2008 Smart fortwo 400 mile review
 

Picked up the Smart yesterday and as of today I have 400 miles on it. Filled up once and got the EPA mileage of 40mpg. Pretty good considering I did not baby it and the engine is still tight. I've heard reports from other owners who have several thousand miles and they are getting mid 40's to mid 50's. If you have driven a Honda Insight, this car drives, rides & handles very similar.

Driving - It actually handles pretty good with an awesome turning radius. I doubt I'll take it auto-xing anytime soon but I have seen some people that have and they handle fine - better than some of the haters have portrayed them to handle. Passing 18 wheelers I didn't find as much of a hair raising experience as I've heard. It has a Electronic Stability Control that seems to work well, though it does have issues when you take the car off roading which I won't get into. The seats sit well too, a very comfortable ride. That being said, that is at 31psi. I just bumped the tires up to 39.5psi so we'll see how much of a hit I take on ride quality. The paddle shifters are fun fun fun!!! Just like a video game! When you're bored, just pop back over to automatic. The automatic takes some getting used to, it's actually a manual with an automatic clutch - feels really weird until you get used to it. The tranny takes some beating from reviewers because they don't drive it long enough.

Speed - I cruised on the interstate and had it up 90mph at one point just to see how she'll go. The rest of the time I hung at 70mph. In this little car you don't seem to get the same run up on your booty similar to what you get in other cars. It seems most people are amazed it is going that fast and you must be pegged out at the time - they just go around no problems. :thumbup:

Parking - What can I say, it's friggin awesome!!! Went to Wally World yesterday and a front parking spot had one of those electric buggies taking up half the space due to the cart retrieval people not doing their job. No one could park in that spot because that was there...no one except for me!

Workmanship - I must say I was scared to buy a car made in France. That being said, while growing up my father used to bring home Renault demos from the dealer he worked at all the time in the early 70's and owned quite a few too. The overall quality is great, let me rephrase that, AWESOME for an almost all plastic car. Body panel fit is nice. This morning I started pulling the carpet back to look at welds, NICE JOB, they are excellent plus the paint is even thick in the out of sight areas.

Safety - Great ratings, 4 stars on par or better than many other cars out there. 4 airbags total and a "safety cell" which is essentially a factory roll bar that goes all the way around the passengers. There have been a few wrecks out there so far and from what I've seen, the cars AND trucks that hit the Smarts received more damage than the Smarts themselves. They seem to bounce right out of the way. What if you get hit by an 18 wheeler? Is that before or after you get hit by that stray meteor?

The Good - I think the sky is the limit for mileage and the whole EPA mileage for these is a load of..well you know. The SPG's for this is off the hook. What? You don't know what SPG is? That's Smiles Per Gallon :D . A truly fun car to drive. If you are starved for attention than this is the car for you. You'll get more attention than Pamela Andersen walking topless through a church. This is not a car you want to pick your nose in. Most people seem to love it and it gets lots of questions - this car gets more attention than some of the other cars I drive (not listed in my garage - '30 Chevrolet Street Rod/'63 Corvette Split Window Coupe) Interior is a lot bigger than it lets on to be. I fit a full grocery cart's worth of food in it this evening.

The Bad - The standard radio just plain sucks. I was also told this would have Sirius satellite radio capability which it doesn't. Availability of parts/dealers. It's a task to even find tune up parts. I normally keep a stockpile of spare parts and not much can be found, when it can be found it isn't cheap. :thumbdown: You have to a lot extra time when you go someplace to answer questions. Then there's the haters, I heard a woman talking to another woman about it one was positive while the other said, "I'd kill the whole rain forest driving my Navigator".

Conclusion - I LOVE it. Now I know I could of gotten a Yaris for just slightly less money, I looked at them, test drove them etc. I also drove the Accent, a much nicer car than the Yaris IMO but it's more $$ and of course it has the Hyundai quality everyone is so scared of (not an issue, I think they do good) I also could of bought 10 nice Geo Metros like the one I used to have. One thing I love about the Smart is it is easy to change the color. If you know how to paint, it is a cinch as you don't have to worry about jamming it out. 2.5 hours to pull the panels and then you paint them the color you want.

