Smart Car of America Forum banner

Okay so now what would you buy?...

6K views 43 replies 21 participants last post by  davidc18 
#1 ·
So I am wondering, and I have not learned how to do a poll here, would you change your purchase decision?

So if you bought a gas smart would you now wish you had an electric, and if you bought an electric smart would you now wish you had a gas?
 
#11 ·
A question I am contemplating right now with 8 months to go on my '13 Passion lease. I definitely like our current smart and the new 453. Most all mileage goes on the smart. My only question is whether or not I want a rear seat next. Not too concerned with hauling others but the extra load capacity would be nice.
 
#14 ·
Thanx OliverB for your reply. The 2016 gas models are supposed to be about 4inches wider, not sure about how that translates to cargo needs. We have only two in our family, and as I drive a smaller vehicle now space for larger items is always a concern, but delivery included in purchases will take care of that. I do virtually all of my driving in the city, but we do have a Dog Guide to lug around ( she is only 15 lbs. ) so I do see your point, and it is one that you may not think about before buying. In many cases of the people I have talked to they purchase the smart as a single intent vehicle but love driving the thing so much they don't want to give it up and use it more often than they intended. I have been looking at an electric, but I can't wait to test drive the 2016 gas model to compare the two. I certainly love driving the electric smart that is for sure.
 
#15 ·
Stevenvillatoro, thank you for your reply. As I already have a vehicle larger than the smart, I use that for long hauls. But the but is, since I am keeping this one, and almost all of my driving is in town, the smart makes sense ..... especially the electric. The redesign of the gas version is intriguing, and to be honest I really want to take one out when they arrive here in Windsor. I do like the style and ride of the current electric ( which will keep this form for maybe another year or so ). What is troubling is that most people are happy with their purchases, at least those that I have talked to, so it makes choosing that much harder. The general argument is that electric vehicles are the past and not worth the investment. I do not hold that view, but I will say battery technology is certainly changing and that is the real issue i think with battery vehicles. If everyone had the same battery it would be a no brainer. I can drive to my hearts content on pennies a day.
 
#16 ·
1. What is troubling is that most people are happy with their purchases, at least those that I have talked to, so it makes choosing that much harder.

2. The general argument is that electric vehicles are the past and not worth the investment.

3. I can drive to my hearts content on pennies a day.
1. Not sure why that would be "troubling" to you, the choice is yours - buy or lease to your needs?

2. If EV's are the "past" what is the "future" product that can be purchased TODAY?

Hard to use "vehicle" and "investment" in the same sentence as it is really an expense?

3. You certainly can if your ED heart is "content" after a 65-70 mile round trip?
 
#17 ·
Currently available EVs - all of them, with the exception of the Tesla - are unsuitable for my driving patterns, and a Tesla is out of my price range and won't fit in my driveway with my other vehicle that I would still need. Consequently, I'm happy with what I have.

It also so happens that the 2008 smart that I found used in 2012 at a Mazda dealer was exactly the way I would have ordered it had I been in a position to buy a new one. Right colours, right trim level. Only things I wish it had were cruise control (fixed), better suspension (fixed), better tires (fixed), and bluetooth smartphone integration (not fixed, but I can deal with it).

As for "what will my next vehicle be" ... probably a toss-up between a 453 smart and a Fiat 500, neither of which I have test-driven. Unless some sort of miracle of technology occurs in the next couple of years, an EV would remain out of the question.
 
#18 ·
I've been driving a 2014 smart ED since June of last year. This car is such a joy to drive that I often find myself not taking the highway on the way home from work. So, I voluntarily drive 50 minutes home instead of 25.

The ED's instant response in acceleration doesn't require much foresight (e.g. downshifting) when passing. This is a luxury that usually only high-performance cars with large enough (combustion) engines offer. But in the process they make a lot of noise. The ED doesn't.

I drove the gas smart for about a week as a loaner when my ED was in for service earlier this year. The gas smart is such a disappointment in driving performance. Its acceleration is extremely slow in comparison, on top of that the gear-shift bobbing was driving me insane and it completely took the fun out of driving compared to my ED. My smart dealer gave me Mercedes loaners at other times (I've had an obscure electrical problem that required several visits to the service center), and even those vehicles did not provide me the same instant response in city traffic.

