Smart to Copy MINI in the US

Ian C. Jul 11th, 2006 Link

The stupidity here is that apparently Smart think that MINI sells because of the marketing! To sell a niche car, you need more than marketing – you need a good product … Smart doesn’t succeed (financially) in its “perfect” European home market, why do they think it will succeed here?!

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j Jul 11th, 2006 Link

truthfully… i dont think mini markets their cars alot at all….. but ian like u implied- they dont have to

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Timothy Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I think Smart stands a good chance of succeeding in the U.S. In Europe the small car market is very crowded. In the U.S. there’s the MINI (though it’s not very fuel efficient for its size), and lately the Japanese makers have all simultaneously introduced smaller cars. They couldn’t possibly be colluding, could they? :-)

Gasoline keeps getting more and more expensive, so that’s in the Smart’s favor. Hybrid vehicles are doing really well in the U.S. And the Smart is unique.

The Smart’s entry is very good news for MINI consumers, I think. It should keep MINI on its toes. In particular, I think it’ll encourage MINI to do a better job delivering “performance with efficiency.” Smart should also steer MINI toward holding the line on vehicle size, and that’s a plus from my point of view.

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ChrisW Jul 11th, 2006 Link

“I think it’ll encourage MINI to do a better job delivering ‘performance with efficiency.’”

Amen to that, brother. I love my MINI, but I’m baffled that such a small car can’t do better in the gas mileage department…

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Chad Jul 11th, 2006 Link

Smart has (or had) a lot of unique things going for it. Not really sure if they still do since I’m in the US, so don’t have all the latest on Smart news. They used to have a retail-like model of sales, where you had fixed pricing, but also had access to numerous accessories including body panels. You could actually change the color of your Smart by buying new panels and replacing them yourself. Very Swatch. They also are small enough to allow perpendicular parking in areas that allow it. I would expect Penske to lobby hard in it’s sales regions for perpendicular parking.

Given a chance, I probably would have bought a Crossblade though. And parked it in the back of my garage, where my mower is now.

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Nathaniel Salzman Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I disagree.

I don’t think the Smart will succeed long term. I think they’ll sell a few when they first get here from a sheer novelty standpoint, but the USA just isn’t a good market for them, IMO. Europe is a small car mecca because of high petrol costs and sheer geography. Europe is a much smaller place than the USA. There are lots of small car offerings because there is lots of small car need, not want. The streets are narrower, things within a city are closer together, and what would be a cross-country drive in the USA would cross eight countries in Europe. Smaller cars make sense in Europe and culturally Europeans have embraced small cars for decades. There’s a mindset of petite, economical motoring that’s normal to european culture.

In that ripest of small car markets, the Smart has failed to make money from its inception, so I seriously doubt that the USA will be its saving grace. If the Smart isn’t selling well enough in Europe to keep afloat, the USA market won’t make up enough of a difference. Small cars are no such absolute necessity in the USA, even in our bigger cities. Small cars are economically viable, wise choices for your commute, but I expect the Smart will be too small for widespread embrace. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great reasons to want a small car in the USA, but the need just isn’t the same.

Furthermore, the Smart faces a plethora of competition in the USA “small car” market. Chevy has their Aveo, Honda has the FIt, Toyota the Yaris and entire Scion line, plus the MINI. All of which are established marquees and have more to offer than sheer mpg. Such as interior space – something I think American drivers will demand beyond what Smart can deliver. I think the MINI’s baby-sized boot may indeed the the lower limit of cargo space American drivers are willing to put up with. Beyond that, the Smart is in no way to be mistaken for a closet performance car – something else that works to offset the MINI’s small stature in this market.

What the Smart does have going for it is of course fuel economy. But if mpg is the variable you’re truly solving for, Then you’d probably be much better off with a motorcycle or Vespa scooter. In fact, I draw a lot of comparisons between the Smart and the Vespa in terms of their practical use. The Smart is sort of a four-wheel scooter, but as such, it’s too expensive. So I expect Vespa will do better than Smart in the coming year, as given the choice, I’d take the Vespa. It’d get the same mileage, be a whole lot cheaper, and probably be a whole lot more fun.

