Test drive: 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe
Regular readers know I'm a huge fan of small cars, and the two-seat Smart Fortwo is pretty much the ultimate small car. So how is the Smart? Is it small enough? Is it too small? Is it the vehicle of choice for America's ever-increasing gas prices? All is revealed in my 2008 Smart Fortwo coupe test drive and review. And if you'd like to take a visual tour of the Smart -- which I highly recommend, as it's got lots of cool details -- you'll find two pages of photos (including my "extreme parking" photos) in my 2008 Smart Fortwo coupe photo gallery.
As always, I'm eager to hear your take on the Smart. Now that we know how it drives and what kind of gas mileage it gets, would you consider buying a Smart? Why or why not? Click the "comments" link below and have your say. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
Comments
It’s cute, but is it called a 4-2 or a fort wo?
C
Aaron,
Thanks for a nice, balanced report. I’m looking forward to enjoying my new smart, quirks & all.
Regards,
Dan
I have a 2006 Smart Passion Cpe.
Resale aside (I’d only take the money and buy another Smart anyway), There is not one car in the world I would rather have in its place.
It’s FUN !
It’s economical
It draws constant positive attention wherever you go
It’s great on the highway as well as the city
It holds the same number of people as a Corvette and gives you $30,000 change
At $3.00 a gal, You can’t spend $25.00 to fill up.
It’s cozy,snug,cool and quiet.
It’s safe
It’s,in a word, “NIMBLE”
It’s like an ‘E’ ride at Disneyland
To wash it, you spit on it and wipe it off with a kleenex
I own one so i’m biased
Did I say it is FUN ?
So it is easy to park….
I guess I find the mileage disappointing. It just doesn’t seem that Smart to me. I would think a Fit, Yaris, Prius, or Versa all seem like better cars for most people
Sounds to me like they took a really Smart idea and blew it. It appears from the things I’ve read that the body and interior are the “Smart” part but the engine and drivetrain were given to knuckleheads to develop. I also don’t believe for a minute we will be able to pick up a 2008 Smart for $15K. At least not for the first several months. A dealer nearby has a 2006 for sale for $26K. This is like the hybrids. Someone is hoping you’ll want to pay a premium price for a standard product. By the way, my Mazda also says to use premium but runs just fine on medium grade so the Smart may do the same.
As Aaron said, we have had them here in Canada for a few years. So maybe I’m used to them, but every one I see seems to have advertising on it. Sort of like a Mini. They are good for drawing attention, but not many people actually buy them as daily drivers. As for parking, I wonder if anyone ever tried parking like that photo in the gallery only to get a ticket for not actually parking parallel to the curb?
The premium fuel requirement seems a bit odd, but maybe required to get good power out of that little engine. Most of the Smarts around here are diesel. Too bad they aren’t offering that choice any more.
I hope it does well in the US and doesn’t get caught by the misconception of safe=big.
Chuck: “Fortwo”. They used to sell a four seat version in Europe called the “Forfour”.
It’s a *major* bummer about the diesel not being offered — I would assume this thing could get 40-50 MPG no problem with a diesel poewrplant, and still climb hills as well (or, hopefully, better than) the 1.0 gas engine in the new Smart… ah well.
Aaron
“I also don’t believe for a minute we will be able to pick up a 2008 Smart for $15K. At least not for the first several months. A dealer nearby has a 2006 for sale for $26K.”
A 2006 smart in the U.S. is a gray market car that was imported from Europe then modified to meet U.S. requirements. They sold for $25 to 30K.
Here’s a link to my $15K 2008 smart car configuration http://www.smart.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/mpc-en-content-Site/en_EN/-/EUR/Smart_CC-LoadConfig?hashCode=config-EN-F6DAF1BE-9CB5-4166-A6D3-4E1CBD3069B5 Add $650 destination plus T&L for the out the door price.
