Smart fortwo - 40 MPG

[slurp812]

Originally Posted by 96hb

Why spring for a new car that only gets 40mpg? My 12 year old Civic does better than that, for a fraction of the cost.

Plus I think that smart car might do a stoppie if you hit the brakes too hard!

[96hb]

Originally Posted by slurp812

Plus I think that smart car might do a stoppie if you hit the brakes too hard!

LOL! That would be hilarious!!

[BumblingB]

OK, I'll chime in. I missed this thread originally as I've been real busy. Check my gaslogs. Last few tanks have been 45-46mpg - minimal A/C use BUT I still do use it. Full on A/C use would deliver more around 40mpg.

This is driving NOT holding up traffic. I did weigh it on my freshly calibrated scales at work and it came up at 1760 pounds. Now, that being said I'm not a lightweight guy - most likely I can break you like a twig. Sooo, with my passenger and myself and all my work gear we darn near max out the ACL (allowable cabin load) of the car - right close to 2400 pounds. Also my roads in this area aren't hypermiler friendly IMO road construction material etc. All that and it seems my mileage is staying consistent as I will gas up tomorrow and I'm guessing it'll come up around 44-46mpg once again judging by my Scangauge. I'd love to get around North Carolina area. That's where I've done some of my best hypermiling. When I took my old hybrids up there I got phenomenal mileage. I think I could get 53-55mpg out of it up there.

96hb- I just had a 12 year old Metro that would do 45mpg -53mpg for a fraction of the cost of a 12 year old Civic. Heck, I could of bought 10 Metros for what I paid for the smart.

JESSE69- You should be ashamed of yourself only getting 44mpg out of a Civic HX. Come on - drive for mileage but do it smartly. You can still hypermile without holding up traffic.

SD26- Remember smart is here and now. Emissions do cost MPG's, safety costs MPG's Why does a new Sentra mileage suck compared to your '83?

96hb - JESSE69 - SD26 - I do agree though, the EPA figures are appalling.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by Wazabi Owner

96hb- I just had a 12 year old Metro that would do 45mpg -53mpg for a fraction of the cost of a 12 year old Civic. Heck, I could of bought 10 Metros for what I paid for the smart.

Adjusting for inflation between then and now, you'd be hard pressed to buy one new Metro (+/- 8 grand circa 1991) for the price of a Smart (less dealer markup ). OK...you don't get a back seat...in almost a year, I've yet to use my back seat for anything except a place to haul wood and a place for the cat to pee. I've been considering taking it out. And, if the crash test videos I've seen are to be believed, you have a much safer car. One of your payments could cover the complete cost of my car, but...yours is NEW. If the Smart is an automatic transmission, then the mileage is comparable to the Metro, maybe a little better. OK, so it needs premium gas...the cost differential is <5% nowadays, and in hot weather my Metro pings enough climbing the hill to get to work up in the land of wind and turbines that I run premium also.

If I had the money, I'd probably get one myself.

[StorminMatt]

Originally Posted by SD26

My 83 Sentra got 42 MPG and could hold more people. Does Smart have anything better?

Other than actually being new rather than 25 years old, I can't think of a thing. And as unattractive as a 1983 Sentra might be, it is MUCH more attractive than a Smart. Maybe if they didn't make the thing so TALL, it might get better mileage. Aero has to be killing that thing on the freeway. It is no wonder that old Civics and Metros can do better on gas, while being more practical cars.

Bottom line about the Smart? It looks like it was designed by Big Oil in an attempt to make small cars about as uncool as possible. Maybe if automakers didn't make small cars so stupid looking, that driving one feels like wearing thick-framed glasses held together with tape, people just MIGHT dump their SUVs.

[civic lover]

You guys are all missing a valid point regardless of mileage. Car manufacturers are finally making cars that don't offer 4 row seating with 4 wheel drive. What I am saying is that they are offering small cars again which will hopefully start changing the societal norms of what we drive. Yeah 45 mpg isnt great but hey it is a start? Am I right?

