[SmartCarDan]

Information from the mothership has been slow, but dealers were just informed that the base MSRP before delivery (which is $750 on current model) will be $23,800 for the new EV coupe. Coupe is $1,200 LESS than old model but now includes cruise control, bluetooth, faster charging (7kW onboard charger), LED daytime running lamps, CrossWind Assist, etc.

$28,000 base (same) for EV cabrio before state & local rebates/tax credits. Only 16 currently available for whole USA. 12 will be in California, 1 Hawaii, 1 Oregon, 1 Massachusetts , and one Indianapolis

No word on lease pricing until they hit dealer lots.

No word on pricing for package/options. DOG has packages (same as ICE with addition of optional Climate Package w/ extra insulation & heated steering wheel!)

Pure/Passion/Prime models available to order. No Proxy (just add JBL to a Prime essentially).

No official word on range just yet.

No official release date yet.

17.6 is same battery size.

smartUSA is meeting with West Coast dealers this week & east coast dealers next week so we can learn about the new model. If we learn anything new I can post it.


If there are any additional questions for smartUSA let me know & I'll see what I can find out when I visit.

smart Center of Lynnfield, MA ships cars to anywhere in the USA & we have a cars available to configure for the 2017 smart electric drive coupe. Private message me (include email address) if your local dealer closed & you want an electric smart shipped to you.

 

[jwight]

Indianapolis is getting the ED? That is interesting....

 

[SmartCarDan]

Indianapolis is getting the ED? That is interesting....

"THE" ED, yes. Singular. They have one convertible, zero coupes as of now.

 

[jwight]

OK.....not much use if they won't have a steady supply. More smart USA marketing "strategy"....:shrug:

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I was afraid the 453 ED would be more expensive, it's rather refreshing to see the price cut. It might actually be competitive simply by being $10k cheaper than a Bolt.

That said, why the low stock? And none for Chicago? Weird they'd do Indy but not the larger market of Chicago.

 

[jwight]

Only one to Indy; I don't think the Midwest will see any more 453 EDs than we saw 451 EDs.

 

[10470]

Better to trickle the new inventory, rather than for a dealer to sit on an unsold glut.

 

[SmartCarDan]

Remember that these are also 2017 models being released (likely) in late summer/early fall (my estimate, nothing offical). Why not call them 2018s at this point? mercedes will be selling 2018 models soon and definitely before the new EV arrives!

Maybe MY18 smarts will go to additional dealers who request them and will available in greater numbers.

 

[smark]

Kansas City, has EV charging stations all over the metro area. More units then any other Midwest city. Their even located at major public parks. I really doubt we ever see a smart EV here. Sunday, we saw a Tesla X, BMW i3, and 500e. I have a friend at work, who bought his high school son a used Nissan Leaf. You can even get service on a 500e outside California and Oregon. Last week, we were at Crate and Barrel. There was a BMW i8 sitting outside. No EV smart cars here!!!!!!

 

[jwight]

Better to trickle the new inventory, rather than for a dealer to sit on an unsold glut.

I'd even go for that, if it was likely the Midwest was going to see any ED inventory to speak of. Based on experience with the lack of new 451 EDs in this part of the country, I'm not counting on any inventory, much less a glut, of 453 EDs here.

 

[MB DNA]

Better to trickle the new inventory, rather than for a dealer to sit on an unsold glut.

Can't sell what you don't have and if the new business model is ED only, I'm hearing more crickets in the smart showroom . . .

Remember that these are also 2017 models being released (likely) in late summer/early fall (my estimate, nothing offical). Why not call them 2018s at this point? mercedes will be selling 2018 models soon and definitely before the new EV arrives!

Maybe MY18 smarts will go to additional dealers who request them and will available in greater numbers.

And remember that NHTSA has mandated that rear-view cameras will be required in all cars built from May 1, 2018.

 

[Mister_smart_LA]

Range is going to improve due to a lighter battery (roughly 44 pounds lighter battery), and more efficient battery, more efficient motor. EPA will have the final word on official range, so that is still to be determined. The range will be improved, but not overwhelmingly in my opinion.

There will be a very clear shift to communicate to the general public that the smart 453 is a CITY car. Do not buy it expecting long road trips, this will definitely be a car for city dwellers, urban commuters, etc,. The smart 453 will certainly be a niche vehicle.

The build of the vehicle, the strength of the vehicle, the overall quality of the vehicle is dramatically improved over the 451 in my opinion. The agility, it's ability to make maneuvers in congested areas is second to none. A Fiat 500 in a tight parking lot (i.e., shopping center parking lot maneuverability) feels sluggish and clumsy by comparison. Whether this matters to most Americans has yet to be determined because in my opinion Americans' expectations of the smart 453 was off the mark. In my opinion, it wasn't so much the car but rather Americans' expectations of what it should be.

With the gasoline complaints out of the way, in my opinion JD Power ratings will certainly improve. Pretty much the only thing that folks will still complain about is the phone cradle and cross connect app because quite frankly there won't be much else to complain about. The range will be a complaint (because a Tesla gets over 300 miles afterall), but it will be hard to give bad surveys over the range when it will be clearly communicated to folks before they buy and those who plan to complain about the range will either pay way less than those EV's with larger range, or they won't buy the car anyway.

