Smart Car Coming To the US In Jan. 2008

Blahbooboo3 writes "After many delays and missed promises, the Smart Car is finally coming to the US in January 2008. Smart Car uses a specially designed crash cage to protect the driver and gets upwards of 40 miles per gallon. Crash tests are very positive. The car is deceptively large inside, as showcased by this great ad from the Smart USA site. The second-generation Fortwo will be offered first, starting around $14,000. Unfortunately the slick roadster isn't coming any time soon."

Already quite popular north of the border

[KeithH]

These have already been in Canada for a year or so and judging by the number on the road, they've been selling well. I've spoken to a couple of owners and they love them. Apparently they cope well in the snow (not that we had much in Ottawa this past winter) so they should be perfectly viable in the northern States. Mind you there is something ludicrous-looking about them, especially when you see them next to the ubiquitous SUVs. People thought the same thing about the Morris Minor and the Mini Cooper 40+ years ago. Now, the Cooper is trendy!

Re:Now all we need to do

[SerpentMage]

Have you looked at the videos illustrating how safe they are? Or how about the one in the UK where they ran the thing against a wall head on. These things are incredibly safe!

Mercedes has safe cars. I know, I have seen a Mercedes roll on the German autobahn (the guy was doing about 170-190). His Mercedes end up upside down. The guy walked out without being hurt. Ok he was shaken, and he looked like, "I survived that?"

Re:Rather get one of the scion models or even a ya

[Original Replica]

No no no, I didn't mean that the soccer moms would be driving the Fortwo, but that the Fortwo would have to contend with giant SUVs. And do not doubt SUVs are killers.

For every one life saved by driving an SUV, five others will be taken. Government researchers have found that a behemoth like the four-ton Chevy Tahoe kills 122 people for every 1 million models on the road; by comparison, the Honda Accord only kills 21. Injuries in SUV-related accidents are likewise more severe.Part of the reason for the high kill rate is that cars offer very little protection against an SUV hitting them from the side -- not because of the weight, but because of the design. When a car is hit from the side by another car, the victim is 6.6 times as likely to die as the aggressor. But if the aggressor is an SUV, the car driver's relative chance of dying rises to 30 to 1, because the hood of an SUV is so high off the ground. Rather than hitting the reinforced doors of a car with its bumper, an SUV will slam into more vulnerable areas and strike a car driver in the head or chest, where injuries are more life-threatening.

http://www.alternet.org/story/14839/?page=2 [alternet.org]

Just look at Fortwo, taller than it is wide, and figure out what happens when someone runs a red light.

Re:Rather get one of the scion models or even a ya

[CompMD]

You've obviously never seen what happens to a Yaris when it t-bones a Volvo XC90 at 45mph. Just happened here in town yesterday, scared the heck out of me. The Volvo had some bent metal, and the driver walked away. The Yaris was scattered across the intersection, and the driver was pulled out on a stretcher and taken to a hospital by helicopter.

The Smart car has Mercedes engineering behind it, and crashworthiness is superior to anything put out from Toyota.

Re:Not for the Energy Conscious

[hbp4c]

You're right about diesels - in the 1970's and 80's that is. Modern diesels are far cleaner, and the US mandated low sulfur diesel this year for all 2007 and later cars.

BMW and Merc both have developed a european-spec diesel which if theoretically driven in the LA or DC areas where smog is a problem, the air going into the engine is dirtier than the air coming out of the exhaust. You're actually CLEANING the environment, just a little bit. The Mercedes engine passed the 2007 US diesel emissions standards as is, so is currently on sale here already. BMW will begin offering the diesel in their SUV models in 2008. All other manufactuers (including Volkswagen, the only other company that currently produces a small diesel for sedans) are currently refining their engines to meet the new US standards for low sulfer fuels.

In all seriousness, mile-for-mile, a modern diesel engine using low sulfur diself fuel is cleaner than a gasoline engine of the same displacement. Get over it.

I just rented one this week

[Oldsmobile]

I just rented out a Smart for two days this week.

I was skeptical at first, but figured I'd rent it for the experience. Having driven it for two days I'm a total convert. When you get into it, you notice that it not only has plenty of room inside for two people and their stuff, but that you actually sit higher up than in most regular cars. The car seems quite stable, even at speed up to 100kmh and probably faster, but I didn't really have a chance to take it any faster an this.

The suspension is maybe a bit too hard and sporty in it's feel, you can feel rough roads a bit too well. The interior quality was excellent and I like the dash design. The seats were very comfy and it was very easy to find a good seating position. Like I said, there's plenty of room for even big and tall people.

