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#126 of 491 Re: VW Beetle TDI is a great alternative. [stanwict] by walterquint Mar 06, 2008 (4:25 am)
Replying to: stanwict (Mar 05, 2008 5:57 pm) Well, that's the point. There are plenty here who champion the Smart but no one can give a decent ownership report. There are a few Consumer Reviews but nothing you can hang your hat on. Heck, at this early stage, some of the reviews you read may be written by Smart-car marketers posing as owners....   I suggest you abandon your Smart plans. Wait a year for more in-depth ownership reviews. Is the vehicle practical to live with? Is it worth the real-world economy that is only 15-20 percent better than a Yaris or base Scion? Better yet, wait for some real-world crash results. Replies to this message: gregg_vw (Mar 06, 2008 8:34 am)
#127 of 491 Re: VW Beetle TDI is a great alternative. [stanwict] by scwmcan Mar 06, 2008 (4:43 am)
Replying to: stanwict (Mar 05, 2008 5:57 pm) Well you can look for some european comments on the new model to see what they are saying, it won't be a perfect result due to the different expectations though. You can also try and find some comments by owners in Canada of the previous version, though it will be the deisel, it will at least let you see how north americans deal with the size issue etc. The new model is (I believe) starting to trickle into Canadian dealers too so ou should see more owner reports for north amaerican soon. All that said , just don't take delivery until you are sure the car is right for you (i.e. make sure it will suit your needs and wants) no one else can tell you wether the car is right for you or not. Scott
#128 of 491 Re: VW Beetle TDI is a great alternative. [stanwict] by snakeweasel Mar 06, 2008 (4:58 am)
Replying to: stanwict (Mar 05, 2008 5:57 pm) Well most I know with VW's do have issues with them, more so than any other brand. Plus I have heard some salesmen say that they wouldn't do deals on used ones/the dealership won't sell used ones simply because of reliability issues.   As for the Smart I did take one on a pretty decent test drive, It handled well was pretty peppy (more so than I thought). Transmission in automatic mode wasn't so great but all problems vanished in manual mode. It was a fun car to drive nimble and more responsive that I would have thought. But while it rode well over smooth roads it did let you know when you hit a pot hole. Replies to this message: gregg_vw (Mar 06, 2008 8:14 am)
#129 of 491 Purchase experience? by stanwict Mar 06, 2008 (6:02 am)
Is the price of the SMART negotiable or is their sales model like Saturn where everyone pays the same MSRP? It's obvious that because the brand is new here in the US and demand may be greater than supply initially that it might be difficult to negotiate the purchase price. I haven't heard anything about their retail sales model... After all, even a Prius can be had at invoice now and they had a rebate on them this past summer.   Has anyone who keeps comparing the SMART to a Yaris actually seriously looked at one or purchased it over a SMART? I tried a Yaris and I would take my previous 1995 Tercel over it any day. For just slightly more than a G you’re into a Corolla that is more car than the Yaris and nearly the same fuel economy. Unfortunately both are nasty looking. I’m more apt to buy a used low mileage car like a Civic than a Yaris or Fit. Replies to this message: robr2 (Mar 06, 2008 8:18 am)
#130 of 491 Re: VW Beetle TDI is a great alternative. [snakeweasel] by gregg_vw Mar 06, 2008 (8:14 am)
Replying to: snakeweasel (Mar 06, 2008 4:58 am) Both my VW and Audi have been trouble-free. The TDIs have a loyal following, so retail and resale prices are higher than comparable cars. However, you can keep it for years and years.   Good points on the smart. No long term data yet. But I suspect it will be pretty bullet-proof.
#131 of 491 Re: Purchase experience? [stanwict] by robr2 Mar 06, 2008 (8:18 am)
Replying to: stanwict (Mar 06, 2008 6:02 am) Is the price of the SMART negotiable...   Right now I would say no because the sales forecast is for 20K units and they currently have 30K reservations.
#132 of 491 Re: VW Beetle TDI is a great alternative. [walterquint] by gregg_vw Mar 06, 2008 (8:34 am)
Replying to: walterquint (Mar 06, 2008 4:25 am) Edmunds has 6 consumer reviews already...all happy owners of the 2008.
