Smart Roadster...
Discussion
NiceCupOfTea said:
In summary: great cars, feel faster than you expect, gearbox is nowhere near as bad as everybody says, more interesting than an MX-5 and very chuckable.
Indeed. I ran one for 6 months as a main car, does not make a great main car, but I'd like another as a toy. Remap it, bigger brakes, bin the hateful electric steering, maybe lose a bit of weight.
Hmm... I suppose if you consider the MX5 to be a modern day MGB, you could call the Smart a modern day Midget.
The gearbox is bloody awful and is by far the weakest point of the car. Yes, you can learn to drive around it, but even then it's not really very satisfying and you really shouldn't have to. The steering is also rather poor, mostly because it's just too slow. It's quite precise and "pointy" but you simply have to turn the wheel too far to make it feel right. On the other hand, the chassis is lovely , the car is narrow enough to be extremely confidence inspiring on country roads, it's low enough and light enough to feel much faster than it is and it makes a wonderful noise for such a small engine.
All in all, one of those frustrating cars that could have been utterly wonderful but is let down by a few fatal flaws. If someone did one with a faster, unassisted rack and a proper manual gearbox, I'd have one in a flash.
The gearbox is bloody awful and is by far the weakest point of the car. Yes, you can learn to drive around it, but even then it's not really very satisfying and you really shouldn't have to. The steering is also rather poor, mostly because it's just too slow. It's quite precise and "pointy" but you simply have to turn the wheel too far to make it feel right. On the other hand, the chassis is lovely , the car is narrow enough to be extremely confidence inspiring on country roads, it's low enough and light enough to feel much faster than it is and it makes a wonderful noise for such a small engine.
All in all, one of those frustrating cars that could have been utterly wonderful but is let down by a few fatal flaws. If someone did one with a faster, unassisted rack and a proper manual gearbox, I'd have one in a flash.
It's a great fun car. With the optional paddle shift and a properly adjusted clutch, I find the gearbox fine once rolling. The standard auto setup is awful. The only thing I would change is the take up from standstill, as it can be a bit touch and go setting off into small gaps.
Ours is lightly modded and remapped to around 110 bhp so is quick enough to be exciting and happy to cruise at 85. In amongst normal traffic, it's more fun than the Tuscan. You feel like you're trying even at speeds I'd be getting frustrated in third gear at in the TVR.
Ours is lightly modded and remapped to around 110 bhp so is quick enough to be exciting and happy to cruise at 85. In amongst normal traffic, it's more fun than the Tuscan. You feel like you're trying even at speeds I'd be getting frustrated in third gear at in the TVR.
What I'd love to do is to take a Roadster Coupe, keep it standard looking a put one of these in the engine bay/boot:
http://www.h1v8.com/page/page/1562068.htm
That would be such an evil car!!!!!! Atom V8 quick
As you'd have to change the gearbox anyway, you could opt for sequential bike one (I do own a smart (first gen. Cabrio) and altough the gearbox isn't as bad as most tend to state, it's far from being good. But it's such a great, great little car you forgive it!)
http://www.h1v8.com/page/page/1562068.htm
That would be such an evil car!!!!!! Atom V8 quick
As you'd have to change the gearbox anyway, you could opt for sequential bike one (I do own a smart (first gen. Cabrio) and altough the gearbox isn't as bad as most tend to state, it's far from being good. But it's such a great, great little car you forgive it!)
Valentin said:
What I'd love to do is to take a Roadster Coupe, keep it standard looking a put one of these in the engine bay/boot:
http://www.h1v8.com/page/page/1562068.htm
That would be such an evil car!!!!!! Atom V8 quick
As you'd have to change the gearbox anyway, you could opt for sequential bike one (I do own a smart (first gen. Cabrio) and altough the gearbox isn't as bad as most tend to state, it's far from being good. But it's such a great, great little car you forgive it!)
Dunno abou that engine but the H2 Busa engine would be simply awesome in one.http://www.h1v8.com/page/page/1562068.htm
That would be such an evil car!!!!!! Atom V8 quick
As you'd have to change the gearbox anyway, you could opt for sequential bike one (I do own a smart (first gen. Cabrio) and altough the gearbox isn't as bad as most tend to state, it's far from being good. But it's such a great, great little car you forgive it!)
I had a little smart roadster chase me on some twisty back roads and to be fair it did manage to keep up through the twisty sections.
The tragedy is that the car's timing was not quite right for the market - Smart scrapped it a couple of years before the economic rurmoil which now makes the Smart Roadster so desirable. Question mark over the gearbox though.
Back in 2006 there was talk of someone re-launching it as the MG Midget but that turned out to be just another "British sports car" dream,
"A British firm is in talks with DaimlerChrysler to take over the Roadster model from struggling Smart and re-market the diminutive cars under the MG banner. The Smart Roadster went out of production at the end of 2005, but this would be likely to be the first car to be revived with the MG badge. The Roadster may well be christened the MG Midget, reviving one of MG's oldest names. Production of the new MG Roadster would be in Coventry, although the deal hinges on Chinese firm Nanjing leasing the MG name to Project Kimber."
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/mg-midget-smart...
Back in 2006 there was talk of someone re-launching it as the MG Midget but that turned out to be just another "British sports car" dream,
"A British firm is in talks with DaimlerChrysler to take over the Roadster model from struggling Smart and re-market the diminutive cars under the MG banner. The Smart Roadster went out of production at the end of 2005, but this would be likely to be the first car to be revived with the MG badge. The Roadster may well be christened the MG Midget, reviving one of MG's oldest names. Production of the new MG Roadster would be in Coventry, although the deal hinges on Chinese firm Nanjing leasing the MG name to Project Kimber."
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/mg-midget-smart...
kambites said:
Hmm... I suppose if you consider the MX5 to be a modern day MGB, you could call the Smart a modern day Midget.
The gearbox is bloody awful and is by far the weakest point of the car. Yes, you can learn to drive around it, but even then it's not really very satisfying and you really shouldn't have to. The steering is also rather poor, mostly because it's just too slow. It's quite precise and "pointy" but you simply have to turn the wheel too far to make it feel right. On the other hand, the chassis is lovely , the car is narrow enough to be extremely confidence inspiring on country roads, it's low enough and light enough to feel much faster than it is and it makes a wonderful noise for such a small engine.
All in all, one of those frustrating cars that could have been utterly wonderful but is let down by a few fatal flaws. If someone did one with a faster, unassisted rack and a proper manual gearbox, I'd have one in a flash.
That. Proper 'box and it'd be a damn good car.The gearbox is bloody awful and is by far the weakest point of the car. Yes, you can learn to drive around it, but even then it's not really very satisfying and you really shouldn't have to. The steering is also rather poor, mostly because it's just too slow. It's quite precise and "pointy" but you simply have to turn the wheel too far to make it feel right. On the other hand, the chassis is lovely , the car is narrow enough to be extremely confidence inspiring on country roads, it's low enough and light enough to feel much faster than it is and it makes a wonderful noise for such a small engine.
All in all, one of those frustrating cars that could have been utterly wonderful but is let down by a few fatal flaws. If someone did one with a faster, unassisted rack and a proper manual gearbox, I'd have one in a flash.
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