Everything you've read in the blog posts so far is true. This car has issues. But having driven our Fortwo around for the past few days, I can see why somebody would still want to own one. Here's why:
1) It's cute. When it comes to car-buying, this isn't a factor to be ignored. Remember how popular the VW New Beetle was when it first came out?
2) It's efficient. Yes, you'd hope it'd do better. But it still gets 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway, which is better than just about every other car out there.
3) It's inexpensive. Yes, the value equation is pretty poor for a Smart Fortwo. But a base Passion coupe like ours lists at $13,590. That's not a whole lot of cash for a new car.
4) It draws lots of attention. I've had more people come up to me in this car asking questions than anything else in recent memory. People notice Ferraris and such, but there's an aura of elitism that keeps them away. Because of reasons one through three, people feel comfortable talking to you. Guys want to know about it. Girls smile at you.
5) It can be fun. This is mostly a combination of all the elements above. A Corolla is a better car, but buying a car is rarely just about functionality.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 7,073 miles
opfreak says:
11:22 AM, 07/14/08
1)reasons 1,4, and 5 are basically the same, just worded differently.
2)reason 2 ok, thats true, but look at how much car it is, and the efficency comes at what seems to be a high comfort cost from the drivetrain.
3)reasong 3: at 13k you could get a bigger aveo, or yaris, And a base fit is 14k.
no none of those get the same milage, but each is nearly 100% more car for similar money.
ahightower says:
11:28 AM, 07/14/08
Right on, opfreak. "That's not a whole lot of cash for a new car." Nor is it very much car for the cash.
1, 4, and 5 reinforce the rest of the world's stereotype about Californians and why they buy anything at all. It can all be summed up as "Look at me!!!" Yeah, we see you. And we're not smiling, we're laughing.
carlisimo says:
11:36 AM, 07/14/08
Imagine if, when Swatch was looking for a manufacturer to carry their idea into production, they had ended up with someone other than Daimler-Benz. Like Fiat, or any of the Japanese car companies with a kei-car lineup. They would've had enough parts to share with other models to lower the price of the smart significantly (and actually make money), as well as imparting their experience in small car design.
I think the concepts behind the smart are still perfectly valid, and it's just the execution that's let it down. Combine a good micro-car with Swatch's design and marketing ideas, and you'd have a winner.
cruiserhead1 says:
11:55 AM, 07/14/08
How can it be inexpensive if the value equation is so poor?! It is EXPENSIVE for what it is.
I can shrink wrap a turd and sell it for $0.01. No one would say it was inexpensive or a good value.
The key is what do you get for your money? The SMART is a poor value and thus, it is expensive for what you are getting.
Car accidents draw a lot of attention. The Yugo drew a lot of attention... i'm sure people said the same things to Yugo owners . It doesn't correlate to being a good thing.
How can it be fun when it drives piss-poor and functions so terribly, yet does not deliver on anything it promises?
ewilfong says:
11:59 AM, 07/14/08
Haha, yeah, the Fortwo sucks. That's my intelligent comment for the day.
vvk says:
12:05 PM, 07/14/08
I just could not resist to comment on the picture. I love it! Just outstanding!
texases says:
12:13 PM, 07/14/08
Here's an idea - take a vote at Edmunds: If you had to spend your money, which would you buy, smart or Fit? I know which one I'd vote for!
opfreak says:
12:46 PM, 07/14/08
phhf ^, the fit is looking like a stronger canidate for my car every day. I figure if i'm going to forgo power, i'll go for cheap w/ decent utility.
And I agree with others. Theres a market for these micro cars. Hench they are selling out. But longer term they have to be better...
decent auto tranny. And start normally equiped at around 10-11k. And that means a radio, power steering, AND A/C
zillafire says:
02:46 PM, 07/14/08
Comparing the smart to a Fit isn't fair. The Fit, Aveo, etc. are designed to compete against real cars. It seems like the more natural competition to the Smart is a scooter. Both are small, have limited storage, easy to park, and have good gas mileage, great in the city etc. Does anyone know how the Smart compares to a scooter?
redgoatee7 says:
03:29 PM, 07/14/08
i love cars, but living in nyc, i love not having a car. so i can see the appeal of this car. yes, the fit is obviously much more of a well-rounded car, but with tight parking and expensive garages, being able to squeeze a car anywhere on street is invaluable.
a high range vespa scooter can be more than $5,000 - if not more.
redgoatee7 says:
03:33 PM, 07/14/08
i wish this had an edit - but a smart is about the same length as my bike (as in bicycle). i've done an informal side-by-side comparison. so that picture is probably not too far off.
kevlang says:
03:33 PM, 07/14/08
i saw a Smart pass by while waiting for the tires to be rotated on my Fit today. yeah, it's cute, and yeah, the mileage is good for a car but not great for a tiny, tiny car. but the way I see it, the smart is half the car my Fit is - I can carry 5 people and a enough stuff for a day at the beach, or two people and enough stuff for a month at the beach, and my mileage damn near equals that of the Smart.