Our SECOND Smart will be in sometime around November through January 09 time frame - that is how happy I am with it! Remember, I am a car guy - I can understand if you aren't a "car person" you'd think it's impractical. OK, let me put on my flak vest - there, it's on...fire away.

It says in your info on the Smart car that you bought it new yesterday (April 26/08). Must be a mistake?

Nope, I already have 400 miles on it. Picked it up early yesterday morning and had a fairly long ride home - 300 miles. Took back roads just to keep the RPM's fluctuating and swing by a small town that is hometown to my wife's favorite author. By next Saturday I should have 1000 miles on it.

wasabi,

a few questions. first of all I kinda like the little things. how is the pickup? the hp rating is only 73hp and I know it weighs like 1800lbs so how does that equate into pickup. I had a 3cyl metro, is it kind of like that?

also what about storage. from the pictures I have seen it looks like you have about the room of an extended cab pickup minus the bed. a friend and I were seriously considering one until we found out about the "year" wait (and I know it is 8mos to a year).

how long did you wait for yours? did it come faster? I know I have a lot of questions but I have been waiting to talk to an actual owner of one of these things. like you said, some people like them and some don't the ones who do like them talk about how great they are and the ones who don't talk about how they suck. I think it is the same way with everything.

they are funny looking, but for a guy that has owned two metros (jelly beans) and currently owns a honda element (the big blue box) it would probably fit in well for me.

thanks for the write up.

In my opinion, you shouldn't just rate the car on one day of long driving. There are many problems that can possibly come up after driving a car for a while, as well as realizing little things you actually don't like about a car.

Glad you like it so much but . . . you sure are not breaking it in properly!

BEEF- Acceleration compared to Geo. It's about the same, maybe a bit better. Your right on par with the interior space, most people are amazed once they sit in it - a few even get out and look at the car then get back in. If you're a Dr.Who fan - think "Tardis". I reloaded with a different pic for you. That was a shopping cart PLUS full of groceries in there. How I got it, I've been on the reservation list since early Sep last year. Once I got sick of waiting I added myself to a "orphan list" - if someone canceled a buy I was waiting in the wings. Color wasn't a problem so they called me with the first that came available. Check with your closest dealer and find out about them. It does pay to remind them you are interested once on the list - if it's a reputable dealer they won't markup the price either.

AMX- I see where you are coming from on YOUR OPINION. Now, if you could do me a favor - after you read this - I'll even put it down into easy steps.

Step 1 - Get the email addresses for the editorial department of the following magazines

Car & Driver
Road & Track
Motor Trend
Consumer Reports

Step 2 - Use the same format letter for all the magazines and complain to the them about how things like "How can you judge if a car is a piece of garbage (or great) after driving it around town a few times then taking it out and beating the crap out of it on a race track in unrealistic day to day driving conditions?"

You might not word it the same way, but it is pretty much what they do. Do they put 400 miles on it in real world driving conditions? Probably just about that. In hindsight, I should of worded the beginning of the first paragraph....This is my OPINION SO FAR. That most likely would of been better as it leaves me open for a follow up report - of course I will most likely report back in a few months with any problems that do or don't arise. Plus just like you mentioned, those little things I do or don't like after more wheel time. Anyhow....I wasn't giving a final rating, just MY opinion after 400 miles.

JanGeo- I see where you're coming from. I've always heard 50/50 on break-in. What I mean by 50/50 is half of the enigne builders I know say baby it as if it is your only child and you're now shooting blanks while the other half says run it very hard and break it in good. (I've always said the latter but my engine building days stopped about 20 years ago - we had a full machine shop for several years) I've actually kept it somewhere in the middle of both of what I mentioned - which is exactly what the manufacture recommended oddly enough.

wasabi,

I like the car, I really do. I just worry about space. I think the gas mileage will get better with time as it breaks in. as far as the pickup, my geo was aplenty for me alone. not so much with a few friends in the car but usually I am alone anyway.

the waiting list is a killer. I have always been one to want something and go and get it. I ordered my truck because I wanted a V8 with a manual and the 3 week wait was a killer for me (bought the truck when gas was $2 a gallon).

