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Hatchbacks Smart Car Smart Fortwo
491 messages, Last post on Oct 07, 2009 at 6:46 AM
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Replying to: robr2 (Feb 24, 2008 12:47 pm) |
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| Remember the Smart was designed as a city car which means plenty of places to get it fixed. Never was intended for those long distance tours many miles from service. | |
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Replying to: dmathews3 (Feb 24, 2008 11:28 am) I know the Smart has its defenders on this forum. But one mustn't overlook the vehicle's shortcomings. It only seats 2, has minimal storage space, no spare, it is decidely un-peppy, and the fuel economy isn't great for its size. It will be a huge failure in this market. As noted in other posts, people are just going to buy a Fit/Matrix. Heck, even a stripper Hyundai Accent for 12 grand is a far wiser choice.
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Replying to: walterquint (Feb 27, 2008 7:16 am) This is why we have choices. The Fit or Matrix may fill the bill for some, but they are much larger cars than the smart. Unlike the smart, none of them offer stability control. Even a loaded Hyundai Accent does not offer automatic climate control, traction control, or automatic manual transmission. And only a couple diesels and hybrids offer better mileage than the smart. All cars are compromises. The smart is a unique package and quite inexpensive, considering its equipment level. It also has a cache and fun factor the may be meaningless to some people, but is something none of your suggested alternatives have. The smart is also an alternative (and a safer one) to a motorcycle or scooter, though it will not affect that market. People buy cycles for at least as many variable reasons as they buy different types of cars. BTW, you are more likely to get a flat in the city than a long road trip. Getting a flat may be one of your greatest concerns. For me, it is so far down the list as to almost not be a factor (and that's why I belong to AAA). And I say that, having owned 27 vehicles, driven for decades and been both an urban and farm dweller. The smart will do ok. It is not projected to be the next Camry or anything. I'm glad it is finally here. |
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Replying to: walterquint (Feb 27, 2008 7:16 am) Don't forget about the absolute garbage two year warranty these things are coming with. A brand new unknown product with unproven reliability hits the market and the manufacturer gives it the worst warranty in the business. It's one thing to make the public purchase extended 6 or 7 year warranties. It's completely another to make them buy one for three years.
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Replying to: beantown (Feb 27, 2008 4:24 am) Oh, and it is not the worst warranty in business, but it is one of the shortest. BTW, it is warrantied for 4 years in Canada. I suspect it is a trade-off, if the warranty is shorter here, and allows the initial purchase price to be much lower here in the US than it has been set anywhere else. Once again, trade offs. |
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Replying to: walterquint (Feb 27, 2008 7:16 am) I really don't see the Smart as a primary car or only car for to many people. I see it mostly as a second commuter car which would mean that there would be another car for the city dweller to take out on jaunts to the country. It only seats 2, has minimal storage space, no spare, it is decidely un-peppy, and the fuel economy isn't great for its size. As a commuter car do you really need more than two seats or tons of storage space? As for being peppy well its not the fastest thing out there by far but it has enough pep to keep up with traffic and then some. As for the fuel economy its gets much better than any other non hybrid, almost as good mileage in the city as most compacts get on the highway.
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It certainly goes faster than most of the older Buicks and worn out crud that still is driving here in U.S. cities and clogging up the place. When you're behind a 1984 Buick Regal, well, your 300hp in your IS350 is nearly useless. Add in trucks and pedestrians and so on and well, 0-30 in ten seconds is more common. Plus, 13-14 second 0-60 times were common a decade ago and there's a lot of Civics and the like still running around.
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Replying to: plekto (Feb 27, 2008 6:00 pm) |
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Replying to: snakeweasel (Feb 27, 2008 5:40 pm) When the Japanese and Germans first entered the U.S. market with small cars, they knew they were at a disadvantage. Their frugal cars were much slower than the American behemoths of the time. To mitigate this, marketers created the term "peppy" to describe the new econoboxes. It didn't make the cars any faster, it merely offered a new definition for the visceral pleasures of a fast car. Smart should've sent the fortwo here as stick-only, and with turbocharged diesel engine of 90 hp or so. Smart buyers are pioneers of a sort anyway; it's logical that they all would know how to drive sticks. Smart should've copied each and every marketing idea from the original VW Bug. Back in the day, the Bug was a car for a renegade. The Smart cannot claim that renegade status. Why? Because its performance does not set it apart from any other subcompact. It gets 37.2 mpg combined? (InsideLine recent test). Big deal. So does a Fit or Yaris. The Smart has plenty of electronic doodads and advanced safety features. But the true "renegade" nowadays is the dude (or dude-ette) who drives a stripped Yaris hatchback with crank windows and stick-shift. 
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