I've driven our 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion twice since it had its transmission reprogrammed in late May. Although the car doesn't feel radically different, I don't think I'd have this done on my own Smart. If I had a Smart.
During low-speed city travel, shifts feel smoother in "D." But I don't drive in "D." I refuse to drive a car this small and lightly powered in "D." I want as much control as possible over shift points.
And when I get on the freeway, I notice that shifts are also a litttlle smoother and less abrupt in manual mode. But I feel they are also just a touch slower. And I don't want slower in a Smart.
I'll go even further. It's pointless to try to make a transmission shift smoothly in a Smart, which, at least in LA, works best with a run-and-gun driving style (well, mostly run, since there's so little gun). I'll put up with all kinds of abruptness if I can get quicker shifts.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 17,831 miles
clarkma5 says:
07:35 PM, 06/26/09
But is it as bad as Toyota's defunct SMT? Ten minutes with that and it had fried its own clutch on flat city streets, on top of slow and jerky shifts. Real quality there.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
07:41 PM, 06/26/09
When is a turbo going to be available for the Smart?
sherief says:
12:26 AM, 06/27/09
Not sure I like the car...
mustang5507 says:
01:24 AM, 06/27/09
I wholeheartedly agree. A slow transmission does indeed kill any hopes of zipping through traffic in LA. Or at least getting past people who do not want to let you over. I've come to realize that 300 hp is no more useful than the 150 my old Mustang had, simply because the Mustang shifted decently enough, and only had 4 gears to choose from.
nealibob says:
06:44 AM, 06/27/09
Smart sent me a survey to ask my why I canceled my "reservation." I told them that there were a number of problems that needed to be fixed to get a sale from me: give me the option of a real manual, give the engine more power, fix the current transmission, or significantly lower the price. As it has been said before, this tiny car does not drive like anything else in the $15,000 range. Under $10k and I would own one in addition to my regular car, I think. I would also give up more cargo space to have any of these points addressed.
epbrown says:
07:11 AM, 06/27/09
@kurtamaxxxguy: I dunno why, but I've still seen no plans by Penske to bring the turbo Smarts here. There's an aftermarket turbo kit available from SmartForceRacing but it's $6,000 or so; crazy considering my Pure was only $11,000 from the jump.
vacagrande says:
09:10 AM, 06/27/09
It would be so easy for the smart to make a quantum leap from where it is now - bring us the diesel version that already exists with the manual transmission that already exists. There's the fuel economy that actually justifies owning this car, rather than prompting the response "Oh really? That's all it gets?".
nealibob says:
09:57 AM, 06/27/09
@vacagrande: exactly. Maybe I should just move to Europe.
compliance says:
10:26 AM, 06/27/09
Why is there a 'C' on the steering wheel? Shouldn't it be an 'S'?
Does the 'C' stand for CRAP?
firstwagon says:
01:43 PM, 06/27/09
I'll bet just adding a real manual transmission would give you a big jump in performance and mileage.
I think the reason the mileage is so bad (for it's size) is people are driving it hard to make up for the transmission.
I have never seen a review that liked the Smarts gearbox. Even the owners who love their Smarts admit they learn to live with it.
You would think Smart would be smart enough to clue in by now and offer more choices.
epbrown says:
04:35 PM, 06/27/09
@vacagrande: no manual transmission exists for the Smart, anywhere, preiod - I don't know why people keep thinking they've got one in Europe. Not even the old 450 model had one. I wish it had been an option.
dougtheeng says:
06:08 AM, 06/29/09
Here in Canada we have (or, had?) the diesel model. My gf drives one of the first ones that made it to our shores. Even with the manual shifting, its an amazingly jerky car to drive in. Good mileage, but ultimately its hard to see the value in this vehicle. She agrees, as she is likely trading it in for a new Hyundai Accent this week.
jederino says:
11:46 AM, 06/29/09
^^the Hyundai Accent is a fun little car with the sports package and short-throw shifter.
I found the flappy-paddles to be utterly worthless on the Smart's rubbish transmission. Imagine playing Guitar Hero, but with a 3-second delay between when you press the fret button and when the corresponding note hits your ears.
The best part of the Smart is that it feels quite unstable and insubstantial, leaving the driver a feeling of vulnerability. This is actually a good thing, because it probably makes you more aware and thus more safe as a motorist.