NS in NE

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Neil Jul 11th, 2006 Link

Nathaniel’s last point is dead on, and probably one of the main reasons Smart wont get very far in the US. Scooters are much more popular in Europe, and Asia for that matter, and the Smart is a half-step up from a scooter. The US is a car place, not really a bike place, and the Smart is going to seem incredibly small and unsafe compared to the other small cars on the market.

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05DSMCS Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I think they will do fine. Many of the things that Nathanial notes as potential failures for Smart are similar to many of the arguments that were put up against bringing MINI to the US. Granted it’s a totally different game with the MINI, but I think for those looking for this option, Smart cars will be very attractive. Even here in wide open Utah cities where it seems a super duty truck is “just what you drive,” folks are turning quickly to smaller city vehicles. With our winters, Smart cars will do much better than a scooter for many.

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Nathaniel Salzman Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I do think the Smart will sell. I just don’t think it will sell enough to survive. I also think drawing up comparison between the MINI and the Smart is pretty loose at best. The MINI will seat four, albeit snugly, and has high performance capability, economy, and refinement that make it a stellar car in spite of its size. The Smart has novelty and mpg, which are pros in its favor, but I just don’t think it’ll be enough to offset its cons of micro-size in the USA market.

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NeilM Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I think Nathaniel Salzman hits the nail right on the head.

There may be a special purpose market over here for the SMART purely for urban use, but how many does that add up to? Then ask yourself what it would be like to drive a 15 second 0-60 mph microcar on America’s high speed suburban expressways, mixing it up with 18 wheelers and well, high speed Suburbans. Not for me, thanks all the same.

It’s worth noting too that even in Europe it’s rare to see a SMART out on the highway.

Neil 05 MCS

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Johnsocal Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I wouldn’t be surprised if BMW ends up removing the ‘John Cooper’from ‘John Cooper Works’and just calls it ‘WORKS’on the Next-Gen MINI.

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RudyT Jul 11th, 2006 Link

For those who DO live in Europe, let it be noted that you will often see more Smart Cars than MINI’s on the road. But even stranger is that you will find more “Luxury SUV’s” and “Luxury Sedans” than both Smart Cars and MINI’s combined. The market for both types of cars and SUV’s is changing in Europe. No one in Europe wants to buy a Smart Car because it has trouble keeping up with the blistering speeds on the autobahn. Even MINI has trouble selling in Europe, not to include Great Britain. Many of my european friends mention that the MINI is considered a gas guzzuler and many MINI sit in thier garages only to be driven on the weekend. Having a MINI over here is like having a Hummer in the States.

Nathaniel may have said that Europe is the mecca for small cars, but what he didn’t say was that it is more the mecca for “Public Transportation”. A Smart car for urban use is not the case. Most Europeans who live in an Urban environment, either use public transportation or they use good old fashion walking. With gas prices reaching upwards towards 1.20 euro a liter, people often carpool. What about traveling accross country? Well you wouldn’t use a car but rather take a plane. For me to fly to London and back only cost’s me 1 euro. Thats right, from Frankfurt, I can fly anywhere in Europe, including Russia, Spain, Greece, you name it, all for under 1 euro. (www.ryanair.com – Go there if you think I am making this up)

But the most alarming fact is most Europeans will buy desiel cars, and not nessesarily small ones. Desiel is cheap and you get the best gas mileage. And to add to this point, Americans tend to travel more and spread out spanning greater distances. Europeans are more concentrated around thier towns and villages eliminating the need for transportation or cars altogether. If they do travel, they cover large distances and riding in a Smart car for 8 hours doesn’t sound like fun to anyone from any country. The culture for the small car market is changing in Europe. Everyday construction is being started to widen roads, expand transportation infrastructure, and other array of upgrades to account for the future. Too often I see people come into the BMW dealership (in Europe) and trade in thier old two door fiat for a nice fully loaded 5 series. Last time I checked, a 5 series is not a small car.

