New smart car review
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Thanks for the story, here's the direct link.
They only gave it 3 out of 5 stars
with the main concerns still being the steering and tranny.
I also came across another review yesterday at msn autos (Canada):
msn review
A little more positive this one.
I think the bottomline is...for the car the Smart really is supposed to be, it does it well and has been improved. Obviously, if you want a performance car with superior handling, then you better look elsewhere.
They only gave it 3 out of 5 stars
with the main concerns still being the steering and tranny.
I also came across another review yesterday at msn autos (Canada):
msn review
A little more positive this one.
I think the bottomline is...for the car the Smart really is supposed to be, it does it well and has been improved. Obviously, if you want a performance car with superior handling, then you better look elsewhere.
I've driven the Punto diesel in Europe as a rental and in all honesty I'd buy it over the Smart for two also (like the reviewer says- 25% better mileage, four seats and a real trunk with better ride and handling- same price) if it was available in the US- BUT IT'S NOT so for a little economical runabout our choices in the land of the free are much more limited.
Bear in mind that the numbers quoted in Autocar are in miles per imperial gallon. Converted into miles per US gallon they become 39.2 (test average), 35.6 (government urban) and 48.0 (government combined). The government numbers are the standard EU test results; these are listed for all 451 models in the international brochure, which is available on the smart website. Autocar are being a little disingenuous since they're quoting the results for the Cabrio, which are a little worse than those for the Coupe. The full set of test results in US mpg is:
Coupe
Urban Cycle - 38.5
Extra-Urban Cycle - 58.8
Combined - 50.0
Cabrio
Urban Cycle - 35.6
Extra-Urban Cycle - 57.3
Combined - 48.0
These numbers are for the 71bhp engine. You can convert any of the results into US mpg by dividing the liters/100km value into 235.
Coupe
Urban Cycle - 38.5
Extra-Urban Cycle - 58.8
Combined - 50.0
Cabrio
Urban Cycle - 35.6
Extra-Urban Cycle - 57.3
Combined - 48.0
These numbers are for the 71bhp engine. You can convert any of the results into US mpg by dividing the liters/100km value into 235.
Here's Edmund's review on the U.S. version: http://www.edmunds.com/smart/fortwo/2008/review.html
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Does anyone know what Edmund's means by "engine is not suited for highway travel"? I heard the smart Road Tour has the cars driving from city to city on highways, at highway speeds. And when I was at the Road Tour, the rep I spoke with said he was driving at 80 mph at times, normally 70-75.
They said "it feels woefully lackluster (and a little worrisome) on the highway" ... has anyone heard anything about the highway performance.
They said "it feels woefully lackluster (and a little worrisome) on the highway" ... has anyone heard anything about the highway performance.
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255 Posts
Get real
This is crazy. I used to have a '87 toyota tercel ez. 78hp with a 4 speed. It weighed 1970lbs. I drove on the interstate daily (30 miles each way) and didn't have an issue.
Try comparing the geo metro to the smartcar.
This is crazy. I used to have a '87 toyota tercel ez. 78hp with a 4 speed. It weighed 1970lbs. I drove on the interstate daily (30 miles each way) and didn't have an issue.
Try comparing the geo metro to the smartcar.
Edmunds probably had the test drive done by a soccer mom that normally drives an escalade with a cellphone stuck in her ear while disciplining the kids in the back seat. No... a SmartCar will not be her vehicle of choice at any speed.
The part I find humorous is the amount of horsepower and acceleration that Americans demand considering the traffic jams and low speed limits that we "enjoy".
There is no rational need for this level of power so it leads me to believe that it's an emotional need being satisfied. I think most people are so powerless in their daily lives with their jobs, our nanny government etc. that they seem to have a silly need to compensate with high powered cars and SUVs which can never even be used in a way that would actually utilize the power or off road capability.
Personally I would actually be happier with the diesel Smart as slow as that is because the mileage would be well worth it.
All I can say is I hope that these irrational people driving their 300 horsepower cars get their emotional needs met as they sure do pay a lot of money (much of it to people who would like to see us beheaded- but then they take care of that problem by putting ribbons on their SUVs) for their childish emotional satisfactions.
There is no rational need for this level of power so it leads me to believe that it's an emotional need being satisfied. I think most people are so powerless in their daily lives with their jobs, our nanny government etc. that they seem to have a silly need to compensate with high powered cars and SUVs which can never even be used in a way that would actually utilize the power or off road capability.
