But I wonder if when they anouance on the radio no motoercyle or cars with trailers on the highways because of the weather, if Smart would be in the mix too.

Bring it on.

they must make it very trendy and edgy–very cool

While inside the Smart, it feels quite big. The design is quite clever. It’s not meant to compete with the MINI (a fine car in its own right). My other vehicle is a 2000 Mercedes ML320, also a fine vehicle. There’s no reason why the Smart shouldn’t do well. It’s a great second vehicle – especially for those of us that spend a fair amount of time in our cars alone. I’ve got air conditioning, it’s warm enough in our bitter cold weather, plus I have leather heated seats. The stereo is decent and there’s an ipod direct connect.

Don’t trash the Smart until you’re experienced the drive.

Speaking from experience, the car is NOT suitable for driving on the freeway, or at speeds of more than say 70mph. A friend of mine has one in Paris and says that it is positively frightening at those speeds. There is a distinct lack of power at that speed, and it gets blown around by a Peugeot 206!

Is the Smart something you want to be driving on a windy day on a snowy Ohio Turnpike, sandwiched between two 18-wheelers? Not me!

Americans want cars with multiple uses. They want vehicles that are overbuilt for their purposes.

One of the appealing things about SUV’s are the fact that they have more uses as far as cargo and people carrying capacity, than a car, even though many people only use them as a car.

The MINI is a small hatchback, but it has the handling and power potential of a sports car. It has many luxury car features standard and optional. These features make it delightfully overbuilt and able to serve more purposes, than just a small car.

The small size and sickly horsepower of the Smart make it incompatable for many uses in the U.S. For Europe it is just enough to get someone from point A to point B. on narrow roads and city streets, with other small cars. For the US, this just does not get the job done.

If Smart can take it’s fashionable, eyecatching style and combine it with some more power, interior features and customizability, then it may work in the U.S.

But, DCX better make up their mind and do something, because the MINI and Scion have beat Smart to the punch and Honda may bring the Jazz and VW may bring the Polo, which may make a niche market pretty crowded by the time DCX gets Smart over here, at the pace they are going with it.

I like what Zap it doing by bringing the Smart over here, for the few folks who want one. I wish someone would do that for the few of us nutters who want other cool European cars, not available here.

They are decent cars made of good materials but they are trying too hard to be something they are not if you know what I mean (a poor man’s Mercedes).

The auto gear box is very very jerky and you have no other option other than an auto, they are also very low to the ground so at night you get blinded by the headlights of the cars coming towards you on the other side of the road.

The fuel economy is good but because they are made by Mercedes parts and servicing costs a fortune and the warranty is well, crap.

I have had my smart roadster for just over a year and I have ordered a MINI Cooper Conv to replace it.

I haven't ever seen their “mission statement” but I would like to suggest that a company (any company) has to BOTH optimize existing markets (where I work, that's “current customers”) AND work to gain “new customers”. Further, and this is where creativity and loads of money comes in, some efficiencies and benefits ought to organically “happen”, for a company that can do both simultaneously. Isn't growth required for any business to succeed over time? I do understand sometimes you have to take a timeout from the marathon, to do “damage control” type things, but… (dang did I have too much rant juice!).

One other thing (well, a few things, topic rescue): The picture reminds me of those capsules you climb into, to ride the ferris wheel at the county fair… That being said, IF everyone has one, and they're hydrogen powered… hmmm… It wouldn't be much trouble to make space for it next to my “S” in the garage.

The smart roadster is a roadster (no permanent hard top), therefore could not have gullwing doors.

BTW, the SL Roadster was introduced 2-3 years after the Gullwing

OH yeah!! it does have a hard top and you cant have gullwing doors but you can have scissor doors!!!

http://www.smartsrus.com/smartroadsterlambo.htm

The smart roadster is a roadster (no permanent hard top), therefore could not have gullwing doors.

BTW, the SL Roadster was introduced 2-3 years after the Gullwing

I would consider buying one of they were correspondingly lower in price, and if they had enough horsepower and safety to be credible highway cars. But the two examples I saw didn't seem up to the task.

This holds true to the SMART car as well. I think the average US person is going to criticize it's saftey and size without giving it a fair chance. People complain about their horrible gas mileage and hate SUVs, but yet no one does anything about it. People buy to keep up with “everyone else” and gets another SUV. with that, and it's lack in power it's not something i personally would drive. While I do like the idea, it's not a car for me, but I'm not against the car at all, and wish the US would wise up and give something new a chance. :)