My opinion is this… I feel the Smart car is better for USA than a vespa and much better by miles than a big gas guzzeling SUV. Problem is that Smart has a small niche to fill. Its too large for jam packed cities with great public transportation, but too small for fast highways. Remember, in the States you have extremly Speed limited roads with very wide lanes. When you mention large vehicles and transfer trucks as an obstance with the Smart car, remember that those too exist over on the European highways.

One thing that did strike me as a downfall to the Smart car was the price. At 14k, who would shell out that kind of dough when you have other vehicles that offer a more sense of saftey and not to mention, more room for four people and groceries.

Smart car does have its place in both USA and Europe. I just can’t figure out what the place is. Its there, you just have to find it and both Europeans and USA folks will be looking. If its not found soon, Smart Car will no longer be traveling on any road, regardless of what country its in.

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Chris Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I personally would not like to be in an accident with a mack truck while driving a “SMART” car. So novelty and all, its just not safe in the US

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Nathaniel Salzman Jul 11th, 2006 Link

Having a MINI over here is like having a Hummer in the States.

Blasphemy!! LOL.

One thing that did strike me as a downfall to the Smart car was the price. At 14k, who would shell out that kind of dough when you have other vehicles that offer a more sense of saftey and not to mention, more room for four people and groceries.

That’s a really good point. You can get a Scion or a Yaris for less than $14k and have a lot more car. Won’t get 70 mpg on the highway, but they’re actually highway-worthy.

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dr Jul 11th, 2006 Link

exactly….and if you are really so strapped that you need an econobox then you can get new aveo’s or kias for less than 10k…..factor in the chinese cars that will be comming and the price of an stripped down econobox may fall well below 10k if the chinese get in the game

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Robert Jul 11th, 2006 Link

Just saw a Smart on the Autobahn in Germany between Munich and Salzburg on my recent trip and it was holding its own albeit in the slow lane.

As for safety, getting hit by a large transport truck in the U.S. or Europe wouldn’t be much different. Both are still huge masses of metal on the highway…

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Robert Jul 11th, 2006 Link

The arguments I’m hearing here echo the general arguments that have been going on for years about Smart’s ability to make it in the U.S. market. If, after all these years, Penske can make a case for the car I’m ready to sit back and watch to see if it succeeds or not. The positives and negatives have already been argued ad nauseum. Time to see if Smart sinks or swims and if it becomes a classic business school case study… for good or ill.

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RudyT Jul 11th, 2006 Link

The SMART car does have the ability to hold its own ground… but as with MINI owners, it certainly won’t attract the enthusiast :-)

Its more for “common” man or woman. One with a bit of bordom and dare I say, zero logic to one’s wit.

Its not like if I had some sort of mental condition and wanted to “tric out” the car with a supercharger and an aero kit? Hmm… what size rims should I put on it?

I truely don’t want to see this car sink or fail. Its in my heart of big hearts to see them succeed. Like I said before, it has to find that niche, that special genre that people are looking for… Good Luck to Smart!

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GadgetGav Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I don’t even see MINI and Smart as going after the same market. Yes, they’re both niche cars, but so are things like the Crossfire and the Saturn Sky. They both have low sales goals to make them more desirable (although I think the Crossfire just abandoned that strategy). The Smart is not a car as the US market thinks of a car, even now they’ve got used to the MINI and the Yaris. (Incidentally Timothy, why would there be collusion between car makers introducing similar size cars at the same time – wouldn’t it be better to have the market segment to yourself?). The Smart has a buzzy 3 cylinder engine over the rear axle, only two seats, microscopic overhangs, etc etc. It really is a different proposition to any other small car, even other Euro and Japanese small cars that aren’t imported into the US. I think it will struggle over here and with the length of the delays in it’s introduction, I think Smart must fear that too. I would guess that they’ve got Penske to take a lot of the risk in this deal, so they’ve got little to lose by giving it a try. I don’t think it’s sucess or failure will have any impact on MINI or their direction. I’m sure Scions, Hondas and Toyotas are a lot more of a threat.

