Can Less Be More? Published the International Herald Tribune FRIDAY, December 18, 1998 By Gavin Green

Getting Smart in the City And all this vitriol directed at a company — Mercedes-Benz — hitherto regarded as the world's most competent car engineering firm.

MERCEDES-BENZ has taken so much flak in the last year that it's a wonder its bosses don't turn up for press conferences wearing combat fatigues. First, the A-class, the revolutionary "baby car." And, more recently, the Smart car, an even smaller and more radical city car that got the same sort of warm and affectionate welcome from the motoring critics that Agamemnon got when he visited Troy.

Too cramped, too expensive, too stodgy to drive, too rough-riding.

And all this vitriol directed at a company — Mercedes-Benz — hitherto regarded as the world's most competent car engineering firm.

Not that the Smart car program was Mercedes' idea, at least not in the first place. Nicolas Hayek, the boss of Swatch, the watch people, wanted to make a small, stylish, environment-friendly city car. He spoke to a number of car companies, including Volkswagen, about collaboration.

VW thought the idea was financial suicide. "Why would anyone pay more for a two-seater micro car than they would for a four-seater small car?" asked VW's boss, Ferdinand Piech. After conceding the majority stake to Mercedes, Hayek's involvement was reduced until, last month, Mercedes took over the project completely.

Today in Culture

Norman Mailer, novelist, dies at 84Strike shuts many New York theatersAt auctions, nuance gives way to shockYet the Swatch legacy lives on. The Smart car, a two-seater, comes in bright colors and — as with Swatch straps — you can change the plastic exterior panels when you tire of them. Or, more likely, given the car's city milieu, when they get scratched. The cabin, too, is as bright as a bag of candy and the quality of the trim is a cut or two above what you'd expect in a Fiesta or a Punto.

Unlike most cars, which are designed to be all things to all people, the Smart is a specialized vehicle. It is designed for the city. It is not meant for the freeway or winding country roads or for hauling four hefty people to a ski resort in winter. It is assumed that customers will own other cars for the long haul.

This city-car bias gave the engineers a wonderfully focused brief. The car had to be as small as possible because city cars should be easy to park and should help reduce congestion.

The upshot is that the Smart is the smallest production car ever, noticeably shorter than that old micro champ, the Mini.

Its engine is under the trunk, above the rear wheels. No hood is necessary, saving length. Nor does it have rear seats, but in town most cars rarely seat more than two people. There is no clutch pedal because in traffic, clutch pedals are a nuisance. The Smart has a motorcycle-style sequential gearshift, with an automatic clutch.

The little car is a buzz to drive. Shifting gears is blissfully easy without a clutch to juggle, and the little three-cylinder turbo engine, growling behind your back, delivers a strong kick. It accelerates strongly to 60 kph (38 mph) — up to city driving pace — but becomes more breathless after that. Top speed is 135 kph, but the car is more comfortable at lower velocities. The engine sounds great too — like a powerful motorcycle.

The ride is not good, more ruffled rug than magic carpet. And the steering wheel requires far more twirling than you'd think, which can make the Smart feel cumbersome.

The final drawback is the car's tendency, at speed, to understeer or lose road-holding ability at the front. This is not a problem in town, but can limit speeds if you wander outside the car's natural domain.

Around town, though, it's fabulous. I loved it, and so did just about everybody else who saw it. I have never driven a car that created more interest. Is the cost — roughly the same money as for a low-specification Ford Ka or a Volkswagen Lupo — too much? Not when you look at its quality of construction, and its excellence in town.

Despite the criticism, one senses that the public mood is starting to swing toward Mercedes.

A once stolid company is now winning a reputation as a funky, cool carmaker, helped by the youthfulness of the A-class and the Smart. The flak seems to have done Mercedes some good. Anyway, isn't combat gear all the fashion just now?

Smart City Coupe. About $11,000. Three-cylinder, 599cc, turbocharged engine, rear-mounted. Maximum power 54 bhp at 5,250 rpm. Six-speed sequential transmission, rear-wheel drive. Top speed: 135 kph (84 mph). Acceleration: 0-100 kph in 17.2 seconds. Average fuel consumption: 5.0 liters/100 kilometers.