Bring back the smart Roadster
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Cool video...
But I am not convinced. I think the reason the roadster and forfour did not sell well was that their designs did not truly build on the original fortwo design. They were just cars with funky colors.
Smart would have found a more effective product line if they had developed secondary models that were closer to the original concept (look at the Toyota IQ). Instead of growing into a huge forfour, they should have added 12" and added rear seats over the engine. Or something really wachy, like a single center rear seat (seats 3) and storage on either site. For a sports model, something like the crossblade, but with retractable roof (cabrio style) and retractable front windshield (goes down halfway). Those are the kind of innovations one expects from smart. Those are the kind of innovations that would probably sell quite well.
But I am not convinced. I think the reason the roadster and forfour did not sell well was that their designs did not truly build on the original fortwo design. They were just cars with funky colors.
Smart would have found a more effective product line if they had developed secondary models that were closer to the original concept (look at the Toyota IQ). Instead of growing into a huge forfour, they should have added 12" and added rear seats over the engine. Or something really wachy, like a single center rear seat (seats 3) and storage on either site. For a sports model, something like the crossblade, but with retractable roof (cabrio style) and retractable front windshield (goes down halfway). Those are the kind of innovations one expects from smart. Those are the kind of innovations that would probably sell quite well.
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The Roadster wasn't a replacement to the fortwo so why should it be similar to the original design? I don't think its design lends itself to the Americans, it is a classic 60's sports car design. The reason it didn't sell was the silly price and they leaked.
Here in my country we have a lot of roadster and fofour. Dont forget that smart f2 is a small car, you can find parking easy, low gas miles ,and cheep to servis. These are the plus for the car. The other two are bigger cars,so there is the parking problem agian, forfour with biger engines,and cost to much to buy it.You can find with less maney other brands ,Citroen c1, toyota aygo, fiat 500 huyndai i10 etc. I believe the original cost was the problem for combany so they stoped makin them. .........................
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I read that the Smart Roadster might come back as a MG roadster but that was in 2007. Is there any news of it lately?
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Let's see how well you do writing in Greek -
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Funding couldn't be found so the project was scrapped, I believe the rights and designs were sold to an Indian company so we will never see it again.... or a really rubbish $2000 version will be released with a 20hp engine.
Thank youLet's see how well you do writing in Greek -
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The real reason that it did not sell was the Mazda Miata (MX-5).
- The Miata had the finest-shifting manual transmission made. The Roadster had the infamously clunky "automated manual" transmission that most find annoying in an economy car but intolerable in a supposed sports car.
- The Miata has a fully independent, fully adjustable suspension with double wishbones (A-arms) at front and rear with coil-over shocks (same configuration as modern Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and many race cars). The smart Roadster had a de Dion rear suspension and Macpherson struts up front (for those who don't already know, that's not even in the same league).
- The Miata had a 50/50 weight distribution (with the engine in front and rear drive) while the smart roadster had a 44/56 front-to-rear weight distribution.
- The 2003 Miata took 7.3 seconds to reach 60mph and the 2003 smart roadster took 10.5 seconds (if you want to talk about the Brabus version of the roadster, we can compare that to the turbocharged Mazdaspeed Miata).
- The Miata had a proper convertible top. It could be lowered in roughly 3 seconds without leaving the driver's seat (two latches and, with one hand, fold it back). I know. I own one. The smart roadster had a powered soft top that was complex and had the cabriolet-like over-the door bars that had to be manually removed if you wanted something more like a true convertible. But then it still had the tridion frame that took away much of the open look and feeling.
- The Miata/MX-5 has one of the richest aftermarket performance parts catalogs ever. The smart roadster had little available for it, yet needed a lot just to be competitive with a stock Miata.
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