Dan Neil doesn't think the ForTwo is so Smart
Dan Neil of the LA Times recently got a chance to spend some time with the new Smart ForTwo and came away less than impressed. The performance of the little three cylinder works fine in city driving but is barely adequate for getting on the highway. The tiny two seater was designed to get around the narrower streets of old European cities but apparently doesn't get much benefit on the wider streets of Los Angeles. Dan wasn't thrilled with the fuel economy either, failing to crack 40mpg.
While the ForTwo may not be well suited to Los Angeles, there are plenty of places in the country where the diminutive size would be a big benefit. Having spent some time in Manhattan recently, I would much rather have a Smart than a Tahoe or even an Crown Victoria. Even if you can't park it perpendicular to the curb, it would certainly be easier to squeeze a ForTwo into whatever space is available in a place like Ann Arbor than even a Yaris or Fit.
Gallery: 2008 smart fortwo
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
small-wee-wee 12:33PM (5/27/2007)
A travesty that it did not crack 40MPG. My '96 Metro gets in the mid 40's all the time. It too is a small car but not so small as the smart.
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Mike Tippett 12:59PM (5/27/2007)
My fortwo averages 61 US MPG.
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Nils 1:27PM (5/27/2007)
ForTwo doesn't think Dan Neil is so smart.
How to get 40mpg out of a Smart: Tow a boat with flat tires.
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amg 2:41PM (5/30/2007)
I have read elsewhere that the smart fortwo coming to the States will have the 84 hp engine; with that engine, the fortwo would likely achieve 60 mph at around 12 seconds, which is the same as my 1995 civic dx, and would still get around 40 mpg in combined driving. If these specs are correct, I would think that the smart fortwo would be a worthy rival to the more expensive hybrids if one just wanted an urban runabout that would include some short highway travel (like my own commute).
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Der Alte 1:37AM (5/28/2007)
Keep in mind the Smart that the US is getting is the gasoline version. Most of the rest of the world, including Canada have had the diesel version. For MY 2007, the Canadian market Smart is gasoline due to emissions regulations, but pervious model years in Canada were diesel only. In Europe you could get either a gasoline or diesel Smart for some time.
At any rate, if you are comparing Smarts, be careful to specify between gasoline or diesel. Comment #2 probably drives a diesel one.
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Jenny 9:14AM (5/28/2007)
40mpg for a 2 person car is killing. car looks sexy to me and i hope it will do well on city driving with heavy traffic.
regards
Jenny
http://www.spaml.com
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John Metcalf 9:23AM (5/28/2007)
No one loves small and efficient more than I. I remember being really smitten with the Smart when it first came out (I have a 1:18 scale version on my office shelf right now.) I couldn't, however, justify buying one at this stage.
Although it is one of the few (only?) non-hybrids to hit an average 40mpg, its two seats at a four seat price would keep me from making the $99 deposit. I think there is a market for this car. I hope young urban singles eat this up, just as I would have 10 years ago.
I'd like to see some Kei class cars from Japan available here - four seats, excellent efficiency, and probably as comfortale as the Smart. Downside is safety, but for around town, probably good enough.
I think I'll be waiting for my minicar (Subaru R2 would be great, thanks.)
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BC 11:27AM (5/28/2007)
The smart will be a boutique car, and some people will buy it just because they think it's cool and they want to be seen in it, but overall I think it's going to be a sales flop.
Pricewise, a 2-door Yaris is a better deal as you get 4 seats and some cargo capability. The smart is simply too expensive for what you get. Ease of parking is the only benefit, since you still have to title, tag, and pay taxes like any car. Utility wise, it's not much more than an expensive motorcycle, and can't do much more than a motorcycle, except enclose its occupants.
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Chris 2:45PM (5/28/2007)
Not even 40mpg...disappointing.
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a2jack 10:30AM (6/03/2007)
This article was writen months ago and appeared in the Detroit News.
The car tested was an early smart,not the new 84 hp USA Smart that was shown in LA this week.
This was cheap shot by the LA Times and the Detroit News.
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Don 6:06PM (5/28/2007)
Okay, I've read of fuel economy in the 31-43 mpg range for this USA bound car.
How, pray tell, is one poster averaging 61 mpg?
Bollocks.
This thing is a sham, and I really feel for the owners who are going to get killed by 3 ton SUV's.
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Rick 12:49PM (5/30/2007)
LA highways are bumper to bumper most of the time when commuters would be o the highway so really, what's big deal. Sounds like the 'I like big HP' attitude that has gotten us in trouble is trying to find fault in a obviously built for efficiency vehicle.
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Robert Macgregor 9:12AM (5/31/2007)
Wait another year or so. I read that the Bluetec diesel is supposed to be available in the 2009 Smart ForTwo; this should help a lot with mileage.
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amg 3:57PM (5/31/2007)
If the MINI can get a diesel that will get it over 50 MPG (US) and up to 60 MPH in 9.9 sec, maybe the smart can get a diesel that rivals the performance of the gas engine and also gets kickbutt MPG. Of course, we can't get the MINI diesel in the States anyway...
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Joseph M. 11:07PM (6/02/2007)
I'm Selling my Toyota Prius to Buy the Smart for two car. I test drove the Smart for two in Glendale California at Colonial Honda's Environmental Motors. I totally love the Convertible, very nice drive. sitting inside this cute car, felt very roomy. plenty of space. very safe feeling. I'm going to convert mine to Electric though, the way the original inventor of the Smart for two Intend it. Does anyone know who does conversions here in LA. the only person I know of is Gadget at Left Coast Conversions in Los Angeles. I wanted to get some competitive pricing on the conversion though. Imagine filling up for about five bucks worth of electricity and driving all week on that. nice! Good car otherwise, totally love it!
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