There's almost nothing I can say here that hasn't been said before, but I'll throw in my 2 cents worth, for what it's worth (2 cents).
We have a Passion with the comfort package. Leather heated seats and the auto headlights and wipers are the most obvious features of the package. I like the seats but don't really care one way or the other for the hockey puck on the windshield that is the light and rain sensor.
The seating position is high and very comfortable. The interior is comfortable and finished well. I wish it had a few more storage spots or a storage drawer under the passenger seat. The cabin has a nice light and airy feeling with large windows and the expansive "glass" roof. I'm personally glad not to have the cabrio, as I believe the visibility out the rear window is a bit limited.
The rear hatch has a nice storage compartment. I found a nice zip case at REI that fits perfectly and holds tools, first aid kit and other items. I also have a rope (with the tow ring from under the carpet already attached) and gloves and jacket stowed there.
I'm 6 feet tall, and wish the mirror were just a bit higher, as it causes a definite blind spot to the forward right.
I felt the headlight low beams were aimed too high, but the adjustment is very easy and is reported in another thread.
Headlight adjustment...EASY
I can't report completely accurately on the mileage I'm getting yet, but believe it is at least 40 MPG so far. I have installed a ScanGauge and have reported some preliminary numbers in the sticky thread on MPG.
The only issue I've had was after the first 40 miles, when the car failed to start. Quick action by the SmartCenterSeattle staff identified a failed electronic module in the gearshift module.
As is endlessly mentioned, the transmission is "quirky" and not really up to modern day standards. We can all say various things about getting used to it and it being fun to shift in 3 different ways, but, IMHO, it's really just a compromise we're willing to live with. After 500 miles I'm getting smoother at shifts, both in auto and in manual, but it's a compromise for sure. The halting gear shifts are annoying and the tendency for the engine to lug and allow the speed to slow in the higher gears is frustrating and often has me moving to manual and downshifting.
The hill-holder feature is clever, though not unique, and I like the warning beeping it gives just before releasing the brakes.
Basic around town driveability is terrific. The car feels stable and sporty. I've pushed it deliberately to the ESP limits just to see the light come on, but in everyday driving I'd never be working the car that hard. The choppy ride is to be expected with the car's short wheelbase. Depending on your local roads, it's either not an issue or quite obvious.
At highway speeds the car's ride and driveability is "interesting." It takes substantially more attention to the wheel than a longer car. This is pretty much to be expected in any lightweight, short car. However, after about 200 freeway miles I'm convinced that much of the lateral stability issues are purely aerodynamic, due to the short length of the car and the blunt rear end. The car is fairly stable if the road ahead is totally free of traffic, but the turbulence from any traffic ahead or in the adjacent lanes induces a nearly constant, minor yawing motion.
On the Club smart Car forum,
www.clubsmartcar.com , there is an interesting thread about aerodynamics and one owner's attempt to initially just keep the rear of his car clean.
http://clubsmartcar.com/index.php?sh...4726&hl=vortex He found the greatest improvement he had in his experiments was an increase in high speed stability with the addition of vortex generators to the top, rear of the roof. I won't go into the aerodynamics of it, but the science is pretty good I think.
He tried a number of different products, but liked this one best
http://www.prfprod.com/shopping.html in the 3X12 size. I'm going to try it.
Today
Linear Mode