Personally I would actually be happier with the diesel Smart as slow as that is because the mileage would be well worth it.
All I can say is I hope that these irrational people driving their 300 horsepower cars get their emotional needs met as they sure do pay a lot of money (much of it to people who would like to see us beheaded- but then they take care of that problem by putting ribbons on their SUVs) for their childish emotional satisfactions.
Thank you Dr. Freud, . . . . But instead of blaming their unfullfilled lives on not being breast fed and having irrational and unsatisfied egos, could it just possibly be that some people have worked all their lives, became successful and are financially secure with more than adequate disposable income and that they just may like fast cars, world travel, expensive dinners and clothes.
We buy and drive what we like, not what is in and/or trendy, and more importantly I don't give a rip whether you or any one else rides a 10-speed or drives a 600 HP Viper. Are you just a judgmental Greener or just envious of any trappings of success?
We have a stretch Lincoln "L", a customized Vette and our beloved Passion/Da Vinci . . . . Life is good, we have been blessed and I don't to hide it from people who look down their noses at anyone who is different from them. Have a good day Dr. Freud, because it sounds as if you do not have a good life!!
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HeHe, not to turn this into a rant thread, but there are people that do care about the environment but also enjoy the luxuries that life has to offer. I'm by no means "rich", nor do I drive an SUV, but I do own a Vette. Does this say that I have to have it to satisfy my boring life? No, not at all. The Vette was an investment and I probably don't put more than a 1,000 miles a year on it. Yes, it has plenty of power, and I do have to admit, there is nothing like pure horsepower when you want it. And it does get 24 mpg. But with that being said, I truly am excited about the Smart car and do plan on getting one as my daily driver to drive to the bus stop where I ride public transportation into the city where I work. Currently I also have an S10 4-cyl. pickup that gets about 28 mpg that I drive daily that the Smart would replace. But, I do believe that there are those out there that have bigger vehicles that do care and would like to have a Smart for daily driving and then the SUV could be used for family vacations, etc. when more space is needed.
It is a free country, so you are allowed to spew your liberal, commy claptrap as well as I am to espouse how wonderful our country is, and how the majority of our great lives are owed to capitalism.
I would like to see a list of all of your volunteer efforts to save the world, besides getting high and wearing sandals. Yea, I know . . .You could have any car or any house you want, but your idealism makes you flip hamburgers, rent, and drive cheap cars. Yea . . . Heard that before. And just how do you fight terrorism besides on forums or by talking someone to boredom?
Edmunds Work of Fiction
I'm ignoring the flame war about personal freedoms; this is in response to SmartInDenver's question about the Edmunds review:
The Edmunds review cited earlier in the thread is essentially a work of fiction. Edmunds, along with the rest of the world's motoring press, got to test drive the 2008 smart in Madrid this February. The journalist who drove the car wrote a well balanced and generally positive test report which is published on the Edmunds website as a First Drive (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=119682#11). On the other hand, the editor who created the review appears to have summarized the actual test report, and in doing so injected a rather negative overtone.
For example, from the original test: "This is enough power for a run to 60 mph in 13.3 seconds on the way to a top speed that's electronically limited to 90 mph. The engine sounds good, but we'd worry about it feeling uncomfortably wimpy on highway inclines."
From the review: "With 71 horsepower, this powertrain will be able to motivate the 1,653-pound Smart from zero to 60 mph in a little more than 13 seconds, which is on par with the Honda Civic Hybrid. This is enough pep around town, but it feels woefully lackluster (and a little worrisome) on the highway."
Hence a conjecture about performance on highway inclines has become an absolute statement about highway performance in general.
Similarly: "Of course, a car with a wheelbase as short as this will never glide down the road like a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but the new Fortwo's stretched wheelbase helps it deal with bumps and thumps with something approaching aplomb. Meanwhile, high-speed stability feels much better to us, though crosswinds still can't help but affect such a boxlike shape."
Becomes: "A car with a wheelbase as short as many vehicles' widths shouldn't be expected to glide down the road like a Mercedes S-Class, but the new 2008 Smart Fortwo manages to deal well with bumps and thumps. High-speed stability is also pretty good, although strong crosswinds can wreak havoc on its boxy shape."
