Got my smart car today

[Cakemeister]

After 15 months of waiting, my smart car arrived the day before Thanksgiving. I went to pick it up today.

I haven't driven it yet. The wife and daughter are hogging it. 

The attached picture is not my car, but it shows the color scheme.

[shmokes]

There are two cars in that picture.  Which one is yours?   

[Blanka]

The front car is the car, the rear car shows the colour scheme 

[Singapura]

Nice! Whenever I am in The Netherlands I rent a Smart. Very handy, fast enough for me and not too thirsty.

[danny_galaga]

awww, so cute 

[koolmoecraig]

Sweet! Did you get it for MSRP or did they tack on some BS "market adjustment"?

They have to be making a killing on these things. It's basically unchanged from when they introduced them back in 1996(?)

Drop a Suzuki superbike motor in it and go hunting Ferraris!



Kit's only like $15,000.  It includes a whole new rear subframe for the engine and a sequential transmission.  

[danny_galaga]

Sweet! Did you get it for MSRP or did they tack on some BS "market adjustment"?

They have to be making a killing on these things. It's basically unchanged from when they introduced them back in 1996(?)

Drop a Suzuki superbike motor in it and go hunting Ferraris!



Kit's only like $15,000.  It includes a whole new rear subframe for the engine and a sequential transmission.  

that would sort of defeat the purpose of buying a smart car though...

[patrickl]

that would sort of defeat the purpose of buying a smart car though...

Lol yeah. Still it's fun. On Top Gear they had a Smart Roadster with a "V6". IIRC it was two standard Smart V3 engines stuck together so it was a biturbo too 

[ChadTower]

That first picture is like the "laid - or not laid" marketing poster.   

[Mauzy]

One of them had the plate "IM SMRT"..... I wanted to make a FAIL! pic out of it but didn't know if it was supposed to be like that.     

[ChadTower]

Cute, but those things are expensive.  :/

There's a dealership in San Antonio, so I see several on the roads now.  One of them had the plate "IM SMRT"..... I wanted to make a FAIL! pic out of it but didn't know if it was supposed to be like that.     

I would be terrified driving one of those in Texas.  It would like being a Doozer running around the floor of a train station.  Every other car on the road would be 5x the size.  And some drunk rednecks might just pick it up and throw it into their F250 while you're not looking.

[Cakemeister]

The wife wanted a convertible. I don't know of any other convertible under $20k. If she had not wanted a convertible, I probably would have gotten a Fit instead.

SUVs and trucks aren't as much a problem as crosswinds are. It was rather windy yesterday in Houston, I was a bit scared a couple of times riding the scooter. The wife said she really had to concentrate on driving in that wind when she was driving the car home.

And I got a Lojack in case the rednecks kidnap the car.

I got the car for MSRP, they didn't even add on the dealer fee or holdback or anything like that. I think the dealership makes their money on the add-ons and finance charges. I know that extended warranties are a rip-off, but I got one anyway, the full 5 years/60k mile one. Total cost for the convertible even with the ripoff warranty and the Lojack was still under 20k.

As far as the "laid or not laid" picture goes, I'm a married man, so it's definitely "not laid".

[ChadTower]

SUVs and trucks aren't as much a problem as crosswinds are.

I'm not sure the laws of physics agree here.  That thing could be made of adamantium and still lose badly when a distracted soccer mom in an Expedition decides your car is a speed bump.

[Cakemeister]

Tiny Smart car gets crash test kudos

[ChadTower]

Did you read that article?  That isn't a positive rating.  It basically paraphrases to "it is good among tiny cars, but since the crash test dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag, it's too small to be safe on the highway, it has whiplash problems, the front end crumple zone is nonexistant, the door fell off on side impact, and it would not fare well against a larger vehicle..."

[Cakemeister]

Well, yeah I read the article.

The ForTwo, which is about three feet shorter and 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper, earned the best possible rating of "Good" for front and side impact protection in tests by the IIHS, a private group funded by insurance companies.

In the NHTSA front crash test, the ForTwo earned the top rating of "Five Stars" for driver protection

The Smart ForTwo earned the best possible ratings in side impact tests conducted by both NHTSA and IIHS

I have to admit I'm just yanking your chain a little bit by just picking out the best bits from the article. Clearly, the laws of physics dictate that the smart will be worse off in a collision than a Suburban. But, the engineers at smart have done a good job making the car as safe as the laws of physics allow.

[ChadTower]

Some Texas redneck not paying attention hit my wife's Scion xD with his F250 at ~10mph and did $4,000 worth of damage.

