First Impression: Smart ForTwo

With gas prices rising, automotive companies are devoloping hybrids, diesels, and small cars that get good fuel economy. Smart GmbH, founded in 1994 as part of Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Ag, devolops small cars that sacrifice performance for fuel economy. The Smart ForTwo is two seat car that comes in a coupe and a cabriolet model. The ForTwo is slow, sluggish. The Smart ForTwo is only good for a commuter car since it is small and fuel efficient. When I travel between Houston and San Antonio or Houston and Dallas, I rarely see these cars on the highway.

The Smart ForTwo can be seen everywhere on the streets. At the December 2010 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee, an elderly woman parked one between two supercars. The Smart ForTwo does not belong at an event when Ferraris and Lamborghinis are present. It is also not a concours car because it is common sight on city roads. I think that it looks weird with a short wheelbase (73.5 inches) and its height (5.1 ft) is the same as its width (5.1 ft). It is not practical for what I need, a vehicle that can haul my items from Houston to San Antonio and vice versa.  

Powering the Smart ForTwo is a 1.0L I3 that produces 71 hp and 68 lb-ft of torque, both which are quite low. It goes from 0-60 mph in 12.8 seconds (ideal time would be anything under 8.0 seconds) and has a top speed of 90 mph, which is quite slow.  It is slower than a Chevy Volt, Honda Insight, and Toyota Prius. The ForTwo gets 33 mpg city/41 mpg highway. It is not a car for the highways. It is tall and has a short wheelbase, making the car have bad understeer issues.

This car has been featured in no racing games. It is drivable in Crackdown and Wheelman.  It has been featured on Motorweek and Jay Leno's Garage. Top Gear awarded the Smart ForTwo as its 2004 comedy handling car. The Stig could not drive it around Hammerhead.

Final Thoughts: It is slow, sluggish, an eye sore, small, horrible when cornering, uncool, and would be totaled in a car accident. Any vehicle that takes over 10 seconds to get from 0 to 60 mph should be kept of the highways. It is too slow for passing and drivers need to be extra careful when changing lanes. Any car with similar dimensions to the ForTwo would have problems with handling. I am sick and tired of car companies sacrificing performance for MPG when MPG depends on driving habits and driving conditions. This car SUCKS. Avoid at all costs.

Here is a video of a Smart ForTwo crashing at 70 mph (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtOIfW2K2Hk). I do not own the video. I would not call this car safe.

CarJunkie 
Photo taken from Autoblog Green. It is not worthy of being taken by my cameras.

First Drive: 2013 Smart ForTwo Coupe

The Smart ForTwo has been around since 1998 and is currently on its second generation, which has been in production since 2007. The Smart ForTwo started being sold in the United States in 2006. The Smart ForTwo is the smallest car currently sold in the United States. It is 106.1 inches long, 61 inches wide, and 61 inches high. It has a wheel base of 73.5 inches. The ForTwo has a curb weight of 1,650 pounds, making it the lightest car sold in the United States. The Smart ForTwo is a two-door, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive city car. I have seen many Smart ForTwos on the Houston roads. During one Friday and April of 2013, I took one out for a test drive. I drove the Smart ForTwo Passion Coupe.

The Smart ForTwo has a very small appearance. The car has a unique appearance as there is nothing on the road that looks like the Smart car. I like cars that have sporty and/or aggressive styling and the Smart ForTwo styling is neither aggressive nor sporty. To be honest, I find this car to be ugly. I just do not like its styling. On the inside, I had good amount of head room. As far as leg room goes, I felt cramped. My left leg was constantly touching the door panel. The seat has decent comfort. But I have been in other city cars that had more comfortable seats like the Fiat 500C and Chevrolet Spark. The dashboard has one analog gauge, a speedometer, and digital gauges under the speedometer. There is a storage space behind the two seats. The storage space is located above the engine compartment. But do not worry, the storage space is well insulated and your items will not be heated by the engine. Other than that, there is not much special about the interior of the Smart For Two.