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chipgrafx Jul 11th, 2006 Link

For those concerned about safety… SMART car crash test

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Scarlett O'MINI Jul 11th, 2006 Link

If I didn’t already have a MINI, I’d buy a Smart in a heartbeat. I LOOOOOVE small cars!

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ChrisW Jul 11th, 2006 Link

I personally would not like to be in an accident with a mack truck while driving a “SMART” car

Uh, I wouldn’t really want to be in an accident with a Mack truck in my MINI either…

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M. Dillon Jul 11th, 2006 Link

Smart will do well in the U.S. Based off the story I just read,in the above post,great marketing is the frist step. Have Starbucks and have other hip coffee shops get Smart cars to various locations with their company logos wrapped around the cars so that the coffee crowd can see up close,what this car is all about. Another angle would be for Penske to let certain dealerships that sell MINI get a chance to sell the ForTwo,as well. That way,individuals who are interested can compare the two cars,side-by-side,in person. Also…have a specially equipped 18-wheeler go across America to festivals,rock tours,etc.that when parked,not only off loads a number of Smart cars for people to check out;but,also has an interactive center showing a video of( various cars(including the fortwo) getting hit by a 18-wheeler,and bringing the actual damaged vehicles for folks to actually see with their own eye how well they hold up.

I stated the above because I plan on getting a Smart,myself…a person who is also a Latte drinking,MINI owning,person who drives a 18-wheeler for a living…

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MillieTheMini Jul 11th, 2006 Link

Up here in Canada, where the Smart Fortwo has been on the market for over a year, they can be seen all over the place, especially here in Vancouver, BC, and sales definitely do not seem to be abating.

There are some used ones for sale already – but as with any other car, this could just be an indication of the owner’s unrealistic expectations of what the Smart is all about – fuel efficient transportation for two people in a compact, attention grabbing package.

As with the Prius, all that is need is for some celebrities to be seen driving in one of these, and it could very well take off for reasons unrelated to driving dynamics, practicality, safety, etc.

I can just imagine Paris Hilton stepping out of one of a Smart with her dog of the month, and the next thing you know the Smart could well be the must-have car of every wanna-be out there!

Lest we forget, it was the (new) Italian Job movie and celebrities like Madonna who bought a MINI, that helped to provide the catalyst/spark for MINI sales back in 2002-2003, and made the MINI more than a novelty on this side of the ocean.

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tsukiji Jul 11th, 2006 Link

Any bets on Penske backing a spec Smart racing series?

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Dave Mac Mini Jul 11th, 2006 Link

In Canada, they sold about 3-4 times more Smart cars than forecast, so there is a market for them even in a huge country. I own a Mini Cooper S and a company I work for has a Smart, which I drive often. It would not be my first choice for a cross country drive, but it will certainly keep up with freeway traffic. I do agree that it is expensive though.

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codemunkee Jul 11th, 2006 Link

people write a lot.

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Mark Smith Jul 12th, 2006 Link

I really think that people get too caught up in fuel economy figures and forget that you have to look at what kind of vehicle that small four cylinder that’s powering said car is moving. I think that MINI’s get great gas mileage relative to the size of engine and size of vehicle that 1.6L is moving. Other vehicles may get better fuel economy that cost less like the Yaris but look at how MINI builds the MINI and some of the things that MINI’s come with that even the Yaris or FIT don’t even offer. For example the handling that MINI can perform via tha use of higher end equipment like a Multi Link rear suspension. MINI isn’t about to compromise a great thing like this just to save a few dollars. Beam axle who???? Another good example is the efficiency people who are comparing Priuses to Coopers. Apples and Oranges never looked so different. So the Prius achieves a better EPA fuel economy than the Cooper. That person looking for Fuel Economy obviously isn’t concearned about fun or style. I’m not knocking people who choose or drive them but rather shutting down the people who say the MINI doesn’t get such great fuel economy. Everyone drives completely different and you cannot sum up one persons experience to be true of everyone. The word SUBJECTIVE comes to mind right now. Now the Smart may work well for NYC or Los Angeles down town but I’m sure that a lot of people will be concearned about safety. Why do you think the Americans who actively boast about having safer cars are the same ones complaining about a stupid seat belt chime in the 2005 and 2006 MINI’s that tell you you are not utilizing the safety equipment that our tax dollars paid to have put into law. If that’s the biggest concearn on someones mind to have something like that turned off when they want to make a fast run to the store withouth their seatbelt on then what are American’s going to think about SMART??? I am not spelling their doom but American’s really need to look at what works best to help protect the environment but also satisfy their needs. A little fun mixed in doesn’t hurt either.

