My day trip with the Canadian Smart Club
They were all very happy with them and absolutely loved the 60mpg that the CDI delivered for them and got that with good consistancy. I drove with them in my S2000 in formation, you might say, to and from Cooperstown and it was a very fun day. I met them at the Saratoga exit on I-87 and they/we drove straight thru the middle of Saratoga. You should have seen all the people looking, taking pictures of us and coming right out onto the street as we sat at stoplights to ask about the cars...what they were, who makes them, what kind of mileage do they get, etc.
The Smart Club members asked me if I would lead them on a route back out of Cooperstown in the most direct way as they were doing a round trip in one day and were anxious to get back home, late as it would be. So I led them until I came to my turn off in Albany and they went on up the Northway back to Montreal. It was pretty impressive seeing a whole line of 15 Smarts traveling in formation down the road at 75mph and what looks they got from the cars we passed!!!
I must admit I was astounded at the ease with which they kept up with me as I kept my speed right at 75 all the way to Albany. They slowed at one point on I-88 on a very long hill, maxing out their little CDI's pretty much grinding up the hill but it didn't take them very long to catch back up to me.
So it appears that that model Smart is pretty reliable anyway. We'll see about the new, '08 models....Don't like hearing about strikes and what that can do to the quality of the build of an automobile, though.....
In conversation with owners of Smarts who drove from Montreal to Cooperstown, NY to see the '08 Smart on it's Street Smart Tour, I had the opportunity to speak with many of the 15 owners about their CDI Smarts.
They were all very happy with them and absolutely loved the 60mpg that the CDI delivered for them and got that with good consistancy. I drove with them in my S2000 in formation, you might say, to and from Cooperstown and it was a very fun day. I met them at the Saratoga exit on I-87 and they/we drove straight thru the middle of Saratoga. You should have seen all the people looking, taking pictures of us and coming right out onto the street as we sat at stoplights to ask about the cars...what they were, who makes them, what kind of mileage do they get, etc.
The Smart Club members asked me if I would lead them on a route back out of Cooperstown in the most direct way as they were doing a round trip in one day and were anxious to get back home, late as it would be. So I led them until I came to my turn off in Albany and they went on up the Northway back to Montreal. It was pretty impressive seeing a whole line of 15 Smarts traveling in formation down the road at 75mph and what looks they got from the cars we passed!!!
I must admit I was astounded at the ease with which they kept up with me as I kept my speed right at 75 all the way to Albany. They slowed at one point on I-88 on a very long hill, maxing out their little CDI's pretty much grinding up the hill but it didn't take them very long to catch back up to me.
So it appears that that model Smart is pretty reliable anyway. We'll see about the new, '08 models....Don't like hearing about strikes and what that can do to the quality of the build of an automobile, though.....
