Filed under: SMART
New Smart ForTwo Cabrio owner files a delivery report
Back in January, ABG reader Randy dropped us a note to let us know that he and his wife had received a letter from a Smart dealer that the car they had reserved would soon be ready for delivery. Well the Oklahoma City couple picked up their new car this week and Randy sent us another message:
We just took delivery today. And we are very impressed. I live in Oklahoma City and the Smart dealer is located in Tulsa, which is about 100 miles. The drive back home was perfect. The car had no problem with keeping up with traffic, which on the turnpike speeds average 75-80mph. 80mph was not an issue to keep up. When we originally test drove the car during the tour, the cars seemed a little bouncy and jerky. Our cabrio is very solid and smooth. Top up on the highway, there is very little wind noise. Top down is stupendous. And the premium sound system ROCKS!!! All in all we couldn't be happier with our purchase. And for the days driving, after taking it on a tour to friends to show off, we averaged 44 mpg. WOOHOO! One other thing to point out, the attention the car gets is insane. I felt like I was in a parade on the highway. I have never had so many people waving and smiling and pointing. Some even snapped pictures.
Sounds like Randy is pretty pleased so far. If you've got your own story, the comments are open.
[Source: Randy in Oklahoma City]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Phil L. 2:21PM (2/29/2008)
I've heard lots of transmission shifting concerns for production models. Any problems, Randy?
That fact that he didn't mention it after several days of driving is a good sign.
Reply
eddy 2:41PM (2/29/2008)
I don't know the Us model but it did drive a 1999 Fortwo CDI and a smart roadster once. I did only do the free test tour at a car promotion stand, but the cars felt quite good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Roadster
The roadster did drive like a real sports car. A pity it doesn't exists anymore.
Reply
scootinoldskool 2:49PM (2/29/2008)
The shifting issue I have is the amazingly long interval between tapping the paddle and the transmission performing the shift, which is not at all smooth in either mode.
I decided to get my $99 back because after driving a smart fortwo (they sure hate capital letters, don't they?), I concluded that one gets more for one's money with something like a Fit, Yaris or Aveo. Heck, I used to have a '98 Honda Civic that 44 mpg on the highway...
Reply
Red 2:55PM (2/29/2008)
It's cool that people are getting excited about these cars. Having them on the road will get even more people excited about them.
Now can we please have the European version with uber-milage? Not that 44MPG isn't nice, but 50-60 would be better 8 ).
Reply
Chris 2:55PM (2/29/2008)
I saw this car up close at the Buffalo Auto Show and I just think it's too small for safety issues. For not a whole heck of a lot more money, the Altima Hybrid with good discounts, a nice rebate and $2350 tax credit puts price in the $20K range doing some fuzzy math. Based on the prices I saw at the auto show, for $2 grand more basically I move into an Altima Hybrid, 198HP, and 35 mpg average city which is okay to me.
Reply
Phil L. 3:08PM (2/29/2008)
Red -
I believe the European high-mpg Smart is diesel powered - and can't yet meet US emissions standards.
Reply
Matt 4:35AM (2/18/2009)
It's because US has poor diesel quality, nothing to do with emissions. All European cars post c1985 need Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD). The US has kept diesel quality the way it is to keep it cheap. Here in the UK we pay over £1 a litre for ULSD, and at one point £1.40 per litre. Put 'basic' diesel in a modern European CDI and it's foul up the injectors and pump pretty quickly.
The PM10s levels from a pre-2007 Smart ForTwo CDI is miniscule compared to typical US diesel SUV. Post 2007 and latest ForTwo diesel is cleanest diesel engine car in the world.