 

To the car, hopefully?  Not your wife?

Cakemeister, you may also want to point out that they said that those ratings are "in its class" and then mentioned that "this is the only car in its class".   

[orion]

What the first car is yours??? Are you too cheap to spring for the Ford GT or something?

[HaRuMaN]

Should have got the Fit instead...

[koolmoecraig]

Get some super loud Italian airhorns for the thing.  They seriously will save your life time and time again.

They've easily saved me in my Miata from dozens of moronic, cell phone chatting, Beverly Hills SUV drivers.

No joke.

You can buy a triple set of airhorns from Fiamm.  They are the same ones used in 80's Ferrari's.  They have a high-pitched shriek that scares the hell out of people.

[Hoopz]

Should have got the Fit instead...

That's what I am researching now.  Not looking to purchase until next fall but the Fit is my pick for now.

[HaRuMaN]

Should have got the Fit instead...

That's what I am researching now.  Not looking to purchase until next fall but the Fit is my pick for now.

I have a 2008 and I love it.  The 09's have even more features, and get a little better gas mileage.  Currently I'm averaging 36 mpg in the city, and 40+ mpg on the highway.

[ChadTower]

Could you fit a pin in a Fit if you had to? 

[Hoopz]

You could get it in a basement.

[ChadTower]

You could get it in a basement.

Could you get it in Level42's new gameroom?

[Hoopz]

Speaking of game rooms, did Saint ever say what he was doing in his? I followed the thread for awhile but never saw a final answer.

[ChadTower]

Speaking of game rooms, did Saint ever say what he was doing in his? I followed the thread for awhile but never saw a final answer.

Last I remember he said it was postponed because of RL and never revealed what it was.

[Hoopz]

Maybe it should have been a kid sized toilet...   

[HaRuMaN]

Could you fit a pin in a Fit if you had to? 

Yes, if you take the legs off and lay down the back glass.

A Capcom Impress fits inside as well, with the hatch closed.

[ChadTower]

Yes, if you take the legs off and lay down the back glass.

A Capcom Impress fits inside as well, with the hatch closed.

Ooh, even with the head still attached?  I just assumed you'd have to remove it from hinged pins.

[HaRuMaN]

Yes, if you take the legs off and lay down the back glass.

A Capcom Impress fits inside as well, with the hatch closed.

Ooh, even with the head still attached?  I just assumed you'd have to remove it from hinged pins.

It should, by my measurements...  I didn't try it myself because I couldn't figure out how to get the head to lay down.  The cargo space (when the rear seats are folded down flat) is pretty tall.

[HaRuMaN]

 

[RayB]

They should link Smart cars with a tractor truck for easy "train style" commuting!

[ChadTower]

They should link Smart cars with a tractor truck for easy "train style" commuting!   

It might be cheaper to put them on a flatbed or conveyor belt.   

Hell give them a hanglider and let them keep taking off and landing.

[danny_galaga]

It might be cheaper to put them on a flatbed

how do you tie them down?

[ChadTower]

how do you tie them down?

You don't, you weigh them down with fat chicks.

[walls83]

lol

[ChadTower]

What?  You can't let the beer get warm.

[Cakemeister]

That would not work with my rag-top convertible. 

My Lojack was installed today. They gave me a window of 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, and they came at 8:04.

I got the Lojack purely for insurance purposes to lower the cost of the comprehensive coverage, but then when I contacted the insurance agent he said the cost of the policy would only go down by $20/year. D'oh!

There are a few things the car needs. It doesn't come with floor mats. They cost extra. There is no armrest between the seats. There's a third party mod for that. There's no place but the glove compartment to put my sunglasses. What's up with that?

[ChadTower]

Duh.  Put them in the crisper.

[Level42]

You could get it in a basement.

Could you get it in Level42's new gameroom?

Hey ! 

[ChadTower]

Those cars will always make me think of the Simpsons when Nelson HAHA's the guy in the tiny car and the guy gets out and makes him walk the street with his pants down.

[shardian]

From that crash test report:

Results from front impact crash tests, no matter how they are conducted, cannot be compared between cars of different sizes. In a real-world front crash, occupants in a smaller vehicle would experience greater crash forces when hitting a larger vehicle going in the opposite direction.

Basically, those tests don't mean crap to a real life head on crash. And as for rear-ending something at those speeds - you do realize you are eye level and 2-3' away from the ass end of most SUV's. The crumple zone fits UNDER most other cars/SUV's on the road.

I saw one of those smart cars locally a few months ago. It had 2 'larger' people in it. The first thing that popped into my mind was the Darwin Awards. 

