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Automotive News & Views What is "wrong" with these new subcompacts?
8446 messages, Last post on Jun 25, 2009 at 11:48 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: snakeweasel (Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm)  Sample comments: (no cherry-picking, I swear, just as I read them). "near 40 mpg on the highway" "been averaging about 38 miles per gallon" "We have managed to get 40 mpg" "The best is its fuel efficiency (40MPG)" "mileage averaging 39-41 MPG" "t consistently gets between 37-42 mpg." ANYWAY, we'll see..... I think the Edmunds review summed the SMART up fairly enough What do you all think? "But for those who routinely drive on the highway, the Fortwo just doesn't make sense -- even if it gets phenomenal gas mileage. A similarly priced subcompact will handle high speeds better; ditto the much more expensive but greener Prius. The 2008 Smart Fortwo isn't a good choice for most consumers, but for certain urban-based drivers, it's most definitely worth consideration." |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 06, 2007 7:38 pm) EPA site also gives drivers reporting their mileage. Eliminating the extreme highs and lows they are not doing to much better than the EPA estiments and even the high ones are doing worse on the highway than the smart is supposed to get in the city. We will see when the EPA comes out with their estiments. FWIW the Canadian Smart website gives about 43 city and just shy of 50 highway. I think the Edmunds review summed the SMART up fairly enough What do you all think? You mean the review that stated "It's no sports car, but it is fun."?
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Replying to: michaell (Dec 06, 2007 1:30 pm) Do realize that they make the Sprinter as a passenger van which could be had for significantly less than $68k.
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Replying to: jlawrence01 (Dec 06, 2007 8:33 pm) |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 06, 2007 7:38 pm) For a City car I believe a EV would be great. In fact if we sell this house and move to the place in the desert I would get one of the Chrysler EV street legal things to run around town and keep the Truck and the Pontiac. But living in Southern California it is hard to get from one city to the next without going on the Freeway. Just thinking about a Smart on the freeway gives me chills. |
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Replying to: snakeweasel (Dec 06, 2007 7:59 pm) What kind of government creative accounting is this? Why don't you just accept the average like the chart has? The Yaris manual gets 37 mpg average. EPA shows 32 MPG. I'd say that's pretty significant. I actually like the Smart for it's cool, small fun size. It's kinda like a go kart with a roof. I had a motorcycle so taking this thing on the freeway is no problem for me. No Fear. I am disappointed with the price. $10,000 is a fair price for it. |
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Replying to: snakeweasel (Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm) Honda Jazz (Fit): 41.5 mpg Smart TwoFour: 46.0 mpg So, Smart has a little edge. But, does it make up for the compromises? Fit can replace a Civic, while the Smart basically replaces a motorcycle/scooter.
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Replying to: dromedarius (Dec 06, 2007 12:33 pm) Oh it does make sense in a very crowded city as it's cheaper to park on the street and the Smart is all about parking in small spaces and getting good economy doing it. The Fit and Yaris or Scion xD (aka Yaris 5 door) will fit into tight spaces as well but not nearly as well as the Smart. Smart is the car you buy for a good parking space and not much else which is why it's sales are slow. It needs better economy and be more fun to drive like a manual tranny with a diesel engine. The Smart should be getting 60mpg minimum in the City to make it worthwhile IMO. |
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| SmartForSomeone sells in Japan? I mean, it's cities are crowded and tight for space and the Smart is great for that. So, will they blindly follow their own manufacturers and buy the Yaris, Fit and Suzuki kei-size cars? Probably, but not definitely. Somebody follow that statistic for us in their spare time and I'll get back to you on it, OK? | |
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Replying to: ttai (Dec 06, 2007 9:51 pm) a roof. I would say its more like a ATV or quad with a roof. I think there is a perception that a go-cart handles well, is low to the ground, and eh mid-engined. I think the Fiero/MR2 fit the bill better than the Smart, and the Fiero was originally designed for the same niche market. I had a motorcycle so taking this thing on the freeway is no problem for me. A motorcycle has the ability to maneuver out of trouble and can go from 0-60 in 1/3 the time of the Smart, leaving a lot of options to, as my driving instructor would say, "be somewhere else." |
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