100 MPG smart car myth

[BumblingB]

DOH Mike! I spoke too soon! or late.......

[FLAteam]

Originally Posted by Wazabi Owner

For the most part - the same ones who are passing on those 100mpg rumors are the same dingbats that pass on the myth/rumor that the Smarts are unsafe.

Dingbats like the people at Edmunds.com and Fifth Gear?

http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/...-purchase.html

[thisisntjared]

that blog makes the smart seam like its a motorcycle. it still weighs almost a ton. literally. it is only a few pounds shy of civics made in the 90s.

regarding the rollover tests, they said that the smart is worse than some suvs. which suvs?? there are some suvs out there that are to handle like cars! and guess what, the fortwo is raced safely on tracks with turns. the rollover is not that much of an issue.

i dont know what the author of that blog is thinking, but a 5 star rating is a 5 star rating even if the door opens. hahaha, oh wait, it doesnt matter if the door opens because the driver(or passenger) is wearing their seatbelt. some cars do not even get 5 out of 5 stars in ANY of the nhtsa catagories. case in point: mitsubishi lancer

the blog is a lot of speculation.

[BumblingB]

Originally Posted by FLAteam

Dingbats like the people at Edmunds.com and Fifth Gear?

http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/...-purchase.html

I picked up this link while quiclly browsing the same site you mentioned. It is to the (IIHS) Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Those wing-nuts there gave it a top rating - that's weird I got a link to such a favorable article from Edmunds. Maybe that's why I have such good insurance rates on the car? Hard to say.

[FLAteam]

I guess the jury's still out on the safety of the car.

I'm pretty open about hating on Smart cars, so I'll leave it at that.

[Jay2TheRescue]

If I really wanted to go all out I'd get an 80's model volvo diesel with a manual transmission. They were big, safe cars with EPA highway ratings around 30 MPG. I'm sure they would probably lend themselves nicely to hypermiling, and you could convert them to run on WVO as well, bringing your operating costs down. I just saw an 84 Volvo wagon diesel with a manual on Craigslist for under $2,000. I'm tempted. Seems like the perfect flea market car. Safe, decent FE, and pleanty of room for my treasures I pick up along the way.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/m...845364980.html

-Jay

[slurp812]

Originally Posted by Brian D.

So, what is it with the "new method" of figuring EPA esitmates, anyway?? Funny, but I thought math was math.....X miles divided by X gallons. The only thing I could see changing is what percentage the EPA estimates give to highway driving as opposed to city driving. That's the only thing I could see changing the numbers.

BTW, everyone here seems to know that the 88-91 CRX HF (FED) gets 49/51 all day long, without even trying.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ratings2008.shtml

There are more factors other than those listed as well. but that's what they adjusted for.

[Mike T]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

If I really wanted to go all out I'd get an 80's model volvo diesel with a manual transmission. They were big, safe cars with EPA highway ratings around 30 MPG.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=86M_fV-1yKY I'd rather be in the tiny Renault Modus, thanks!

[konitime]

Hi,

here a german site where people list their gas-costs. Special the Smart Fortwo cdi.

http://www.spritmonitor.de/de/uebers...&vehicletype=1


with best regards.

Wilfried

[Philip1]

The US smart is a cute but a bit useless car. it is one of those cars you buy to stand out. Not to save the planet. the huge car seen in my signature gets between 30 and 35 mpg seats 5 and has a 4 star NCAP rating (in Europe its a Vaxhall Vectra) it's big and safe and can haul stuff along with the 5 passengers. So logically one should look at milage and passenger accommodation over cute cliche'.