Diesel

[rustic39]

I saw reference to a Smart diesel - economy of something like 72 mpg. Is this planned as a consumer option, or was it a one-off?

[Carnut]

No plans for them in the USA. Canada had them for a year and they are well received by smart owners, even with 40 hp.

[Old smart]

Canada won't be getting any '08 diesels either, for the same reason we won't.

[propes]

Which is too bad - given the choice I'd take a diesel; but I'm sure the thinking is for the US rollout is to limit the number of choices and see if the actual product sells.

[Old smart]

The ultimate showstopper is NOX emission control. The technology is there to do it, but where are you going to put all that extra "stuff" in/under a smart?

[Lewis]

rented the diesel smart in amsterdam with a full tank. went to italy and back on one tank- and that was inclusive of a trip up and down the Swiss Alps!

we are missing out on some incredible mileage :-(

[sisyphus]

I drove a Canadian diesel cdi smart a couple weeks ago because of the generosity of one of the canadian site members. He had installed a scangauge on it - a device that takes many measurements such as speed, miles travelled, etc. He set it up for me to measure miles per hour (his speedo was all metric) and miles per gallon. In sixth gear at a steady 35 miles per hour I was able to touch 200 miles per gallon! Maintaining 100 miles per gallon at a slow steady pace was a snap. "Gina's"(that's the car's name) owner told me that the 450 model canadian diesel smarts typically average 60 - 80 miles per gallon!
Yup! Sure would be nice to get a diesel model here!

[Old smart]

There is a fleeting chance in 2009 that a Euro spec diesel could operate here under U.S. standards. The Euro diesels presently are Euro4 compliant, but not U.S. compliant. In 2009 they go to Euro5, which is stricter than the current U.S.; the window opens. But in 2010, the U.S. tightens up yet again, tighter than Euro5; the window closes.