My smart is used for commuting only (20 to 24 miles one way). I am able to plan detours before or after work, if needed, because there are four public Level 2 chargers at the office building right next door from work. There is only one type of trip I can't do with it (at least not in a reasonable amount of time) and that's to visit my daughter 150 miles away. But that is usually done with my wife anyway and her wheelchair doesn't fit in the smart anyway. We have a wheelchair van for that.

Also, I'm leasing. I could not imagine myself owning the battery. I don't trust in the longevity of the battery life. I could see myself owning the vehicle though and leasing the battery. I will certainly consider getting an ED again when my lease runs out in 2017, but I'm not opposed to considering other brands too.
 
#19 ·
They don't offer a smart EV here. Gas is $2.50 a gallon here. The smart EV range is limited, and the vehicle cost a lot more then the ICE version. Winter months would take a toll of the battery range. My wife does work a mile from the house. The car is too small for her needs too. I could see her driving one though. The only smart version I'd buy would be a 4 door EV. smart doesn't off that. Stupid move on their part. The Chevy Bolt EV will be out soon. Extended range. Larger more practicable car. Larger dealer network.
 
#20 ·
The Chevy Bolt, if it lives up to its billing, and the upcoming new lower-priced Tesla, if it can still make use of the "supercharger" network (which is likely - why wouldn't Tesla do this?), could be the game-changers for a lot of people. Remains to be seen whether the manufacturers can make money selling them.
 
#22 ·
MB DNA, thanx for your reply. Maybe troubling was the wrong word here. What I was trying to high light in my response was a lack of buyer's regret. So those who made the choice made the right one, so there was little " if I only thought about this.......". Since I am new to micro cars other people's opinions on the things they didn't think of when they bought their cars would be valuable to my decision process ..... although I am really leaning towards the electric model.

Many where I live think the electric vehicles are simply an expensive fad, or, worse, have bought them and did not research their purchase well ... It seems unfair to tarnish a vehicle due to some people's lack of research. The biggest issues I hear are the range ( which seems to be improving each year ) and the cost. With our currently low gas prices ( we pay around $4.50 an imperial gallon here ).
 
#28 ·
For the 453, I like the technical changes that have been made (primarily better suspension, and a choice of either a proper manual or a proper dual-clutch auto transmission). I'm meh on the styling of the new model. I don't like the colour choices that have been presented so far. I will reserve judgment until I test-drive one. If it's better in terms of steering and suspension than my modded 451 (I have a complete Bilstein suspension kit and better wheels and tires, which completely transform the car, it works the way it should have worked from day one) then I'll think about it. The Fiat 500 is getting a refresh shortly, including better infotainment (I already have Chrysler Uconnect in another vehicle, and like it). When the time comes to replace my 451, whichever of the refreshed Fiat 500 or the smart 453 is better to drive, combined with whichever one is priced better, gets the nod.

Black belt, thanx for your reply. Do you drive your smart in the winter? I, too, have been looking at the ED model . Just wondering how you would compare the Fiat 500 to your Smart?
No idea on the Fiat 500 in winter but I use my smart (gas engine) all winter. Proper winter tires are an absolute must. It will get the job done as long as you are not trying to get through deep snow (which will high-center the car due to low ground clearance). For urban areas and major roads that are generally well plowed, it's okay. Not the best, perhaps, but it works.

The main weak point - aside from the standard tires, which are completely useless in the slightest bit of snow - is that the traction and stability control system is too aggressive at low road speeds (doesn't allow any wheelspin) and at the same time, it lacks a feature that my previous vehicle had (late model VW Jetta) called EDL or Electronic Differential Lock, which applies the brake to a wheel that's spinning to make use of the grip it has on the other side. The smart just cuts engine power when it sees wheelspin at one wheel with the result that you are not going anywhere if either wheel loses grip, even if the other side is on bone dry pavement.

Bear in mind that EVs drastically lose range when the batteries are cold, when you are using the interior heat, and when you are trying to forge through snow.
 