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alpinamike Jul 12th, 2006 Link

The headline should read “smart to get stupid”

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dominicminicoopers Jul 12th, 2006 Link

I urge any of you, who are in the US, to stop by a Zap dealership (http://www.zapworld.com/cars/dealerlocator.asp) to actually take a ForTwo for a test drive. They may look fun and exciting from a distance. It sure got my heart rate going when I drove one and rode in one as a passenger. But my heart wasn’t racing for the right reasons. I felt totally unsafe, uninspired, and unconfident. I’ve driven small cars all my life…to give you a idea, my 2002 Dodge Neon is the LARGEST car I’ve ever owned. And yes, I’ve also driven cars with annemic hp too. The 1980 Dastun 310GX I learned to drive in did 0-60 in a self timed 17 seconds (slower than the time indicated above for the ForTwo). But I felt safe in it, unlike how I felt in the ForTwo. There is nothing confidence inspiring about driving one of those ForTwo cars. The suspension is mush. The transmission takes close to 3 seconds to change from one gear to another. Imagine this…accellerating from a stop… The car lurches onto its back wheels and you see lots of sky while it accellerates, when it switches gears, there’s engine cut which immediately drops the nose of the car to the ground and now you’re staring at the pavement. One thousand one…One thousand two..One thous…Woah gear change! The car begins to accellerate again and you’re look again at the sky. Zap wants a pretty penny for this car. They was 25k USD. What!? Oh, they say this particular model is considered the luxury model. If you don’t feel comfortable driving it, then why drive it. Again, I urge any american reading this, to locate a Zap dealership and take one of these jokes of a car out for a spin. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. I really, really wanted to enjoy the car…..I walked away so very disappointed.

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Nathaniel Salzman Jul 12th, 2006 Link

great marketing is the frist step

Nope. A great product is the first step. And the Smart is not a great product. It may turn out to be an OK product for some, but it’s not a great product overall – at least nothing I’ve seen has lead me to believe so.

The old advertising proverb is: “You can’t polish a turd.”

Great advertising will not save a bad product, or even a mediocre one. Period. Not that I’m saying that the Smart is a bad product per say, but good advertising does not equal success. For example, Ford’s current marketing campaign is trying to cast them as “Leading American Innovation.” That’s fine and dandy to say, but Ford hasn’t innovated much in the grand scheme of things. The research dollars spent by Toyota and Honda alone are factors of ten higher than what Ford has spent trying to make a better car. New advertising campaign and all, Ford continues to flounder. Just because it’s on the commercial, doesn’t mean their cars are all of the sudden worth buying, and the market is the ultimate measure of that. Meanwhile Hyundai and Kia set about to making considerably better cars over the last decade and now they’re beginning to thrive.

Great advertising may address the Smart’s size, or it’s other drawbacks, but it won’t erase them. And no matter how shnazzy the marketing, when people show up to drive one and don’t like how small it is, or don’t feel safe (regardless of how safe it actually is), all the ad slogans and nifty design in the world won’t overcome that. Cool will sell $4 Starbucks Lattes to the general public, but not $14,000+ micro-cars. Furthermore, the only population segment taking cues from Paris Hilton are 14-year-old girls (thank God!) – not a strong car buying demographic.

