I'm pretty excited about this. I didn't post it in the garage because it's more a general interest post, but you can move it if you like.

Quote :

"Good news for the "smaller is better" crowd: The fuel-efficient Smart Car is (finally) on its way to our shores. Smart-Automobile LLC announced today that its Smart For Two Coupe / Convertible, available in Europe since 1998, is ready to be imported to the United States. ADVERTISEMENT Much of the delay involved learning how to modify the cars and tooling the proprietary Smart diagnostic system to ensure the cars meet U.S. safety and emissions standards. "There has been a great deal of excitement about the Smart Car coming to the United States, and I want to congratulate our partners and future customers for their hard work and patience in reaching this point," said Smart-Automobile President Thomas Heidemann. All Smart Cars imported through this arrangement will be registered with ZAP and the Department of Transportation to ensure that they meet government standards. The Smart Car gets 60 mpg and can reach speeds of 85 miles per hour, according to the ZAP Web site, and will range in price from $15,000 to $25,000 fully loaded."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1938884,00.asp

more on smart cars
http://www.smart.com/smart_uk/smart_uk_start.html





[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 11:11 AM. Reason : .]

3/20/2006 11:04:21 AM

ahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahaha

3/20/2006 11:05:21 AM

someone post the video of that car hitting a cement wall at 70mph. that was amazing. the cars frame didnt bend and the doors actually still opened and shut properly. Amazing stuff.

3/20/2006 11:08:18 AM

there are too many dumb drivers (usually broads) that drive SUVs or trucks.

3/20/2006 11:09:06 AM

they are cute as hell, and roomy (rode in one while in italy)......however, i'd be afraid to take that on our american highways alongside a navigator or something

3/20/2006 11:09:45 AM

um... no

it's ugly as sin

3/20/2006 11:10:11 AM

you're entitled; i think they're cute

3/20/2006 11:12:11 AM

i think they're great... I like the shape, it's alot like my xA only tinier and almost 2x the gas mileage. they're not even hybrids, and they get 60mpg.

I'd say for the future, a hybrid, diesel engine smart car running on biodiesel would be freaking awesome.

I understand that people are used to cars that are far larger than they need to be (5 seats and a trunk for one person driving to and from work every day normally), but really, these are cool.

[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 11:13 AM. Reason : .]

3/20/2006 11:12:57 AM

These cars are quite popular here in Munich. They are very small and work great in the city - they can park 3 in a regular parallel parking space (they line up facing perpendicular to the street).

They seem to work great for in-city driving, but I have never seen one on the AutoBahn, nor would I want to drive one on the AutoBahn. Sitting on I-40 during RTP morning traffic going between downtown Raleigh to work in Cary it might be fine, but I would still be wary about driving one of these on the Interstate at full speed.

They now have several models too, not just the little one shown in the picture. They have a sportier coupe that is significantly longer than the regular Smart Car, but is still narrow and very low to the ground, and still gets great mileage and all that.

3/20/2006 11:13:07 AM

but this says the little one is the only one being released here right now, the "smartfortwo."

there are alot of options and whatnot available for it, though, at least there are in europe
http://tinyurl.com/r3fqh

3/20/2006 11:15:13 AM

I would buy one, if they weren't being sold through Zap.

I just don't think the level of support and maintenance for the cars will be there.

Isn't SMART owned by Mercedes?

3/20/2006 11:15:51 AM

yeah, it's a Mercedes subsidiary, or spin-off or something. Kind of like Saturn:GM::Smart:Mercedes, I think.

The Mercedes HQ here in Munich has a cylindrical Smart tower where the Smart cars are lined up around the glass walls for 5 or 6 floors.

3/20/2006 11:17:35 AM

Do they have the Hummer H3 model?



Now THERE'S a smart car.

[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 11:29 AM. Reason : .]

3/20/2006 11:17:39 AM

i have seen one of these driving around down here in Orlando

3/20/2006 11:34:42 AM

The Smart Roadster should be on sale by the end of the year here.

BiTurbo Brabus edition = 190hp, 50mpg, 0-60 in like 6.5 seconds and ~20g's

3/20/2006 11:47:21 AM

Amazingly well-engineered car, but I would like to see what happens when they crash it into a Grand Cherokee.

3/20/2006 12:00:20 PM

Quote :

"there are too many dumb drivers (usually broads) that drive SUVs or trucks."

Got any proof to back that up?

[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 12:17 PM. Reason : .]

3/20/2006 12:16:17 PM

more fucking generalizations. men can't drive either, get over yourself.

3/20/2006 12:21:01 PM

That's alot of money for a go-cart. If they were cheap I'd drive one though.

3/20/2006 12:25:00 PM

i really dont drive over 85mph ever and 60mpg is bangin.

too bad they look silly

3/20/2006 12:41:36 PM

people ride bicycles and mopeds and motorcycles around on the same roads as trucks, so I don't see any reason this is any worse. it would actually be safer, since these are pretty crash resistant considering their size.

as for calling it a go-cart, they really are cool, and they really are cars. they're just small and fuel-efficient. they go 85 mph

3/20/2006 12:42:49 PM

Those little things are cool... they were all over the place in Vancouver and Barcelona. I just couldn't see 'em catching on outside of major cities.

3/20/2006 12:49:31 PM

3/20/2006 12:49:33 PM

everytime i see that car i think of this:

3/20/2006 12:55:03 PM

And for maximum comic effect, the Isetta is parked next to a seventies' Eldorado.

