Smart Car Offers Fun Along With Fuel Efficiency
Fun is the word for Smart car's fortwo Passion Cabriolet.

The pint-sized, two-seat city car arrived in Omaha last week, and a short time after three demo models were unloaded, Ryan Maher, a brand specialist for Smart Center La Vista at Interstate 80 and Harrison Street, showed up in a metallic blue convertible to give me a ride.

Despite the sun, we didn't put the top down, because it was freezing out.

I'd seen the Mercedes product up close in Germany, but I'd never taken a ride in one. Somehow, the car didn't look as small in Germany, parked among other small cars, as it did in downtown Omaha, next to full-sized cars and sport utility vehicles.

At 106.1 inches by 61.38 inches, the fortwo is more than 3 feet shorter than BMW's Mini Cooper. The fortwo also is about 700 pounds lighter than the Mini, coming in at 1,852 pounds for the cabriolet model and 1,808 pounds for the regular Smart car.

While Maher got out to show me around the car, I started wondering whether it would even hold me. The car is 60.71 inches high. I'm 74 inches and change and 220 pounds. Surprise. I fit nicely in the passenger seat with headroom to spare.

The interior was in charcoal and gray tones, with a lot of plastic, including the interior door handles and the top of the dash-mounted heating and air conditioning controls. But the seat was comfortable, hugged just right and was easily adjustable.

The space is tight but much roomier than it looks from the outside. And careful attention to detail was apparent in the layout of controls and placement of the seats. The passenger seat, for example, is set a bit farther back than the driver's seat, so shoulders do not bump, and the seats are higher than those in a normal car. That makes it easier to get in and out and provides a good view.

The passenger seat folds flat, making it possible to haul more than what fits in the small cargo space behind the two seats. The cargo compartment capacity is rated at 7.8 cubic feet to the belt line, or 12 cubic feet if you stuffed it to the roof.