To bring it back to MINI – one of the all time best brand launches in US history – the marketing has actually been pretty minimal. CP&B used viral avenues and actually a minimum of TV media to not simply create “cool” or “buzz” around the car, but to actually point people to the benefits of the car – a strategy adopted in almost all of MINI’s advertising. For example, MINI Canada’s “Dominating Winter” online feature, funny as it was, remained completely benefit-centric. The leather-clad sexy lady with the whip, as innuendo-laden as she was, talked about nothing more than DSC and heated wiper jets the whole time. Benefits. Benefits. Benefits.

The Smart has one real benefit that I can see: mpg. And I doubt that will be enough to save it. I’m sure we’ll see some great promotions thrown at these little cars, and sure, people will buy them. I simply doubt Smart’s likelihood to thrive in the US of A.

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Nathaniel Salzman Jul 12th, 2006 Link

And now as I read Ian C.’s original comment, I realize that I’m echoing. Right-O Ian!

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Dave Mac Mini Jul 12th, 2006 Link

I don’t know what dominicminicoopers drove, but it was not the same kind of Smart that I drive several times a week. The suspension is not mush, but rather stiff. The shifts are slow, but not 3 seconds, and overall, the car is rather fun to drive. You do not get the sensation that you are in a micro car, because there is lots of head and leg room. (I am six foot one and 220 pounds.) The cabin is a little narrow, but the windshild is far forward, and so it feels larger than it looks. Also, you sit higher than in an average car, in what some call “command seating”, so you have a good view of traffic. You are only aware of how small it is if you turn around and see that the rear window is very close to you.

The car does not handle like a MINI, not many do, but it keeps up with traffic and will maintain 75-80 miles per hour on a freeway. I know this because I have done it several times.

As far as the fear factor, that is an individual thing. I do not feel the least bit unsafe in the Smart, but I avoid roller coasters. However, I ride a motorcycle, so to each his own comfort level. If you want to ride in a really scary car, try an Isetta. I rode in one of those back when they were popular, and that was an unsafe car. For an underperforming thing, try a VW Beetle (the old one) that sold over 17 million. The main reason people bought those auful things was the marketing, which was superb. The Smart is a far better car than the old Bug, so good marketing plus a decent product should mean good sales. Bad marketing though, will kill it, so Roger Penske, who did not get to be a multi millionaire by being dumb, is absolutely on the right track!

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dominicminicoopers Jul 12th, 2006 Link

*I test drove a Smart ForTwo at the Scottsdale ZAP dealership (listed in the above link I provided). My wife also drove the car and said the exact same thing!! *Did you drive a the ZAP version of the ForTwo? Not the ForTwo as made by Smart, but the reworked version from ZAP. *They are specially made (according to the owner of the ZAP dealership in Scottsdale) to get imported into the USA. He said that they have a reworked electronics system to do ODBII and to pass emmissions (part of the reason it takes so long for the automatic tranny to shift gears). There was NOTHING stiff about the suspension. It was like sitting in a tall swaying tree. *You feel safe because the car responds to your input. Glad to hear it. Unfortunately the one the ZAP dealership in Scottsdale uses for test drives does not have the stiff suspension you refer to. Or the quick shifting you refer to. So the feeling is not the same.

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M. Dillon Jul 13th, 2006 Link

…to Nathaniel Salzman: The bottom line is that you don’t care for Smart’s ForTwo. Nothing wrong with feeling that way,of course. However,I agree with Dave Mac Mini’s post 100 percent. By the way,I’m curious to know about the information that you have that proves beyond a shadow of doubt that a car that comes from the MB Group is a turd that needs polishing. For me,I went to http://www.smartusa.com;then,to Canadian Driver(since that’s the closest Country to Ours that’s selling it). Also,I went to the Top Gear website to get information on this car. I even saw the video of the FourTwo car crash on this site. Trust me…as a Professional Truck Driver with over 10 years of safe driving under my belt…the worst wrecks I have witness have been with ALL types of vehicles(riggs included)with the typical IDIOT DRIVER who’s multi-tasking/on the phone(without a headset/bluetooth technology)yakking,whipping in and out of lanes without using the turn signal,and not paying attention to his/her surroundings,at a high rate of speed. We good drivers can spot those individuals a mile away and properly get out of their way…no matter what we drive…rigg,MINI;or Smart.

