The reality of the Smart ForTwo after eight years
Discussion
December 2004, the red veil came down over all reason and a Smart ForTwo arrived on the fleet. In Canada. With snow. A diesel, a rarity in these parts. I lived ( and still do) in the centre of a densely populated city in an old Victorian area with street parking and narrow streets. My wife liked the idea of having a little runabout for short urban trips, the Smart was making its first appearance on these shores.
We bought the fully loaded Passion version,added the silly stalked instruments ( who needs a tach?), and even had a set of fitted luggage, (never used). Bought a second set of rims with winter tires, essential in these parts. This was a car that would rarely be garaged and spent much of its time parked in frigid conditions in winter and 90 degree temperatures in summer. It would live in the worst type of usage. - long periods of weeks at a times parked, with periodic short trips of 5-10 miles, most of its life in stop and go traffic.
Initially the novelty of the car created a lot of reaction. with the usual questions - "would you survive a crash with a Kenworth?", "is it electric"? "How do you fit in t that thing?" "At that price I can get a bigger/faster car". and of course " What the hell is that"?
I immediately got the Smart a vanity place, so the Smart became "Aleck". From eBay I got an original set of Mercedes V12 badges for the C pillars, and on at least one occasion persuaded someone that it was a text mule for Mercedes who were desigining 1 litre V12s for the coming oil crisis. As with any quirky car, there was initially a community who would go on drives and it was a great deal of fun.
All of the stories of the poor transmission and the glacial acceleration are true, of course. However, this car lives in a place where city traffic rarely gets beyond 40MPH and even that is rare,so it turned out to be a non issue. I can get across the city in about the same time as A Veyron assuming legality.
Highway driving is another matter. There is an elevated highway not far from where I live and you need to take a run at the ramp. Also, the Smart gets no respect from Porsche,BMW and the other usuals suspects, so you have to watch for overtakers. Wind buffeting can be extreme, particularly if you pass an 18 wheeler with high cross winds, so it spends very little time on the highway. Fuel consumption is quite good as I recall, but the whole trend to hybrids eclipses any consumption advantage.
The huge advantage that is often missed here is access to parking. A half spot is always available, and the supposed advantage of a larger vehicle negates it. I wanted the shortest, not the largest vehicle for the money.
Heating and cooling are both inadequate, particularly the A/C . I would not spec a glass roof again unless I wanted to grow tropical plants in it. The radio is about a cheap and nasty as its possible to get. The turning circle is huge for its length and feels worse than my Cayenne.
It has had a number of mechanical problems in its 8 years and 14,000 miles. Blown turbo at about 9000 miles and out of warranty. Over $2000. Seized handbrake after sitting outside for a few weeks. A small number of minor niggles.
Wear: Basically it is as new after a good cleaning, which it rarely gets. The plastic panelling has withstood all parking dings and the paint and cloth interior are perfect.
However, it does have a lot of personality and as a city runabout it is very hard to beat,so I expect it will simply remain until it needs some uneconomical repair. The should never have renamed it. It was originally the city coupe. Just a bit ahead of its time. It will probably stay indefinitely.
There was early exuberance when the Smart came to Canada:
My V12 test mule was exceptionally rare:
Winter Driving was no problem
But Great Dane Haulage was:
We bought the fully loaded Passion version,added the silly stalked instruments ( who needs a tach?), and even had a set of fitted luggage, (never used). Bought a second set of rims with winter tires, essential in these parts. This was a car that would rarely be garaged and spent much of its time parked in frigid conditions in winter and 90 degree temperatures in summer. It would live in the worst type of usage. - long periods of weeks at a times parked, with periodic short trips of 5-10 miles, most of its life in stop and go traffic.
Initially the novelty of the car created a lot of reaction. with the usual questions - "would you survive a crash with a Kenworth?", "is it electric"? "How do you fit in t that thing?" "At that price I can get a bigger/faster car". and of course " What the hell is that"?
I immediately got the Smart a vanity place, so the Smart became "Aleck". From eBay I got an original set of Mercedes V12 badges for the C pillars, and on at least one occasion persuaded someone that it was a text mule for Mercedes who were desigining 1 litre V12s for the coming oil crisis. As with any quirky car, there was initially a community who would go on drives and it was a great deal of fun.
