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There will always be larger cars on the road no matter what you own. Unless you drive a garbage truck or a commercial truck.
Driving a smart makes one realize that one must be more on the defensive and alert than driving an older Impala for example, yet that is not the issue here. Times are a changing! Future vehicles will be more attractive just because of over crowding and the unreasonable gas cost issue. Squeezing the obese into these cars is another matter...
I own my smart now since February and am satisfied with it, as a matter of fact I am delighted with it.
It sat at the dealership for two weeks until I broke down and finally took it home.
I too feared the strange transmission and the two year warranty really stinks, yet I embraced the smart and it's little foibles and have not regretted yet buying it.
When I drive 90 mph on I-75 the mileage certainly drops and I don't do it often because the gendarmes don't appreciate it. In addition the A/C lowers the mileage too. So I then only see about 33mph all around, otherwise I get about 38 on the average with minimal A/C use. Never hit 40 mpg yet, but so what...and the transmission... it is now a non issue.
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It ranks in the "worst 10% for 2003-2009."
http://www.informedforlife.org/demos/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/1MasterSCOREr.pdf
The smart car designers must have known that the size of the smart would raise questions of safety. In the event of an accident, how are occupants better protected beyond door beams, seat belts and airbags?
Design a safety shell, like a walnut, and make it very strong. This high-strength "Tridion" frame has the ability to absorb tremendous impact, and although no automaker can guarantee against injury, to date this is the single-most important element of the smart.
three-star (out of four) European safety rating for Mercedes-Engine fortwo
Completed in April 2008, U.S. safety ratings on the 2008 smart models provided an overall four-star rating out of five. European ratings range from one star to four stars. U.S. ratings range from one star to five stars.
The smart has ranked competitively with similar-size and much larger cars. The following video is a graphic example of how this car performs in a designed crash at 70 MPH into a concrete barrier. You may be amazed by the result.
Here is the article http://tinyurl.com/6dcjyb
:lemon: :sick: :P
There is one factor that the article did not mention: the Smart is a more dangerous vehicle than any of the far better quality competitors to which it was compared. ALL of them score better on the informedforlife.org safety analyses.
As the article says, and I quote, "If you want good value and quality in a small, fuel-efficient car, buy a Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, Nissan Versa or Scion xB. If you want cute, adopt a puppy."
There is reason to wonder when someone becomes a fanatical naysayer in a forum where others are coming to share their experiences, ask questions, or explain why a model might satisfy their particular needs. Sounding your warning once or twice or three times even I can see. But you have nothing new to say that you haven't said before, and you aren't persuaded by any of the reasons that people who own the car chose it, Why should you be surprised when people aren't persuaded by your postings? You have almost no experience with the car, but you have sure have taken it on as a crusade regardless.
Everyone measures different things. For every negative article (and I have read several) there is another that approves the little beast. I considered the smart and rejected it, but friends bought smarts and couldn't be happier with their purchases. It still has higher safety ratings than the littlest Kia or Hyndai or Aveo, and I'd much rather be in an accident in a smart than on a scooter or motorcycle. But that's just me.
http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr051408.html
http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/reviews/marc_lachapelle/article.aspx?cp-documen- tid=635923
The list overall presents the single best evaluation of the overall safety of vehicles. It takes into consideration the results of both NHTSA and IIHS data along with other variables.
Go to the Smart website they have a dealer locator. Just remember that these cars are being sold only in larger metro areas so if your out in the country you may have a drive to find a dealer.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
http://www.smartusa.com/smart-usa-find-a-dealer.aspx
OTOH, Chevy has 129 dealers in Indiana, more than "Smart" has in the entire country! Get yourself an Aveo which is safer, faster and better in every way. Besides, it's a REAL car!
http://www.internetautoguide.com/car-dealers/19-int/chevrolet/indiana/index.html- -
Dennis
The big question is just who is informedforlife.org and what is the basis for their decision?
The site uses IIHS (which puts the Smart safer than the Aveo) and NHTSA (which puts the Aveo safer in some aspects and the Smart safer in others) and uses what I would consider a questionable methodology to come to some conclusions. In short I wouldn't take what they say to seriously.
Why anyone would prefer it to a, say, Chevy Aveo or Honda Fit or Nissan Versa or similar real car, is simply beyond me.
Well first off the Smart is a real car, secondly as a second commuter type car it is better than the Aveo, Fit, Versa or any other car simply due to its low cost and much better gas mileage (Smart 33 city vs 33 highway for the other cars). Plus its rather fun to drive, have you driven one?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Dennis
The problem that they have is that they unfairly bias their results not based upon actual testing but they give it a massive penalty because of weight. They obviously have an axe to grind, because no other site out there uses such a screwed up criteria - at least not that's weighted to the point of overpowering all other concerns.
***
(a) frontal impact fatality risk points (average vehicle = 38, including vehicle weight influence) Net score: 94.3.
So while it actually appears to have scored closer to the average for most cars - about a 35-40 rating, they inflate this by a whopping *50* points because in their minds, it's too light. No scientific data, mind you... just too light.
They also hugely inflate the rollover risk as well, since the entire cabin was specifically designed to act as a roll cage. Mercedes assumed that it would likely roll over in a crash and factored that into the design. But what would the IIHS and ENCAP know about cars compared to informedforlife ?
They give the 2009 MIni Cooper a 53.4 - worse than the Yaris, despite getting virtually identical scores on crash tests AND weighing more. The data isn't jiving with reality.
Yaris - 2377lbs - 37.6
Mini - 2491lbs - 53.5
NHTSA front risk rating is exactly the same for both cars at 13%.
So why the inflation? I smell B.S. here. Doubly so when you compare this:
Yaris 3 door - 2317lbs - 54.5 NHTSA 10% 5/4 stars
Yaris 4 door - 2377lbs - 37.6 NHTSA 13% 4/4 stars
Que? Gets better scores and yet gets that many more points for front impact risk?
:P :lemon: :P
Dennis
An alternative is to have the smart wrapped.
I really wanted this as a daily driver, but a nearly two year wait is unreasonable. Your thoughts would be appreciated.