Article Comments: 2008 Smart Fortwo First Look and Drive

65 messages, Last post on Jun 22, 2008 at 7:42 AM

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What is this discussion about? smart fortwo, Hatchback

Article comments for First Look: 2008 Smart Fortwo - Americans' newfound love affair with small cars is about to be tested with the arrival of the 2008 Smart Fortwo. (more)

First Drive: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion - Once you get some momentum together, it's a pleasure to drive the Smart. Despite its short 73.5-inch wheelbase, the Fortwo absorbs bumps and potholes quite well. The ride quality isn't exactly as supple as a Maybach, but the motions are surprisingly gentle. (more)

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#45 of 65 2 months before delvery by 310art Nov 20, 2007 (6:01 pm)
I have a Smart Car on order and can hardly wait. Safety Currently, I own and drive 3 vehicles, an LS400, a Town and Country and a 600cc Silverwing Scooter. I spend 60% of my time on the scooter and I have been riding motorcycles for 35 years. When people as me if i think the smartcar is safe, my answer is the same as always, "It's safer than my motorcycle" Price. There is a dealer that converts European Smartcars to current 2007 US standards and sells them for $25k for immediate delivery. He does a great business. I am from Vancouver, Canada so I could buy the Canadian version (which has a diesel motor that delivers 70 mpg) and I would have bought one there for $20k but the dealer makes you sign a statement that you will not resell the car to an american or import it across the border. Now that the US dollar has dropped, let's see if they will honor the preannounced prices in January. The stated price could be a bargain given the US dollar has dropped 15% since the beginning of 2007. Replies to this message: tiff_c (Nov 20, 2007 9:39 pm)
#46 of 65 Re: 2 months before delvery [310art] by tiff_c Nov 20, 2007 (9:39 pm)
Replying to: 310art (Nov 20, 2007 6:01 pm) There is a dealer that converts European Smartcars to current 2007 US standards and sells them for $25k for immediate delivery. He does a great business. I am from Vancouver, Canada so I could buy the Canadian version (which has a diesel motor that delivers 70 mpg) and I would have bought one there for $20k but the dealer makes you sign a statement that you will not resell the car to an american or import it across the border. Why on earth does the guy convert the cars to US Spec and not allow people from the US to own them? Seems a bit prejudiced to me.
#47 of 65 First Drive! by KarenS HOST Nov 21, 2007 (8:51 am)
First Drive: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion
#48 of 65 Manual tranny for the US? by baccus49 Nov 30, 2007 (8:40 am)
I want one of these cars, but this semi-auto thing sounds like it works poorly. Will they bring a manual tranny version to the US? Replies to this message: bumpy (Nov 30, 2007 9:39 am)
#49 of 65 Re: Manual tranny for the US? [baccus49] by bumpy Nov 30, 2007 (9:39 am)
Replying to: baccus49 (Nov 30, 2007 8:40 am) There is no conventional manual option for it; the car wasn't designed for one. Most of the problems with the transmission come from people driving it like a slushbox automatic rather than a manual.
#50 of 65 This one is funny! by 6sptl Nov 30, 2007 (1:46 pm)
If you take a turd and dress it up in daisies, what do you get? A turd with flowers!!!!! The Mini is a poor excuse for a car, not because of its size but because there are go karts that brake, handle, accelerate and give better fuel economy than it. I'm sure it will be as succesful as the Yugo, the Yugo sold because it was cheap, the Smart will sell because its cute. After a year or two the word will get out about what a piece of crap they are and then they will quickly disappear from the marketplace leaving a whole bunch of customers floating in the breeze with broken down junk yard adornments . BUYERS BEWARE!!!!!!!! Replies to this message: plekto (Dec 03, 2007 4:21 pm)
#51 of 65 Re: This one is funny! [6sptl] by plekto Dec 03, 2007 (4:21 pm)
Replying to: 6sptl (Nov 30, 2007 1:46 pm) Funny, people have been saying that about the Smart for TEN YEARS. This is exactly like the Prius - the first generation model was tested extensively in Japan for many years before being brought over to the U.S. The Smart is different, quirky, but it's the modern equivalent of a VW Bug. Small, inexpensive, cute, gets good gas mileage, and thanks to boatloads of high tech engineering wizardry, just as safe as any other subcompact. Yes, I do mean a LOT of engineering wizardry. the entire car is designed from the ground-up to survive a crash, very much like how a modern F1 race car is. You don't so much repair these as replace them as a result, but they DO fare well enough in crash tests in Europe, which are admittedly a harder standard than here in the U.S. I'd certainly rather be in one in an accident than an old Suzuki Swift or a Early 90s Civic hatchback. Oh - that 40mpg is combined MPG. Expect something like 35 city/45 highway in actual use. The transmission is actually quite fast shifting, but it has to be driven like a manual because it IS a manual. ie - it's "robotized" and does the clutch for you. This means you need to lift OFF THE GAS like in a manual for a split second or else the computers will override you to keep from burning the clutch between shifts. Like in a manual - you don't mash the gas to the floor and hold it there between shifts. That's automatic transmission behavior. And it's not an automatic. In a test I recently took(second one - yay! Living in Los Angeles has its benefits!) - all it takes is 2/10ths of a second release on the gas as you hit the shifter to work exactly like the manual that it is. If you mash it there and let the computer do its thing... you get the slowness that most people complain about. The old Toyota MR2 had an identical option and for people who understood how to drive it(90% didn't) it was fine. The paddles help incredibly. And there is what appears to be a 3-5 day learning curve(based upon my progress), like knowing how to let of the throttle on a motorcycle a little bit between shifts. Every one is different and this is no exception.
#52 of 65 Sweetness. by bumpy Dec 05, 2007 (1:47 pm)
I'm going to the last of the road tours Saturday, so I'll give it a more involved workout this time around. (The first one I went to, the line was over 2 hours long and it was 90-something degrees out, so I just did the basic around-the-block drive.) Replies to this message: 6sptl (Dec 06, 2007 12:58 pm) plekto (Dec 07, 2007 2:24 pm)
#53 of 65 About shifting by sbonhartwell Dec 06, 2007 (3:37 am)
Does this car have a clutch. I read that you have to change gears and the electronics assist. It appears that a clutch is not necessary. am I correct here? Thanks Replies to this message: bumpy (Dec 06, 2007 7:51 am) plekto (Dec 06, 2007 11:53 am)
#54 of 65 Re: About shifting [sbonhartwell] by bumpy Dec 06, 2007 (7:51 am)
Replying to: sbonhartwell (Dec 06, 2007 3:37 am) The transmission is built exactly a like a conventional manual. The differences are that the throwout bearing for the clutch is operated by a computer-controlled solenoid instead of a cable attached to a clutch pedal; and the shift forks in the gearbox are operated by more solenoids, instead of cables attached to a conventional manual shift lever. Replies to this message: plekto (Dec 06, 2007 11:53 am)