[White Lightning]

I drive the smart 453 with 5-speed manual transmission (ICE).

I've noticed Prius cars tend to get a better jump from a dead stop at a red light than my smart. Even if I try to slam the 453's pedal and change gears more quickly, I doubt my 453's start could match a Prius's jackrabbit start. Yet, I had heard Prius owners moan about their 0-60.

Motortrend says:

"the new C453 generation .... Smart estimates a 0-60 mph time of 10.5 seconds (10.1 with the manual)"....

"The 2019 Toyota Prius offers a new all-wheel-drive system, plus hybrid technology that makes it one of the most fuel efficient vehicles on ... 0-60 MPH. 9.8 SECS ..."

10.1 vs. 9.8 seems insignificant, so what makes the Prius much faster on the start?

 

[jzchen]

Electric motors have high instant torque. So you were only comparing the portion when the Prius has an advantage, the start.

Electric (ED) will trump gas off the line.

 

[twcom]

You thought you had him............ lol........ You wont let that happen again. You'll stay in it to win it .... lol
Hope you get over that PTPD (Post Traumatic Prius Disorder) soon or every Prius will have your hands sweaty and your ankle twitching.

....... or you'll be at the Toyota dealer in no time at all.

 

[colin555]

Sorry to say it, but if you want fast off the lights then buy a sports car >

Smart cars do not have a good 0 to 60 MPH acceleration..Period.
My 451 Cdi was 0 to 60 eventually. My 453 gets there in 14 seconds which is dismal.

They are built like a brick, lacking in aerodynamics, and have high centre of gravity and short wheel base.
Taking a bend or a roundabout fast will show you how bad the situation is in a Smart. In the wet it is far worse.
Wind knocks them sideways, its speeds them up if the wind is behind, and slows them down if in front.

So why do we buy Smart cars?
Well they are fun, funky and stand out from the crowd.
They are city cars, easy to park, also not to bad on the freeway/motorways, as they can keep up with the traffic.

So just forget trying to outspeed another car at the lights in a Smart car, and buy a Convertible sports car for the weekend, as I did, if you feel like putting the foot down

PS...this is my 5th Smart car from 2003 to present, so I must really like them. The only one that could compete with sports car was my Smart roadster which was a drivers car, but unfortunately leaked rain water everywhere, and had to sell it on.

 

[magilly00]

smart 0-60 times

smart 0-60 times https://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicle-make/smart-0-60-mph-times/

I drive the smart 453 with 5-speed manual transmission (ICE).

I've noticed Prius cars tend to get a better jump from a dead stop at a red light than my smart. Even if I try to slam the 453's pedal and change gears more quickly, I doubt my 453's start could match a Prius's jackrabbit start. Yet, I had heard Prius owners moan about their 0-60.

Motortrend says:

"the new C453 generation .... Smart estimates a 0-60 mph time of 10.5 seconds (10.1 with the manual)"....

"The 2019 Toyota Prius offers a new all-wheel-drive system, plus hybrid technology that makes it one of the most fuel efficient vehicles on ... 0-60 MPH. 9.8 SECS ..."

10.1 vs. 9.8 seems insignificant, so what makes the Prius much faster on the start?

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I think smart was a bit conservative with their 0-60 time (not unlike how they were conservative with the EQ's range). My best 0-60 time in the 453 is 8 seconds. That was Sport Mode with foot through the floor. Some people claim they've gotten their stock 453s to 60 in 6 seconds but I've yet to see receipts to those claims. They may not be sportscars but they are little pocket rockets.

But ditto jzchen, the Prius is a hybrid vs your manual transmission. The Prius will win hands down.

 

[MB DNA]

Between our MY09 Brabus, MY13 Prius, MY15 ED . . .
the Johnny Lightning Speed Racer of choice is the MY15 ED. :burnout:



As for 0 - 60 mph, all require a calendar for "timing."

 

[smark]

 

[Chopper]

More power, more torque, epicyclic teamsmission with no clutch to waste time taking up drive... but really, if such things are important to you then neither the Smart or the Pious are the sort of car your should be driving.

 

[ElementalDragon]

They are built like a brick, lacking in aerodynamics, and have high centre of gravity and short wheel base.
Taking a bend or a roundabout fast will show you how bad the situation is in a Smart. In the wet it is far worse.
Wind knocks them sideways, its speeds them up if the wind is behind, and slows them down if in front.

While i have to disagree on the handling (my dad was already behind me once when i was driving my 453 through some twisty bits near Bethlehem, PA and said that I drive my car like it's a Porsche. Never had an issue with taking a corner at relatively high speed), and the wind (there are a LOT of cars that are affected by head- and tail-winds, and even you have to admit that the effects of crosswinds on the 453 compared to the 451 are DRASTICALLY less prominent)... the part that always gets me is that part in bold.... "high center of gravity". I've seen several people say something similar, and I find that a little hard to believe. Yes, the car has a higher stance than a lot of cars, but there isn't all that much material in the upper half of the car. Yes, it's quite a bit of high-strength steel, glass, and some plastic.... but the lower half of the Tridion cell is just huge.

Best view i could find of the cell and everything else structure-related is a bit down this page. Which... actually has some interesting tidbits in it.

https://studfiles.net/preview/5301521/page:11/

And yeah, to the OP, as the others have said, the electric motor in the Prius, even though it's not its dedicated drive train, will boost the Prius off the line faster than any stock Smart can be expected to.

