By Robert Farago
May 11, 2008 -
You'd think The New York Times would love the smart fortwo. It's trendy, chic and politically correct in an entirely metrosexual kinda way. True to form, Eric Taub's review starts with a love-in: "the Smart Fortwo may be the cutest and most unusual-looking production vehicle to arrive in this country since BMW’s front-loading Isetta 300 of the 1950s." Yeah, those wacky old Bimmers! Who needs a life can forget them! And then Taub gets waylaid by the smart's herky-jerky, unacceptably quirky automatic transmission– the only autobox in the world capable of competing with the M5's SMeGma cog swapper for the title "worst gearbox in the history of the world ever." "It may be enough to make you reach for the Dramamine: the engine temporarily slows as the car is about to upshift, jerking the driver forward and then back with each shift. Several times, my wife threatened to walk home. This may bring back fond memories of your first pathetic attempt to drive a manual transmission car. The solution — if you can time it right — is to lift your foot off the accelerator when you think the transmission is about to shift, something I was able to pull off about 50 percent of the time." Throw in mediocre mpg's and even Taub can't resist the conclusion that the smart is stupid. "With its limited carrying capacity, seemingly mediocre fuel economy, erratic handling and fitful acceleration, one question that potential buyers in this part of the world should be asking is, what’s the point?"
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May 11th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I read that this morning. He does not seem to get it.
He is a mainstream driver/writer writing for mainstream. Yes, most Americans will want auto, sad. Maybe the auto is weak, I haven’t been reading up, waiting for Mazda2.
There is a one year waiting list mentioned by smart dealer up here by Boston.
So why does he not point ask “Why buy smart when Chevy Tahoe just came down in price?”?
There are few cars on road, State Route 153, NH. One every 5 minutes. I like it this way, I can afford gas.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Interesting. An excellent New York Times article–yeah, I read it too and agree entirely–followed by an imcomprehensible comment. What is wrong with this picture?
And why is the finest print newspaper in the world, including the Times of London, so knee-jerk hated by ttac? It’s getting old, to say nothing of predictable.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
most people seem disappointed with the smart. consumer reports, for instance. folks look on it as a rare misstep for Daimler.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Just curious, when is the next round of newsroom lay offs taking place at the “finest print newspaper in the world”?
May 11th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
It’s very unusual and unique, sometimes that alone is enough to earn a car an audience in the US. Nothing wrong with that IMO, and it beats yet another SUV clogging our roads like plaque in an artery.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
troonbop, newsroom layoffs are going on all over the print world, they are obviously deeply affected by the Internet. All I’m saying is that it’s a little too facile to make such easy fun of an organization that for a century and a half has been the newspaper of record for a lot of the country. Same goes for calling Eric Taub, an excellent technology writer, a “New York Times Weenie.” Sort of like glibly calling Rober Farago “a car blog dickhead” for the sake of making a dick–or head–pun.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Frankly, there really isn’t one (what’s the point?) The smart’s compromises work in Rome, but not in LA. It’s a fashion accessory with limited utility (as if that ever counted for all that much).
May 11th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Stephan Wilkinson:
And why is the finest print newspaper in the world, including the Times of London, so knee-jerk hated by ttac? It’s getting old, to say nothing of predictable.
If there is an Old Gray Lady “hatred” thing going on– and I’m not saying that I’m not saying that there is or isn’t– it’s down to me, personally.
Please remember that TTAC is a catholic (small “c”) church. We NEVER refuse a writer or commentator’s work because of their views. Never. In fact, I’ve actively solicited (and edited) work antithetical to previously expressed not to say majority opinions.
That said, point taken. That said, no one is safe from our BS detector.
May 11th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
The Smart is almost exclusively about parking. I drove the lastgen diesel and found that transmission to be a little better, plus of course mileage and acceleration were acceptable.
When I lived in Vancouver I really appreciated having a CRX, it was a much better all round solution–more space and a manual, and could be wedged into impossibly small parking spots, alleys and so forth.
Of course, the CRX was almost exclusively about driving…
May 11th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
As for Smart parking advantages, those are irrelevant in most of the U. S. Motorcycles get ticketed for parking anywhere other than parallel in a full automobile parking space, unless there is a designated special bike parking area, in most U. S. cities. Park a Smart perpendicular to the curve in any U. S. city and it’ll be ticketed, if not towed (a point that the Times article made at least in terms of New York City).
In Rome, you can park on sidewalks and freelance your way into unused parts of bus stops or whatever. In the U. S., you’re simply additional revenue.