#24 ·
My wife and i have owned or leased 4 smarts since 2008. A 2008 Passion coupe (kept almost 5 years and traded it in on a Fiat 500), A 2009 Cabrio (kept 9 months and traded in on a Suzuki Kizashi), A 2012 that i leased for 3 years that went back to smart in February, and a 2013 Iceshine that we actually bought new from a smart center this year, The ED is not available here, but if i could lease one for the low lease prices i have seen, i would jump on one in a heartbeat. I have other vehicles at my disposal, so the disadvantages of the ED wouldn't be an issue for me.
 
#31 ·
Right now my wife is driving the smart and i am driving the Fiat. The leased 2012 was my DD for the 3 years of the lease. While we DO drive our smarts in the winter, we DON'T drive them in snow. When the roads are bad, she drives a Suzuki SX4 AWD and I drive a RAM 1500 4x4. If we lived in the city, it would be different, but we live in the country with a steep driveway, so the 4WD's come in handy.
As to the difference between the Fiat and the 500? The 500 is a better highway car. With the back seats up in the Fiat, the samrt has more cargo space. The smart has more storage areas in the cabin also. The 500 has better acceleration, and the 6 speed automatic shifts well. I get about 10MPG less in the Fiat Vs the smart, depending on how much time i spend on the highway.
I have a Fiat 500 sport, and it definitely handles better than the smart on the twisties. The smart offers easier Ingress/egress, as i am tall and sometimes smack my head while getting into my 500.
 
#26 ·
Could have bought one in 2012 when our first smart cdi was totalled by some jackass in a Pontiac....but....the commute at the time for the kids to University was 90 km each way with no chance of charging in the parking lot. So, no electric. Even for myself, I don't live in an urban area so an electric would be useless for everything but those days when I drive to and from the office. This lack of polyvalence in my circumstances means that only an i3 or Tesla would work for us, among current EVs. Our 4 car fleet is young so I can't see any change coming for several more years.

The other smart diesel we bought used (340 km on the clock, touch over 200 miles) in 2010, a BRABUS Tailor Made, is brilliant and I don't see us ever selling it.
 
#27 ·
I bought a gas smart 7 years ago.

My life situation would have to change drastically for me to have any interest in an ED.

Situation one: I could afford to own and insure two vehicles, one of them for piddling around town, and then the real car. On the other hand, if I could afford that, I might be looking seriously at a Tesla instead of an ED.

Situation two: I had some sort of brain trauma and lost all interest in road trips.

Situation three: They figure out how to squeeze 300 miles out of a charge, and charging stations at hotels are as common as TV remotes.

Seven years with my ICE smart, and I'd buy another. If only the 453 weren't so gawd awful ugly.
 
#32 ·
I haven't done a lot of research on the electric cars, but I must say, they scare me. I would be afraid of running out of juice and not being able to get to a charging station. With a gas engine, I am never more than a few miles from a gas station and can fill up and be back on the road in less than 5 minutes. With an electric car, I would need to remember to plug it in when I got home from work. If I forgot, I would be in for a surprise the next morning when I was ready to head into work. Until they have a 250 mile range and can recharge in under 10 minutes, I will stick with gas.
 
#33 ·
I haven't done a lot of research on the electric cars, but I must say, they scare me.
Kinda like when people ask aren't you scared to drive that little car? My answer always is been scared to death driving our smart ICE for over 7 years but can't wipe the smile off my face?

ED is not for everyone and you must first accept the fact that it is a CITY CAR!!! Range anxiety is REAL. Was initially scared to run out of "go juice" and in fact managed to do that just ONCE (OPERATOR ERROR) early on. Now after 9 months still can't wipe the smile off my face?

Hmm, seems to be a theme here . . . :shrug:
 
#34 ·
The trip to my girlfriend's house is 50 miles one way. Our dates usually average 200-250 miles. So as much as I do like the smart ED, it won't be practical for me to have.

My only two regrets with my current smart are not going cabrio and getting the black interior. I plan to rectify both with a 453. :x
 
#36 ·
Thanx for your reply Mike T. My son had a diesel Smart and hated it ..... I guess it was the warm up period it required before driving off in the morning. Most of the good things I have heard about the Smart ( exceptional mileage, quality ) have been on the diesel. It makes me wonder why more were not sold here. We in North Amrica seem to dislike diesels, I know they are popular in Europe, and their fuel prices make our worst days seem bargain basement. Maybe we should lobby for the CDI's return.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top