Is anyone impressed by these 'smart' cars?

[VetteOwner]

lol desil chevette that can fit 4 ppl AND 3ft of hatch space got 50mpg range...Gas version is mid 30"S to 40's that was way back in 76...

[JESSE69]

The Smart smartly sucks. 40 mpg? My 99 Civic HX gets 42 mpg combined 2 days city 5 days hwy going 60 to 65 mph. Lots more space and cargo area too. If it really requires Premium that is so dumb, and I think it will bomb.

[Erdrick]

No. They need a real manual transmission and a turbo diesel. The setup now is garbage. My Prius and Jetta TDi would leave them in the dust, FE-wise.

[GasSavers_Randy]

You guys are WAY too hard on this car. First of all, it's the only 3-banger out there, in fact the only current car under 1.5 liter is the Civic hybrid at 1.3 (Note the EPA lists the Renesis at 1.3. As if.). It's also the only sub-100 hp non-hybrid. The Insight is dead, and never really sold many in the first place. Prop up its headstone next to the Metro, Fiesta, actually-compact Civic, diesel VW, fuel-efficient Saturn... kind of depressing, isn't it?

The smart pure starts at $11.6k. That's dirt cheap for a new car... the Aveo starts at only $1k less, and it's a freaking Aveo. The smart would get 33/41 in the 2008 mpg ratings (according to them, if it were rated). Look at the 2008 specs... in city or highway only 2 cars get into the 40's: the 40/45 Civic hybrid, and the 48/45 Prius. The runner up is the $14k 28/37 Corolla. The Yaris is 29/36, the Fit 28/34... kind of depressing, isn't it?

OK, fine, new cars are overpriced and can't get decent mileage. And why is a Civic VX better than a Messerschmitt KR200, or any scooter ever made? Safety, emissions, drivability and availability. Which is why the smart makes sense compared to some 20th century tin box. You won't be crushed quite so bad, pollute quite so bad, while enjoying your brand new heated seats and keyless entry. That is as good as it gets, for better or worse.

Note: I'm not in the market for a smart. They aren't impressive in an absolute way... but they're relatively decent little cars.

[GasSavers_SD26]

We'll I'll go and bag on it too...LOL!

Yeah, 40MPG? There are diesel options, not currently new though because of the US EPA, which isn't helping anything, that get better FE, but also have good resale value and can carry more people and stuff.

The US isn't Europe, and we will not have 1200 year old cities with streets and buildings that have the physical size restrictions that would make something that small a dramatic advantage. Yeah, I can see where it could do some neat things, but, mostly, it would be a fair one person commuter car. If you have a family, you'll need another car.

SUV's? Before them, there were Vista Cruiser wagaons, Ford Country Squire wagons build on one ton chassis with 460's, and others. You could still pull your boat with those. The SUV is the natural progression of the wagon with a command seating position. Do many people own watercraft in Europe? I'm sure people do, but someone might know more than me on that.

[skewbe]

Yah, an experienced hypermiler (Wayne Gerdes) only got about 60mpg, mainly because the transmission would not let the car coast.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/revie...rtwo-7133.html

Put a stick shift in it and I'm sure it would do a lot better in the right hands.

[DarbyWalters]

Voted no...but it is a small step in the right direction. If it sells ok it might induce car makers to bring over other "super small" vehicles they already have in production.

[jcp123]

Seems to me it needs to lose weight, get a diesel, and some good looks.

[GasSavers_SD26]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Seems to me it needs to lose weight, get a diesel, and some good looks.

Yeah...



Think that SVT could put their hands in the diesel?

[jcp123]

I'd love to see a 200hp turbodiesel Focus, probably a 2.5l Duratorq unit or something. That much torque would put a serious hurting on just about anything...and they should have brought that styling across the pond...

Oh, and the 1.8l Duratorq turbodiesel for the more mileage-conscious among us