If the Smart was also half the price of the fit, say even $8K, then it'd be worth considering. Otherwise, it only makes sense if you need to park in really, really tight spaces on a daily basis. Or if your parking garage charges by the square foot.
tinyelvis says:
04:16 PM, 07/14/08
"That's not a whole lot of cash for a new car," nor is it a whole lot of crash protection for any kind of car.
I'd hate to be the EMT that peels the people off my underpinnings.
kevlang says:
04:30 PM, 07/14/08
oh yeah, that's another thing. number is # of stars, format is
car: front driver, front passenger, side driver, side rear passenger, rollover,
Fit: 5, 5, 5, 3, 4
Smart: 4, 3, 5*, N/A, 3
*the smart had a "safety concern" with side impact - the driver door opened during the test.
But judge for yourself - you can actually watch videos of each crash test! Pretty cool. Wow, the Smart really got tossed in the side impact test!
Fit:
http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/safercar/menuitem.db847bd57e3dc1f885dfc38c35a67789/?vgnextoid=c95df2905bf54110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD
Smart:
http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/safercar/menuitem.db847bd57e3dc1f885dfc38c35a67789/?vgnextoid=c95df2905bf54110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD
redgoatee7 says:
05:44 PM, 07/14/08
the smart also received 4 stars on the euro ncap (40 mph offset):
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/smart_fortwo_2007/303.aspx
texases says:
07:03 PM, 07/14/08
Bet you couldn't fit a full cart full in the back of the smart!
James Riswick says:
08:30 PM, 07/14/08
I didn't realize Brent drove this back to Fresno last week.
I'm sorry.
huyracing says:
08:55 PM, 07/14/08
Doesn't it REQUIRE premium fuel? Not so smart...
stovt001 says:
11:36 PM, 07/14/08
1) It's cute. When it comes to car-buying, this isn't a factor to be ignored. Remember how popular the VW New Beetle was when it first came out?
*No, its unusual. People are fascinated by things that look weird.*
2) It's efficient. Yes, you'd hope it'd do better. But it still gets 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway, which is better than just about every other car out there.
*A motorcycle is more efficient, holds more stuff, is smaller, and more fun.*
3) It's inexpensive. Yes, the value equation is pretty poor for a Smart Fortwo. But a base Passion coupe like ours lists at $13,590. That's not a whole lot of cash for a new car.
*Its also not a lot of car for all that cash*
4) It draws lots of attention. I've had more people come up to me in this car asking questions than anything else in recent memory. People notice Ferraris and such, but there's an aura of elitism that keeps them away. Because of reasons one through three, people feel comfortable talking to you. Guys want to know about it. Girls smile at you.
*Walking around without pants also draws a lot of attention. That doesn't mean its a good thing.*
5) It can be fun. This is mostly a combination of all the elements above. A Corolla is a better car, but buying a car is rarely just about functionality.
*Since when is having your head darn near ripped off by the jerking of a car shifting on the way to a 59 minute 0-60 fun? Especially when you can't turn at speeds faster than 2 mph?
dougtheeng says:
06:18 AM, 07/15/08
"*Walking around without pants also draws a lot of attention. That doesn't mean its a good thing.*"
Don't you hate pants?
mnorm1 says:
02:44 PM, 07/15/08
"Don't you hate pants?"
Some people have politician bodies - the more coverage the better.
Bob Holland says:
06:11 PM, 07/19/08
Had the opportunity today to spend about 20 minutes driving a loaded (if that word can used) Passion Cabriolet. A few comments:
• It was the worst accelerating car that I've driven in 30+ years. From a dead stop, when giving gas, it felt like it was going to stall, rather than move forward.
• The only way to drive this car is with the transmission in "manual mode." Driven in that mode it was actually fun. Still sssslllloooowwww—but fun. In the "auto mode" it will put you to sleep—not a good thing when driving.
• It requires premium fuel. Are they kidding? In an eco-friendly, save-our-planet car like this?
• Handling? Ummm... Never mind.
• Steering seemed a bit slow for a car this tiny.
• $18K or so as equipped—OUCH!
The Smart sort of reminds me of my first car, a '62 VW sunroof. I have fond memories of that car, even though it was a primitive as an anvil. Like that old VW, and despite all the Smart's real-world shortcomings, it's still a hoot to drive. I was pleasantly surprised at how good (and stable) it felt at speed, if you can call 40 or 50 mph speed. I would have no problems driving it on back country roads like where I live. In fact I think it would be fun to own, even being dog-slow as it is.
Now, if and when they bring over the turbo-powered Brabus Smart—give me a call! That should be an ubër hoot to drive.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=123441