Phil L. 8:30AM (12/21/2008)
Huh? Where have you been? This used to be true - but things changed awhile ago.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ULSD:
As of September 2006, most on-highway diesel fuel sold at retail locations in the United States is ULSD
Throwback 3:22PM (2/29/2008)
Glad Randy is happy. I canceled my order after driving "my car" last month. The shift quality was awful. I have seen 2 road tests one from Road & Track and Motorweek. Both got 33mpg during the test, which is poor. My Saab 9-3 gets 32mpg. Any owners out there, what are you seeing from a mpg perspective?
Reply
Student Driver 3:45PM (2/29/2008)
@Red
UK Gallon is also called the Imperial Gallon which is 4.545L while the US Gallon (liquid) is 3.785L. This is why there's a huge difference in mileage as you go further into the economical range of cars between the US and Europe, even with the same engine.
http://www.metric-conversions.org/volume/gallons-conversion.htm
Reply
Student Driver 3:50PM (2/29/2008)
Ditto what others have said about the mileage. I just traded in a WRX for a Honda Fit, and the worst I get so far is 31mpg, and that's with an automatic. The Smart looks very cool, and must be great for parking (never thought that would be important, but driving the Fit sure does make it stand out) in public places and your garage, but my Fit can hold lots of stuff and still get that mileage.
However, if the car has a "cool" vibe to it, and it sells, who cares? Fewer huge vehicles sucking down gas and spitting out crap is welcome either way by me.
Reply
eddy 4:06PM (2/29/2008)
In Germany i would prefer a used Volkswagen Lupo 3L over a smart. Prices are around 5000 or 6000 Euro and that car has a very good mileage (3 liter/100km ,78 mpg US, 94 mpg imperial), 4 seats and better safety ratings.
Reply
Randy Piovarchy 4:08PM (2/29/2008)
OK, About the shifting issue. This is not a typical automatic that we are used to in the US. If you drive it like one, the shifting is sluggish. However! If, when it comes time for it to shift, let off the gas just a little and its quite smooth. In other words, you drive it like a typical standard transmission, you just don't have a clutch to push in. My dealer instructed on this at delivery and it took a little getting used to. But after a full day of driving you don't even think about it.
We have a truck (that is about to be sold) and a Honda Fit (that I love and now looks HUGE parked next to the smart) and this was just perfect for our needs. It is a bit pricey, but its cool. And no its not for everyone. Its a perfect city car, running errands and getting some groceries. Will keep you up to date how this all turns out, but as I have said before....LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
David Wright 4:35PM (2/29/2008)
My 85 year old mother (whose previous motors included a Nissan/Datsun 240z) lives in a rural part of the UK and zips around the lanes and into town in her red/black Smart hardtop (gasoline, 55mpg) and loves it. So do I when I get to drive it. Neither of us has any problem at all with the 6-speed transmission. Servicing is carried out by the local Mercedes dealership. There are several Smarts in her locality. I live in west Wales and I see about 2-3 of them around here each week. Two streets away a guy has a towbar with a boat behind his.
Reply
Bob L. 4:51PM (2/29/2008)
What are the resale values of used smarts in the UK and Germany? I'm not driving 1.5 hours to get the smart serviced (my nearest dealer). 2 year warranty! Car can be tipped over by 3 drunken guys. Hello a new college sport! Forget it... wait for the Toyota IQ it's much smarter...
Reply
AlexP 7:25AM (3/03/2008)
Someone tried tipping one over, the result was a broken ankle.
Reply
Calguy 10:03AM (3/03/2008)
Yes, an Aveo, Fit, etc are perhaps cheaper for what you get.. as is a Pontiac G6 Convertible compared to a BMW 3-series convertible.. or a Sante Fe is a lot less money than an ML350. Point being that people buy what they WANT especially if they can justify it. The smart is pretty easy to justify if you want to.
Most smart owners will concede that the mpg really ought to be higher for such a small car.. I've got one on order and definitely, I'm in that camp. BUT the virtue of a highly recyclable car, without the environmental downside of a giant battery (as in hybrids) to deal with, paired with the opportunity to park in about 7 parking spots on my block (San Francisco) in which currently only wheelbarrows and motorcycles fit will literally change my life from wasting time to parking in seconds.
