Well, I finally received my Smart Pure yesterday, so I wanted to give everyone my initial impressions.
First some background. My daily driver is a 2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5, a sportier version of the Mazda Miata with turbocharger, sports suspension, and a number of sportier enhancements. My daily drive is 20 miles to/from work, and the MX-5 gives me around 22MPG with spirited driving and 30MPG with conservative driving. Previous to that I drive a 2002 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sportscoupe (with sports package), and previous to that a 1994 Mazda Miata. All my cars, all my life, have been manual. I also own a 2006 Mazda 3 as a 'family driver' for shopping/weekends.
Dealer Experience
Excellent smooth delivery, comparable to what I've come to expect and experience at most modern dealerships (Mazda and Mercedes-Benz are my personal comparison here). Very smooth, fast, and efficient.
Driving
Better than I remembered from the '07 test drive. Car was smooth. Having a computer 'shift' for me was a little disorienting at first, but I quickly got used to it. I find it's shifts well timed during smooth accelleration, though I did see how it got a little confused on slow-turns (1-2-1-2). I found that after about 10 miles I was completely used to it and able to experience a very smooth drive. Getting used to this new type of driving seemed to be the real-world equivalent of trying out a new 'video game' where it takes you a little bit to get the handle of it, and then its smooth sailing onwards.
Manual shifting was excellent, just like a manual, but no clutch. I actually really enjoyed it. Shifts were fast enough (not the fastest, but nowhere near as slow as some reviewers would suggest) and quite enjoyable.
The car is zippy! I don't want to push it too much being under 1,000 miles, but it really can go. I did notice in the manual that if you put it in Manual mode it will automatically upshift at redline. I wonder what kind of 'better' 0-60 times it might get in that mode than in Drive. Will have to wait until it is properly broken in to try that.
Suspension is excellent! Way better than I remember or expected. Definitely smoother than my Mazdaspeed and closer to the C230's suspension (which remains my lifetime best sports suspension ever). It absorbs quite a bit for its small size, I even went over a couple railroad tracks and brick roads. Car was, at first, a little squirly at highway speeds due to its short wheelbase, but again, I found within 10 miles I had gotten used to it and was zooming away without problem.
Cabin noise is minimal. Incredibly quiet. Some minor highway noise comes into play at 70MPH (fastest I went was 75) through the window tops. But, I can easily hold a speakerphone call at any speed. Obviously, lots quieter than my MX-5s (even with a hardtop attached). The MX-5 engine just screams in through the dash. Having the engine behind you is a real key here I think to the very quiet cabin.
My scanguage showed a combined fuel economy of 41.1 MPG for the first 55 miles of driving, with a combination of 75% city/traffic and 25% highway.
Complaints
I wish the computer would hould show me what gear it is in when in "D", like our Mazda 3 does that, as it really helps to understand where things are at (are you at the bottom the higher gear for your speed, or at the top of a lower gear). I wish the computer showed me MPG and RPM (I didn't get the pods and I really don't like them, but of course I end up missing out on the RPM indicator).
Plans
Adding an Eclipse/TomTom Radio/GPS combo on Saturday along with some proper tinting. Currently planning on driving it down to Key West next Tuesday for a nice long trip over the 4th of July holiday.
Less Is More
Today
Linear Mode