[Cakemeister]

Basically, those tests don't mean crap to a real life head on crash. And as for rear-ending something at those speeds - you do realize you are eye level and 2-3' away from the ass end of most SUV's. The crumple zone fits UNDER most other cars/SUV's on the road.

Actually, people sit at normal height in a smart relative to passengers in other kinds of cars. Most SUVs are trucks rather than cars. So a bumper-to bumper collision with a SUV will not be pleasant for any kind of car due to the height difference, not just for a smart.

I saw one of those smart cars locally a few months ago. It had 2 'larger' people in it. The first thing that popped into my mind was the Darwin Awards. 

I have already reproduced so my genes have survived already.  But if I get killed in my smart please feel free to nominate me.

[HaRuMaN]

Snips from Consumer Reports:

... A car like this should be fun and zippy. Sadly, the Smart is neither. The ride is harsh, and broken urban pavement, this car's natural habitat, pummels occupants mercilessly. The transmission shifts strangely, with pauses and heaves between gears. Handling is not so responsive, and it takes a lot of wheel winding to coax the Smart through corners. The slow, noisy engine makes it necessary to plan ahead when merging into traffic, although once on the highway it can keep up the pace ...

CR's take: Despite its many quirks, the Smart can be rather endearing. But from a strictly practical standpoint, the Smart ForTwo is not so smart. Premium fuel eats up a good part of the savings from its excellent fuel economy. The car seats only two and provides modest cargo space. Although it won't gather a crowd of gawkers, we think a far smarter choice is the Honda Fit (due to be redesigned for 2009). The current Fit costs about the same amount, gets 32 mpg (34 with a stick shift)*, and has none of the Smart's drawbacks.

*I see 36 city, 40+ highway in mine...  YMMV

[ChadTower]

What I don't get is why 36mpg is a freakin revelation.  I get 30 in my ten year old Civic.

[HaRuMaN]

L-Series Honda engine (Fit)
D-Series Honda engine (Civic)

The new L-series features some key innovative ideas. The benchmark against which the Lseries was designed would be the well-established D-series engine, what Honda identifies as the 'conventional VTEC unit'. The Lseries was designed to be smaller in dimension and lighter than the Dseries. It is also designed to be as efficient, returning equal or better fuel economies as well as acheiving lower emission levels. Unique too is how the Lseries is designed to complement an entire platform of Honda models, the aforementioned 'Global Small Platform'. The key characteristics of this platform has already been covered in our previous article on the design concept of the Fit/Jazz. The Lseries engine is designed to help enable the realization of these characteristics. One of the most important characteristic of the GSP would be the so-called 'space efficiency', i.e. extraction of maximum interior cabin space out of the small design and the key to it is the short engine bay. Thus the Lseries is designed to fit into a short and small engine bay.

[ChadTower]

That's marketing material.  Doesn't have any real bearing on actual performance.  Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.

Is the 6mpg difference really worth the reduction in performance and safety?  If you have to be careful pulling out onto the highway because it has so little pickup you'd think the increase in efficiency would be a whole lot more than 6mpg.

[Cakemeister]

What this thread needs is a picture of Pops, Gold 5 in Star Wars Episode 4, with the caption, "Stay on topic!"

[Hoopz]

Porkins?

[Cakemeister]

No, this guy, Pops (Gold 5), with the caption changed. Porkins is Red 6 IIRC.

[Hoopz]

I knew who you meant.  I like Porkins better.  Poor, fat slob who gets obliterated while fiddling with his controls.  Plus, throwing the picture up was easy. 

I should have said how about Porkins instead...

[Level42]

The most important factor in safety is never the car, but the person behind the wheel. All the other things are trying to minimize damage, but it's better to prevent it.

And we all know the US doesn't have the toughest driving license demands in the world.

[Cakemeister]

I knew who you meant.  I like Porkins better.  Poor, fat slob who gets obliterated while fiddling with his controls.  Plus, throwing the picture up was easy. 

I should have said how about Porkins instead...

What I don't get is how Porkins is supposed to eject, as Biggs suggested, without wearing a full spacesuit.

[HaRuMaN]

That's marketing material.  Doesn't have any real bearing on actual performance.  Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.

Is the 6mpg difference really worth the reduction in performance and safety?  If you have to be careful pulling out onto the highway because it has so little pickup you'd think the increase in efficiency would be a whole lot more than 6mpg.

Are you talking about the Fit or the Smart?

[ChadTower]

Are you talking about the Fit or the Smart?

