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Hatchbacks Smart Car Smart Fortwo
491 messages, Last post on Oct 07, 2009 at 6:46 AM
You are in the Smart Car Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: phartney (Jun 22, 2008 10:46 am) Another problem right now is that the factory can't build any more cars. The one and only smart factory is actually in France, even though smart is a Daimler vehicle. France has very restrictive labor laws, and it is not easy to add extra shifts of workers. Since there are only 25-30,000 allotted to the US, and the waiting list of ordered cars is well over a year, I doubt they will consider importing the diesel for a couple of years until they get the dealerships sorted out and figure out how to squeeze more vehicles out of the factory. Why bother at this point? There is also a version that shuts off the engine at stoplights and starts it when you step on the gas. We can't get that one, either. There is also an all electric smart undergoing testing in the UK. It is supposed to be available in 2010, but the details are sketchy right now. |
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Replying to: engineer al (Jun 20, 2008 7:57 am)  hotmail.com. He lists lots of glowing endorsements and claims that he compiled the info from mostly European sources. Would this be the manual that you bought?
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Replying to: engineer al (Jun 20, 2008 7:57 am) |
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The "smart" scores at the very bottom of the informedforlife.org safety rankings with a deplorable score of 162. http://www.informedforlife.org/demos/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/1MasterSCOREr.pdf It is a deathtrap on wheels. You can't repeal the laws of physics with clever merchandising. Govern yourselves accordingly.
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Replying to: priggly (Jun 29, 2008 7:36 am) Also you need to check a little closer yourself, the smart scored 131 mostly due to it's weight being factored into the frontal impact score, so sorry your argument is dismissed (it is the chevy HHR that has a worse score below it for 2008 models BTW) Scott |
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Replying to: scwmcan (Jun 29, 2008 11:32 am) The informedforlife.org is a credible organization headed by an engineer who got tired of seeing the highway carnage caused by unsafe vehicles. For a summary of the founder's credentials, refer to the "About Us" section. The scores are comprehensive, objective and unbiased and, unlike other highway safety analyses, take into consideration all known safety factors pertaining to a vehicle. The data is updated when more current information becomes available and as of this date was updated only yesterday, June 28th. These factors in my book makes their data the best available in determining the comparative safety standings for cars. The weight of the car in a crash is very much a factor in determining whether it is safe or not and correlates closely with driver and passenger morbidity and mortality statistics. Unfortunately, in the real world the car won't be driven on roads shared only by vehicles which are its size peers but by all vehicles, including those weighing 3,000 to 4,000 lb. and above. The data is not meant to "scare people" as you state. It is meant to inform them and keep them alive should they suffer the misfortune of being involved in a motor vehicle accident. Just because you prefer the most dangerous car in the survey doesn't mean that everyone does. People should have the complete facts before them in deciding on a vehicle purchase. Informedforlife.org provides a valuable service in providing the most complete picture presently available of whether a vehicle is safe or not compared to its peers. Try not to be so defensive. If you wish to ignore the facts, that is up to you. As for me, I would rather have all the safety data available before making a decision to purchase one vehicle over another because in the final analysis it is safety which is the most important feature of any car. |
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Replying to: priggly (Jun 29, 2008 12:05 pm) Is everyone supposed to ditch their older small cars which test even worse than the smart? Are urban cars to be forbidden? Should motor cycles, scooters and bicycles be outlawed because they are so much more unsafe than the smart? Safety is NOT necessarily the most important feature of any car. It depends on who is doing the shopping. You don't want a smart. I get that. Now please shut up.
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Replying to: gregg_vw (Jun 30, 2008 4:48 am) Sam |
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Replying to: priggly (Jun 29, 2008 12:05 pm) Scott
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It might be true that a Hummer is safer in a collision than a Smart car but the problem is we are running out of gas and it is getting more expensive day by day. The simple fact is VERY soon we are all going to be driving smaller and more economical vehicles. Americans are going to HAVE to change their thinking that they have to drive the very biggest car they can to be safe. Europe has already changed and we will have to also. Take a good long look at the Smart car. It's the future and it's coming sooner than you think. Dennis
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