The engine is small and turbo charged and has plenty of oomh, though only at higher rpm's and you have to wait for the turbo to spool. It has six gears and an automatic transmission. You can use the shifter to go up and down the gears on your own or switch it into automatic. My only gripe is the automatic taking way too long to downshift when you want to surge, but supposedly that's been fixed in the newer version (ours was the 1st gen).

Really truly the best part was the pitiful amount of fuel it used. I filled the tank up as soon as I got it, and the gauge indicated a full tank (a very unscientific 5 bar gauge) when I returned it to the rental place. I actually felt a bit cheated by it, since I didn't use most of the gas I put in the tank :(

Like I said, I have reservations about high speed handling in an emergency. I've seen the crash test videos, and I believe the car to be safe enough in crash, it's avoiding one I'm still not sure about. The car does have every electronic measure available, ABS, stability control and other stuff, but I didn't want to test it on public roads.

On the other hand, most SUV's will flip easily if you do a high speed left-right, so it's a matter of being careful I guess.

My other gripe is the transmission, though I can live with it and as I said, it's been fixed in the newer model.

All in all, I'm seriously looking into buying one as a second car. A Smart would fulfill about 95% of my motoring needs, but I would still need my current large gas guzzler for transporting more than me and my spouse and driving to see our relatives through elk infested wintry roads at night.

Roadster won't come at all

[Jeff Kelly]

The Smart roadster will not be released at all because it is no longer in production by Smart

German cars are the safest

[SpecialAgentXXX]

I agree with you. I drive the "poor-man's" German car - a VW Golf. It doesn't have the BMW logo (or price), but is just as safe. The very first thing I noticed about the VWs, BMWs, etc. are the heavy doors. My boss drives a BMW and was broadsided by a pickup. The pickup was smashed up but the only damage he had was the electronics in the door. He says his car is tank. I feel the same way in my VW. I forget that the doors are flimsy when I get into my friends' Toyotas and always slam them hard. I can physically feel the difference in safety getting into a German car (tank) vs. a Jap car (coffin on wheels).

I witnessed a huge accident at my local college. Some hotshot was speeding in his "ricer" and ran the light. That caused a chain reaction as he hit other Jap cars, a BMW, and a Mercedes. The Jap cars were pretty smashed up and the ambulance had to rush the drivers to the hospitals. However, the BMW's and Mercedes's drivers were fine. Their front ends were smashed in, but the driver & passenger compartments were fine. If you blocked out the front end, you couldn't even notice they were in a horrible car accident.

The only cars I ever buy from now on will be German. I can't wait until the new diesel engines are made available in the US. They run just as clean as gasoline and get better mileage. However, I will not give up safety for a few extra MPG's. I would rather pay more at the pump than pay for the rest of my life as a cripple if I get into an accident. Maybe my attitude will change once all the SUVs, full-sized pickups, and 18-wheelers are off of our roads some years after post-Peak Oil, but for the meantime I also want myself and my family to be in a tank when we are on the road.

...and gets upwards of 40 miles per gallon

[PipingSnail]

I'm sorry to have to burst your bubble, but 40mpg is nothing. Most cars in the UK can do this. My 1987 Vauxhall Astra (1.3L engine, petrol) regularly gave me 43mpg (and lasted 13 years before it was written off by thieves. My girlfriends Skoda Octavia 1.9L diesel can get about 60mpg on a good run and averages 54mpg including urban commuting. If you don't know what a Skoda Octavia is it is an Audi A4 with a different skin styling - made by VW/Audi group - they own Skoda and Seat.

It is a true indictment of how wasteful car designs and usage are in the US that you think 40mpg is newsworthy. BTW, your $3.50/gallon petrol is cheap. We pay £0.97 per litre - thats $1.94 per litre to you, or about $9 per gallon. So when you complain about your "high" US petrol, sorry, gas, prices, you are complaining about something that is not high at all.

Re:...and gets upwards of 40 miles per gallon

[cmdr_tofu]

The CDI (diesel Smartcar) gets nearly 80 mpg. I certainly hope it is available in the US.

Re:Rather get one of the scion models or even a ya

[Redbaran]

My father drives a semi and he couldn't agree with you more! His favorite object of complaint are the large motor homes that people drive and he makes a good argument: How can a person drive something that is potentially bigger then his semi (compared to when he's pulling a short trailer) do so without any special treatment, especially when they are more likely to be old.

It probably doesn't help that we live in the retirement state (Florida).