Could be applied to either, really, but I'm more disappointed in the Fit than I am the Smart.  I thought Honda's next gen efficient car would be better than the Fit.

Level42 is right, of course, but even Michael Knight can get blindsided by an idiot driver going 50 in an Escalade.

[patrickl]

*I see 36 city, 40+ highway in mine...  YMMV

The European site for Smart rates it at 48mpg (mixed). I checked an average mileage site and the Smart (with actual fuel consumption stats from people who own the 2 seaters) average around 47mpg (range between 44mpg and 50mpg)

How come the US version is so much more thirsty?

[HaRuMaN]

@ patickl - I think that may have to do with the new EPA methods for calculating mileage.

@ Chad - there is no loss of performance or safety with the Fit.  Granted, there isn't a huge increase in MPG's...

[patrickl]

@ patickl - I think that may have to do with the new EPA methods for calculating mileage.

Well there are fuel reports where people actually do get only 36mpg from their Smart. Although that site mentiones 15 cases between 28mg and 49mpg. That sounds bizarre on it's own. The same car getting half the mileage compared to other drivers.

[mpm32]

The US versions had to add a bunch of safety features that are not required in the EU.  These added weight to the US version hence the mileage disparity.

[HaRuMaN]

Well, depending on how I drive my car, I can get anywhere between ~25and 36 mpg in the city.  Getting 25 requires a lot of jackrabbit starts and high RPM's (shifting gears in the 6000 RPM range).

I imagine the driver has a large effect on the Smart's economy as well.  Some of that variation will be because of engine to engine variation, but how much, who knows...

[shardian]

The driver's weight would have a large effect in that smart car. The difference between 1 skinny chic and 2 pudgy dudes can be 200-500 lbs!

And as for me, I wouldn't step foot in that tiny thing unless it got 60-70+ mpg. And does it really require premium gas?

[HaRuMaN]

Now this is interesting:

Other companies modify the Smart to use motorcycle engines, such as the Suzuki Hayabusa 1340 cc inline four-cylinder. These cars are known as Smartuki. The most powerful models can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in less than 3.5 seconds.

[ChadTower]

I bet it still bumps its ass when it hops, though.

[patrickl]

The US versions had to add a bunch of safety features that are no required in the EU.  These added weight to the US version hence the mileage disparity.

Safety features? Like having the lights visible from the sides and a bigger airbag since seat belts are not always required in the US? I don't think the added "safety features" add much weight, but they did have to make it 2 inches longer in the back to fit the regulations.

With that, the US version is 75kg/165lbs heavier than the European version (1852lbs vs 1687lbs). That's only a 10% weight increase so I don't think it explains a 33% drop in mileage.

[DrumAnBass]

This thread is the first I had heard of the Suzuki engine mod for Smart Cars... Insane!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi_CgGGDglY[/youtube]

Someone who lives near me has one pimped out with rims, limo tint, graphics etc... My thought is, why not just get a Mini Cooper if you want a little car?

[SithMaster]

I knew who you meant.  I like Porkins better.  Poor, fat slob who gets obliterated while fiddling with his controls.  Plus, throwing the picture up was easy. 

I should have said how about Porkins instead...

What I don't get is how Porkins is supposed to eject, as Biggs suggested, without wearing a full spacesuit.

Gah I can't find a link to the Gamespy Jek Porkins vs the Terminator Grudge Match.

I think the problem was he had his inertial compensators or something so he didn't know how low he was flying.  So my advice is to make sure you keep your sensors in working order while driving so as not to get struck by a lucky turbolaser emplacement.

Now this is interesting:

Other companies modify the Smart to use motorcycle engines, such as the Suzuki Hayabusa 1340 cc inline four-cylinder. These cars are known as Smartuki. The most powerful models can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in less than 3.5 seconds.

So its useless for CTF then?

[ChadTower]

Someone who lives near me has one pimped out with rims, limo tint, graphics etc... My thought is, why not just get a Mini Cooper if you want a little car?

Why do people build MAME machines instead of just slapping a 48-1 in an ugly jamma cab?

[Hoopz]

I knew who you meant.  I like Porkins better.  Poor, fat slob who gets obliterated while fiddling with his controls.  Plus, throwing the picture up was easy. 

I should have said how about Porkins instead...

What I don't get is how Porkins is supposed to eject, as Biggs suggested, without wearing a full spacesuit.

Gah I can't find a link to the Gamespy Jek Porkins vs the Terminator Grudge Match.

I think the problem was he had his inertial compensators or something so he didn't know how low he was flying.  So my advice is to make sure you keep your sensors in working order while driving so as not to get struck by a lucky turbolaser emplacement.

