First in Las Vegas - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

flywithsean · 01-21-2008, 10:42 PM

Well the day finally arrived!

I flew down to Ontario, CA to pick up my New smart fortwo Passion Coupe from smart center Riverside.

My wife and I just finished our 250 mile trek back to Vegas. I can report that the car far exceeded my expectations. The drive from Riverside to Vegas is not an easy one for a low powered car. Riverside is at an elevation of 819 feet and Vegas is at an elevation of 2181 feet. During the drive I-15 climbs to altitudes of above 4000 feet and down to below 2000 feet and then back to over 4000 feet before going back down to the Vegas Valley. That being said the car performed very well. On the worst stretch between Baker CA which is 922 feet to over 4000 feet in just a little over 30 miles the smart did well. I maintained around 65-70 mph the whole way up. We were being passed by most other cars but it wasn't a disaster.

The car really surprised me on the highway, we had pretty gusty crosswinds the whole drive and it held the road just fine. Driving 70-80 on the highway was no problem and it was much quieter than I expected it would be.

The car is extremely easy to drive and only takes a few miles to get completely adjusted to the paddle shifting. The paddle shifting is the only way to go. On a side note the car I think tends to tell you to upshift a little too early.

I am not a really tall guy but the amount of room in the car is great. I have tons of headroom and actually couldn't believe how far forward I had to move my seat. The roof is one of the coolest features. It makes the car feel more open, and once night hit the moon coming through was beautiful.

If you are in the witness protection program you wont want this car. This car attracts attention from EVERYONE!!! Kids, adults, everyone. Every single car that we passed or went by had everyone in the car staring at the us. We got several thumbs up even from people in huge trucks. People sped up and slowed down to get a closer look. We got boxed in by a few cars in Vegas with gawking drivers. This effect should wear off.

I have the Radio 09 in my car and it is ok but definitely the subwoofer would be a welcome addition. The ipod aux jack was welcome on the long trip. However this should be standard on every car these days anyways.

The brakes take some getting used to. The pedal is stiff and at times when the car downshifts as you are coming to a stop it sometimes lurches forward. A little hairy the first time it did it to me, but it is now under control.

I will post more with pics after I drive around a bunch tomorrow and when I fill up get a first tank mileage. I feel like this first one will be low based on the demanding driving I did today.

It is a Yellow/Black and Tan interior vehicle. The yellow is more Artificial Banana yellow than Bumblebee yellow.

Oh and the heated seats rock!!!!

Bottom Line We Love It!!!

SMART · 01-21-2008, 10:43 PM

Thats awesome to hear... any photos from the drive?

flywithsean · 01-21-2008, 10:50 PM

Oh yeah here is a little info on extended warranties.

They offer several levels.

36 MONTH/36000 MILES $395
48 MONTH/48000 MILES $695
60 MONTH/60000 MILES $995
60 MONTH/75000 MILES $1195
60 MONTH/100000 MILES $1595

After 24 MONTH/24000 MILES there is a $100 deductible

My dealer claims these prices will go up, but who knows.

tiny smart · 01-21-2008, 11:54 PM

Sean,

We were coming from California to St George today also after driving down for a test drive at Beverly Hills Smart Center. Passed thru Vegas around 5pm. It would have been a hoot to see you in your yellow smart. My wife and I were thinking on the way home what the possibilites were for a yellow and black Smart with personalized plates.

I will be very interested in hearing about your mileage and over all impressions. That long haul out of Baker is a bugger no matter what you are driving. If you were able to maintain 65 or 70 up that hill with two people, I would say that it pretty good.

Congratulations you lucky guy...

Dale

flywithsean · 01-22-2008, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiny smart

Sean,

We were coming from California to St George today also after driving down for a test drive at Beverly Hills Smart Center. Passed thru Vegas around 5pm. It would have been a hoot to see you in your yellow smart. My wife and I were thinking on the way home what the possibilites were for a yellow and black Smart with personalized plates.

I will be very interested in hearing about your mileage and over all impressions. That long haul out of Baker is a bugger no matter what you are driving. If you were able to maintain 65 or 70 up that hill with two people, I would say that it pretty good.

Congratulations you lucky guy...

Dale

I would have loved to have seen you on the road but you were a few hours ahead of us.

Good news for southern Utah folks though. Las Vegas will be getting a smart dealer in around six months. Odds are it will be Fletcher Jones.

We also had about 75 pounds of luggage in the car as well. Making the Baker hill even more fun!!

flywithsean · 01-22-2008, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMART

Thats awesome to hear... any photos from the drive?

Photos coming. I should have them up by tomorrow.

SmartBob · 01-22-2008, 03:56 AM

Very cool, Sean. Good luck with it!

Looking forward to your pixtures. .

Oh, and some mileage figures, eh?

**jwight** · 01-22-2008, 04:38 AM

Excellent Sean! Keep us posted; looking forward to the pics.

amoore007 · 01-22-2008, 05:37 AM

Sean, In the past there were comments about letting off the gas a little before using the paddle shift mode. What do you see about this now? AL

**jwight** · 01-22-2008, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amoore007

Sean, In the past there were comments about letting off the gas a little before using the paddle shift mode. What do you see about this now? AL

Correct; many posted by 450 owners who have plenty of time with the "semi" auto trans and learned how to handle it very quickly. They tried to educate us but I'm not sure everybody wanted to listen.