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R. McCallum Jul 19th, 2006 Link

Well i just bought my Fourtwo here in Canada about 2 weeks ago. So far i absolutely love it. I bought the car after waiting for close to two years, talking to several owners about reliablity, etc. Two weeks ago i finally took the plunge. A few things that should be noted about smart.

• The car feels very roomie and very comfortable from the inside. I just finished a trip driving 1600kms to a festival and not once did my girlfriend or i complain about comfort. Although a lack of cruise control was my primary bitch.

• On said trip the average speed was 120-130km/hr. At those speeds passing if necessary is useless and it really has nothing left to give. But then again the fastest i ever drive is usually 120 and no faster so this works for me.

• I managed at these speeds an average of 4.5litres/100kms. Its not quite sticker mileage but then again the car isn’t broken in yet either. Someone mentioned to me that at 10,000kms that a new fuel map comes into play and only then will you achieve the 74mpg as quoted. But i think thats crap. Fuel ratings are based on legal speed limits and should i have actual driven at said rates i’d probably have achieved much better mileage or even the 3.9l/100kms as posted.

• The Tridon safety cell. I have to ask. How many of you have actually been in a highway accident? Cause i was in a 4 door Ford Ltd back in the day colliding head on with a TransAm. The bumper of the ltd looked great in the window of the car let me tell you. I lived because i was in the back seat and a mere minute before the collision i put on my seat belt. The 3 people in the front seat with all that car in front of them died. So so much for more metal saving anyone. The Smart car gets better safety ratings in crash instances than alot of much bigger vehicles. Why? Because of the Tridon cell. Essentially a rollcage. Look at it this way. If a semi trailer lines up its bumper to a Mini Cooper you can expect to have your head sheared right off. Seriously. In a Smart car the rollcage will not shear in said instance and what will most likely happen is that the car will be pushed, possibly roll. But who cares if the interior is secure, and you survive. Id rather roll a little or be pushed to the side than have a severed head.

• The car is damn peppy. dominicminicoopers i can relate to the delay in shifting and the overall weirdness you experienced. smart has a brief day or so ‘get use to’ time but then after that you learn to let the car do what it does best, and play with everything else. Right now all i do is upshift. I rarely downshift as the car does that superbly. It doesnt play as nice if you try to help it along.

• The suspension does indeed have a bit of a spring to it. I found that was more if you suck with the shifting though. The ride is wonderful and although not up to par with a lincoln. Id say it rides nothing like the small cars offered up by chevy and toyota. The construction is really solid and you can tell Mercedes had a huge hand in it. You just dont get that with the Sunfires and the Cavaliers. They are cheap and junky. And quite frankly thats what you pay for.

• The Smart in Canada is selling very well. I figured after 2 years and the initial shock wore off that people would get bored of em. But thats simply not true. Its borderline annoying how many people tell you how much they love your car and if they can sit in it. From young to old this rings true. 70% of the 200 sum odd people that i have had to talk to about this car in the last 2 weeks alone tells me the Smart is here to stay.

• 2 common thoughts from random people. 1) Everyone thinks its more along the lines of 30-40,000cdn in price. (i paid 22 grand total) 2) Alot of people think its electric.

Facts: Everyone i have spoken with ‘wants one’ with the exception of maybe 5 people. Out of atleast 200 people thats a damn fine average. Canada is the largest country in the world and we pay the same fuel costs that americans pay. So… so much for travelling farther than Europeans being a factor and so much for fuel prices factoring in as well.

Get ready for smart…its going to be everywhere…

R.

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RIchard S Aug 28th, 2006 Link

I’ve just recently seen two smart cars in Atlanta. One kept its own in the fast lane and I was hard pressed to keep up. The other was in the city, I tried to keep up and he lost me in my 2.0i.

It may be small but it’s REAL quick!!

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