My reward for bad-mouthing the Smart on Friday? Keys for the weekend, of course. I bucked and droned my way down the 405 to Newport Beach yesterday and came up with a brilliant idea for a three-car comparo: Wrangler, Elise, Smart -- Cruising On The Highway Like It's 1923!
Anyway, fuel efficiency is supposed to be one of the Smart's strong points, right? So I figured it was time to update the fuel log and see how we're doing. Against an EPA combined estimate of 36 mpg, we're averaging a somewhat disappointing 33.4 mpg -- and I'm hesitant to blame our chronically leaden feet for this deficit, since wooding it in the Smart is about as pleasant as punching yourself in the face.
Moreover, that's 33.4 mpg on premium, which means the Smart will run you an extra 27 cents per gallon at current prices. If premium costs $3.27 and regular costs $3.00, then as far as your wallet's concerned, getting 33.4 mpg in the Smart is the same as getting 30.6 mpg in a car that runs on regular.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 10,516 miles
louiswei says:
11:01 AM, 10/27/08
I'd get a Corolla...
stingray454 says:
11:02 AM, 10/27/08
There's far too many compromises and drawbacks in that car for only 33 MPG.
ahightower says:
11:32 AM, 10/27/08
So, as far as this Texan's wallet is concerned, getting 40 mpg on diesel is the same as getting 28 mpg on regular unleaded. ($2.20-ish vs $3.20-ish) Cool. Diesel Rabbit versus Mazda6... hmmmm...
m_thrizzle says:
11:59 AM, 10/27/08
I just ran into a guy I used to play softball with, and he used to own a Pontiac Aztek. He now has a Smart and says he loves it. I think he has $hitty taste in cars. I never bothered to ask him how he liked his Aztek because for fear that I would start ridiculing and laughing at him.
pat1usmc says:
12:18 PM, 10/27/08
That car is an absolute waste.
milt721 says:
01:12 PM, 10/27/08
Cool! It gets about the same mileage as my 1994 Honda Accord and only takes up 1/3 of the space. Who wouldn't want this car?
paulbr says:
02:37 PM, 10/27/08
I recorded 40 mpg in my '02 Civic today. Drive this thing into the Pacific.
SnakeDoctor says:
04:38 PM, 10/27/08
"My reward for bad-mouthing the Smart on Friday? Keys for the weekend, of course."
It's called Karma.
stovt001 says:
05:16 PM, 10/27/08
I get almost 30mpg combined on regular gas in my Cobalt (you know, one of those gas guzzling domestic cars) and my commute is mostly stop-and-go rush hour traffic on hills. And I've been accused of having a pretty heavy lead foot too.
festiboi1 says:
06:30 PM, 10/27/08
Still would rather have my 43mpg Subaru Justy
sgude says:
04:54 AM, 10/28/08
The Smart is just not the kind of car I'd buy. "...as pleasant as punching yourself in the face" -- in the same way you called the M3's engine "feral," I now have a great sense of what the Smart's engine feels like.
altimadude00 says:
09:37 AM, 10/28/08
You guys have gotten better mileage in the Focus than the Smart, at least back in July. What happened to the Focus? Can't find time to drive it because of all the Evos?
Damn it, I'm becoming a Focus fan boy. Some one institute me! Or better yet, lock me in the Smart for a year. That's brutal enough.
briancam says:
09:03 PM, 10/28/08
The Smart is dismal, an utter waste and bordering on pointless. I don't get it or the people that buy them - the Focus is 100 times better. Give me a Fit, Civic, Cobalt, Mazda3, Lancer, Versa instead - - I'd even take a Yaris and be happy the beating was mercifully cut in half.
greenpony says:
03:51 AM, 10/29/08
Wow, somebody saying the Focus is better than something? The Smart must really be a waste.
Of course, my Focus' lifetime average is at 34.5. Last ten fillups: 37.1. Granted, I'm sure I put on a lot more highway miles than you guys put on the Smart. But really, to be getting approximately equal fuel economy to the Smart, without premium fuel, with an incentive-heavy car... There's really no reason to buy a Smart.
matt_a says:
01:25 PM, 10/31/08
On my last tank in my VW Golf TDI, I did 701 miles on 15.9 gallons (44mpg). I figured the Smart should get at least 40!
Maybe they should bring the diesel version over. I've heard it gets up to 60mpg. That gas engine is really inefficient.
alm8 says:
03:42 PM, 08/14/09
"So, as far as this Texan's wallet is concerned, getting 40 mpg on diesel is the same as getting 28 mpg on regular unleaded".
It's 71.3 diesel as per official testing. Not sure it's available in the USA yet. They are, in Canada - same as previous 2005 and 2006 diesel models(and in Europe, of course).
marcerickson says:
01:06 AM, 09/27/09
@ alm8: Smarts are sold in Canada (website: http://www.thesmart.ca) but the last year they sold the cdi (diesel) engine here was 2006 - since then we get the 1.0 L gasoline motor the same as you. *I want a diesel!* Otherwise, this car makes no sense as priced currently.