By Robert Farago
January 18, 2008
Not technically. Technically, commentator Nick Goddard's smart is the first official U.S. smart car, following on the heels of a number of gray market imports. Never mind. We're delighted that one of TTAC's best and brightest was first in line for Mercedes' four-wheeled accoutrement- I mean, city car. That can drive on the highway. In fact, during our podcast (below), nick2ny admitted that he'd taken his new smart up to 95mph on the highway. (Which is not too smart a thing to say to the media, but I'm sure he meant to say "if" somewhere in there, and change his sentence structure accordingly). Judging from our interview and the number of exclamation marks in Nick's original email, the man is over the moon with both the car and smart Prez David ("I don't share a first name with Farago") Schembri's personal service. But Nick said he'd come down to low Earth orbit long enough to answer any questions y'all might have about his box-fresh, first-out-of-the-box smart. And yes, I tried not to rain on his clown car parade. Doh!
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POWERED
January 18th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Congrats Nick. I had the opportunity to drive a SMART while on business in Frankfurt/Weisbaden a while back. It really is good city car. Being able to park sideways was great when navigating the cramped underground garage of the hotel I stayed in. I wasn’t brave enough to get out on a major highway with it though.
January 18th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Congrats on the new car Nick.
Love the shot of you and the car in Times Square. :-)
I’ll admit, before I saw the smart cars in Hartford, I was a bit jaded, I suppose. (I’d read the TTAC review, along with coverage by the car mags.)
Yet when you actually see / sit in one, the car has a certain appeal. It’s difficult to put into words, but it seems well screwed together, with decent switch-gear.
Overall, the car imparts a sense of quality (and fun appeal) that’s somehow above it’s price point. Especially the Cabrio: “I could do this!” exclaimed a woman after exiting one in Hartford.
I wonder about servicing the (well-buried) engine, and for mpg, wish it were a diesel.
Okay, a question:
How loud is the car on the road?
(Road noise, as well as engine noise.)
January 18th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Any city car that can park straight in (a parallel space) and look as cool as a SMART does is ok in my book. I would rejoice this car in Boston… but never take it on its highways.
Ahh… more reasons to have multiple cars:)
January 18th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Glenn- I agree completely- It feel robust, and well screwed together. Something about the design doesn’t look out of place next to much more expensive cars. It’s parked in a garage right now that’s full of Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and it doesn’t look out of place. Try that with any other 18k car.
The noise on my 15 mile highway route was never irritating. First impressions: roof is very quiet and no whistling or other annoying wind noise. I’m taking it on a roadtrip tonight, so I should have more useful impressions tomorrow.
I really don’t think the car is going to have any problems on the highway. Again, more news on this tonight/tomorrow. I’m going to have to post a video, aren’t I :)
Also, I LOVE that you can switch out the body panels when you feel like getting a new color car. That’s going to confuse the DMV like crazy. Benzel-Busch Mercedes/smart in Englewood, NJ (where I picked up the car) wasn’t sure if the DMV will classify the cars according to safety-cell color or body panel color. Craaaazy.
January 18th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Nick’s report on the transmission sounds like the old semi-automatics VW installed in the classic Beeltes.
Oh, about the horn. Here you go Nick:
http://www.hornblasters.com/
January 18th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Manhattan – and most city centers in the US for that matter (Boston included) are easier to drive and park in than the average centrum in Europe. Rome, Den Haag and Budapest are where this car belongs.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Congratulations!
As for taking it up to 95mph, a cop whose radar reads ‘95′ as you smile by is probably going to take the unit in for calibration, rather than pull you over. :-)
I think the Smart looks great. I don’t buy into “they belong in Europe.” In Manhattan, sure, you *can* drive more (we took a EuroVan to NYC) but *why* drive more? Easy to park, easy on gas…
In the ‘burbs, as a second (or third or fourth…) car, why not? Even for commuting; once people get past the worry of driving something this small (I’ll bet it’s far safer than some cars I used to drive), if it gets up to 70 and hangs in there, it will do the job. For many of the non-commute routine trips, the Smart will probably work nicely.
I wish we had more choices in this class because that would surely bring the price down – that’s the only difficult part about the Smart. It’s hard to justify the cost of a Yaris for something with 2/5 the passenger capacity. If Smarts were going for $10K, they’d be irresistible.
—
One question though – it’s fairly upgright and has a short wheelbase… this would tend to give the car sort of a bucking motion on some pavement. Have you noticed anything like that?
Oh, and how’s the heat? It’s about 5F right now, outside my window. Could it handle that? Or worse?
January 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Certainly a great car for Manhattan. Congrats, Nick!