I bet Biggs was trying to get the insurance money after Porkins ejects and dies.  They were a couple....   

[richms]

@ patickl - I think that may have to do with the new EPA methods for calculating mileage.

@ Chad - there is no loss of performance or safety with the Fit.  Granted, there isn't a huge increase in MPG's...

It will be the difference in gallons between the UK and the US that gives the different figures - 4.5 litres vs 3.8 litres.

[patrickl]

@ patickl - I think that may have to do with the new EPA methods for calculating mileage.

@ Chad - there is no loss of performance or safety with the Fit.  Granted, there isn't a huge increase in MPG's...

It will be the difference in gallons between the UK and the US that gives the different figures - 4.5 litres vs 3.8 litres.

In UK gallons the mileage (of the 3cil 1l 71bhp micro hybrid drive engine) is quoted as 64.2mpg

[Paul Olson]

I finally saw one of the smart cars last month. My Scion xA was huge next to that thing! 
A average 36 mph and I drive it like it is a go cart, so I have been pretty happy with it. My car is actually really fun to drive, and it is not really slow at all. How underpowered is the smart car?

[RayB]

What's with you guys driving only 35 and 36 miles per HOUR ? That's SO SLOW! 

[CheffoJeffo]

Someone who lives near me has one pimped out with rims, limo tint, graphics etc... My thought is, why not just get a Mini Cooper if you want a little car?

Why do people build MAME machines instead of just slapping a 48-1 in an ugly jamma cab?

'Coz they don't care about resale value ?

 

[koolmoecraig]

I repeat from the first page of this post...



That's what i would do

[RayB]

But did you see how easily that "Diablo" spins out?

[ark_ader]

After 15 months of waiting, my smart car arrived the day before Thanksgiving. I went to pick it up today.

I haven't driven it yet. The wife and daughter are hogging it. 

The attached picture is not my car, but it shows the color scheme.

Do you like the feel of the suspension?

[DrumAnBass]

What's with you guys driving only 35 and 36 miles per HOUR ? That's SO SLOW! 

Here in LA I commute 25 miles each way on the freeway and average 31mph. That is off peak hours - I leave at 9 and drive home around 7... That is life in overpopulated areas that have next to useless public transportation...

[TOK]

Do you like the feel of the suspension?

I've never been in one, but short wheelbases and smooth rides are tough to pull off. If its sprung stiffly enough not to bottom out all the time, I bet the ride is kind of choppy on rough pavement.

It is small enough to try to weave around the roughness I guess. 

[Cakemeister]

I think the ride is a bit rough.

But, a good bit of my commute was just repaved, so I'm in good shape there.

In January I'm planning to drive to Austin, about 2.5 hours one way, if the wife lets me. We'll see how the car performs on the highway.

[HaRuMaN]

Hope your life insurance is paid up...

[Cakemeister]

I've rearranged some stuff in my garage.

Here's a picture of all four vehicles, from smallest to largest.

To the left you can see my Ike-damaged gate which still hasn't been fixed. It's been hard to find someone who just does repairs. They all want to replace the whole thing.

[Cakemeister]

And here are the vehicles in the garage. The scooter is parked perpendicular to the other cars, in front of the smart. There's enough room to get into all the cars. The Suburban's driver's side door opens in front of the smart.

[Cakemeister]

I did my first bit of highway driving with the smart. My route was from Houston to San Antonio (3 hrs), then to Austin (1.5 hrs) then back to Houston (2.5).

On the first leg the driving was a snap. "What's the problem?" I asked myself. Then a cold front blew through the area bringing much higher winds. The drive home was not easy with the 20 mph gusts. Tractor-trailer rigs didn't cause a problem, it was the cross winds that were a bit scary. I think you would get that in any car, however.

I have not yet calculated mileage. The car has about 1200 miles on it now.

[shardian]

The drive home was not easy with the 20 mph gusts. Tractor-trailer rigs didn't cause a problem, it was the cross winds that were a bit scary. I think you would get that in any car, however.

Wind effects lighter/taller cars worse. I remember driving my Tracker in high winds on the interstate. That was frikkin scary!

If the wind gusts get up to 30-40 mph, you would be in serious trouble in that smart car.

[HaRuMaN]

There's also been a rash of SMRT car tipping incidents (think teens, tipping SMRT cars instead of cows).

[ChadTower]

Yeah... my little white convertible was hell in crosswinds on the highway.  It was pretty low but if the wind was at the right angle it would get under the roof with just enough lift to make you nervous.