New article I'd not seen before

[Micro]

Since I can't seem to find where to post this I'll post it here. I found this article today while browsing. I hadn't read it before but it seems to offer a very unbiased review of the smart fortwo and is relatively current as of this posting.

Test drive: The Smart car is revolutionary - Machinist - Salon.com

[jwight]

I lost him at "The Smart's automatic transmission, too..." and the comment about the paddles giving a faux manual transmission mode.

[JD10367]

He also mentions "1970s-era orange cloth seats"... which makes me wonder if he was even driving a U.S. 451 (unless he's confusing the red interior with orange coloring?).

I have decided all reviews are useless, since they usually mention the "automatic" transmission and they also test-drive it for a few hours. Every owner's report seems to say that, once you pass 1000 miles, the transmission (which is the #1 complaint point) shifts much nicer (mainly because you become accustomed to it, and you burnish the clutch plate). So, when I read the words "jerky transmission", I usually zone out from that point onward...

[rwjrn]

unless he's confusing the red interior with orange coloring?).

I think many people have confused the red interior with orange. That's probably why they've changed to Rally Red for 2009.