So tell us, is it an eco-savvy babe magnet?
January 18th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Nick, enjoy.
Let us have the scoop on it (day to day use, real world mpg) when you have it.
Bunter
January 18th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
We have had this vehicle here in Canada for a couple of years maybe more, my neigbour has one and the only thing he doesnt like is that it has to go back to the dealer for everything including Oil changes, no dipstick on it either, and of course its a Oil burner and getting diesel around here is not too bad as I live in a rural area near a Major Provincial Highway so lots of large Commercial trucks use this route. Have fun!
January 18th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
It’s been a long journey, but finally it’s in place. I think the Merc Masters of Management are going to get a surprise when they begin tallying sales figures on this one.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Please post real world MPG figures when you can, Thanks!
January 18th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
This seems like a really dumb car. 1/5 the space of a Prius, and gets worse mileage – what, exactly, is the point?
January 18th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Kixstart- Could it handle 5F? Certainly. When I worked at DCX we benchmarked cars for -40F/C, which I reckon they did for the smart too.
It does have a bucking motion when the pavement is a triangle wave. And when it is a square wave input (like a 2″ cliff between road surfaces, the car does seem to drop particularly quickly in front. I credit this to small wheels and short wheelbase, but again, more soon!
eco-savvy babe magnet? Maybe, but have you seen eco-savvy babes?
Naww, it is a great looking car, and I think it will get lots of attention for years to come. I had a brabus in england a few years ago (see here–scroll down) and chicks lurved.
MPG coming soon.
January 18th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
@M1EK: I’m not sure of US pricing, but in Canada you can “theoretically” pick up the cheap Smart for roughly 50% the cost of a Prius. Reallistically you’re probably closer to 2/3rds the price (given the lack of real “base” Smart cars). Parking, maneuvering (sp?), etc, should also be much easier – it’s a city car!
(Though not my cup of tea).
January 18th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Enjoy your new Pogo stick, and paying Mercedes prices for parts/service..amd pray it never snows and that you never have to get your car rebuilt after an accident.
At least the prices are resonable fore these cars in the US.
//sorry to be so negative. I hope you have a great experience with it.
January 18th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
@Kurt B:
As someone who has driven a Smart in deepest winter I can assure you it handles snow just fine. Light weight, great traction (Beetle rear engine style) and standard ESP/traction control.
January 18th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
95 is pretty quick. The diesels in Canada are limited to 87mph. Do you think it would go any faster?
January 18th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Why do people spend $65k for a luxury car such as a Mercedes when a $25k Toyota will do? Same reason people will consider a $14k smart over a $12k Yaris (or $20k+ Prius). It’s about the Fahrvergnuegen..sorry VW…couldn’t help myself. It’s the spirit and feel you get when driving it. My 1997 Toyota Tercel gets me back and forth to work, with admirable fuel economy, but the smart has a very unique appeal. Hopefully, the smart will start a (mini) automotive change in how we perceive the need for vehicles. Maybe it won’t, but when the Charleston area dealership opens in a few months, I’ll be there to drive one all the same.
January 18th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Pretty cool. What kind of motorcycle do you have? 2 up with hardbags it seems like about the same amount of space as the car. Of course you wouldn’t have the cage or heat, and nightmares in the NE weather.
I’d like to know more about the transmission it sounds interesting. I sure hope it’s not similar to the old VW semi-auto, what a crappy tranny. Does it have a standard H pattern? How do you work the hi/lows?
Wish I could find one to take our for a short drive.
January 18th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Wow, what an amazing flashback. I grew up in Englewood Cliffs and spent many an evening across the GWB. In fact living near New York City was one of the very few worthwhile things about growing up in that area of the world.
Congrats on the Smart. I have a friend of mine who has owned one for the last few years out in Roswell, GA. They’re truly one of a kind vehicles and a place like NYC is definitely the right urban environment for a Smart.
Now the Ferrari’s that were raced along the side roads of Englewood Cliffs (which is their headquarters, and WAS the headquarters for VW as well before they got stupid and moved to Michigan) those Ferraris belong in a place like Atlanta. My address is…
January 19th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Nice picture but the car is ugly as hell…..what is the purpose of these cars, to save gas, yeah right they’re so small I’ll bet they can’t even hold as much gas as a regular car. This means more trip to the gas station…..and i don’t even want to imagine these things on the freeway with big rigs and 18-wheelers….and whys is it call a “smart car” it doesn’t park itself like the lexus no voice command or anything…to much hype for a toy-like car…..
