Long-Term Road Tests

Told you it would be a late one.

Thanks to subytrojan for this week's favorite caption. He went with the classic Cheezburger nom. Makes me laugh every time.

Here are the other little funnies:

This creepy guy's been following me all the way from the playground (oldchap)
Son, it's time you knew. Your father was a clown car. (ergsum)
I heard she had it out of gridlock! (ergsum)
But Officer, how do you know he didn't steal my spot? (subaru123)
One of these will provide hours of fun for it's owner (heartlessbstrd)
Drop this capsule in a glass of water, and watch it expand right before your eyes! (lowmilelude)
Tow Rating: 3500lbs  (subaru123)
I'll see your fuzzy dice, and raise you! (altimadude00)
This car has it's own action figure! (altimadude00)
GET IN MY BELLY. (565565)
Do you think it's Smart to downsize? (mnorm1)
He's never been the same since he went to that shrink. (mnorm1)
I look HUGE (or fat) in this picture. (bluepunk82)

What was your favorite?

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

Road Test Editor Brian Moody shot this familial picture of our little Smart car.

We suggest: Separated at Birth

I know you must have something better.

Not sure what time I'll be able to post our favorite. It might be a late one tonight.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

(Photo by Dan Edmunds. Or me. Can't remember. I know he sized it and that it was for the suspension walkaround.)

You won't have the 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion to kick around anymore.

That's right. It's done. Over. Gone. Sold. And as of today, all wrapped up. But, we can't let it go without a final farewell in the form of Parting Shots. By now you all know the drill; this is everyone's (both Edmunds Editors and your) last official chance to get a word in edgewise on an outgoing Long Term Road Test car.

Follow the jump for our official farewell --and don't forget to leave your own -- to the 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe...

Continue reading 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe: Parting Shots.

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

For this week's wrap-up, I thought I'd highlight our favorite reader comments from the past seven days.

2009 Dodge Ram 1500: Comfort Food

Comparison shopping
By tryan on August 3, 2009 3:01 AM
As I said in another blog post, simply the most attractive iteration of the Ram in a long time (ever). It actually looks even better in person. If I was in the market for a pickup, I'd have a hard time choosing between this, the Silverado and Tundra. This is coming from a guy who grew up with a Ford F-Series always in the driveway!

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe: Great Car for Recon

We like the way you think
By Mad_Science on August 3, 2009 9:15 AM
Wranglers work great for this as well. If you get a white one and put orange caution stripes (or even lights), people assume you work for the water company or something.

2009 Dodge Ram 1500: Moving day

Best use of a made-up word
By jeepsrt on August 3, 2009 9:38 AM
My wife voluntold me to move one of her friends from work. I borrowed a friends trailer and used my Dodge 2500, she had nothing put in boxes and was not prepared at all. It took about 6 hours on a Saturday, at least she was thankful but what a pain in the #$$.

Moving tips
By jbbevel on August 3, 2009 9:31 AM
The key is to invite other friends with Dodge Ram trucks...or Ford F150's...or Chevy Silverado's.. or...Toyota Tundra's...or....

Call this guy
By adamb1 on August 4, 2009 2:15 PM
I enjoy helping people move. It usually ends up being a fun day. I helped one friend move about 45 miles away. He had a metal swing set he wanted to take with him for his kids. So, I hitched my 16x6 utility trailer to my 2003 Ram and headed out to help. We picked up the entire swing set and put it on the trailer in one piece. I tied all the swing up so they wouldn't do anything stupid. We threw 2 ratchet straps over it, hooked it down and took off. I was passing people on the interstate going 75mph. The only way people might have stared more is if there were strippers on the swingset poles.

More after the jump...

Continue reading What You Said (8/2-8/8).

Categories: 2008 BMW 135i,2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Honda Fit Sport,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Mini E,2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Smart Fortwo in Santa Cruz after we bought it on eBay last winter - Photo by Steve Pearl

Our 2008 Smart Fortwo is driving off into the sunset.

