Saw a Smart ForTwo today up close and personal

[StorminMatt]

Originally Posted by Wazabi Owner

That's a completely opinionated statement.

I do realize that saying ANYTHING negative about the Smart amounts to blasphemy around here. But I know PLENTY of people who share my feelings on the styling of the Smart. Honestly, I would rather drive a 1970 Dodge Coronet station wagon than THAT thing. On the other hand, the poor gas mileage is NOT opinionated. It really IS pathetic that a car THAT small and underpowered can't even touch 40MPG on the freeway.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by StorminMatt

I do realize that saying ANYTHING negative about the Smart amounts to blasphemy around here. But I know PLENTY of people who share my feelings on the styling of the Smart. Honestly, I would rather drive a 1970 Dodge Coronet station wagon than THAT thing. On the other hand, the poor gas mileage is NOT opinionated. It really IS pathetic that a car THAT small and underpowered can't even touch 40MPG on the freeway.

Matt,

Nope, 'tain't blasphemy...everyone is entitled to an opinion. Styling is subjective...But your comments kinda remind me of an old friend of mine from my youth who dismissed my interest in getting a BMW 2002 with "aw, that's just a cult car". And who talked me into getting rid of a '66 Malibu and repairing my '60 Corvair...but these incidents did teach me some valuable life lessons. Lost track of that man about 20-25 years ago, and haven't put much effort in to trying to find him...BTW, there ain't nothing wrong with a 1970 Dodge Cornet station wagon...I had a '65 Plymouth Fury wagon (similar car, IIRC) and it was the best handling large car I've owned. Loved to take that thing up on Glendora Mountain Road and thrash around up there. For those who are not familiar with GMR, that's where everybody who grew up in the north San Gabriel Valley in the '60s and '70s learned to drive, amongst other things. Narrow two lane road with many, many switchbacks. Turn-outs too. Some with a nice view, some secluded. But I digress...

As for underpowered, I haven't driven one yet, but they seem to have about 30-40% more hp than my Geo, and the Geo has adequate power. As for gas mileage, look at Wazabi Owner's gaslog...looks like he's consistently doing better than 40mpg.

[R.I.D.E.]

I am all for any car that can convince US drivers we dont need to drive 3 ton vehicles.
I wish Honda would build another VX. I think it could pass current emissions, and with some aero work, and gear ratio fiddling, with computer controlled manual tranny who knows what kind of mileage it could get.

regards
gary

[theholycow]

Honda could build it, but they couldn't sell it. Not yet. People have to hurt for longer before they'll accept less power en masse.

[101mpg]

StorminMatt - I'm of the same opinion - hideous and undermiled, as the diesel engine gets WAY better MPG. It IS possible to get better mileage out of that. Opinions are just fine - no one is flaming anyone - that's okay.

I liked the comment that 90% of the owners are over 45 - I understand the why there.

Imagine if they made a low-profile with a more efficient engine...

[R.I.D.E.]

Holycow, I agree with you, but I think we may have actually reached the point in "pain at the pump" where people would buy. Looks likd Ford and GM have concluded the behemoth profit days are over. Should have been half my lifetime ago when they were called station wagons.

We took a cruise to Bermuda a couple of years ago. I loved the little vans you could park on a 4X8 sheet of plywood with 1 liter diesel engines in them. They claimed it was the cleanest air on the planet, but all the two strokes gave me a headache from the monoxide.

regards
gary

[BumblingB]

Originally Posted by StorminMatt

I do realize that saying ANYTHING negative about the Smart amounts to blasphemy around here. But I know PLENTY of people who share my feelings on the styling of the Smart. Honestly, I would rather drive a 1970 Dodge Coronet station wagon than THAT thing. On the other hand, the poor gas mileage is NOT opinionated. It really IS pathetic that a car THAT small and underpowered can't even touch 40MPG on the freeway.