A 2006 smart is a gray market car that was imported from Europe and modified to meet U.S. standards. They sold for $25-$30K.
The price on my loaded 2008 Passion Coupe is $15,060 plus $650 destination plus T&L out the door.
Cool little car. Nice review and pics. BUT you’ll get a parking ticket for not having both right wheels within 18″ [IIRC] from the curb in California.
It’s cuter than a (VW) bug. Hey Aaron, what’s the turning circle? I figure that if it’s short enough, and turns like a ZTR mower, and handles OK, and gets good mileage, and I could steal one for under $16000…dang it all man, I’d buy it…At least for my wife. Then I could save the planet vicariously through her and be welcome at the local chapter of the Sierra Club….if I could just overcome the suspicion that my voice will rise an octave after driving a Smart for a day. Whadayathink doc?
I think the idea of a fuel efficient small car is great, but this car seems to be far from one of the best options out there. This car is only slightly more fuel efficient that the corolla, and not as efficient as the civic HX(which is not produced any more, not sure why). With the size and power output of this car I can’t see why many people could cost justify buying it unless it would get at least 60mpg highway. I personally would much rather see the VW below in the US… 62MPG.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/volkswagens_pol.php
Joe – I asked VW about whether they planned to import the current version of the Polo (or their other subcompacts, the Lupo and Fox) to the US now that other manufacturers are bringing their own subcompact hatchbacks. They said no — for the simple reason that by the time they finished updating the Polo to met US safety and emissions standards, it’d be just as expensive as the Jetta. Bear in mind that cars like the Bluemotion generally aren’t available with an automatic, which is considered necessary for the US market. I have spent some seat time in a Polo with a 1.4 liter gas engine and manual trans — very nice car (it even had leather seats and climate control!) but not powerful enough for American tastes.
– Aaron
Hey Aaron, how about regularly introducing us to the great foreign cars that we can’t get over here. You can glean the reviews and comment on the cars we should be importing here and panning the one’s that should stay over there. Or maybe a 8 Best List that we can’t get in America. I really would like to know about the Citroens, Renaults, Opels, Holden’s…We might even get some comments from overseas bloggers…let’s get a bit international!
Hey, Aaron… nice review!
Reminds me of my Smart test drive which I did not submit as a review for About because 30-minutes at the wheel doesn’t constitute a real test.
My drive, in Victoria, BC, happened before the car was on sale in Canada but was being shown to a select few in advance, researching whether MB should bring the car to North America.
Fellow auto journalist Pedro Arrais, who was known to the local Mercedes-Benz dealer, arranged for me to try it, however briefly. Most of my reactions were similar to yours: surprisingly roomy and a ball to drive. But I didn’t mind the stares, waves and thrown-kisses because at my age I’ll take whatever I can get. My only complaint was with the transmission. That, fortunately, has been much improved.
Aaron, don’t fret over crosswinds. Pilots deal with them all the time. The trick in automobiles is to keep your hands on the wheel. Always. North Americans are too casual in their driving habits.
Long ago I drove VW Beetles that could be blown off high bridges if a driver wasn’t careful, but never had a serious problem because I kept my hands on that wheel and concentrated on driving.
It isn’t all about miles per gallon, Aaron. Any car that saves materials in manufacture and reduces energy use in bringing parts to the factory, while also reducing the on-the-road/parking footprint, thus freeing up land for better uses, is making a contribution to the environment.
The Smart is a great city car. Mind you, the best car in the city is no car at all. Or a “streetcar.” LA needs more of those
– Philip
You wondered about crash tests, well here is a demonstration of a head-on with a Mercedes S-Class:
http://paultan.org/archives/2006/06/13/smart-fortwo-crash-test/
The answer is, it looks like a ping pong ball… but the passenger cabin kept it’s shape!
I saw one up close here in Canada a couple of years ago. It was powered by a 3 cylinder diesel. Unfortunately I hear the diesel has been discontinued.