#133 of 491 Smart Fortwo test drive by chicagogiton Mar 18, 2008 (7:32 pm)
I test drove a Passion Coupe at Knauz Smart in Lake Bluff IL. The two demo Smarts were parked amongst new Chrysler 300s from the adjacent Chrysler dealership. The showroom reminded me a bit of Scion dealers, small with the few models on display. The handed me a key and let me take the car out on my own. Here are my impressions.   The inside is airy and feels large, as described in the pro reviews. There are two gauges for the clock and rev counter in the Passion trim that sit on top in the middle of the dash, and don't look integrated, seems like an afterthought. Otherwise the cabin plastics and seat cloth seemed pleasant enough in a Hyundai sort of way. The radio / CD player was truly dreadful, only 2 speakers and the sound was popping and distorted even at lower volumes. But a trip to Best Buy can fix that. The ignition key is between the seats, Saab style. Firing up the car, I took off and tried some hard cornering. The car feels SUV tippy in hard cornering, which was a surprise, I thought the small size would translate into flatter cornering. The automated manual transmission was truly strange, there is a short delay between shifts, but its not that distracting, and I soon stopped noticing the shift delay. Acceleration was um, leisurely but also acceptable for a cheap car. Now with all that negativity out of the way, a few nice things. The optional clear carbonite roof was pleasant, full view overhead. The back clamshell seemed sturdy enough. The interior controls were intuitive and were you would expect them to be. The problem here is value. I could get a Hyundai Accent for alot less, with 4 seats, nearly the same mileage, a better warranty, and transmission choices... Replies to this message: gregg_vw (Mar 19, 2008 5:22 am)
#134 of 491 Re: Smart Fortwo test drive [chicagogiton] by gregg_vw Mar 19, 2008 (5:22 am)
Replying to: chicagogiton (Mar 18, 2008 7:32 pm) Thanks for the review. The clock and rev counter are purposely not "integrated." That placement is a smart trademark interior look and one of the things that a lot of people like about it. It is creative and quirky at the same time...like the car.   As for comparing it with an Accent, that's apples and oranges. With an Accent, you cannot get things like automatic air conditioning, stability control, panoramic roof, auto shifting manual transmission, steering wheel paddle shifters (which by the way speed up the shifts), electronic brake force distribution, traction control heated seats, etc. Plus, even the Accent 2 door is over four feet longer than the smart, several hundred lbs heavier, and consequently gets less mpg.   The Accent is a good car for what it is. But it is not a tiny urban runabout that is as easy to park as the smart, and it does not have a high level of equipment. The other factor, which could either be a plus or a minus depending on what you are looking for, is that no one sees an Accent, whereas the smart is fun to look at for both the owner and the traffic around it.   Another thing about value, beyond the expensive stuff smart includes or provides optionally: the Accent's resale value will drop like a stone, whereas the smart will retain more value over time. Little cars with panache and relatively low overall sales (like the Mini Cooper) do tend to command more on resale.
#135 of 491 Mixed Feelings after Extended Test Drive by stanwict Mar 19, 2008 (6:44 am)
I’ve been a SMART enthusiast since I saw them while working a consulting gig in the UK years ago. We are a three car, two driver family due to my commute which is nearly 500 miles a week. I’ve had the $99 reservation with SMART for a year and as mentioned here before, I received a call two weeks ago from my local dealer that my car would be built this month and arrive in April. I visited the road show back in July and drove the cars around a big parking lot – whoopee, what would I ever get out of that experience? Well I did get one thing out of that drive: the car feels much bigger than it is inside and driving. I think there is real value in SMART. SMART is standard with ABS, multi air bags and vehicle stability control. I can’t think of a car under $17K has stability control as an option yet alone standard.   Last night I took a SMART Passion out for an extended test drive up on the highway where I spend most of my time. Like my drive around the parking lot, I felt again that the car feels bigger than it is and very confident on the highway. I read somewhere where someone described the inside of the SMART to be like the inside of Dr. Who’s telephone booth which is a great analogy. It’s not “scary” passing a dozen 18 wheelers or massive SUVs like the Suburban or Hummer, I wasn’t sweating being squished by those enormous gas guzzling tanks! The car is very capable of meeting my requirements as a utility commuter car. The only thing you will notice more with a SMART is rough roads, it just doesn’t have the wheel base to smooth them out!   Here comes the “but”: But, #1 I don’t like the transmission. I’m 40, lazy and I want a real automatic. You drive the SMART like it’s a stick that you don’t change the gears but you have to back off the gas when the gears change else your in for a rough ride. Maybe it’s something I could get use to but I can see me getting in our other two cars and start driving them like the SMART! #2 there is more road noise than our ’99 VW Cabrio soft top! I don’t think many people consider interior sound levels at speed but I do and I can do without many creature comforts easily for a quiet ride. #3 Super Unleaded! That’s right folks; SMART requires the most expensive petro! You could probably run regular unleaded, but I’ll bet your MPG goes down and the engine runs rougher (than it already does). I ran some quick real world numbers and a car that doesn’t require super could get 3 or more miles less per gallon and the annual fuel cost would be the same. I won't give this a number but I found there to be a lot of travel in the break peddle before it kicked in.   Makes it sound like I don't like the SMART but I really do. The transmission took some of the fun out of driving the car but it's a really fun car to drive! The car I drove had the preimum stereo and it rocked the car. I didn't include this with my reserved car and that might have been a big mistake and I should have included the alarm system in my order. I like the glass roof, found the seats to be comfortable and large and the control layout to be "normal" for this unusual car.   I will soon have to decide if the SMART is right for me. Honestly, the two things keeping my interest is the novelty of being an early US SMART owner and the SPM (Smiles Per Mile). My reservation car has a MSRP of $15.5K before tax and fees where a Prius at a little more than $5K (don’t have to pay sales tax on it in my state) might be a smart purchase for me (sorry for the pun) but it ranks very VERY low on SPM! Replies to this message: prosp (Mar 23, 2008 6:04 pm)

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