Not ANYTHING negative actually and I know PLENTY of people too who share your feelings too but it seems like the people who follow me around town daily to ask about the car far outweigh that number. I won't get into the thing with how most of people who think the little thing is ugly are the super macho guys who have underlying issues with their sexuality and try to cover it up. AH HA! Made you think! That's just an opinionated statement too. I respect your opinion but your hate does run deep for the smart which is odd..did a smart owner steal your girlfriend/wife? In all honesty - my disgust for BMW's runs about the same as your hate for smarts - it seems like 90% of them drive around like maniacs, but that's just my opinion .

As far as mileage. It can touch 40mpg on the freeway so I'm not sure where your getting your info from on that. I've had 2 tanks that were under 40mpg and one was the first tank which meant the car was at the dealer idling killing mpgs and wasn't my doing. The other was less than .5mpg under 40mpg. It seems lately with A/C I'm getting a steady 41mpg though . One thing I never mentioned was my gross weigh, meaning the capacity the vehicle can carry is maxed out almost ever time I drive the car. Between the wife and myself and all my tools I keep in the car etc. we reach the rated capacity. I've been working out like crazy to lose weight but it keeps getting replaced with muscle, getting skinnier but bulking up. If the Smart had a lower profile it would definitely get much better mileage, with the way I sit in the seat I have a useless 9-10 inches worth of dead space between the top of my head and the roof. The roominess in the interior is what makes it appealing to the geriatric crowd as well as ease of entry and exit - all attributed to the darn tallness of the car, which is what kills the mileage.

Still, not ANYTHING negative you say will be discredited and heck - opinions are still fine. You just stated it like it was fact and my mood at the moment back when I wrote that I had a problem with it. Almost like going to the mall and telling a mother of a newborn baby just how ugly her baby really is - whether it is ugly or not you think it is. No hard feelings at all StorminMatt - we're all grown up and just having fun here.

FWIW, a 70 Coronet wagon done up to be a Road Runner/GTX wagon would be awesome! Keep a slant 6 in it for mileage and you'd have me hooked.

[BumblingB]

Hi JoeBob - actually my old Geo mileage pretty much mirrors my mileage in the Smart. It even surpasses it just slightly but I can accredit that to the 90k miles that were on the Geo - the car was loose. Once I get those kind of miles on the Smart I would think I would be getting a consistent 45mpg easy while topping 50mpg in the fall and spring. That's what I used to do in the Metro too.

I feel a whole lot safer in the Smart and I think I had someone in the backseat of the Metro once, most people refused to ride in it though it wasn't a bad looking car. Don't seem to have that problem for ridealongs in the Smart - people at work wanting me to drive to lunch etc. so they can ride in it.

Power....I think its about as powerful or maybe even slightly quicker than my old Metro with a much better ride.

[101mpg]

I get asked nearly DAILY to sell my CRX - but people offer far too little. My car now seems to be "sexy" due to the gas price crunch right now. Not to mention all the power of the little thing...

My wife will tell you that I've driven a Geo Metro and the CRX - I've got no problems as Wazabi just pointed out. In WV many guys apparently feel the need to have a jacked-up $50,000 truck (seriously), as it's sort of a status symbol. I always drive past some behemoth thinking, "Did she bite down when you hit a speed bump in the parking lot and now you've got to compensate?"

I think the Smart is ugly personally, and I'm 6'3" and JUST fit into the CRX. People are often amazed, although it's got TONS of leg room owing to no back seat.

Just yesterday I was riding in a BMW driven by a neighbor. She knows NOTHING about it, not even the model! She could qualify for NASCAR - driving way up in the holler and the roads are pencil-thin and curvy, yet she drove about 45-50 in a 25 MPH rated area. One of the problems is we give licenses to ANYONE - regardless of safety, just who pays the money, and then the car manufacturers sell them anything they will pay for.

[BumblingB]

Originally Posted by 101mpg

I think the Smart is ugly personally, and I'm 6'3" and JUST fit into the CRX. People are often amazed, although it's got TONS of leg room owing to no back seat.

At 6'3" you'd be really comfortable inside the Smart - only problem is that's because of the high roof which gives it the quirky styling which seems to be a love it or hate it thing.

I do think my old Insight was way more comfortable than the Smart is. Of course I added an armrest and was about to add cruise also. I'm only "average" in height though.

I'm surprised at how positive the "good ole boys" are to the Smart around here.