[BumblingB]

civic lover - you're right. Everyone seems to feel they need to have a back seat constantly. I've learned to plan my trips. The smart is helping save money in other ways as the wife is starting to believe - "No we can't get that cause it won't fit in the car" (though a lot of times it will, it does have a decent amount of room back there if you're an efficient packer)

JoeBob - thet's exactly what point I've been trying to get across. Heck, groups of people stopped asking me to drive when we all go out though when it's just one person they beg to ride in it.

StorminMatt - The Smart being tall helps you sit up higher, something a lot of people like now that they're accustomed to SUV's. The style is quirky, but for MOST people - not you obviously - they love it. Come on down to my house and ride around in the car one day and see how many people stop you saying they love it, male and female. Not only that, there's the you get. The waves. The giant smiles with the bobbing heads (they could be laughing though in your defense). A lot of people said that they originally saw the pictures on the internet and newspapers mentioned they thought it was ugly but when they saw it and sat in it, it grew on them and they thought it was "cute" .


If I'm going to the store and I really need something larger I'll take the Mercedes. If I need something HUGE, I'll take the truck and the trailer but I just don't see the need to constantly drive a huge car daily.

Bottom line - the styling isn't for everyone but is for most. The mileage you would think could be a bit better, but I say the same thing about the Fit - I got the same mileage (high 30's) as most get out of their Fit and the Matrix was a MUCH bigger car. Going on that standard, it got around 5-10mpg LESS than the smart. For all the room it had, that was great - the question is, "Why do I need all that room daily?"

[R.I.D.E.]

What bothers me is MB has a design that has a CD of .18 in a practical 4 passenger (or more) car.

Their R&D on aerodynamics goes back to the twenties, almost 90 years ago.

If the Smart appeals to you , isn't that all that really matters?

I bought my VX after buying and trading in 5 new cars in the last 8 years.
The last new Car I bought before that was an 84 CRX 1.5 serial # 1018 made in 7-83. It got 44 MPG.

Over the last 2300 miles, driving WITHOUT impeding traffic, I have managed to average better than 57 MPG.

It takes a significant amount of effort, situational awareness, and planning ahead. It would be almost impossible for someone to hit me in the rear end. They usually just pass me and fly up to the red light, where they sit and wait for me to cost past them in neutral. I drive below the speed limit only when it does not create a problem for any other driver.

If you can get 40-45 mpg you are contributing to our efforts to starve OPEC.
It's not up to me to criticize your efforts, or the method in which you achieve them.

My method was different, an opportunity arose for me to use my experience to recycle a vehicle that had been off the road for 13 years. The results are my current mileage. On one 20 mile segment I made it in 24 minutes, in most cases I average about 40 MPH over routes that average 26 traffic lights in 20 miles. Speed limits are 55,40,45,55 and in most cases I average very close to the speed limit. Interstates here are 65 and I dont slow traffic down on them either.

regards
gary

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Ah, another selling point...

Originally Posted by Wazabi Owner

civic lover The smart is helping save money in other ways as the wife is starting to believe - "No we can't get that cause it won't fit in the car"

[

[BumblingB]

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

What bothers me is MB has a design that has a CD of .18 in a practical 4 passenger (or more) car..........

One thing to keep in mind they were going for a short wheelbase which is possibly a reason which it sits so high and kills the CD. I am interested to see what Toyota can do with the iQ. Originally it had a quirky design but as it nears official production the latest photos show it to be more conventional. (IMO )


R.I.D.E. - I commend you for your efforts! Your driving style sound much like mine though I go just a tad over the limit as in my area it does impede the flow. One thing that is great with the smart: When you ride the right line others REALLY get the hint to pass as it is so narrow they find it easy to see around. I'm loving it. As far as recycling cars - I'm all for it, it's my turn to get some new ones. As I've said here before I've had over 100. This is the 3rd car I've ever bought new though.