Smart Car
08-30-2006, 08:00 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 01-20-2006
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 1,230
Smart Car
BusinessWeek Online
Smart in the City
Thursday August 24, 8:08 am ET
By Frederick J. Staab
In the automotive business these days, big is out and small is in. Sales of large sport-utility vehicles are down 45%. Small-car sales have increased 70%.
Of course, having suffered from $3-plus-a-gallon gasoline for longer, the rest of the world has been thinking small for years. And there is no production car smaller than the Smart car from DaimlerChrysler (NYSE
CX - News).
But can a car that is just slightly more than 8 feet long and 5 feet high with 15-inch wheels co-exist with the mastodons that rule the American road? Smart has been building it since 1998, and it is the de facto city cruiser in Europe. So far, a total of 750,000 have hit the streets, with the highest concentration -- 50,000 -- being in Rome, a city famous for its narrow streets, frenetic traffic, and high gas prices.
With that in mind, I set out to see if one of these diminutive cars could be used as an everyday commuter vehicle. The laboratory for my experiment was midtown Manhattan traffic and the slog of the Long Island Expressway.
When I arrived at the garage, I was told to head for level three; the attendant said: "You won't have a problem finding the Smart. It's the only one we have." Not for long, though. Beginning in 2008, Smart will make its official U.S. debut, with a sticker price of just under $15,000 and mileage estimated in the 50-60 mpg range.
For now, this metallic blue "fortwo" with silver accents would be the only one on the mean streets of New York. A quick walk around made me wonder whether this car was up to the task of being an everyday commuter. It looked really tiny.
Attention-Getter.
On the inside, there was, surprisingly, plenty of room for two full-size passengers and a small 1-foot deep shelf for your belongings. If you don't look behind you, the Smart fortwo appears roomy; the windshield and side windows are large, and this one came equipped with an optional, fixed, glass roof that added to the openness.
A quick turn of the center-console-mounted ignition key and the 0.7-liter rear-mounted three-cylinder engine came to life. Yes, that's 0.7 of a liter, that nets you about 60 horsepower. Our test car featured the automatic sequential six-speed transmission, which basically is a manual without a clutch pedal.
You can leave it in the "A" automatic mode, or you have the choice of shifting with steering wheel-mounted paddles or a stubby back-and-forward shifter on the floor. The transmission takes some getting used to since there is a bit of a delay between when the pedal is pressed and you actually get moving. I coaxed the fortwo out onto West 44th Street and headed for a couple of laps around New York City before pointing its flat face toward suburbia.
Immediately the looks and comments began, mostly smiles or cautious glances at first, until I stopped for a light on Ninth Avenue. A guy waving a flag for a parking garage said, "Wow, I want to get one of those for my son." I told him he would have to wait until '08. "Well, how did you get one?" Let's just say I have connections!
Expressway-Safe?
After a few more thumbs-up and friendly smiles, both of which one rarely sees in NYC, it was time to head for the Midtown Tunnel, cutting a zig-zag pattern through the Fifth Avenue rush-hour sea of cars and trucks. At a traffic light I ended up parked next to a $320,000 Maybach. Its chauffeur looked quizzically at my car, which was about one-quarter the size of his. I told him we were driving cars built by the same company, DaimlerChrysler. "Really?" he said.
The hundreds of thousands of New York commuters who use the 70.8-mile Long Island Expressway every day know that during rush hour what should be a half-hour drive can easily become a 60-minute slog, or more. At one point in the stop-and-go I found myself completely surrounded by SUVs. My rearview mirror was filled with the image of a giant Chevrolet logo centered on its grill right above a twisted bumper that may have dealt pain to other smaller cars. Was it coming in for the kill, or only getting a closer look? Smart touts its Tridion Safety Cell and full complement of air bags. They also are proud of the crash-test footage of an E Class and fortwo hitting head-on. But I was hoping not to have to experience those safety features; that would involve too much paperwork and explaining.