Note the difference between crosswinds "having an affect" and "wreaking havoc".
Just another example of "woefully lackluster" journalistic standards….
I'm ignoring the flame war about personal freedoms; this is in response to SmartInDenver's question about the Edmunds review:
The Edmunds review cited earlier in the thread is essentially a work of fiction. Edmunds, along with the rest of the world's motoring press, got to test drive the 2008 smart in Madrid this February. The journalist who drove the car wrote a well balanced and generally positive test report which is published on the Edmunds website as a First Drive (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=119682#11). On the other hand, the editor who created the review appears to have summarized the actual test report, and in doing so injected a rather negative overtone.
For example, from the original test: "This is enough power for a run to 60 mph in 13.3 seconds on the way to a top speed that's electronically limited to 90 mph. The engine sounds good, but we'd worry about it feeling uncomfortably wimpy on highway inclines."
From the review: "With 71 horsepower, this powertrain will be able to motivate the 1,653-pound Smart from zero to 60 mph in a little more than 13 seconds, which is on par with the Honda Civic Hybrid. This is enough pep around town, but it feels woefully lackluster (and a little worrisome) on the highway."
Hence a conjecture about performance on highway inclines has become an absolute statement about highway performance in general.
Similarly: "Of course, a car with a wheelbase as short as this will never glide down the road like a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but the new Fortwo's stretched wheelbase helps it deal with bumps and thumps with something approaching aplomb. Meanwhile, high-speed stability feels much better to us, though crosswinds still can't help but affect such a boxlike shape."
Becomes: "A car with a wheelbase as short as many vehicles' widths shouldn't be expected to glide down the road like a Mercedes S-Class, but the new 2008 Smart Fortwo manages to deal well with bumps and thumps. High-speed stability is also pretty good, although strong crosswinds can wreak havoc on its boxy shape."
Note the difference between crosswinds "having an affect" and "wreaking havoc".
Just another example of "woefully lackluster" journalistic standards….
Alejake - this thread is over for me- I rather talk Smartcar not politics. I would like to add that I was in the US army and was shot defending my country and really find your right wing insults offensive. I don't think this forum appreciates a political debate so for me it ends. Yes the green revolution is a big part of the Smartcar for many people but I can also see that for some it is just another consumer purchase so for whatever reason we like the Smart at least let's try to be respectful and talk cars here not politics.
Good . . . Just keep in mind that you were the one who threw the first political volley " . . . it's ok to melt the polar ice caps via global warming, to send poor American kids to fight and die for oil for our beloved gas guzzlers, and to send trillions of dollars to Arab shieks who support the nice folks who gave us 9/11 . . . "
It was easy to deduce that you are a greenie liberal, and your comments are equally offensive . . . Getting shot defending your country does not give you license to be a rude know-it-all. And with that . . . . I too am through with this mindless thread.
Thank Jebus!
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21 Posts
smart
We currently have a 2005 Smart fortwo Passion Cabrio in Austin, Tx. I have no problems driving on the freeway at all. I drive at 70-75mph and feel just as safe as any other car.
Of course, You must be careful when driving in storms. Had a big wind storm come up unexpectedly and it was tough keeping the little guy centered on the road. That is the only problem I have had so far.
We currently have a 2005 Smart fortwo Passion Cabrio in Austin, Tx. I have no problems driving on the freeway at all. I drive at 70-75mph and feel just as safe as any other car.
Of course, You must be careful when driving in storms. Had a big wind storm come up unexpectedly and it was tough keeping the little guy centered on the road. That is the only problem I have had so far.
Depending on the size of the storm, the same could be said for an SUV. Was the wind drift more serious than with other cars you have driven?We currently have a 2005 Smart fortwo Passion Cabrio in Austin, Tx. I have no problems driving on the freeway at all. I drive at 70-75mph and feel just as safe as any other car.
Of course, You must be careful when driving in storms. Had a big wind storm come up unexpectedly and it was tough keeping the little guy centered on the road. That is the only problem I have had so far.
We missed the Yahoo review.....
Yahoo! Autos
http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/future_cars/smart_fortwo_2008.html
(The Brabus Smart on the picture looks "smashing".)
Yahoo! Autos
http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/future_cars/smart_fortwo_2008.html
(The Brabus Smart on the picture looks "smashing".)
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