Seriously, though, the Smart cars are pretty cool. I'm as guilty as anyone of being over-automobiled (I drive a Lincoln for God's sake), but one of those would be great for city driving. Just wouldn't want one as my primary all-purpose car (no matter how well they crash-test, I'd have trouble trusting it on the highway, plus where exactly do you fit luggage?).

3/20/2006 1:06:15 PM

the thing is how often do you carry luggage?
most people buy big cars for the once or twice a year they actually need it.
and the rest of the time its mostly empty.

3/20/2006 1:10:50 PM

I suppose, with the money you save, you could rent a car for long road trips and still probably come out ahead. I would still feel limited having one as my primary vehicle, though if I lived in NYC, Chicago, LA, etc. it would probably be a different story. And like I said, as a runabout/daily work commute car, would work great.

3/20/2006 1:13:17 PM

Shit I would buy one of those and put flame decals on the sides. Parallel parking would be awesome.

3/20/2006 1:14:58 PM

I would buy one.

3/20/2006 1:18:26 PM

it would be cool if they had a tow cart that you could attach to it for hauling stuff


as far as the money you save if you pay about $20 a week it would turn into about $7 a week
you save $14 a week times 52 weeks = 728

you could do a bunch of stuff with that money


[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 1:21 PM. Reason : .]

3/20/2006 1:19:09 PM

Are similar tax discounts going to be offered for buying this as a hybrid?

3/20/2006 1:23:12 PM

I would never buy a car that would require multiple trips to the grocery store

3/20/2006 1:32:09 PM

if you need multiple trips to load all the food you're going to buy in this car with a fold down seat, you may not fit in the car anyways

3/20/2006 1:35:52 PM

Erkel pimpin' has now entered the 21st century

3/20/2006 1:42:28 PM

I don't think that I could fit in that car.

As for the statement about people buying a car for which they need its full capabilities twice a year and using it as a DD...

why make two car payments, two insurance payments, and need twice the amount of parking area when one vehicle will meet the needs of both the daily commute and the 2 times a year vacation.

3/20/2006 1:57:23 PM

^

Quote :

"as far as the money you save if you pay about $20 a week it would turn into about $7 a week you save $14 a week times 52 weeks = 728 you could do a bunch of stuff with that money"

Quote :

"I suppose, with the money you save, you could rent a car for long road trips and still probably come out ahead."

as for your gargantuan frame, well, I'm 6'4 and i fit in my scion. I don't know if either of us would fit in a smart car, but it'd be worth trying.

[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 2:02 PM. Reason : .]

3/20/2006 2:02:02 PM

Just go get a Metropolitan if you want a go-cart.

3/20/2006 2:02:16 PM

I've never been able to figure out why fuel-efficient cars are designed to look like total ass.

Although I wouldn't mind driving the Roadster...

3/20/2006 2:13:14 PM

have any of you ever owned a vehicle with a max speed of 85 mph? it's not good.

I had a Jeep that would only go 85, and while it was fine around town, it SUCKED to drive it on interstates. remember, that last 5 mph takes FOREVER to accelerate to, and if you have a headwind or something, your top speed could quite easily be 80 mph.

if you're on I-95 trying to run 80 mph so you don't get run over, you basically have your foot on the floor the entire trip. if you have to let off the throttle for any reason, then you have to go through the ordeal of accelerating up there again.

3/20/2006 2:36:22 PM

Who cares if the thing is capped at 85 versus 80.

That's a difference of like ~half an hour on a ten hour trip.

3/20/2006 2:42:02 PM

that wouldn't go 85 if you dropped it off a cliff


j/k

3/20/2006 2:42:12 PM

this engine is manufactured by mercedes and the car is very light so it probably performs pretty well.

3/20/2006 2:48:17 PM

i saw a ton of these when i was in europe (a couple weeks ago)...

haha... heres a pic of one car we saw... it thing was parked on the sidewalk...

3/20/2006 2:52:05 PM

Quote :

"Who cares if the thing is capped at 85 versus 80. That's a difference of like ~half an hour on a ten hour trip."

you're missing the point


if it tops out at 80 or 85, you're basically going to run it absolutely wide open on the interstate, and it's a pain in the ass. take it from someone who's owned a daily driver with an 85 mph top speed.

3/20/2006 3:09:52 PM

Man there is no way in hell id drive that... and im with duke, those things will get poolballed all over the place on an interstate, least motorcycles can get out of the way...

well, maybe if it had an ejection seat, that way i could punch the fuck out if some chick was about to speedbump my ass in her H2...and it would be cool cuz it had an ejection seat....

[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 3:36 PM. Reason : felt like it]

3/20/2006 3:33:11 PM

a Vespa is cheaper yet more hazordous.

hmmmm........money or well being.

3/20/2006 4:43:21 PM

I'll spend more on fuel so I can have a little steel around me

3/20/2006 4:45:30 PM

So this is why Americans are so much better than Europeans. Those things are for clowns. Imagine taking your business associate out to lunch with that thing. Unless your associate was named Bozo.

Clowns.... clowns and shriners in parades.

[Edited on March 20, 2006 at 4:55 PM. Reason : .]

3/20/2006 4:55:06 PM

Other than going to work, those things are useless here. You couldn't even fit groceries in there. What if you have to take the kids to school? What if you have to do ANYthing that requires buying something, on which our lives are based.

3/20/2006 4:55:21 PM

I have been in the future.
They drive the SMARTcar

3/20/2006 4:58:13 PM