Crawling traffic meant lots of open-window car-to-car conversations, like with the guy in the Lexus who talked while his girlfriend took pictures of the car. Or was that pictures of me in the car? Hmm. Someone else asked, "Is it legal for you to have that on the road?"
As the LIE opened up it was easy for me to stay with and, yes, even pass other drivers. For the best performance, I shied away from the automatic transmission mode and made steady use of the steering wheel-mounted paddles.
Prius' Mini Rival.
After a weekend of making new friends and answering questions about when it was coming to the U.S., it was time to fire up the fortwo and head back to New York City.
The trip included a bohemian woman in a Toyota Prius eyeing the Smart and, I bet, wondering if I was getting better gas mileage than she was. (They are about the same. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the $21,725 Prius is estimated to get about 60 mpg in city driving and 51 mpg on the highway.) And then there was a bit of excitement when a slow-moving Buick created a rolling roadblock that called for a quick lane change. Time to hit the throttle and turn all 60 of those horses loose!
After clunking over steel construction plates on 37th Street, my Smart commuter experience came to a successful end. I hadn't been run over by a Hummer nor laughed off the road.
So can a Smart fortwo be used as an everyday commuter car? The answer to that is yes, but the bigger question (no pun intended) is, will Americans go for a vehicle as small as the fortwo when they can buy more traditional cars for less? Only time will tell. The new-model fortwo scheduled to appear on U.S. roads in 2008 will be larger. About 3 to 6 inches larger, that is, in order to meet the latest crash-test requirements.
Smart in the City
Thursday August 24, 8:08 am ET
By Frederick J. Staab
In the automotive business these days, big is out and small is in. Sales of large sport-utility vehicles are down 45%. Small-car sales have increased 70%.
Of course, having suffered from $3-plus-a-gallon gasoline for longer, the rest of the world has been thinking small for years. And there is no production car smaller than the Smart car from DaimlerChrysler (NYSE
CX - News).But can a car that is just slightly more than 8 feet long and 5 feet high with 15-inch wheels co-exist with the mastodons that rule the American road? Smart has been building it since 1998, and it is the de facto city cruiser in Europe. So far, a total of 750,000 have hit the streets, with the highest concentration -- 50,000 -- being in Rome, a city famous for its narrow streets, frenetic traffic, and high gas prices.
With that in mind, I set out to see if one of these diminutive cars could be used as an everyday commuter vehicle. The laboratory for my experiment was midtown Manhattan traffic and the slog of the Long Island Expressway.
When I arrived at the garage, I was told to head for level three; the attendant said: "You won't have a problem finding the Smart. It's the only one we have." Not for long, though. Beginning in 2008, Smart will make its official U.S. debut, with a sticker price of just under $15,000 and mileage estimated in the 50-60 mpg range.
For now, this metallic blue "fortwo" with silver accents would be the only one on the mean streets of New York. A quick walk around made me wonder whether this car was up to the task of being an everyday commuter. It looked really tiny.
Attention-Getter.
On the inside, there was, surprisingly, plenty of room for two full-size passengers and a small 1-foot deep shelf for your belongings. If you don't look behind you, the Smart fortwo appears roomy; the windshield and side windows are large, and this one came equipped with an optional, fixed, glass roof that added to the openness.
A quick turn of the center-console-mounted ignition key and the 0.7-liter rear-mounted three-cylinder engine came to life. Yes, that's 0.7 of a liter, that nets you about 60 horsepower. Our test car featured the automatic sequential six-speed transmission, which basically is a manual without a clutch pedal.
You can leave it in the "A" automatic mode, or you have the choice of shifting with steering wheel-mounted paddles or a stubby back-and-forward shifter on the floor. The transmission takes some getting used to since there is a bit of a delay between when the pedal is pressed and you actually get moving. I coaxed the fortwo out onto West 44th Street and headed for a couple of laps around New York City before pointing its flat face toward suburbia.