The charger gets an upgrade in quality and functionality, and the smart thankfully will have an LED light on the car that flashes green while charging, turns yellow when it's calibrating, turns red when something isn't working properly (perhaps the outlet has a bad ground), or a steady green when fully charged. The charger will also have the capability to charge at 6 amps, 8 amps, 10 amps, 12 amps, and I believe 14 amps as well. It will say "MERCEDES-BENZ" on the charger and no longer looks like generic electric vehicle charger supply.

Best of all, the onboard charger is 7kw and those charging at 240v could potentially recharge the vehicle in approx 2.5 to 3.5 hours which will mean the car will be more useful than its predecessor.

The vehicle is technically slightly faster 0 to 60 mph officially (11.4 vs 11.5), but those are official stats. I guarantee you that the smart 451 EV acceleration is dramatically quicker than 11.5 seconds during times that the battery is charged and you haven't been boosting the car in hot weather to the point at which the system slows you down. The official 11.5 seconds is at its weakest point. The smart 453 acceleration at its strongest point felt the same to me as its predecessor. Although I could only drive the car under controlled conditions in a parking lot. So take my opinion with a grain of salt until I can hit a freeway onramp with it.

 

[SuperSmartie]

Range is going to improve due to a lighter battery (roughly 44 pounds lighter battery)

I don't see how a lighter battery extends range when the entire vehicle is heavier...
I get the motor efficiency argument, but that can't be more than a few percentage points.

 

[MB DNA]

Range is going to improve due to a lighter battery (roughly 44 pounds lighter battery), and more efficient battery, more efficient motor. EPA will have the final word on official range, so that is still to be determined.

Kamaal, thanks for the most complete information sharing from anyone who has at least driven (albeit only in a parking lot) the ALL NEW ED 453.

The devil is in the details - my SWAG is that through the Renault partnership improved range will come from the use of some key components (motor, HV battery etc.?) from the very successful Renault Zoe. If that is the case we really can't quantify those improvements until we hear the EPA "speak" and see the Monroney sticker.

 

[Mister_smart_LA]

I don't see how a lighter battery extends range when the entire vehicle is heavier...
I get the motor efficiency argument, but that can't be more than a few percentage points.

I could have made my point better. My posts tend to turn into rambling notes. The new battery and new stronger motor (that is now air instead of liquid cooled) combination is approximately 15% more efficient. It is also roughly 44 pounds lighter.

 

[phillysmart]

"City car" 5 days a week

If smart is targetting the 'upscale' city dweller, they have missed the fact that the majority of 'upscale' city dwellers have weekend places outside of the city beyond the minimal range of the ED. making it not possible to drive it to the weekend retreat (beach, country, etc).

-Barry-

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I hope they advertise hard, because with a price like the 453 ED has, we could capture a decent part of the market. Everything else in our price range is pretty much an econo car with an EV powerplant!

As of current, it appears there are 7 models that have 80% of the EV market share. Sure, we aren't going to dethrone the Model S/X, Volt, or the Leaf, but at least we can run with the pack with a low price and an attractive body. Surely, we can kill the 500e at least.

 

[hurricanes]

Evolve or die; that has been true in the car business for decades. With gas prices as they are, small car sales have plummeted, which is likely the reason MB killed US sales of ICE SMART. However, electric sales have taken off as battery prices continue to slide. Almost every single car company is rapidly developing electric cars for this market, and MB is doing the same with their flagship cars and also with SMART. Doesn't mean the SMART ED will thrive; it could well follow the ICE SMART out the door. No question that the SMART ED is not for everyone, or even for most folks, but for the lucky few who can use it, it definitely has promise.

 

[kilted]

There will be a very clear shift to communicate to the general public that the smart 453 is a CITY car. Do not buy it expecting long road trips, this will definitely be a car for city dwellers, urban commuters, etc,. The smart 453 will certainly be a niche vehicle.

Sadly a city can be the worst place to own an electric car. Most city dwellers live in apartment buildings where, if they are lucky, they can park their car in a space in the building's garage. A garage that probably doesn't have any options for charging an electric car. They might have to park on the street, again, where there is probably no way to charge their car. People in the suburbs who live in single family homes are much better equipped to own an electric car, but it can be quite difficult in a large city.

 

[hurricanes]

Sadly a city can be the worst place to own an electric car. Most city dwellers live in apartment buildings where, if they are lucky, they can park their car in a space in the building's garage. A garage that probably doesn't have any options for charging an electric car. They might have to park on the street, again, where there is probably no way to charge their car. People in the suburbs who live in single family homes are much better equipped to own an electric car, but it can be quite difficult in a large city.

There will be some who must park on the street or in lots with no electrical outlets, but I disagree that most city dwellers are in that situation (the operative word here being "most"). I have lived in many cities, usually in apartments, but never had to park in the street nor had problems with outlets. I also have seen rows upon rows of homes within a five mile drive of downtown Seattle and Boston that had garages or at least driveways. Furthermore, most cities are not large, and smaller cities have much less of the parking issues you describe. Fortunately I no longer am an apartment dweller, but my home is only a five mile drive from the city center and has plenty of garage space with outlets, as do all my neighbors.