Is anyone impressed by these 'smart' cars?

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by Hockey4mnhs

if it can change the mind set of America then will be impressed. I think if it can get people out of there suvs and big trucks then it did its job.

yea thats about all it can do (which im not complaining one bit)

[101mpg]

I don't understand all the hype about the Aveo - it tops out at about 34 highway, right?

I get about 38-39 MPG highway in my wife's 2004 Malibu Maxx. With my WIFE (she drives for poor FE, nearly all city, etc.) driving, the Maxx gets 1 MPG less than the lifetime MPG that Aveo. 38 MPG across Nebraska at about 85 MPH, btw. Malibumaxxed.com has one owner with a loveseat in the Maxx. It's freaking HUGE inside. 6" longer wheelbase than the Malibu and it's 1/2" SHORTER.

Full leather package (we did NOT get a DVD player or a sunroof), split leather actually (leather with suede centers - better with a family), every luxury convenience known to man, independent sliding rear 60/40 seats (they travel 2 feet!), rear independent headphone jacks, heated seats so I can turn on the A/C and my wife can turn on the you name it, this is one of the ultimate road trip cars with a family!

Originally Posted by Rotareneg

However, my Aveo5 SVM can carry both a passenger and groceries, and laundry, AND still have room left over.

[8307c4]

Honestly?

I think the sides and top are beautiful, almost a Lamborghini type of design, whoever thought of this is a genius, at least in terms of aerodynamics but also aesthetically it is a nice design.

Beautiful, splendid job so far, but then something awful must've happened, LOL...

I don't get the front and the back, that's just buckfutugleee...
It's like this genius ran out of steam before the car was finished...?

It's actually a simple matter of smoothing out that chopped off front and maybe bring the black portion in back down a little further. It wouldn't take much to straighten it out but as usual I'm not holding my breath, and I'm sorry but unless you promise 100+mpg you will never catch me buying an ugly car.

[GasSavers_DaX]

Originally Posted by DarbyWalters

Bring the Diesel and then we will talk...

Ditto. I met a guy at a car show with a diesel one and his 6 month average was 74 MPG.

[bzipitidoo]

Disappointing. The Smart does about 1 thing to get fuel economy: stay small. Chopping out the back seat is merely an extreme way to be small. All the rest of the ways to save gas they didn't really do. Tall gearing? Aerodynamics? Engine tech? The US version is not even especially light.

I wonder how well one of those 1L stick shift mid '90s Metros would do if someone did a chop job on it and removed the back seat, thus shortening the body?

[jadziasman]

Just read today that each Smart car is made by order only. And - get this- it takes ONE YEAR for them to deliver it!!!! That's not too smart. My source was today's Automotive News, which is a trade magazine for car dealers.

[jandree22]

Fad. Nothing more, nothing less.

[JESSE69]

I saw that it would cost from 12,500 to 17,500 depending on options. $17,500 is way too much for a tiny car, and a FIT would be better.

38 to 39 mpg hwy for a Malibu Maxx is impressive!

[cfg83]

skewbe -

Originally Posted by 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.

Yeah, lack of a stick-shift is my main complaint against it. I wish that the Smart ForFour was still an option because I think that would have been more practical for the US market :

Attachment 1174

You get the "conventional look" of a VW Golf-like car coupled with the exo-skeletal safety cell.

The cleanmpg article was interesting because I got to read about the in-development "mild hybrid" option :

2008 SMART Fortwo ? Near Future
MHD (Micro-hybrid drive) is being seriously considered. MHD allows an approximate 10% drop in CO2 emissions on the European FE test results. Currently, there is the MHD?s basic 12V Start-Stop system upgrade costing only 250 Euros. It is run off a larger 12V w/ Voltage being monitored for SoC. If there is too low a voltage, the SMART MHD will not allow a Stop-Start cycle. Expect the MHD to make it over to the US with a $500 premium or thereabouts.

This is a gizmo which I wish we all had as an option for our cars.

Also, since it can be flat-towed, it may become a Winnebago scout-car.

CarloSW2

[101mpg]

We paid $11,888 for the Maxx with about 10,000 miles on it in 2007, so 3 year old vehicle. We pitted it up against every SUV on the market. I said it has to have equivalent or better mileage (ever one failed) and cost less (again, nothing new or used came within our price range). Better FE than any SUV, hauls almost as much as any minivan or smaller SUV out there, more than some like the RAV 4, etc., plus the LT is the luxury model!

It's the ultimate soccer mom car - good FE if you drive it easy and holds a TON. I don't feel bad when it's only a one-person vehicle, as it gets great mileage. The biggest drawbacks: if the stereo breaks, the car won't start, also - electric power steering. The 2007 has mechanical again - sacrifice of 1/2 mile per gallon - that's it.

It is also more comfortable than most Cadillacs. However - do NOT get the LS - very noisy, not nearly as comfortable.

Originally Posted by JESSE69

I saw that it would cost from 12,500 to 17,500 depending on options. $17,500 is way too much for a tiny car, and a FIT would be better.

38 to 39 mpg hwy for a Malibu Maxx is impressive!