Has this ever happened to you? Upon leaving the filling station you're met with a strange new clunk and then, upon visual inspection out the side view mirror you notice you've forgotten to shut the fuel door. And to screw-in the filler-cap.
Well, in just about every other car on the market, to remedy this you'd have to pull over, get out of the car and fix it. What a pain!
But if you were to be driving the smart fortwo, and had a nearly six-foot passenger with moderate levels of flexibility, all would not be lost. Just ask him to reach out and screw it back in while you continue to drive as normal. No time lost. No unnecessary stopping.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 6,785 miles.
lazyhater says:
04:22 PM, 07/ 7/08
so this is the 2nd thing that is good with the Smart car, the 1st was easy to park.
billt9 says:
05:07 PM, 07/ 7/08
This feature is so amazing it just completely defeats Ford's capless fueling system!
kevlang says:
06:24 PM, 07/ 7/08
that's freakin' hilarious. can you change a flat without exiting the vehicle?
xl562bx says:
06:56 PM, 07/ 7/08
Never have I seen this done on any car. Simply amazing how short the wheelbase really is. These are the new hype around town. Just hope they can improve on the mileage numbers. High but not class exclusive or leading. Makes an unmistakable statement.
casp201 says:
07:21 PM, 07/ 7/08
i think you should post a video demonstration.
carfreak8394 says:
07:41 PM, 07/ 7/08
I agree with casp 201, ha ha.
And couldn't you do this with a Porsche Boxter ?
banhugh says:
09:24 PM, 07/ 7/08
Hilarious!
stovt001 says:
10:03 PM, 07/ 7/08
Lazyhater took the words right out of my mouth. Overall this car is an absolute waste of automotive materials, but this is actually kinda cool. I have a friend who wants one of these and she's from Oregon, meaning she doesn't know how to pump her own gas and drove off with the nozzle still in her car the first time she tried. Fortuitous?
James Riswick says:
08:47 AM, 07/ 8/08
"And couldn't you do this with a Porsche Boxter ?"
That was my thought exactly, however, judging by the model on my desk, I think it would be too far forward of the a-pillar.
carmizvi says:
09:07 AM, 07/ 8/08
Um, who took the picture?
bimmerjay says:
09:26 AM, 07/ 8/08
"That was my thought exactly, however, judging by the model on my desk, I think it would be too far forward of the a-pillar."
Clearly a sign of import bias amongst the Edmunds editorial staff...
Mike Magrath says:
09:08 AM, 07/ 9/08
Carmizvi,
I took the picture. Image Stabilization is a great feature!
-mike