I think the smart car and cars like it are going to be a norm for america in the coming years. I am suprised the metro (or some new version) hasn't hit the scene yet. the yaris is close and the aveo is similar in size but that is about it.

nice car man. keep us posted on how it is doing

I've got a buddy who has an Aveo and hasn't mentioned any quality issues and he drives the heck out of it. Personally, I think a Yaris would be the way to go for you if the wait is a killer. I'm the same way - the only way I did it this time was I bought 2 cars to hold me over until the wait got too much and then I went the orphan route.

A Yaris is a great car, many here can tell you that. I might of gotten one of those but the wife actually wanted the Smart - it had to grow on me and took a while for that to happen. I was originally one of those people who would say...$14,000 for that? There are plenty of other less than practical transportation choices out there for more money so $14k is OK for it by my book. Still, I could of gotten a really nice used Xb for that - just got word from my 80+ year old grandmother is going to get one. :D Tradin' in her Town Car!!

that is awesome about your grandma.

my dad actually test drove an aveo (the auto) he has to drive on the interstate a lot and I told him to kick it while going up a hill to see what the power was like. he looked at me. dead in the eye and said " I am". I was less than impressed with it especially when the sales lady wouldn't budge on the price. he ended up getting a corolla. that was before the yaris came out. or maybe it was just too new at that time, not sure. I have been thinking hard about a yaris. I would want a manual trans which is one thing that helps a lot in power and FE.

my old metro was a 5 speed. I did things in that car that I would never do in anything else. I did a 360 once, had it on two wheels. burn outs up to 4th gear. as light as it was the front end would hop. people didn't believe me until they saw it. I am better to my cars now. I treat them with a little more respect but that was a fun little car.

Very cool car Wazabi :)

1000 Miles
 

1025 miles on it now after just one week of ownership.

Pros -
- It's been a very comfortable commuter
- A/C has been adequate - some people say it sucks but so far its been great
- Transmission has adapted to me, much smoother shifting so hard to tell its a Manumatic

Cons
- The seat belt doesn't have a height adjuster, feels as though it will decapitate me. Easy fix for $3 from Autozne, Advanced etc.
- Engine cover in trunk area does get warm - FIX: I put some Dynamat insulator in to go along with the factory insulation.

On the fence
- Mileage -, I'm getting BETTER than EPA, but I do understand for a 1760lb car it should do better. I'm on the fence.
- Attention - I can't do anything wrong in this car or someone will spot me. Pick my nose, get a girlfriend (have a wife to start with), speed etc. I've had people stalk me to ask about the car - follow me to my destination, track me down in a store after I've been in there 10 minutes and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't mind for the most part so I put that on the fence as it could be a pro or con.

It is a cute little car. There are at least two running around me. All I have to say is it is a very tiny car. Just joking but I've seen bigger go carts. :p
I had to follow one while going to work about two weeks ago and it did have some good pick up between stop signs and traffic lights.

but he did say it shifts hard....
 

Oh, the troubles I can cause by taking a quote out of context....;)

There are few cars that arent Ferrari's and Lambos that can get a crowd.

Deloreans, Kodiak Pick Up Conversions, Hummer H1's and Smartfortwos.

The other day I saw a crowd at walmart around a car and I wanted to see what it was and it was a Smart, crazy how small they are. I wouldnt mind having one, no money though :p

ALS - I've got a Cushman Turf Truckster that is bigger than the Smart

Lug_Nut - oh my!! AND I thought I proofread it decent DOH!!! :eek:

Three6Eight - some of my other cars that I don't list here draw a crowd but this is off the scale. There was a lady that passed me today in oncoming traffic and the look on her face was hilarious - her jaw had dropped a good 10 inches (NO Lug_Nut NO!! Don't do it! :p ) I thought she was going to run into the median. Went to a car show on Saturday and they came out to the parking lot to ask me if I would drive onto the show field as I was "stealing" their spectators :thumbup: . I went on in as I know a good amount of the people in the local car show scene. H1's don't get that much attention round here, oh how'd I love to convert one to WVO. :rolleyes:

if its so easy to paint, take care of that unattractive and just plain odd silver... paint it red like the rest, car will look 10x better!