Immediately the looks and comments began, mostly smiles or cautious glances at first, until I stopped for a light on Ninth Avenue. A guy waving a flag for a parking garage said, "Wow, I want to get one of those for my son." I told him he would have to wait until '08. "Well, how did you get one?" Let's just say I have connections!
Expressway-Safe?
After a few more thumbs-up and friendly smiles, both of which one rarely sees in NYC, it was time to head for the Midtown Tunnel, cutting a zig-zag pattern through the Fifth Avenue rush-hour sea of cars and trucks. At a traffic light I ended up parked next to a $320,000 Maybach. Its chauffeur looked quizzically at my car, which was about one-quarter the size of his. I told him we were driving cars built by the same company, DaimlerChrysler. "Really?" he said.
The hundreds of thousands of New York commuters who use the 70.8-mile Long Island Expressway every day know that during rush hour what should be a half-hour drive can easily become a 60-minute slog, or more. At one point in the stop-and-go I found myself completely surrounded by SUVs. My rearview mirror was filled with the image of a giant Chevrolet logo centered on its grill right above a twisted bumper that may have dealt pain to other smaller cars. Was it coming in for the kill, or only getting a closer look? Smart touts its Tridion Safety Cell and full complement of air bags. They also are proud of the crash-test footage of an E Class and fortwo hitting head-on. But I was hoping not to have to experience those safety features; that would involve too much paperwork and explaining.
Crawling traffic meant lots of open-window car-to-car conversations, like with the guy in the Lexus who talked while his girlfriend took pictures of the car. Or was that pictures of me in the car? Hmm. Someone else asked, "Is it legal for you to have that on the road?"
As the LIE opened up it was easy for me to stay with and, yes, even pass other drivers. For the best performance, I shied away from the automatic transmission mode and made steady use of the steering wheel-mounted paddles.
Prius' Mini Rival.
After a weekend of making new friends and answering questions about when it was coming to the U.S., it was time to fire up the fortwo and head back to New York City.
The trip included a bohemian woman in a Toyota Prius eyeing the Smart and, I bet, wondering if I was getting better gas mileage than she was. (They are about the same. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the $21,725 Prius is estimated to get about 60 mpg in city driving and 51 mpg on the highway.) And then there was a bit of excitement when a slow-moving Buick created a rolling roadblock that called for a quick lane change. Time to hit the throttle and turn all 60 of those horses loose!
After clunking over steel construction plates on 37th Street, my Smart commuter experience came to a successful end. I hadn't been run over by a Hummer nor laughed off the road.
So can a Smart fortwo be used as an everyday commuter car? The answer to that is yes, but the bigger question (no pun intended) is, will Americans go for a vehicle as small as the fortwo when they can buy more traditional cars for less? Only time will tell. The new-model fortwo scheduled to appear on U.S. roads in 2008 will be larger. About 3 to 6 inches larger, that is, in order to meet the latest crash-test requirements.
Do you have to get one for each foot?
08-30-2006, 08:52 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: 06-02-2006
Location: Break Away Republic of SoCal
Posts: 1,533
I think it would be a great 2nd vehicle for a short intracity commute or short hops to the store (may be need to have a thule hatch mount to hold you groceries).
But think of the modding possibilities!
Cruising with 14" dubs, bazooka bass tube strapped to your back bumper thumpin out the tunes, flame paint job, bagged suspension, ... hey SoCal ya think you could mod a set of your triple lake's pipes to fit this car?
But think of the modding possibilities!
Cruising with 14" dubs, bazooka bass tube strapped to your back bumper thumpin out the tunes, flame paint job, bagged suspension, ... hey SoCal ya think you could mod a set of your triple lake's pipes to fit this car?
08-30-2006, 08:57 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: 05-03-2006
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 882
A woman I work with has one. It runs on diesel and gets like 80 mpg highway. I park next to her in my HHR which looks massive next to it. Just would not want to hit a moose or deer in one though.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post