Smart Tour USA Report
Today I went to the Mercedes dealership in Covina, Los Angeles, for the private invitation only Smart USA preview. I was told that they were showing the same cars used in the public event last weekend at Irvine. There were a total of 8 smart fortwo's there: blue/yellow/black cabrio and 2black/red/white/silver passion/pure. It was hard to tell which one was passion and which one was pure. They all got alloy wheels, so they all looked like the passion model.
The one that I test drove was the blue cabrio with black tridion cell. For me, it is the most attractive looking of the bunch. The yellow cabrio with silver tridion cell came a close second. I am partial to the black color tridion cell, so maybe if the yellow one got black tridion, it would have a chance against the blue one. I was hoping there would be a red cabrio with black tridion but they only had a red passion with silver tridion. I didn't really like the shade of the red. I was hoping it would be darker like the one they show on the website.
The interior of the car is very simple, nothing fancy. There are plenty of room for seating but not much storage space. The trunk area is small for passion and smaller for the cabrio. It is big enough for a trip to the supermarket, but a trip to Costco may not be a good idea. One interesting thing about the trunk gate release is that you need to pull both levers on the 2 sides to release it. It would be hard to do if you holding something in one hand. The rear view mirror has a funny V shape. At first glance, I thought it was just for the look, but after seating at the driver seat, I found out the reason. The rear view was blocked by the backs of the 2 seats on the sides, so the only visible back view is already covered by the V shape mirror.
Anyway, the test drive was short, but it was expected as there was a very long line. It took a little getting used to the automated manual transmission. The test drive was done in automatic mode, and the gear shifting was a little rough. I was told that it would get a lot better in manual mode. Other than the transmission, it was fun to drive and the car handled well.
At first I thought the private invitations were only sent to the people who put down the $99 reservation fee. Later I found out that most of the people there were invited because they were customers of the dealership. I talked to person behind me in the line for the test drive, and he just happened to be a writer for edmunds inside line. I guess we will be reading a new article on this smart tour event soon.
I took some pictures. Just remove nospam from the URL below to see them.
http://public.fotki.com/nospambalsacircle/smart_usa_tour/
The one that I test drove was the blue cabrio with black tridion cell. For me, it is the most attractive looking of the bunch. The yellow cabrio with silver tridion cell came a close second. I am partial to the black color tridion cell, so maybe if the yellow one got black tridion, it would have a chance against the blue one. I was hoping there would be a red cabrio with black tridion but they only had a red passion with silver tridion. I didn't really like the shade of the red. I was hoping it would be darker like the one they show on the website.
The interior of the car is very simple, nothing fancy. There are plenty of room for seating but not much storage space. The trunk area is small for passion and smaller for the cabrio. It is big enough for a trip to the supermarket, but a trip to Costco may not be a good idea. One interesting thing about the trunk gate release is that you need to pull both levers on the 2 sides to release it. It would be hard to do if you holding something in one hand. The rear view mirror has a funny V shape. At first glance, I thought it was just for the look, but after seating at the driver seat, I found out the reason. The rear view was blocked by the backs of the 2 seats on the sides, so the only visible back view is already covered by the V shape mirror.
Anyway, the test drive was short, but it was expected as there was a very long line. It took a little getting used to the automated manual transmission. The test drive was done in automatic mode, and the gear shifting was a little rough. I was told that it would get a lot better in manual mode. Other than the transmission, it was fun to drive and the car handled well.
At first I thought the private invitations were only sent to the people who put down the $99 reservation fee. Later I found out that most of the people there were invited because they were customers of the dealership. I talked to person behind me in the line for the test drive, and he just happened to be a writer for edmunds inside line. I guess we will be reading a new article on this smart tour event soon.
I took some pictures. Just remove nospam from the URL below to see them.
http://public.fotki.com/nospambalsacircle/smart_usa_tour/
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Thanks for the report and the great pictures!
Much appreciated!
I look forward to seeing it and driving it as well.
They won't be here in Atlanta until October, but I'm from Houston, and they're going to be there and in San Antonio in July; I'm going to try to go over then.
Kevin G
Cheers,
poeti18
they will be in my neck of the woods...
I don't see them doing as well in the burbs....but definitely an urban blockbuster. Someone environmentally conscious who can't quite justify plunking down that extra $8K for a Prius.
They are a bit soft in the UK and considered pricy for what they are....But what do we have here like this in the land of the fuel sucking Dinosaurs. The Yaris...Cute, but doesn't quite have the personality of the Smart car. Not to mention a similarly equipped Yaris is actually more in price. The FIT...More in price and has those hideous two extra doors....Korean Cars: Let's not even go there....Safety is adequate...as it is in all of the rest...
A well engineered and well equipped urban dream that will get you up to the Sierra's for a quick weekend get away.
I have the info on my blog.
