Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Smart Fortwo

Smart (Swatch + Mercedes + Art = Smart) has been sold in Europe since 1992. With the famous Fortwo or City Coupe. The whole purpose of it was to provide a vehicle small enough to be parked in pairs in a single parking space. The concept was very innovative, and the tiny car became very well known across Europe. With its ability to be parked nose first into a parking space. Many Europeans loved the concept and its easy to park size. (Mainly due to the fact that parking in many European cities is much harder to find than in the United States). Before Smart started losing money. The automaker had a two-seat roadster called Roadster, which appeared in 2003. Then a small hatchback called the Forfour in 2005. By 2006 Smart was going to add a small sport utility vehicle called the Formore and was going to aim it at the United States market. But those plans were short lived.

As the Roadster was sold to a British Automaker, and the Forfour was discontinued. By this time, Smart was going to give up on the idea of coming to the United States. But after seeing the huge interest in the tiny vehicle. Smart decided to redesign the Fortwo making it slightly bigger so it can meet both U.S. Safety regulations and European regulations. With a few feature tweaks and engine modifications. Smart began selling vehicles in the U.S. early 2008. With a few trial vehicles that were randomly spotted around the city. After a year, the Smart proved to be very popular. Almost a status symbol. With many celebrities buying one. Showing the world that small cars can be cool. After seeing so much publicity of the Smart. I decided to see what was so hot about the small car.

After taking a visit to the Smart Dealership. I wanted to test drive a Smart Fortwo and discover for myself what made this car so popular. I slipped behind the seat of one of the tester cars in the dealership show room. The interior was huge. There was plenty of headroom, legroom was beyond expectations. The spaciousness was very good for its size. I didn't think that it was this roomy. Almost like sitting in the front seat of a large car. There was plenty of elbow room and not for one second did I feel snugged inside. The ignition switch is located in between the front seats. Very Saab-like, with the twist of the key you virtually hear a tiny purr from the almost electric sounding 1-liter three-cylinder. The most it produces is 70hp. But for its size that's very sufficient. Although it would've been nice if the turbocharged 84hp version was offered here. The transmission is an auto-clutch manual. (Kind of like a manual and an automatic combined but no clutch pedal. Instead you drive it like an automatic but shifts like a manual.) This transmission is very awkward if you never driven one before. It's rather jerky and slow to shift up when driving. I really didn't like the sudden and untimely shifting that the car did while driving around town.

It felt slow and jerky. (The trick is to let your foot off the accelerator pedal slightly between shifts for a smoother transition.) You can shift the car manually, but its very slow to respond. Makes it almost pointless to drive it in that mode. The ride comfort is only so-so. Mainly due to the small wheel base and 15 inch tires. That translates to a rough ride. Although the ride was firm, you'll feel the car's small size on pot holes and if you look in the rear view mirror. You'll see there's nothing behind you. There is a cargo trunk like a hatchback. But its not big enough for maybe a few bags of groceries and a small bag of pretzels. Anything else, you'll have to fold down the passenger seat.

Other than the transmission, the brakes aren't easy to modulate. Mainly due Hydraulic brake assist, emergancy brake assist, anti-lock brakes. All these added features to the brakes makes it hard to come to a complete stop smoothly. You don't want to press the brake pedal too hard or you'll jerk the car forward. If you don't press it too hard, it doesn't feel like the car will come to a complete stop as desired. So it takes practice trying to execute a smooth stop. This can be an annoyance if you're used to driving a much larger car. My tester car was the Smart Fortwo Passion. Which came with extra features such as a glass roof. Makes the car feel airy and roomy. The controls on the instrument panel weren't egg-like, compared the previous generation. Although it would be very nice to sit in one of those vehicles.

If you're like me, you'll be taken by the Smart's unique charm. Although compared to a larger car, you'll get a better ride comfort and won't have to buy premium fuel. But the Smart is a good city car, but with a transmission that should be slightly retuned for better in town performance.

Likes: Small size equals easy to park, and easy in crowded city streets, you'll almost forget you're driving a small car once you're inside, interior quality is very nice for the price, good safety features.

Dislikes: Ride comfort only so-so, transmission is jerky and upshifting is slow, brakes are very hard to modulate, larger cars may try to bully you around due to tiny size, requires premium fuel.

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