I LIKE the silver. Actually I am considering shooting the black part at the bottom the same color red as the car, saw someone that did that and it does look 10x better just by doing that. The silver is the roll bar/safety cage whatever you want to call it.

Before I go making modifications I need to see if I'll be keeping it or not. 4 months to decide before the next one comes in.

When I bought my '81 Goldwing, I was told just to keep under about 65 or so for the first 100 miles...and don't overheat. He should be fine.

Scary story...Boattail Auburn Speedsters (circa 1935) came with a little placard on the dashboard certifying that that individual car had been driven in excess of 100mph. I wonder what procedure the owners manual gave for break-in?!?

I understand the silver costs extra.
The standard color of the cell is black.

wasabi,

questions about the transmission. how does it work? there are paddle shifters right? do you change the gears yourself? if you do then do you have a clutch?

my wife saw one and thought it was (and I quote) "cute" which means she likes it. we are thinking of maybe getting on the waiting list but sh doesn't like to drive stick shift cars. if there is no clutch then she would be fine.

also, (and this is something to think about) if you decide you don't want to keep it, maybe we could work something out.....maybe. I am still not convinced that she would be completely happy with it but we shall see how this progresses.

thanks

Breakin is a funny subject, everyone thinks they know how to do it, few do.

It's a two stage process, first you have to "knock the worst off" the bores and rings to get them into shape, without welding them together... then you have to glaze them for optimum longevity.

However, with new cars, you are seldom sure what exactly the manufacturer has done, how good the manufacturer tolerances were, and what materials are in the rings. The manufacturer might recommend a certain thing, but it will be something of the safest minimum thing that people will actually stick to rather than the best way to do it for that particular engine and ring combo. It's actually possible to glaze in a motor tight and end up with worse than typical power and economy over the life of the car.

However, too late to worry about it for that Smart, if it's glazed too early, nothing will fix it but a re-hone, this is unlikely in most modern cars however.

She'll be fine in it. It's an automatic clutch - still feels like you are in a manual but the clutch is pressed and depressed automatically. My wife can't drive a stick either.....:rolleyes: The paddle shifter is standard on the Passion model - you have the option of shifting #1 Put it in "D" and go #2 Put it in manual (+ - - mode) and then you bump the console shifter for the next gear #3 same as #2 but use the paddles are used for bumping to the next upper or lower gear.

This is the ONLY car my wife ever said for me to go ahead and get...:D

I've had a 100+ cars, driven millions of miles, blown one motor in all that time and never damaged a NEW car due to improper breakin. The one motor I killed, a Mercedes that was on its last leg anyway - drove too far, too fast. Way too fast - Autobahn in Germany, several hours no letting up.

The Smart will be just fine.

I assume the trans is the same for the pure? I like the idea. I personally like a stick but my wife doesn't. I was seriously thinking about a yaris (my wife thinks that they are cute too) until she called me today about the smart car. when you did the $100 pre-order, did you get to pick colors and all? and how did you get on that orphan list.

I know I have a lot of questions but (like your situation) my wife seems to be "all in".

thanks again

Yep, the Pure has the same exact drivetrain - actually all the models have the same drivetrain. The Passion is just more nicely appointed for a price.

When I did my reservation I was able to pick colors, options, etc. My next one has a bit nicer stereo, fog lights, factory tach & clock dash pods (I added them to this one) and alarm. The only options this one came with was painted panels and safety cell - my next one won't be painted and will have the standard black safety cell.

I would suggest driving one first to make sure its what you want. There are a few out there that bought without ever test driving one. I test drove one for a few miles last year and was quite happy with it - I had reserved mine before I ever test drove it.

The orphan list - reserve first - then call the closest dealership and tell them you'd like to be added to the orphan list. The less you care about the color etc about what you want, the more of a chance you have to be driving one sooner. I waited three weeks for my orphan.

PM me and I'll answer all the questions you want. I also know of some people who bought orphans and their cars now came in so they are selling their car. Same boat I may be in if I decide not to keep it.

Wazabi..why did you get rid of your insight??

and if it was wrecked why didn't you buy another insight?

The cars weigh the same and have roughly the same hp except the insight gets WAY better mpg..

