It’s not often that a reviewer completely pans a particular vehicle. Usually we can find something redeeming to talk about, but for Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder, that wasn’t the case with the 2009 Smart ForTwo. Watch his video review of the only U.S. microcar to find out why he not only cannot recommend the ForTwo for any car buyer, but also why it frightened him.
The Smart ForTwo has gotten a lot of press for being the first microcar to hit U.S. roads. Now that it’s entering its second year of production, what’s the verdict? According to Cars.com reviewer Joe Weisenfelder, it's not good. Normally, a confident driver who can find redeeming qualities in most vehicles, Weisenfelder found his entire outlook challenged by the ForTwo. Read his full review to find out why he thinks Smart’s experiment will fail.
When the Smart ForTwo debuted in the U.S., Cars.com's Kelsey Mays wasn’t alone in his disapproval of the car's shoddy transmission. Besides other journalists, consumers themselves didn't seem to like it, and the company took note. Now, Smart is sending letters to 24,622 of its 2008 ForTwo owners telling them they can bring their cars in for a transmission upgrade.
The upgrade is software-driven. One company spokesman described the problem with the old transmission as "a little hesitation between gears." Mays described it differently: "The transmission lurches through gear changes with the awkwardness of a 15-year-old learning stick on his brother's Corolla."
Mays also drove a 2009 ForTwo with the new transmission changes and said "it's noticeably improved, but it still has worlds to go."
Smart car offering to upgrade balky transmissions on 24,622 of last year's models (OpenRoad Blog)
2009|Smart|ForTwo
2008|Smart|ForTwo
We're delighted to feature a reader review of the 2008 Smart ForTwo. Since the ForTwo's debut, there has been a lot of interest in seeing how much consumer interest it would generate. With an assist from high summer gas prices, the compact has found a niche. Even though our own reviewers found it somewhat lacking, Bruce from Colorado is so pleased with his that he plans to buy another. Read his review after the jump, and submit your own here.
The smallest kid on the block is willing to stay that way for a while.
Smart, a Daimler-Benz subsidiary, has sold about 17,000 ForTwos since launching the tiny two-seater in the U.S. in January. Yet 30,000 potential buyers are still on waiting lists.
Even so, the automaker has no intention of boosting output to bring supply in line with demand, says Smart USA president Dave Schembri, who says auto graveyards are littered with companies that reacted too soon with too much.
"Only a year ago we didn't have a car or a dealer in the U.S.," he said. "We can grow volume, but we want to make sure we have everything in place first before we expand. Profit margins are relatively thin on a small car, so we always want to be one car short."
Essentially, a supply/demand imbalance allows dealers to sell each car for full list price.
Despite at least a year-long waiting list in the U.S. from order to delivery, Smart is going to return to the Chicago Auto Show next February.
It hasn't had an exhibit at the show since 2005, when it wasn't even on sale in the U.S. So why is Smart spending money and resources on getting the word out when it seems the word is already quite good?
It's especially surprising when you consider that other small automakers, like Porsche and Suzuki, dropped out of the Detroit auto show to save money. Even some major automakers have cut back on exhibit space on the auto show circuit to economize.
"When you cut back space from 180,000 square feet to 170,000 square feet, that's still one heck of a chunk of space, but at $8 a square foot it's also one heck of a chunk of savings," an auto show source said.
Clearly, Smart's action flies in the face of an industry that's pinching pennies and, in many cases, losing money. It helps, of course, that Smart is selling every car it can build and has people willing to wait a year or more to get one of its high-mileage machines.
Cars.com didn't exactly give the Smart ForTwo rave reviews, but what do we know?
The market has spoken, and in these days of the fuel crunch, the ForTwo is selling like hotcakes to a hungry lumberjack. Smart USA has sold more than 14,000 units so far. Back in January, Smart had a list of potential buyers with 30,000 names on it. Now, ForTwo buyers must add themselves to a waiting list that's nearly a year long.
A search of Cars.com's inventory revealed only one Smart dealer in my area, and upon calling the Knauz Auto Park in Lake Bluff, Ill., I was told that, indeed, once I put in a reservation on Smart's website for $99, my wait could be "15 months and up."
Starting at under $12k and getting 41 mpg on the highway, it's not hard to see what's boosting demand for the ForTwo.
You probably just read that headline and said to yourself, boy, these Cars.com people don't know what they're doing, comparing three cars of different prices and configurations. That would be true if we were basing it on just their MSRP, but this is the Iconic Car Faceoff, so we chose three radically styled yet relatively affordable and fuel-efficient cars.
They're also three of the most eye-catching rides around, for various reasons. Check out how the hype mixes with reality, and where it pays off for each, in the throwdown below.
The Smart ForTwo is one of the smallest cars on the road. It comes standard with 15-inch wheels, which were clearly not big enough for the owner of the ForFun2 monster “truck.”
There’s not much more to say. Just check out the somewhat-windy video below to bask in its full glory.
Smart ForFun Monster Truck (TransportTrends)
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tested the 1,800-pound Smart ForTwo, and it earned the agency’s highest rating, Good, in front and side impacts. Its seats and head restraints earned IIHS' second-highest rating, Acceptable, for protection in rear impacts.
But IIHS president Adrian Lund stopped short of saying the Smart is safe.
Cars.com LinksCategoriesReal-Life Car Reviews
Recent PostsFind an Automaker
|
|
Cars.com Home |
About Cars.com | Employment Opportunities | Become a Cars.com Dealer
|
|
By using this site, you agree to our terms of service ©2009 Cars.com | Privacy Statement |
| Visit our partners: Apartments.com | ApartmentHomeLiving.com | Homescape.com | CareerBuilder.com |
Recent Comments