As mentioned in an earlier post, I traveled down to Houston to visit family, leaving Dayton on June 11th and getting back on June 23rd, via Louisiana. Spent five days in Houston driving around the city with temps in the mid 90s so the A/C was on full time. Same with 99% of the road miles – too hot to run without A/C.
Some quick numbers: 2,751 total miles, 73.49 gallons of gas, average mpg =
37.43.
Reflections on the trip:
1. The smart is a city car and the Interstate highway is not its element. Yes, you can do one of these trips but IMHO the smart is not the car for it. It is underpowered for high speeds, in that there’s no reserve power at 70 or 80 mph; yes, there are more rpm on the tach but they're not usable quickly enough to do you any good. Not a problem in most cases but if you need to speed up to avoid something you’re in trouble.
2. The car is very comfortable for what it is. The seats really surprised me – no discomfort after eight hours of driving. Minimum road noise and only slight wind noise from the outside mirrors. Seating position is good and the controls are all where they need to be. Stereo and CD are good enough for me. The A/C works hard as the temp goes up, and seems to cut off when the car needs more power. The see-through roof, even with the sunshade, doesn’t help the A/C at all. Overall I’d give the A/C 3.5 out of 5 stars.
3. Zero mechanical or electrical problems on this trip. The shifter was reliable, the car started every time, brakes, lights, accessories all worked as advertised. No creaks, groans or rattles either – a very solid ride. Did hear the “tapping” sound once, when stopped at a light. No idea what is was and never heard it again.
4. Speaking of ride, the smart gives you road feel in spades – you feel every bump and expansion joint. Very tiring after a few hours. My impression was of a buckboard fitted with little bitty shock absorbers. On smooth highway sections the ride is great, but when you get into those concrete Interstate sections with the uneven joints you’ll know you’ve been there. Again, this is a city car and out of its comfort zone on the highway.
5.
Realized I didn't mention the lack of cruise control in the first post; not a problem for the first several hours but along about hour 5 or 6 my foot was feeling pretty cramped. It helps to vary your throttle foot position, and get out of the car and walk around after about three hours of continuous driving.
6. This was a great trip from the standpoint of meeting people. Got to meet some of the Houston smarties at their last meet and every place I stopped for gas could not get out of the car without people asking a million questions. Emptied a little gas station in Arkansas when everyone came out and started taking cell phone photos. Spent a day in New Iberia, Louisiana and the same thing. New Orleans is a pretty cosmopolitan place but people there were all over the car. I guess it goes with the territory.
7. Scariest moment: going over the Hale Boggs Bridge (158 feet high) crossing the Mississippi river in a huge thunderstorm. No idea what the wind gusts were but at the top of the bridge they were strong enough to move the car from the center of its lane over to the white line of the next lane. Luckily no one was there or we’d still be cleaning our underwear. Drove all the way into New Orleans and the French Quarter in a driving rain when other cars were pulled off on the side of the road (I probably should have been too but wanted to see how the smart handled the water. The wiper system gets 5 out of 5 stars!)
8. Bozo sightings: only two, one mystery person who left a wad of gum on the service flap at a rest stop, and the guy in Jackson, TN who, as he passed, yelled “I get 13 miles per gallon!” like he was proud of it. Everyone else was great.
9. smart sightings: only two, one (Yellow/Black) in Houston by the Galleria I-610 ramp, and one (Blue/Black) outside of Louisville headed North on I-71 yesterday.
All-in-all a fun trip but more work than it should have been; I’d settle for less mpg and more highway ability in a car for a long road trip, and the smart doesn’t fit the bill.
Caveat: these are my personal observations from one trip; don’t expect anyone to agree or accept them, just passing them on for informational purposes. YMMV.
Some trip
photos
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