We posted the Smart for sale on Craigslist and over the course of two weeks got many calls. One young man wanted us to float him a loan for the car and earnestly began to describe his credit history. Another caller made a lowball offer and tried to sweeten it by adding, "cash!" Another person called and asked all the right questions but never showed up for a test drive.

And so, we sold the Smart to Carmax for $9,000. This means they will turn around and put it on their lot for $11,000. If you see a red and silver Smart scooting around your area, it might have a special history.

Philip Reed, Edmunds Senior Consumer Advice Editor @ 18,877 miles

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

This isn't our long term 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe but you get the idea. Here in West Los Angeles, parking is at a premium and sometimes it pays to double up.

Road Test Editor, John DiPietro, had the above pictured 2009 Smart Fortwo Brabus and was headed to a concert one night recently. Parking was tight and after he finally secured a spot, and was backing in, a second Smart appeared. The driver said, "Hey, mind if we share that spot with you?" The outcome is the photo.

Philip Reed, Edmunds.com Senior Consumer Advice Editor

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

Not that I'd ever buy a Smart, but if I did, I'd want one of these; a Smart Roadster Coupe.

These were cancelled in 2005 after a short, 2 year run in the European market. Bring it back, and driving around in a Smart will suddenly be a lot less like wearing aluminum foil on your head.

Did I mention Gordon Murray has one?

Kurt Niebuhr @ 18,792 miles

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

Below are the fuel economy numbers for July 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.

As always, a few cars are out on the road or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.

After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.

Continue reading Big List of Fuel Economy: July 2009.

Categories: 2007 Honda Civic GX,2008 BMW 135i,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Honda Fit Sport,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring,2009 Nissan GT-R,2009 Suzuki SX4,2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI,2010 Honda Insight EX

Sunday morning I took a tour of Long Beach, Calif., dealerships in the 2008 Smart Fortwo to see what was up with the Cash for Clunkers program.

I circled dealerships shooting pictures, pulled U-turns and parked on the sidewalk. It was great to have a highly maneuverable car for this mission. The only thing the Smart didn't afford me was a good cover. While the Smart is old news with car guys, out on the street it's still turning heads.

In other Smart news the car has been up for sale for a week at an asking price of $10,900. I've gotten a few calls but no buyers so far.

Philip Reed, Edmunds Senior Consumer Advice Editor @ 18,758 miles

I'll hate to see our long-term Smart ForTwo go, because if you really love to drive, truly enjoy the mechanics of wringing the last ounce of joy from a bit of rolling iron, the Smart is a hoot. When was the last time you celebrated getting a jump on a Cavalier at a light? And trust me, the slow-motion lead won't last unless you perfectly time the paddle shift up to second gear. Firing off that gearchange would be easier with a tach, but it's all by ear cupcake, and simply keeping up with the L.A. rush-hour grandprix is a satisfying experience in the ForTwo.

When was the last time you gathered momentum for a hill, or worked desperately not to bog the motor after a shift? The Smart makes you earn your automotive thrills and at a speeds that wouldn't stop a peace officer from finishing a yawn. It's also held up remarkably well (inside and out) to our best attempts to hang with traffic. The citrus-shaded fabric coating most of the interior still looks showroom fresh, adding a warm, late-day hue ("...orange mocha cappuccino!!!") cunningly engineered to cheer your ride home. Of course, nothing's cooler to an old Saab guy than an ignition between the seats.

Left in the transmission's somnolent automatic mode, the Smart is a daily commute backmarker. But if you fully commit to this wheeled hightop, take command of the shifts and go easy on the wonky brake pedal, you can make mincemeat of the rush-hour drudgery. Capitalize on the ForTwo's dimensions and you'll deftly slip through partially blocked right lanes and slot into traffic holes just behind your shirt collar. What the first Miata did for backroads, the Smart is to the urban jungle: loads of fun if not terribly fast.

Paul Seredynski, Executive Editor @ 18,543 miles.

