Smart ForTwo a Hoot to Drive

Smart mania has begun, as the Smart brand finally has committed to importing its sub-subcompact (micro?) cars to the U.S. in the first quarter of 2008, with prices ranging from $12,000 to $17,000. Stoking the mania this past weekend in Cars.com's hometown of Chicago was the Street Smart Road Show, which is appearing in more than 50 cities this summer. The event gives people a chance to drive the ForTwo, a two-seat model that’s the only one currently destined for our country. Smart gave media (that would be us) some time in the coupe and cabrio (convertible) before letting in the people who had begun to line up a couple hours before the official start time.

The cars I checked out (see gallery below) were those sold in Europe, which Smart representatives say are pretty close to what we'll have here. Due to U.S. regulations, and how they differ from those in the roughly 25 other countries in which Smarts are sold — including Canada for the past few years — ours might have different headlights or other safety-related modifications. We'll have nine-spoke wheels, and all models will have glove compartments instead of the cubby that occupied the same location in some of these samples.

Oh, and the drivetrains will be different. That might sound major, but the Smarties said we'll get the same 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine that I tested. It might be tuned differently, however, which could change its characteristics. Now, I'll say this: The car I drove wasn't wanting for power, and it's highly unlikely that the U.S. would get a less powerful version of an economy car sold overseas. The gear selector will also have the traditional PRND settings instead of the Euro's plus/minus/N/R. Their version has sequential shifting as the default, but you can activate an automatic mode by pushing a button. The transmission is actually an automated manual, which is less complex than what we think of as an automatic. It's basically a manual that operates the clutch so you don't have to with a third pedal. These cars worked reasonably well, but I'm anxious to see how the U.S. version does. Other transmissions of this design (from the other major German automakers: VW and BMW) have received mixed reviews.

The rear-wheel-drive ForTwo is a hoot to drive, and I adjusted to it so quickly that it really felt like any other car — except for all the people gawking at it and stopping me at traffic lights. Many people have driven this little booger as a rental in other countries, and all of them seem to love it. It's 106 inches long and 61 inches wide. For perspective, the Mini Cooper is 146 by 66 inches, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is 157 by 68 inches and the Honda Fit is 167 by 66 inches. Smart held this event at a street fair in Lincoln Park, the neighborhood best known as a parking nightmare. (This was not happenstance.) As you might expect, it was a breeze to parallel park; the size obviously was key, but I also liked the way it maneuvered with its wheels so close to each corner of the car's plastic-paneled body.

If city driving and parking are the main draw, then gas mileage is certainly the second. Smart is predicting 40 mpg in mixed driving, which doesn't sound so great. Know that this is based on the tougher (and likely more accurate) 2008 rating method. By the more-familiar previous calculation it would probably be around 45 mpg or above. With a cargo volume of 7.7 cubic feet behind the seats, the ForTwo’s cargo space is larger than the Miata's trunk, at 5.3 cubic feet. The Mini Cooper, though, has three times as much space.

People are sure to be concerned about safety — understandably so. Standard are antilock brakes, a stability system and airbags, including side-impact with head protection. None of that changes the fact that the ForTwo is small and exceptionally light, at 1,653 pounds. The Cooper, Miata and Fit are all around 2,500 pounds.

Not long ago it seemed that Smart — after a lot of talk — would never come to the U.S. Two things changed: fuel prices here and Smart's racking up financial losses as large as their cars are small. In times of crisis, sell to the Americans. They'll buy anything.

Joe's Smart ForTwo Photo Gallery

Related
More Smart News (KickingTires)
Smart Car to Arrive in 2008, But Safety Concerns Linger (KickingTires)

Comments

[SanchezSmith]

Another rich kid/bored housewife toy, like the Beetle or the Mini.
Europe has cool small cars, but they are cheap, and this one is very expensive.

[Paul]

I was passed by one of these tiny For Twos a couple days ago and it wore NH licence plates,NOT Canadian.It seemed to top out at around 75 mph.The occupants seemed readily trusting to pass tractor trailer trucks and the average large Pickups and SUVs even though the size of the car reminded me of one of those late 1950s/early 1960s mini cars (Fiat,etc).The color was a dirty white (beige?) and with a black top resembling a vinyl roof or phoney convertibe top.

[cody]

Seems like it will be a great urban commuter car.

[J. Lasseter]

There are the converted euro / Canadian Smart Cars currently
for sale. They run $23 - $27K and get around 50 mpg's.

[jim]

A hoot to drive? In a world of only micro cars, maybe. Along side semis and dump trucks--never. Inattentive drivers may not even see these dwarfs berofe changing lanes, any more than the motorcycles they don't see. A Tahoe or Expedition would squish this little car like a bug on the bumper.

Even with airbags and safety cocoons, I would never feel secure on the open road.

[M3]

I'm really interested in one since I have a long commute. My biggest concern is the autoshifted manual tranny. Why not just offer a plain old stick shift so I can shift it myself??? I don't want all the added cost and complexity.

