Motorway driving in a smart for two?

[TomCooper]

I'm currently thinking of swapping my MX5 for a smart car because I am currently commuting 100+ miles per day and the MX5 isn't ideal!

Does any one have any idea what sort of real world MPG a smart for two would return on the motorway because 95% of my journey is motorway?

I have a budget of £3k so will be looking at a car like this one:
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[RDMcG]

I have not calculated it but I have had a 2005 diesel (old body) from new.
I don't like it on the highway.
(1) If there is an inclined ramp it takes forever to accelerate
(2) In windy conditions its a chore to keep it from wandering.
I love the thing as a city commuter but it is a fail for me as a long distance car. Before buying it I would suggest to try in in motoerway conditions. Its a vived contrast to an MX-5

[mrmr96]

TomCooper said:

I want to do 100miles+ per day in a tiny city car, am I mad?

Yes.

Why not get something larger and diesely? I'm a believer in 'horses for courses' and having the right thing for any given task. A smart is a good solution to the question of getting good mpg, parking and manoeuvrability in an urban environment. A BMW 7 series is a good solution to the question of wafting thousands of miles of motorway in comfort. You don't have to spend mega money, or get a car with bad economy, but I think there's thousands of cars out there which will be more "at home" on the motorways than a smart fourtwo.

[JDFR]

At motorway speed you really are wringing out the maximum from the engine. Everything the poster above says is true; as a city car, it's great. For motorway driving, especially 100 miles per day, I would look elsewhere.

[zedx19]

Why a Smart car??? If your doing a lot of motorway miles a Smart car should be the last thing on anyones list?

3k would get you a decent motorway cruiser, Mondeo?

[911p]

Baffled as to why you'd look at something like a smart car for a daily 100 mile motorway commute - surely you couldn't find a more unsuitable car if you tried? Take a look at any diesel saloon - it will do the job far better, and return economy which trumps the Smart car in that environment.

[mrmr96]

^ mondeo is a good shout, and if you want newer then focus, vectra and astra would all do a better job than smart.

[JDFR]

Get this:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

Under £2k and a great place to spend 100 miles a day (I'm ignoring the fuel economy not being that great)

[ShayneJ]

Very bad idea IMHO.
Personally I would not take a smart
Anywhere near a motorway
And certainly not for the kind of mileages you are looking at.

A much better solution would be a small car along the lines of a A3 focus etc

[ShayneJ]

Dup post

[Gruber]

Mrs G and her mother have both had Smarts. A couple of comments:

1. they're not particularly confidence inspiring on a wet and windy day on the motorway. Actually, that's an understatement. The terror of passengering in one at 65mph on the M1 on a gusty, rainy Sunday morning will stay with me forever;

2. the M-i-L got rid of hers because she found the seats so uncomfortable for long journeys.

[kambites]

Whilst I'm sure a Smart would cope, it wouldn't be very pleasant.

I'd be looking at the eco version of something Golf sized. This is the kind of driving that small diesels are built for.

[300bhp/ton]

TomCooper said:

I'm currently thinking of swapping my MX5 for a smart car because I am currently commuting 100+ miles per day and the MX5 isn't ideal!

Does any one have any idea what sort of real world MPG a smart for two would return on the motorway because 95% of my journey is motorway?

I have a budget of £3k so will be looking at a car like this one:
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

I'm using my smart Roadster daily covering 72 miles a day. Not on motorway, but a chunk of it is on a major dual carriage way with slip roads, so not that different. I've been averaging 55-58mpg on superunleaded.

However I would say how you drive and your cruising speed will have a massive affect on this. I tend to run at 60-65mph which means a light throttle and off boost. Should I want to run at say 70-75mph it'd be boosting all the time and mpg suffers as a result. From past experience running this 5-10mph faster would mean 43-48mpg. And I simply wouldn't actually get places any quicker vs the additional cost.

I'm not entirely sure what the ForTwo would manage, although I'd have thought similar. Although with Roadster within reach of your budget I'd seriously suggest one. Very good every day sports cars.

[heretheygo]

wouldn't recommend the smart42 on motorways - they get buffeted about pretty easily - trucks will pull and push it all over the shop. We have a 0.7 turbo paddleshift jobby which is pretty nippy and great for city/parking, and that's what we use it for but long journeys? not great suspension/wheel/tyre set up and so the ride is tiring. Max 120kmh IIRC.
suggest you look at aygo or IQ's if you really want a smaller car to use on motorways.

but... if you want good mpg I think the diesel version gets 78mpg..... horrendously slow though.

[911p]

Something like this would do the job perfectly. E39 530d, 50mpg.



Alternatively, if fuel is the main concern, I'd look at a Mk4 Golf 1.9 Tdi, mine (1.4 petrol) is fantastic on the motorway. The 110 version is rated at 66mpg for motorway driving. You'll be able to get one for under budget.

Edited by 911p on Friday 4th January 15:03

[Krikkit]

I'd think about something with considerably more waft and comfort for this - probably a 406 diesel as it's that combo of wafty and diesel economy. If you can afford the fuel a 728i or W124 would be my choice.

[HustleRussell]

Smart? Lightweight, short wheelbase, slab-sided shape, overlly light steering, short gear ratios etc etc. Choppy ride, noisy cabin, surprisingly poor fuel economy at 70+mph. Great city car but not for 100 motorway miles per day.

[shandyboy]

Drove a for-two a couple of times from Bradford to Salford and back. Definitely agree with the buffeting comments - almost changing lane without you moving the wheel - slightly scary!

The engine can handle it but it's such a high-sided, short wheel-based little thing it is tiring keeping it straight when passing lorries and in high winds.

[Allaloneatron]

Krikkit said:

If you can afford the fuel a 728i or W124 would be my choice.

Isn't the whole point that he cant afford the fuel?

[rsv696]

I've just chopped in my 55 Smart for a Toyota IQ. The Smart was a fun little car, but slow, poorly built & a nightmare in crosswinds. It was also very thirsty for its size (a common complaint). They seem to self-destruct at around 60k miles & require a £1k engine rebuild. If you buy one, make sure you have an independent specialist near you. Merc dealers are expensive & aren't generally very knowledgeable on them.
The IQ by comparison is absolutely brilliant. Smooth, comfortable, quiet, reliable, 2 extra seats, comically good on fuel, free to tax, cheap to insure. I cannot fault it. Most of my miles are done on motorways "single-crewed" & its more than up to the job. I use it as a second / commuter car to keep the miles off my camper van.