It's been one year since I sold the Insight - I got this because it is the FIRST car the wife has ever shown an inkling of enthusiasm about and I mentioned a few posts up how many cars I've had.

I wouldn't of minded having another Insight but this is a bit more comfortable on long haul cruising and there is only one color Insight for me in my book and that is rarer than rare to find one in the condition I'd want. Once I get an armrest it'll be perfect....OK, an armrest and cruise. I'll save that for the next one as that'll be the keeper unless I keep this one for a beater.

I still can't believe that for it's size it weighs 1760lbs...that is just too much..

That's what makes it slice through other cars' crush zones in a collision....

whatever you do dont drive a chevette to a chevy dealer to buy parts:D i came out and a swarm of salespeople were surrounding it:D

also if your ever in one and see another one, its a unwritten law you must wave to them even if its hailing out:D mostly because you know you and the other guy are thinking the same thing: holy hell theres another one still driving around!!!

I have a couple questions for anybody driving a fortwo:
Have you compared the manual and power steering? Is the power a must?

Are you using regular or premium gas?

ha i disagree. i first days driving review is very valuable! its not like he didnt disclose that or anything. of course there are going to be other pros and cons that will arise later. nobody said this was the end all review on the smart.

VetteOwner - I'll still even love Chevettes whatever bad things you say about the little Smart. :) I ACTUALLY saw a Chevette today! Driver was looking at me as I was looking at the Chevette when it went by. There are about 3 around these parts - I cover a lot of ground too, about a 100 mile radius and I know most back roads etc.

trollbait - I didn't personally try it, most that I know that did compare said you don't really need it. The other people I know that got them with their cars said the P/S is really nice in parking situations. IMO, one more thing to break that is difficult to get at.

Yes, I use Premium. After paying for diesel in my other cars, I don't mind. Also a few of my other non-diesels gas guzzlers that I don't list here require Premium. Old cars - high compression.

thisisntjared- Thanks for the positivity. :thumbup:

a buddy of mine has a blue (and I mean blue) vette. it is his baby. he was getting 42mpg or so before he did some other stuff to it. he has a love for the chevettes that rivals my love for the metros. you gotta love your first car.

there is nothing like the look on someones face when they see a 25 year old car shine from a fresh coat of wax, it is truely an amazing thing. especially one that is not considered a "classic muscle car".

https://img527.imageshack.us/img527/80/bluevettemo6.jpg

wowza that is blue! lol my paints cracked and chipping but its shiney lol. i see hes got the BMW rims on there. :)

yea i get alot of strange looks too :P

he tells people that it glows in the dark. (and it kinda does)

UPDATE!! I turned over 2000 miles today. I decided to go ahead and change the oil as it isn't touted as some special break-in oil (like a Honda). They apparently put in synthetic from the get-go. I put a slightly bigger capacity filter in with Amsoil 5W-30. I've put 7 tanks of gas in this thing and am averaging 42mpg COMBINED driving.

Things I wish it had:
CENTER ARMREST
CRUISE CONTROL

Those are the two big things. As far as changing up what I initially said about the car 2000 miles ago - I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING.

I have a feeling the handling would be a little squirrelly for people used to driving behemoth sedans, but after driving my Insight for a few years it handles like that so it doesn't bother me. I just learn how to adjust, my Corvette and Hot Rod drive similar on windy days.

Something that has been great on this car is it promotes people to drive like human beings and not maniacs. I get approached about 5 times a day and get asked, "What MPG do you get?". If they show a genuine interest in the car I show them the horrible window sticker that says 33/41MPG then show them my fuel logs and explain driving at the speed limit can help them achieve awesome results with their current vehicle then give them the tips on what they can do to their car to get better mileage.

propegate the change!!! good stuff!

anyway i am suprised you are getting 42mpg combined. how much of that is highway? either way that is awesome for a young motor that is great!

Good result!

Cruise should be available aftermarket in a few months, and wider wheels and tires give better handling (but might cost 1 MPG).

Mine has OEM cruise (the first generation car had this little-chosen option in Europe) and wider wheels and tires. I love it. Over 60 MPG, without really trying.