I looked at the reviews from Europe and did the Imperial to Metric conversions.
http://smartcarfan.blogspot.com/2007/06/40-mpg-or-more.html
I got my last choice- the yellow- oh well. I gotta say, the inside looked... DORKY. Sticking up, on the passenger side dash, is a "v" with with two 2" round tachometer and... an analog clock! (Was there really a demand for this?) It looks tacky, it blocks part of the windshield and if it were mine, the first thing I would do is take a hacksaw to it.
That was irritating, but fixable. However, this cute little car that's supposed to fit EVERYBODY doesn't have a height adjustment on the seat! I couldn't believe it! The last three cars I've owned had this feature, I won't buy a car without it. Many of you may be thinking, so what, use a seat cushion, no big deal. But if you are a short person and/or have back problems, trying to "retrofit" the seat are unsuitable and impossible to keep in place.
I spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours trying to construct something that worked reliability and they would never last. THEN- on my next car, a Honda Civic, I went for a test drive, got in, adjusted the seat and it was PERFECT. Never had a moment's problem after that.
I can't believe that a car company smart enough to design such as... well, smart car, could be so STUPID as to not have what I- and most Americans- consider to be a standard feature- an adjustable seat! :confuse:
It was a deal-breaker for me.
I was looking into the spec of Smart fortwo at Edmund's review page, and it does mention "premium fuel"...I'm wondering, is it premium fuel "only" or "recommended"??
I've never test driven a Prius or Hybrid, so I don't know how it's feel like to drive something with 71 horse power...Can you guys tell me more about this 71HP Smart ForTwo car? How does it feel like when you step on the gas pedal??
Now I'm considering Toyota Yaris. What do you think about that car then? I haven't test drive anything yet...but Yaris looks cute too! lol
If you want an economical, reliable vehicle you can't hardly beat Toyota. My complaint about the Scion line is that they "Americanized" the most recent offerings. They are larger and burn more fuel. I feel that this was a step backward but then Toyota is offering their Yaris.
I test drove the Yaris, which drove a lot better. But after I test drove the Mini, there is nothing can stop me from getting one. The Mini just drives so much better compare to all the cars I have driven include my wife's BMW. I think the smart car is a good car, but Mini is THE car for me.
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_added_tax
If you drive it in automatic mode, it is slow to shift, since you can feel the car let the clutch in and out at a measured pace. If you want more acceleration, then use the stick manually and the auto clutch shifts faster. I drove a Geo Metro 3 cylinder for commuting and the smart certainly would more than keep up with that.
But the smart is so much safer than the tin can Geo. I like that it has rear wheel drive for proper handling, but also traction control, stability control, brake assist, brake force distribution, etc. for the occasional bad weather.
Climate control is a nice feature too. It is really inexpensive when you consider the equipment. You cannot get things like stability control and climate control on other mini cars (except for the Mini, but that is in a whole other price class).
I also like the idea of not driving around in an empty bus. Most people drive alone, and haul around a vehicle big enough for a small crowd.
I've just read through all the posts and I think a lot of people are missing the point of the Smart Car. The car is designed to be an inexpensive, fuel efficient, space saver. It is not designed to be a high performance, luxury vehicle.
Comparing this car to most others will almost always result in criticisms of the Smart Car. Adding options to the "boring" interior will add extra costs to the end price. The interior has everything it needs and nothing that it doesn't. Adding power seats or a tilt wheel or even cruise control (even though this seems like small additions) will result in a price increase which would turn off potential buyers.
As for the 71hp, the car is designed to conserve gas and not to race. With such a low GVW how much hp do you need? There is plenty of power to get the car up to speed and to maintain suitable speeds on highways.
Just like most manufacturers, Smart recommends the use of premium fuel. The car can and will run using lower octanes.
As for the transmission, people again are expecting something that it is not. It does not have a "regular" automatic transmission but rather an automated manual. You can't expect the car to drive just like an automatic because it's not.
The Smart is a great car when used as designed. Imagine a highway full of Smart cars on those long commutes home and home much more space there wold be on the nations highways if we all drove small cars. You can expect a lot less congestion at 5pm.
The interior is not boring, and has many styling points that were not necessary (like the quirky gauges on top of the dash), but put there to give it personality. It has a long list of features you cannot get on any other small car save the Mini, but you will pay $10,000 more for that.
The smart is more than just an anonymous appliance. It has style, presence, a certain fun factor, and is by far the smallest commuter car you can buy short of something with less than four wheels. If cheap and inexpensive are your main criteria (and you'd like a small back seat), then consider a Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio and fade to the background.
http://thescooterscoop.blogspot.com/2007/10/tsstv-s2e2-smart-car-test-ride.html
The transmission was a LOT nicer than the earlier one. There is still a mild delay and hitch in automatic mode, but it's far more subdued than before. (Maybe a bit like driving a regular automatic with a shift kit to tighten up the gear changes?) If you put it in manual mode using the paddles or bumping the shift lever and lift off the gas for a moment (anti-blip the throttle, as it were), the shifts are as smooth as a baby's bum. :shades: