Article Comments 2008 Smart Fortwo First Drive

110 messages, Last post on Aug 07, 2008 at 8:31 AM

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What is this discussion about? smart fortwo, Hatchback

Article comments for First Drive: 2008 Smart Fortwo - The 2008 Fortwo is larger than its predecessor, but it's still outrageously small, some 40 inches shorter than a Mini. In real life, it looks like an artist's impression of what a car might look like if we all drank skinny lattes. (more)

Full Test: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion - Bottom Line: Hugely versatile as a city-only car, but perhaps not the best choice for those who go farther or need to carry more. (more)

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#57 of 110 Humm... by plekto Mar 16, 2007 (6:30 pm)
I wonder how hard it would be to swap out the crummy slushomatik we gere here for a nice actual stickshift from Europe? I bet it would boost the 0-60 time to at least 10 seconds. Replies to this message: diesel18 (Jan 11, 2008 2:50 am)
#58 of 110 Re: Underwhelming results. Road test of DumbSmart [joe131] by drums148 Mar 17, 2007 (6:17 pm)
Replying to: joe131 (Mar 16, 2007 1:40 am) My wife purchased a 2006 smart fortwo and we took it on vacation for a week from Edmonton AB to Penticton B.C. we put close to 2000 miles in the week and the fuel cost was $99 Cdn for Diesel. The car absolutely loved running at 120 kph (approx. 75 mph)without a problem averaging almost 70 miles to the imperial gallon. The car was comfortable and a great conversation piece wherever we stopped. It is a very surprising automobile and it it looks a lot better than most Japanese Imports!!
#59 of 110 Smart Trumps Prius and Honda by wowlfie Aug 28, 2007 (9:04 am)
Right now Prius sales totally dominate the hybrid industry and Honda finally got the message that it's not just the 'green' factor driving hybrid sales but also the 'recognition factor'. Many of those environmentally conscious buyers who bought the Prius did so as a status symbol that was highly recognizable due to the Prius' unique shape. In contrast--Honda hybrids looked just like the non-hybrid designs. Honda hybrid owners didn't feel as much pride in ownership because their cars didn't scream 'I'm helping the environment too'. So as it stands now owning the Prius is synonomous with 'green' and thus Honda--experiencing a sort of 'Prius envy' had to shut down production of some Honda hybrids for lack of interest. Of course Honda won't concede this market to Toyota without a fight and is agressively planning completely new hybrid lines (rumored to be plug-ins getting 65 plus mpg) for 2009/10 that may or may not eliminate 'Prius envy'. So what has this to do with Smart for Two? A bunch. At the present moment the Smart for Two trumps anything currently available from Toyota OR Honda in the 'recognition factor' (and 'fun factor') that is so important for this market segment. As it stands today the Smart for Two is an incredible magnet due to it's unique shape and design as witness the incredible interest wherever this car has gone on it's American journey to date (it's street smart tour). That is one reason why Smart has already signed up nearly 40,000 prospective buyers (way more than production for 2008). So if the Smart for Two gets a gas mileage rating of 40/49 or similar it's going to blow the doors off the Prius and anything coming down the pike from Honda for at least the next 12-18 months because it's cheaper, more fun, and even more recognizable than a 'Prius'. Despite what many think Americans are not dumb. They know the hype that surrounds the hybrids is generally over blown and that real life mileage is much less than the EPA ratings for these cars. Prius owners are reporting mileage around 40-45 mpg combined. Not 55. And certainly not 60. It's capable of that but it won't in real life get that. So if the Smart achieves a realistic 45 combined it's cheaper economically (far lower sales price) in the long run and far more 'fun' and 'recognizable'. The Smart is destined to do very well here because there is a ton of pent up demand as witnessed the nearly 40,000 people signed up to buy one. If it gets a safety rating 3 or above (4 is probable; 5 is possible) and a gas mileage rating of 40/49 or close to that then it's going to be a big winner. And for at least 2008/09 it's going to be 'Smart envy' instead of 'Prius envy' for Honda because the Honda isn't ready to go yet. And even if so it probably won't have the 'fun factor' or 'recognition factor' as unique as the Smart for Two. It will probably be too costly too ($25,000 to $30,000). For that you can buy TWO Smart for Two's. And then if necessary the Smart can bring over the diesel, or a diesel hybrid or even a full electric if necessary to keep interest high in their 'fun factor' & 'recognition factor'. People want other people to know their helping the environment. Certainly the Smart for Two stands way above the crowd here. At least in America. Hey just in case your interested I signed up for one. Probably too late to get one in 2008 though darn it. Replies to this message: karkus (Sep 07, 2007 1:20 pm) snakeweasel (Sep 07, 2007 6:58 pm) plekto (Sep 09, 2007 8:11 am)
#60 of 110 Re: Article Comments 2008 Smart Fortwo First Drive [KarenS] by smartwrap Sep 06, 2007 (6:34 am)
Replying to: KarenS (Feb 22, 2007 8:48 am) I had a chance to drive the new smart and I like it! I put my driving impresions on my smart web page.link title
#61 of 110 Re: Smart / Prius comparison invalid by karkus Sep 07, 2007 (1:20 pm)
Replying to: wowlfie (Aug 28, 2007 9:04 am) I'm all for small cars and good fuel economy, and so I like the Smart. I also agree that the unique shape will help its sales (at least for a certain parts of the population, just like the Prius). However, I don't really understand wowlfie's delusions about MPG, claiming it will get 45 combined, when the EPA estimates are only 31/45 - that's high 30s combined - way lower than the Prius 48/45 (and NO, that 40-45 you throw around is bogus - several websites with tons of user data show the Prius to average around 48). The SMART should be compared to the Mini or other tiny Eurpean cars, not the Prius anyway (The Prius an entirely different vehicle - MUCH bigger, a bit faster, and gets better MPG. But it is more expensive but not designed for tight spaces.) Stop trying to make apples/oranges comparisons. I like the SMART but don't like it when people distort numbers and make lots of unsupported "if" statements to try to make an invalid point. The SMART is well suited and very practical for urban driving and tight parking spaces. It's also a very unique vehicle and inexpensive and I'm sure it will sell well in some parts of the US. Replies to this message: snakeweasel (Sep 07, 2007 6:58 pm) plekto (Sep 09, 2007 8:11 am)
#62 of 110 Re: Smart / Prius comparison invalid [karkus] by snakeweasel Sep 07, 2007 (6:58 pm)
Replying to: karkus (Sep 07, 2007 1:20 pm) However, I don't really understand wowlfie's delusions about MPG, claiming it will get 45 combined, when the EPA estimates are only 31/45 - that's high 30s combined - way lower than the Prius 48/45 Do you have a link to the EPA estimates? Its not on their website. But Smarts UK website gives a combined mileage at 60.1 (that translates to 50 MPG here in the US) which is higher than the Prius 45 combined. Replies to this message: plekto (Sep 09, 2007 8:11 am)
#63 of 110 Re: Smart / Prius comparison invalid [snakeweasel] by plekto Sep 09, 2007 (8:11 am)
Replying to: snakeweasel (Sep 07, 2007 6:58 pm) That is with a smaller engine, though. Even 40 combined under the new ratings is better than anything except for a Hybrid for highway. Even a Civic is closer to 35 under the new tests. It'll be fine. Really.
#64 of 110 Apples and Oranges by smartrosebud Sep 12, 2007 (6:09 am)
There are so many models of cars because people have such a variety of needs for a car. It would be foolish to buy a Mac truck to carry an occasional sheet of plywood, or to buy a pickup truck to haul heavy machinery long distances. If people are smart (no pun intended), they choose a model suitable for their needs, not for appearance or for the 'toy' factor. I bought a Smart car in June to replace a Mazda van which had reached my usual trade-in age. For the same cost as buying a Prius or a new van, I kept the van for expressway driving and use the Smart car in the city. I've used the van twice in 2 months. My weekly fuel costs have gone from $40 per week to $15 per week. The savings covers the additional insurance costs. Now I have an apple AND an orange... without needed to do impossible comparisons of the two. Am I happy? ABSOLUTELY!
#65 of 110 Makes Sense by hineychaser Sep 20, 2007 (3:07 am)
The Smart vs. Hybrid debate is pointless. Hybrid owners pay for their fuel savings through a higher purchase price. And they typically finance their purchase, compounding the problem. With the understanding that hybrids don't make financial sense, the Smart could get 25mpg and still be a sound financial choice over a hybrid. If your goal is to drive a hybrid for the "Look at me, I'm saving the planet" factor, you're throwing good money after bad and the Smart isn't for you anyway. If you want to drive something unique and save a few bucks at the same time, then seriously consider the Smart. For those that claim there is no truth to the automobile CAFE standards, I say, "you haven't learned how to drive your car properly". My '03 V6 Accord is rated at 30mpg highway and I average 33 mpg (actual) with little effort in mixed highway/city driving. Replies to this message: snakeweasel (Sep 20, 2007 3:58 am) diesel18 (Jan 11, 2008 2:52 am) dmathews3 (Jan 11, 2008 3:25 am) bumpy (Jan 11, 2008 12:21 pm)
#66 of 110 Re: Makes Sense [hineychaser] by snakeweasel Sep 20, 2007 (3:58 am)
Replying to: hineychaser (Sep 20, 2007 3:07 am) For those that claim there is no truth to the automobile CAFE standards, I say, "you haven't learned how to drive your car properly". My '03 V6 Accord is rated at 30mpg highway and I average 33 mpg (actual) with little effort in mixed highway/city driving. While I agree that driving properly you should be able to meet or exceed EPA estimates but exceeding the highway estimate by 10% in mixed driving is a mighty hard pill to swallow. FWIW the EPA on their website has user MPG reports and the V6 Accord no one is showing above 30 MPG in mixed driving. Replies to this message: diesel18 (Jan 11, 2008 2:52 am) dmathews3 (Jan 11, 2008 3:25 am) bumpy (Jan 11, 2008 12:21 pm)