 

[Bob Denman]

If you bought a Smart for drag racing: you're going to learn what second place testes like... >
Get over it, and be happy with the over 60 mpg potential... :nerd:

 

[InjuredAgain]

While i have to disagree on the handling (my dad was already behind me once when i was driving my 453 through some twisty bits near Bethlehem, PA and said that I drive my car like it's a Porsche. Never had an issue with taking a corner at relatively high speed), and the wind (there are a LOT of cars that are affected by head- and tail-winds, and even you have to admit that the effects of crosswinds on the 453 compared to the 451 are DRASTICALLY less prominent)... the part that always gets me is that part in bold.... "high center of gravity". I've seen several people say something similar, and I find that a little hard to believe. Yes, the car has a higher stance than a lot of cars, but there isn't all that much material in the upper half of the car. Yes, it's quite a bit of high-strength steel, glass, and some plastic.... but the lower half of the Tridion cell is just huge.

Best view i could find of the cell and everything else structure-related is a bit down this page. Which... actually has some interesting tidbits in it.

https://studfiles.net/preview/5301521/page:11/

And yeah, to the OP, as the others have said, the electric motor in the Prius, even though it's not its dedicated drive train, will boost the Prius off the line faster than any stock Smart can be expected to.

It is easy enough to figure out the CoG with some corner weight scales and a way to weigh the corners when the front and rear are alternately lifted by a few inches.

But even if the CoG is as low as the best sports cars, around 16-17 inches, that CoG acts against the tires at the angle created from the CoG to the contact patch. The narrow track and short wheelbase means even a sports car low CoG won't create anywhere close to sports car handling capabilities.

 

[smark]

A smart car Brabus ultimate, with 120 hp engine. Will achieve 0 to 60 in just 8.9 seconds. 6 and 8 second numbers, from a 453. Is just a fishing story. How big was that fish?

 

[jqpeds]

I bought a 2017 Cabriolet a few months ago. I also have a 2008 Mustang GT convertible with a Ford Racing supercharger, and putting your foot to the floor will take your breath away. In many ways, I like my Smart better, mainly because I like the way it handles. It reminds me of a go cart. Getting back into the Mustang is like going from a car to a boat. The Mustang is a big, heavy car, and it handles like one. I towed the Smart behind my motorhome to Virginia, and we camped at Hungry Mother State Park, at one end of a road called "Back of the Dragon." It is a mountain road that motorcyclists and sports car drivers love because it is rare to go more than a couple seconds without changing direction. The Smart was responsive to steering input, had excellent road feel, was responsive, and above all, it stayed flat in the corners. My Mustang would have lurched from one corner to the next, but the Smart took them on with confidence. Even my wife, who views cars strictly as tools, said she enjoyed the ride.
Regarding the acceleration issue: I also have had a 2003 Prius (1st generation) since new. Both the Prius, and the Smart, have an electronic connection between the gas pedal and the throttle body. Floor either one, and there is a noticeable lag between the time the pedal hits the carpet, and the engine wakes up. My concern isn't so much my 0-60 MPH times as my confidence in pulling out in traffic. To me, that's a safety issue, and I have to consider that throttle hesitation when I'm judging whether I can pull out safely into traffic. I'm thinking about installing one of those "go pedals" that is supposed to reduce the throttle lag, but I have not read many accounts of driver experience with these devices. I'm mystified as to why this lag was engineered into the Prius and the Smart, unless it was for improving fuel economy. I actually think I get more rapid response when I smoothly, but quickly, push on the pedal, than when I stomp on it. Also, neither my Mustang, nor my diesel pusher motorhome, have a direct linkage between the throttle and the engine (shoot, the engine in the motorhome is about 35 feet away!), but both have instant throttle response.

 

[Bob Denman]

The "Tail of the Dragon" runs between Tennessee, and North Carolina: 318 curves in just 11 miles...
And Florida has the "Tail of the Gator": 11 turns in 318 miles!

 

[Smart car]

My yiutube

I drive the smart 453 with 5-speed manual transmission (ICE).

I've noticed Prius cars tend to get a better jump from a dead stop at a red light than my smart. Even if I try to slam the 453's pedal and change gears more quickly, I doubt my 453's start could match a Prius's jackrabbit start. Yet, I had heard Prius owners moan about their 0-60.

Motortrend says:

"the new C453 generation .... Smart estimates a 0-60 mph time of 10.5 seconds (10.1 with the manual)"....

"The 2019 Toyota Prius offers a new all-wheel-drive system, plus hybrid technology that makes it one of the most fuel efficient vehicles on ... 0-60 MPH. 9.8 SECS ..."

10.1 vs. 9.8 seems insignificant, so what makes the Prius much faster on the start?

Yes electric cars launch quicker, here is one of dozens from my dashcam where my little Smart jumps ahead.

Smart ED launch

 

[1983JZR3W]

I have had the "GoPedal" from Smart Madness in my car a 2009 Brabus coupe for about five years. It does not make the car any faster or add power, but it does offer much faster throttle response. There are several settings from "Eco" to "Sport+". The unit is not cheap (about $250-$300), but in my opinion, well worth the more responsive driving experience.
I am sure others with the unit will offer their opinion.