The Smart ForTwo is powered by a 1.0L I3 engine, paired with a five-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting mode, that produces 70 hp and 68 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 15.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 90 mph. The Smart ForTwo features the smallest engine currently sold in the United States. The Smart ForTwo is the slowest accelerating car as well as the least powerful car sold in the United States. One thing I noticed was a delay with the transmission when it is shifting. I have never noticed this in any other car. I felt unsafe in the car. I was driving on the highway and the wind easily knocked the car around. Never have I driven a car that could be easily pushed around by the wind. The Smart ForTwo Coupe I drove featured thin wheels, which added to the instability of the ride. Despite being pushed around by the wind, the Smart ForTwo has a quiet ride to it. Since the car has a short wheelbase, it has a rough ride. Prices for the Smart ForTwo Pure Coupe starts at $13,240. Prices for the Smart ForTwo Passion Coupe starts at $15,640. The Smart ForTwo is one of the cheapest cars you can buy in the United States and it felt cheap.

Overall, the Smart ForTwo is a bad car. It is too small, underpowered, and too slow for everyday driving. There is also a delay with the transmission when it is changing gears. It is not fun to drive and provides a horrible driving experience. This car is suitable for short distances only. If you have to rely on highway driving, look elsewhere. I can easily recommend the Fiat 500, Chevrolet Spark, and Mini Cooper Hardtop over the Smart ForTwo. The Smart ForTwo is very bad, but it serves a purpose. Automotive companies have to meet a certain fuel economy rating across all brands and models. Mercedes-Benz owns Smart. Since Smart ForTwo has a fuel economy rating at 34 mpg city/38 mpg highway, it allows Mercedes-Benz and AMG to make performance cars like the C 63 AMG Black and the SLS AMG.

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First Drive: 2013 Smart ForTwo Cabrio

The Smart ForTwo has been around since 1998. It is available as either a three-door hatchback or a two-door convertible. The Smart ForTwo Cabrio is a convertible with a cloth drop-top. The drop-top acts like a cloth sunroof, but it retracts all the way to the rear hatch door. The upper section of the roof line above the doors are removable. During one Friday in April, I decided to stop by a local Smart dealership and take the the Smart ForTwo Cabrio for a test drive. I drove five cars that day, included the Smart ForTwo Coupe. The version of the Smart Cabrio I drove featured wider wheels not featured on the Smart ForTwo Coupe I drove. But you can get wider wheels on the Coupe as well as on the Cabrio. The Smart ForTwo is a rear engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door convertible. It is available with a five-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode. It is classified as a supermini/city car.

The Smart ForTwo Cabrio has the same styling as the Smart ForTwo Coupe, except a retractable cloth roof of the Cabrio replaces the hardtop of the Coupe. The Smart ForTwo Cabrio feels more open with the top down. One feature about the retractable roof is that it can open and close while the car is in motion. As far as the interior goes, it is the same interior found in the Smart ForTwo Passion Coupe. I felt less cramped with the roof down, but I did not have much legroom behind the wheel.

The Smart ForTwo Cabrio is powered by a 1.0L I3 engine that produces 70 hp and 68 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 12.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 90 mph. The Smart ForTwo Cabrio has the same performance as the Smart ForTwo Cabrio. Whether the Smart ForTwo comes with a retractable roof or not, it is still underpowered and very slow. The car felt slow on the roads and highways. Just like with the Coupe version, I felt a delay with the transmission in the Cabrio version. The wider wheels help the car with stability on the highway. The wind does not affect the Smart ForTwo with the wider wheels. But, I still could feel the wind push the car from side to side. The Cabrio is a convertible, and you will get wind noise with the roof down in almost any convertible. Prices for the Smart ForTwo Cabrio start at $18,640, which is $3000 more than the Smart ForTwo Passion Coupe.

Overall, I do not like the Smart ForTwo, whether it is the Coupe version or the Convertible version. There are just too many issues I have with the car. I noticed a delay with the transmission. The car is underpowered and very slow. The Smart ForTwo is so light that it gets pushed around by the wind. I did not have much legroom behind the wheel. And the car just feels cheap. If you want a supermini car, go with a Fiat 500, a Chevrolet Spark, or a Mini Cooper. If you want a supermini that has a retractable roof, go with the Fiat 500C. The Smart ForTwo is just bad. The main purpose for the Smart ForTwo line is that it raises the overall MPG rating for Mercedes-Benz, the parent company for Smart. This allows Mercedes-Benz to make high performance like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and the Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG. Other than that, I do not see a reason for the Smart ForTwo to exist.

CarJunkie
Photo was taken by a camera phone.

To see more car related articles, check out http://carjunkie713.blogspot.com/.

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