I had a '92 Civic VX that got about 55mpg. It was AMAZING. But Honda Fit hasn't really moved the game on either. The Fit less mpg now, still doesn't have some features the smart has (heated seats, sunroof, rain sensing wipers, leather upholstery). When small cars besides the MINI and the smart grow up and have good available luxuries, the smart will be come less marketable. Especially if we get the Toyota iQ.
Reply
Chris 10:18AM (3/03/2008)
Calguy, you are comparing a two seat no luggage car to 4 seaters and luggage... I think the two extra people more than make up for heated seats.
The fact its mileage SUCKS amazes me. Get a Prius and really save the environment. You can take four people in it with better mileage. All cars are recyclable and batteries can be dealt with.
The Smarts were so long coming to American because they did badly in Europe. Considering that Euro's didn't even like them and their popularity even in Canada was great I can't fathom why people seem so enthused about them.
As for the transmission, blaming bad programming on the driver not knowing how to use it... well sorry, but paddle shifted transmissions are computer controlled and it sounds like they skimped
Reply
Matt 4:40AM (2/18/2009)
Chris - lots of errors in your comments.
A Smart ForTwo mileage doesn't suck. Most people get confused between best published figures and real life averages. Then compare differently. My 3 litre Mercedes diesel has a published best of 42mpg(imp) but the best I have ever obtained for a tank full is 38mpg. It's real-life average is about 32mpg(imp).
My Smart 0.8 litre diesel has a real life average of 77mpg(imp) but driven like a nutcase will drop to 55mpg(imp).
No car will 'save the environment', but some cars damage it less than others. The best form of transport is a bicycle. A Prius is hugely energy intenisve to make and despose off.
The batteries can 'be dealt with' through lots of energy used to deal with them. Some of the core elements, like Lithium, are not abundent and pose Peak Lithium issues just as Peak Oil does. More materials means more energy, regardless of how recycled and recycleable they are.
Smart ForTwos did not do badly in Europe. The million'th ForTwo came off the production line not long ago. The ForFour and Roadster did make a loss and have ceased production for some time now, but the ForTwo has been a huge success in Europe.
Mercedes does not require a government bailout.
US SUV lifestyle ideals about 'massive is best' means that the American public are not ready for microcars. The US car industry has got its marketing wrong in a big way on this. Your House of Representitives are reading the riot act to your Big Three car manufacturers for screwing Americans over for decades.
The Smart ForTwo transmission is electromechanical semi-automatic. The reason for it is low weight and good economy. Slamming sub-second gearshifts found in F1 race cars it is not. It is designed for smooth economic gear shifts, which for the majority of agressive drivers will fight with them all the way.
The Smart ForTwo is so different in so many respects I doubt the US market will absorb it until the idea of massive pick-ups with 5 litre engines and huge SUV mum-wagons weighing 3 tonnes or more become worthless over the coming years as Peak Oil and the US car industry catch up with Europe on vehicle design, and design what is 'needed', not what is 'wanted' - marketed to consume as much energy as possible.
benzaholic 11:22AM (3/03/2008)
My smart is due late this month, and I have not yet been able to talk myself out of buying it.
The transmission was my biggest concern after driving the Euro models in the smart road show, but I drove a US model at my local dealer just over a week ago.
The shift paddles are the problem. With paddles, I expect instantaneous shifts. Shifts like that are beyond the powers of this transmission.
I found that if I used the floor shifter in manual mode, shift timing was much closer to what I expected. I also tried playing with the gas pedal for shifts, and that helped. I suspect it will take me many weeks to really learn the most effective way to ask the transmission to do anything, but it's no longer a showstopper for me.
It's just a shame that they wouldn't give us a conventional manual transmission. I'm sure I could shift faster than this computer if i were in a hurry.
Reply