Re:Rather get one of the scion models or even a ya

[mightyQuin]

We've had smartCars available in Canada since late 2004/early 2005, and I see them frequently on the road here (Winnipeg). It never fails, anytime I mention that I wouldn't mind getting one, people always bring up the crash/safety issue. Try to argue that I commonly ride my bicycle in heavy traffic, not willingly - there aren't many cycling paths here - that's dangerous. People ride motorcycles at high speeds - that's dangerous too. Why is everyone a safety freak when it comes to the smartCar? Incidentally, from my personal experience, males are much more opposed to the car than females are.

Nobody cared too much until recently.

[Kadin2048]

Because until very recently, most people weren't willing to pay extra for, or use as a selling point when choosing between vehicles, fuel economy.

It's really only since the price of gas has hit $3/gal(US) that anyone here in the 'States has started to care about fuel efficiency. At least in the mainstream market -- the VW Diesels have always been popular with some folks I know (and I used to own one, great car) who were really into fuel economy, but the price-premium you pay for the diesel engine doesn't pay for itself in gas savings for upwards of 150k miles in late-90s gas prices. That's longer than many Americans own cars for. (At least, it's longer than many Americans who buy new cars -- and consequently have the most direct effect on what auto makers produce -- keep their cars for.)

Personally I find the popularity of hybrids interesting, because it's mostly irrational, at least in the financial sense: when you factor in the upfront cost and eventual battery maintenance, a hybrid is an even slower payoff than a diesel (there was a good analysis of them in Consumer Reports fairly recently), yet they've become far more popular. I think it's because of the "green" cachet they have, and because some places give you nice bennys for driving them (drive in the HOV with one passenger, special parking, toll discounts, etc. I know a lot of people who bought hybrids just for the HOV privileges last year).

Re:Rather get one of the scion models or even a ya

[Billly Gates]

Never happen

Detroit and Exxon/Mobil would have a field day lobbying and claiming lost jobs to the politicians that run the government. Ford makes maybe 1-2,000 for each Ford Focus. Meanwhile they make $9,000 for each Ford Explorer sold. Maybe this is why they have been refusing to put fuel cell focuses on the market? Its clear what their financial interests are.

SUV owners would revolt and vote. Most rich white voters who are male and own such vehicles vote more than any other group which is why the republicans have been winning so many elections. You do not want to piss them off.

Also we do already subsidize suvs and trucks. Why do you think are premiums have been rising so much over 7 years? To pay suv owners so theirs do not go up as much and revolt.

Re:40 mpg isn't that great

[arashi no garou]

I feel you on that one. I had a 1991 Honda Civic hatchback that got 42/36 (highway/city). The newest Civics only get 40/30, and while they look a lot cooler than my old '91, they are also about $5,000 more than the sticker price of the 1991. Granted, inflation is a bitch, but then you have the Civic Hybrid. For $8,000 more you only get 51/49, or an average of about 14mpg gain, and a car that will need specialty maintenance only available at a Honda dealership. My point being, why are cars becoming less and less efficient as the years go by, even though oil prices are rising at two to three times the inflation rate?

Re:Rather get one of the scion models or even a ya

[Conor Turton]

Just shows how backwards US trucks are. In the EU, they've a plethora of safety features required as standard. ABS on the trailers has been mandatory for a decade and a half and ABS on the trailers is now being replaced by EBS where every single wheel can be braked to a different level. Also EU lorries have been moving from drum to disc brakes for quite some time too. Add to that the improvements in rear/side visibility.

Re:...and gets upwards of 40 miles per gallon

[shiftless]

...and another snooty European weighs in. I'm sure your comment makes perfect sense from the perspective of your armchair, but when you throw in a few actual FACTS about America, it doesn't make much sense at all. Do yourself a favor and go out in the world, come visit America and educate yourself. You Eurotrash insult us all the time saying we Americans as a whole don't know anything about the world, yet you don't know a damn thing about America and you insist on making ignorant comments regardless. Come here and see for yourself why your tidy little European armchair solutions for the US (how thoughtful, thanks!) simply ain't gonna work.

When you see how big this place REALLY is, you'll shit yourself. $3.50/gallon (US gallon) might be cheap in the UK, but it is NOT cheap in the US. Do you know how many goods (vital goods, even) are transported cross-country by diesel truck at 12 MPG? Do you know how many people are forced to drive an hour (50-60 miles) to work each day because the only other options are to a) get a much lower paying job closer to home or b) move to a crowded, polluted, dirty, restrictive, crime-laden, expensive city? When (not if, but when) fuel gets up to $9 gallon, our economy will likely collapse.

Yeah, I think it's stupid how a lot of Americans choose to live with their mortgages and SUVs and high debt, but that's besides the point- it is how it is, and it's not going to change overnight just because some European thinks it ought to. It's going to take a significant emotional event to effect the kick in the ass this country (in my opinion) so desperately needs.