Pretty bad review by consumer reports

[fleckster48]

Interesting....over the 40 plus years I have been driving, I don't think I have owned a car they like. I have driven a Smart on three occasions and now I own one......and yes it puts a smile in my face. I think they sohould stick to lawn mowers

[jmonty]

Wow, that was a shockingly incompetent review. If anything it was just personal impressions of a single person. The things that I really noticed where:

- His criticism of the handling of the car was way off ("It has no grip"). My Smart corners far, far better than any other car that I have owned.

- "You have this thing on the highway -- you feel so vulnerable. It's almost scary." This is purely an emotional opinion. I have never felt this way.

- "If a big truck comes by or a crosswind happens you get blown about. It makes it hard to stay in your lane." I don't find that this effect is any higher than for other cars that I have owned.

- "Keeping up with traffic is tough, with the limited power that you have." I find that I have no problem keeping up or passing traffic at well over 70mph. Exactly how fast does he need to go?

I do think that his comparison against the Fit was fair, because he was comparing it based on price. But the comparison against the Prius is not, because there is a big difference in price there -- enough that the fuel economy difference is more than made up for.

Overall, I think that this report is far more embarrassing for CR than for the Smart.

[rotary]

a LOT of what he said was true. I have a smart car and I do enjoy driving it, but knowing what I know now I'd pick something different if I could go back. I live in SK Canada, pot holes in the spring are a dime a dozen, I'm amazed I don't have cerebral hemorrhages from bouncing around so much. It is ridiculously underpowered and it shows when driving up a hill. Drives terrible in winter, gets stuck in snow very easily. Shoulder checking your left side is difficult.

Tis a good car but has shortcomings, don't slam the guy for identifying what most people would enjoy knowing before considering this vehicle.

[Willy]

I don't think the reviewer said anything that I haven't seen owners say right here on these forums. I guess it just stings a bit when you hear it all at once.

[eurobiler]

Honestly - everything he tells is true - and thats why I like my Smart... It is not a Honda.

[kdfcogwheel]

ah, this fortifies once again my opinion of CR. I never liked them or their biased tasteless reviews. I have not nor would I ever subscribe to that ragg of a magazine. The reviews & reviewers repulse me! Thankfully I consider myself an early adopter and welcome new, exciting and innovative thinking. That's what makes this country great. As a point of fact, my daughter, in sunny SoCal, owns a Fit. Although, I have never driven it, I have on many occasions ridden in the front and back seats. At highway speeds, 70mph+, can be quite an experience when zipping between lanes feeling vulnerable. Regarding horsepower and hills, it suffers just the same as any micro car. Just trying to climb a moderate hill in Murphy Canyon with one or two passengers is all that the Fit can handle and even maintain 45 mph. The fit does have the room for two additional passengers, but one buys a car to fill a need. I am an empty-nester and do not need to haul around extra people. That is what my Volvo is for.

[Jordon]

Originally Posted by forestacademy

Here is some Jeep Lovers view of CR
YouTube - Anti Consumer Reports

I would like to see the Hundai they rated to make some of these moves

Ahh, Jeep. Still kicking myself for not buying that mint Cherokee a few years ago. If they would only make a Wrangler with a pick up bed, I would be first in line. I realized that out of all the cars I have owned only one was "recommened" by them, and it was a pos and my least favorite car. I bet the give the iQ a great review. They are very bias toward Yota and Honda.

[forestacademy]

Originally Posted by Jordon

Ahh, Jeep. Still kicking myself for not buying that mint Cherokee a few years ago. If they would only make a Wrangler with a pick up bed, I would be first in line. I realized that out of all the cars I have owned only one was "recommened" by them, and it was a pos and my least favorite car. I bet the give the iQ a great review. They are very bias toward Yota and Honda.

[piglith]

Of course they are giving the smart a bad review. Bottom line they are afraid of the compatition. I've spoken to aprox 8 diffrent dealers for diffrent cars, Toyota, Nissan, GM. Girl friend wanted a luxury car and I had to do the shoping *sigh. Nothing is selling at all, people are scared of the economy and what is to come. Don't believe me go take a drive around a car mall and look at the sales people all standing around with no one around. It's funny how when I just picked up mine at the dealer he said he had 8 ready from reservations to come pick up, all confirmed. Seems to me there is bias or payoff for the bad reviews happening. If cry enough about somthing bad it usualy means that you have other issues to hide the real truth. Kina sounds like the UAW when they speak up.

[Bill Marshall]

Sure this was a bad review - to the extreme.

But the print version in the magazine included info on the smart's exceptional fuel economy, low cost, high owner satisfaction, good crash protection, & excellent reliability. It wasn't all bad.

Their independent testing results for the smart were 39 mpg (36 mpg with EPA). Of cars who rated 30 mpg or higher with EPA, the fortwo was the only car to test more than 1 mpg higher with CR than with EPA. No bias there.

Fact is that this car does have its drawbacks. There are tradeoffs in order to get such exteme mileage at low cost. The ride is very bumpy. The seats are not the most comfortable.The transmission is funky. Pickup is slow. It's a very lightweight car that is easily buffeted by high winds. It reminds me a lot of the original VW Beetle which was - like the smart - a cult favorite & is today a classic.

I was willing to accept its limitations to get its advantages. But I'm not going to deny that it has limitations.