All of the stories of the poor transmission and the glacial acceleration are true, of course. However, this car lives in a place where city traffic rarely gets beyond 40MPH and even that is rare,so it turned out to be a non issue. I can get across the city in about the same time as A Veyron assuming legality.
Highway driving is another matter. There is an elevated highway not far from where I live and you need to take a run at the ramp. Also, the Smart gets no respect from Porsche,BMW and the other usuals suspects, so you have to watch for overtakers. Wind buffeting can be extreme, particularly if you pass an 18 wheeler with high cross winds, so it spends very little time on the highway. Fuel consumption is quite good as I recall, but the whole trend to hybrids eclipses any consumption advantage.
The huge advantage that is often missed here is access to parking. A half spot is always available, and the supposed advantage of a larger vehicle negates it. I wanted the shortest, not the largest vehicle for the money.
Heating and cooling are both inadequate, particularly the A/C . I would not spec a glass roof again unless I wanted to grow tropical plants in it. The radio is about a cheap and nasty as its possible to get. The turning circle is huge for its length and feels worse than my Cayenne.
It has had a number of mechanical problems in its 8 years and 14,000 miles. Blown turbo at about 9000 miles and out of warranty. Over $2000. Seized handbrake after sitting outside for a few weeks. A small number of minor niggles.
Wear: Basically it is as new after a good cleaning, which it rarely gets. The plastic panelling has withstood all parking dings and the paint and cloth interior are perfect.
However, it does have a lot of personality and as a city runabout it is very hard to beat,so I expect it will simply remain until it needs some uneconomical repair. The should never have renamed it. It was originally the city coupe. Just a bit ahead of its time. It will probably stay indefinitely.
There was early exuberance when the Smart came to Canada:
My V12 test mule was exceptionally rare:
Winter Driving was no problem
But Great Dane Haulage was:
crispyshark said:
Great timing, have just written an article about the Brabus ForTwo which I had for an extended test period. I really enjoyed the baby Brab but know what you mean about the motorway.
Have you ever tried the Brabus?
We never got the real Brabus this side of the Pond, just some badge-engineered nonsense, so missed that oneHave you ever tried the Brabus?
rallycross said:
Nice little review.
How do you drive it in the snow? the uk ones I've driven are virtually immobilised by any more than 2 inches of snow thanks to the rubbish traction control system that can't be turned off.
Its fine in the city with snow tires ( essential) . Speeds are low and the general fall is not to bad. Have never been stuck. However, it is certainly not a car I would use for any kind of long distance winter trip.How do you drive it in the snow? the uk ones I've driven are virtually immobilised by any more than 2 inches of snow thanks to the rubbish traction control system that can't be turned off.
rallycross said:
Nice little review.
Yep, enjoyed reading that. Was waiting for the rant, moan or colic but just a nice review and photos. Well done taking the time.My company operates in central London congestion zone and they had one converted to gas, I presume to avoid the congestion charge. It zipped around Mayfair with a warden in for 7 years quite happily. I think a Yaris has just replaced it.
"We've" had three, (my wife has had two, and my daughter one).
A 52 plate 600cc, an 06 plate 700cc soft top, and my wifes present steed, an 11 plate 900cc.
They have all been superb, the 52 plate had the rear ABS rings fail, replacement cost was £150.
That's about it really, yes they are a bit cheap and nasty, but they are bought to do a cheap and nasty job.
Just keep the oil topped up, and you should be fine.
The 11 plate one has a much quieter and better ride than the other two.
The Eco stop start is a tad wierd.
I don't understand the accel comment, they'll beat my 528i to 30 !
A 52 plate 600cc, an 06 plate 700cc soft top, and my wifes present steed, an 11 plate 900cc.
They have all been superb, the 52 plate had the rear ABS rings fail, replacement cost was £150.
That's about it really, yes they are a bit cheap and nasty, but they are bought to do a cheap and nasty job.
Just keep the oil topped up, and you should be fine.
The 11 plate one has a much quieter and better ride than the other two.
The Eco stop start is a tad wierd.
I don't understand the accel comment, they'll beat my 528i to 30 !
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