[Infosaur]

In response to jim:

You know, maybe it's about time drivers took responsiblity for their behavior around large trucks. I just got my CDL and started driving a large truck and you know what? I'm slow, blind and sluggish. I need to wait for people to get out of my way before making right turns onto side streets, and I almost never reverse on the road (parking lots, yards and jobsites are another matter)

If you see a large truck and decide to cruise along in in it's blind spots YOU MUST ASSUME SOME OF THE RISKS!!!

So don't cut us off, because we can't stop like a miata, we can shift up to 4 feet in a crosswind and we have really poor steering boxes (seriously CARS.COM can we do a story on why 90% of the rigs drive like a 1976 Cordoba? NO steering feel AT ALL!), and although I also "draft" be aware that debris the driver isn't even aware of can fall of the top of the truck at any time.

Just give us our space and we'll happily get your goods to market on schedule.

[Troy]

Infosaur,

I grew up around semis. I absolutly love them. With out them, our country would be at a near stand still. I always give them plenty of room while they are making turns, merging on the highway and of course when they are swerving (because the driver is on the phone, tired, or fiddling with the CB). I also signal when it's "ok" to merge in front of me after I'm passed or nearly pushed off the road by a driver who's too lazy to turn the cruise control off or plain out bullying people out of their while because they're "bigger". It's quite nerve racking to see the bugs guts on the grill of the semi from your back window while your 3 year old is sleeping in his car seat in the back seat.

From riding with my dad in his semi, my brothers in their unmarked police cruisers, or while traveling on the highways with my family, I'd say 7 out of 10 semi drivers are just as inconsiderate on the road as car drivers.

With the added responsibility of piloting such a large vehicle, maintaining a proper log book, proper running vehicle, getting enough sleep (rarely the case) and driving with a secured load, I give truckers full respect.

On another note, it is disconcerting to be riding down a hill in a semi to only have someone pull out in front of you and stop... then..."gulp" make a left hand turn in to a driveway 200 feet down the road. 80,000 pounds is hard to control.... especially going down hill. I don't care if you're driving a Smart for Two, or Ford Expedtion... neither will stand up to the semi in a crash.

[Darryl Meyer]

I've got one of the converted euro models nearly 1 1/2 years ago (after trying for 4). I live in Minnesota and recently drove it out to NY, VT, VA and places in between - 4200 miles. No intimidation by big rigs. Most professional truckers are great road companions. I can't say the same for a lot of the other oversized vehicle drivers. Most of the time we saw 1 (maybe 2) person(s) in those big SUV's & pickups. Most (I'd say close to 70% on this last trip) had to be doing 10-15 over the speed limit. Doesn't look like many are concerned about gas prices - let's get them up to the European level and see who hollers. Why should little cars have to be at a disadvantage to the big ones? I would bet that 50% or more of those owners have absolutely no need for such a rig. More little cars would reduce need to add traffic lanes in major metro areas, existing parking capacity would be adequate for many years to come, oil dependence would go down and traffic (jams) would become less congested. And something most people don't seem to be aware of is the smart manufacturing plant is one of the "greenest" in the world. And, if small cars run into something else it can cause less damage. It's time the fed agencies change their mindset about measuring how everything stacks up against virtual tanks on the road.

[Troy]

Darryl,

I couldn't have said that better. Best blog post I've read in a long while.

[Martin]

It is funny how people will pay more money for anything as far they have the "green" tag on it.

I prefer a small Focus or Corolla, it can carry four people and luggage and it is cheaper to buy.

[Dennis Fouts]

I've only seen one, but not driven one. While considering this auto, we should try to compare it to what we need,not what is on the road now. This is how we have arrived at sponsering terrorist with such great effectiveness at this time in our history. Maybe a few less lbs and a few less hp would do us a world of good as a country and hurt those who need us to buy their oil. Just a thought.

[Martin]

European Fiasco comes to USA.

[KamakuraKid]

Much of what has been written is good food for thought. Giving space and time to those driving buses, big rigs and Tony Soprano trucks, is something we all need to be reminded of from time to time. We also all need to remember the greatest safety feature ever developed is within us all; our brain. Start using it and we will not need to worry about the idiot driving a Suburban on the interstste at 45 m.p.h., while flossing his teeth. I kid you not, it was in N. California where I witnessed this at seven in the morning. Never catch a guy flossing in a Smart car, the risk is too great.

We have had Smart cars here in Canada for ages, I know they do not have a spare tire, much like the Mini Cooper. Also, all the reviews have said the heater is stressed in the winter, at least in the real winters of mid-Canada.

The BBC Fifth Gear had a good test track video showing the Smart car out of control on a corner. It might have been described as cornering in an office chair. It simply could not hold the corner. I suspect they are made mostly for the urban environment, I see parking enforcement officers and city workers tooling around in them every day.

Videos:

BBC Top Gear track test (group of cars):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtg2gGdmmzI

Fifth Gear crash test:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

KK

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