. If other micro cars become available here it will be in a great part due to this cars success in the market. My reasons for wanting this car have little to do with gas prices now wanted one since 1998. Every car is a compromise. The smart works great for me right now. I can live with that, happily
karl

[LorbeerTLC]

Yeah, it's too bad there isn't any other car to compare it to. Being a micro compact car puts it in a league all its own.
However, that said I will echo in saying I wish the suspension was tuned to city driving and cushion the bumps in the roads better. I'll sacrifice a little lean for a smoother ride. I once had a 1977 Renault R-5 (Le Car), and for a car that small, it had one of the smoothest rides I've ever felt. But it did corner on its door handles. Oh well...
-Tom L.

[Smartcar007]

I have read several reviews on the Smart and this is by far the most balanced and overall fair assesment. It gives the car credit where credit is due and objectively takes on the issues that are well documented on this forum. Thanks for sharing.

[smartcenterSeattle]

It’s too bad that they just let these guys take the cars without really showing them how to drive them. I have had several customers that after driving the car had issues with the transmission. I was able to go with them myself and show them the different shifting techniques I have learned to get the car to shift faster and/or smoother. After being shown how, they enjoyed driving the car. With a little explanation and a specialist to go with them, I think these reviews would be much different.

[4two4me]

Originally Posted by smartcenterSeattle

It’s too bad that they just let these guys take the cars without really showing them how to drive them. I have had several customers that after driving the car had issues with the transmission. I was able to go with them myself and show them the different shifting techniques I have learned to get the car to shift faster and/or smoother. After being shown how, they enjoyed driving the car. With a little explanation and a specialist to go with them, I think these reviews would be much different.

If someone used to an automatic is in an emergency situation, they are going to instinctively "floor it" like you would with a normal automatic transmission. With the smart, that might get them into an accident instead of out of an accident. They aren't going to think about what they should do, they are going to react instinctively. If a person is used to driving a manual, they still might get into trouble, since the shift pattern is not the same as a manual transmission. For instance, my MX-5 has a manual and I KNOW 3rd gear will get me from 25 MPH to 75 MPH in a hurry. I also know where 3rd gear is on my shifter, so I instinctively drop it there if I need to get out of a situation in a hurry.

[Smarteq]

Originally Posted by LorbeerTLC

Yeah, it's too bad there isn't any other car to compare it to. Being a micro compact car puts it in a league all its own.
However, that said I will echo in saying I wish the suspension was tuned to city driving and cushion the bumps in the roads better. I'll sacrifice a little lean for a smoother ride. I once had a 1977 Renault R-5 (Le Car), and for a car that small, it had one of the smoothest rides I've ever felt. But it did corner on its door handles. Oh well...
-Tom L.

I had a '78 and an '80 Le Car. They sure did have a smooth ride - torsion bars all the way around. And, they had the best sunroof. It was huge, easy to open and close and weather tight. I want one like that on my smart.