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

So today I got the weirdest question ever with regards to the Smart. At the car wash this morning, this older gentleman saw me getting out of our 2008 Smart Fortwo and asked me how I liked it. "Meh," I replied with a shrug, not really wanting to get into it. "Is it fast?" he asked. That stopped me in my tracks. "Um, no but it would be cool if it had a more powerful engine," I said, and then I started to daydream about a faster, more powerful Smart; my dream Smart, if you will.

If I ruled the world...and had magical powers I'd make it a cross between a Mini S and an Evo MR. It would have a kick-ass engine but great fuel economy, awesome handling...and be invulnerable to crashes and being crashed into.

The Smart really does have go-kart potential. I can zip in and out of traffic with it now. Sure, a majority of L.A. drivers are slow, distracted drivers but still. Imagine if it had more power?

What would you do to make the Smart better? Besides erasing it from existence, that is.

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 18,488 miles

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

U.S. sales of Volkswagen Beetle, 1952: 390 units.

U.S. sales of Volkswagen Beetle, 1968: 400,000 units (5 percent of the total U.S. market).

Pictured above is the celebration at the Volkswagen assembly plant in Mexico as production of the Volkswagen Beetle officially ended on July 30, 2003. A total of 21,529,464 Volkswagen Beetles had been built.

This reminds me that while it's easy to make fun of transportation pods, the Smart might be the start of something important.

Then again, maybe the Smart is more like the BMW Isetta, which was not exactly something big.

Michael Jordan, Executive Editor @ 18,680 miles

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe,Vehicles

Yes, that's the number of speakers we got with our $15,305. But not only did we get a measly two speakers, we also got a craptastic head unit to boot. Now, I'm not much of an audiophile but this stereo sucks. How much does it suck you ask? Well, think of a late 80's Nissan Hardbody. Now imagine that Nissan with one stock speaker and one speaker that you were forced to pick up from the local Kragen (making a mess of the wiring job while you hastily installed it in the parking lot) because your buddy spilled a large horchata into the other one. The Nissan's stereo sounded better.

On a side note, I caught and passed two people on a freeway on-ramp in our little Smart. Sad.

Kurt Niebuhr, Photo Editor @ 18,065 miles

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

Below are the fuel economy numbers for June 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.

As always, we were missing a few cars that were out of town or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.

After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.

Continue reading Big List of Fuel Economy - June 2009.

Categories: 2002 BMW M3,2007 Honda Civic GX,2008 BMW 135i,2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Honda Fit Sport,2009 Hyundai Genesis V6,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring,2009 Nissan GT-R,2009 Suzuki SX4,2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

A couple of months ago our 2008 Smart Fortwo was compared to a 1995 BMW R1100RS but as a commenter had remarked, a comparison to a 150cc scooter would have made for a better debate.

This weekend, I really wanted to video a drag race between our 2008 Smart Fortwo and my 2009 Vespa LX150 but since the closed racetrack was booked, I didn't get to. (I highly suspect that since the Vespa has a continuously variable transmission, it could kick the Smart's ass in a 0-30.) So I'll have to content myself with comparing the two on paper.

Apart from the obvious differences of one being a car and the other a scooter, they share similar impracticalities. But when it comes to just around-town driving, I think my mini Italian ride is better.

Yes, both can park almost anywhere, with the Vespa having a slight edge over the Fortwo. I get to park for free in most garages! And even though the top speed of the LX150 is 59 mph vs. the Smart's 93 mph, in surface street traffic I can get to where I'm going faster thanks to lane-splitting.

Unfortunately, both take premium fuel but the Vespa gets a reported 70-75 mpg compared to the Smart's 33 city/40 highway mpg.

As for cargo, yes, the Smart has the obvious advantage as I can't lug a week's worth of groceries on my Vespa. But since I always eat out anyway, this point is moot.

However the Smart does ensure that my hair will look exactly the same way it did at the beginning of the ride, so there's that.

In any case, the Vespa is wayyy more fun to drive while the Smart can leave you cursing its existence.

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 17,895 miles

Categories: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe