Well, the day finally came after 13 months. Both of my smarts (a white/black/beige cloth passion coupe and black/black/black leather loaded passion coupe) arrived and I picked them up this past Saturday in Columbus. Very nice dealership and sales staff. The paperwork took longer than expected, but overall, it was still very satisfying. Kudos to Kevin, Megan, and John! Actually, double kudos, since I left my planner at the dealership and they graciously overnighted it back to me (I'm 3 hours away)! Excellent service!
The Good
Shifting: After reading all the negative press and responses here in the forum, I was expecting much worse. Fortunately, if you grew up driving manuals and don't expect automatic-style shifting, it's fine. It takes a little getting used to, but no big deal.
Ride: Again, with comments from the press and others, I expected it to ride like a board on a concrete slab, but again, nothing that jarring. And, yes, I've driven it on some patch, on top of patch, beside of pothole roads in WV. It's no Buick or 3 ton SUV, but it's about what you'd expect in a car with this wheelbase. Heck, I think my VW GTI rode worse when I picked it up and the dealer had the tires inflated to 40 psi. You could feel a sheet of paper in the road!
Comfort and room: I'm 6' 2" and 280lbs., so room is important to me. I've got more leg and headroom in the smart than I did in my '07 Honda Civic. The seats seem to be perfectly adequate, if a tad stiff (also like the GTI).
Performance: Both cars are still in the break-in period and I was being overly gentle with both cars, but the paddle shifters are fun from a stop being careful not to wind it out. The manual mode is also great for holding 4th on steeper inclines at highway speed. I think I may swap out the front wheels/tires for a set the same size as the rears and go for a little wider tire all the way around for ride and handling, but so far, so good.
Sunshade: I'm thinking these cars may have a later gen sunshade as it appears to be a little different than the demo model I drove in Columbus. Regardless, I didn't have any problems with either car's shade.
Wind: There wasn't much wind on the way back from Columbus, but I could notice a little wobble from passing semis. The effect was worse at higher speeds, but at 60-65 it seemed to be fairly well planted. I don't think I would want to drive high speeds for any length of time, at least not until I get more used to the car. But I typically drive 65 - 70 anyway in my Nissan truck and the Honda to maximize fuel economy.
Economy: I haven't filled either car up yet, but both had 7 bars showing (1 bar from the top) on the fuel gauge before leaving Columbus and both were at half a tank after the 200 mile trip home. I routinely managed 37-38 with the Honda, so I think I can maintain well over 40 in the smart if driven similarly.
The Bad
Not too much here, but a couple of observations.
Air Conditioning: The A/C in my white car seems a bit weak, but that is after very little usage. I am also used to a Honda Civic's 'liquid nitrogen fueled A/C'
that could single handedly cure global warming. So, I may revise that opinion later. I haven't been driving the black car, so I can't compare it.
Early Shifting: Others have mentioned the sensation of 'lugging' the engine and as a manual driver, I would agree that it does seem that way just to listen to the engine. Of course, when you're using such light throttle during the break-in, I'm sure the computer is doing that on purpose. Perhaps it will change? If not, there is always the paddle shifters or a heavier foot later. Although, the tach is reading 2K or a little more and it may be perfectly normal and we just don't like the sound/feel of it. Perhaps my backside isn't calibrated for this engine yet and I just want to downshift or hold a gear a little longer?
Stereo: Minor gripe. I guess I was expecting just a little more from the upgraded stereo, but it's perfectly adequate and still probably worth the $350 unless you're going custom anyway. The controls, however, are not the most intuitive.
The Ugly
Deer and smart car do not mix
(but better than other cars!). Less than 24 hours after picking them up, I managed to tag a deer in the white car. In any other car, the deer would have likely damaged the hood and grill, but the smart bodywork has survived without damage. The plastic looks pristine after inspecting it. The driver's side headlight, however, didn't fare too well and the housing was busted in multiple places. A new headlight is on order and I was forcefully introduced to the process of removing the body panels from the car. I can tell you it was no where near as bad as I imagined. In 40 minutes I had the side skirts and front bumper and hood removed from the car (thanks to Evilution's site!). We'll see how well they go back on after the new headlight arrives. I'm not a real 'handy' guy with mechanical things, but it wasn't bad at all. I'm impressed that the owner is able to actually perform this kind of work without great difficulty or specialized tools.
By the way, the deer survived and kept going, but he's going to be sore for a while judging by the wallop to the headlight and the noise of the impact. He would have been sprawled across the hood of the Honda, so it could have been a more expensive repair.
So, there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Overall, I'm pleased with the car thus far.
And, one other thing, no one was exaggerating about the amount of attention these things generate! I've never had so many conversations with strangers in such a short period of time or people doing crazy things to get a picture of a car. Amazing...
Linear Mode