January 19th, 2008 at 9:34 am
The first Smart I saw was on the MA pike in ‘06 It had Ontario plates and was cruising at 75mph. I was impressed. As for parking in downtown Beantown…….
January 19th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Congrats! When I was in Rome and Florence, these were everywhere. And they move fast. I saw plenty doing 90+mph on the freeways.
Also, in Rome, they have a monthly color panel swap meet. Smart Car Owners all meet up and trade panels. Perhaps NYC will have a similar swap meetup someday.
January 19th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Well done Nick – I saw a bunch of these in Milan and they are too cool for words.
Congratulations also as you are yet another guy that is actually doing something about our countries energy problems as opposed to those who sit around and whine that the government should “do something” to cut the running cost of their over sized truck or SUV.
January 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Good on ya, Nick,
You’re now a star on Smart Car of America http://smartcarofamerica.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23587#post23587
and Club Smart Car http://clubsmartcar.com/index.php?showtopic=13187
Congratulations on your new smart. Sounds like you had a memorable delivery experience.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:39 am
sigh
This car wasn’t designed to be gas efficient – it is so by virtue of it’s 600cc engine.
This car was designed to be cheap and easy to park. Period.
Anyone that wants to toot around in one of these is certainly going to have fun, and I’m not knocking the choice for them per se, but I have a hard time believing that ownership of that car in this country is tantamount to anything more than advertising a certain lifestyle preference. Sort of the same reason that some people buy a Super Duty just to drive to the C&W bar on weekends.
Ride ‘em cowboy.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I just saw a smart parked in manhattan on ave b yesterday. I didn’t realize they are that small. It is really small. Parked, it looked like it was taking as much space as a motorcycle turned sideways.
January 20th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
If it was red, and last night, it could have been me. I parked all over the East Village last night– I wound up at Veselka (sp?).
Here is where it was at one point–
Full fortwo review coming soon–This car is wildly appealing in many ways.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
BlisterInTheSun: “I have a hard time believing that ownership of that car in this country is tantamount to anything more than advertising a certain lifestyle preference. Sort of the same reason that some people buy a Super Duty just to drive to the C&W bar on weekends.”
What is it about small and efficient cars that some people absolutely must reject their inherent sensibility?
The “lifestyle preference” in buying a small car is, “I buy what I need to get around” and nothing more. It might be hard to believe but not all of us derive our identities from what we buy and drive, we find our identities in and derive satisfaction from what we do.
And a Smart or other small, efficient car is a sensible economic decision, too, as opposed to buying a Super Duty to impress the other cowpoke wannabes. What do those suckers cost and what does it then cost to feed them?
And here’s a thought, how often does a Super Duty have to pass up a parking spot? More annoyingly, how often does a Super Duty take up two spots?
January 21st, 2008 at 6:59 am
RE: Kixstart
What is it about small and efficient cars that some people absolutely must reject their inherent sensibility?
The “lifestyle preference” in buying a small car is, “I buy what I need to get around” and nothing more. It might be hard to believe but not all of us derive our identities from what we buy and drive, we find our identities in and derive satisfaction from what we do.
I can buy your line of reasoning, but I would question the sensibility of purchasing a car that has no inherent niche to fill other than advertising branded ‘eco-awareness’ simply because there appears (to me) no utility value for owning the car.
Having said that, the same argument could be made against buying anything that isn’t Model-T generic, so I am willing to concede that point as well.
Also, if I gave the impression that I am criticizing this specific car purchase, let me apologize here. Judging by some of the women I’ve dated, I am prone to error as much (if not moreso) than most people, so as I try to learn new things and discuss contemporary car purchases on forums such as TTAC, I need to remember to just STFU sometimes and try and absorb others’ perspectives without sounding off inappropriately.
I do think that Nick’s new car is a nice color, for what it’s worth….
January 21st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I guess Nick doesnt like it so much since it is now listed on Ebay for profit.
Same car, same “1st smart in USA” with links to the press.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Here is the link.. for everyone’s convenience:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/The-very-first-smart-fortwo-Read-on-its-famous_W0QQitemZ270205476556QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270205476556
Couldn’t say if I wouldn’t have tried to cash in, if that thing is hard to get in the US?
Waiting list?
January 21st, 2008 at 9:45 pm
To me the smart has some problems. First, as a green car it doesn’t cut it. Why? Well, because as some other poster said before this will never be (at least in Brazil and US) a first car. So, the green card is thrown out.
Secondly, and I get the appeal, it’s just too expensive (like almost any other German car)! And from what I understand mercedes has never been able to make a profit out of them. Give the “real” city cars (Clio, Corsa, Punto, Fiesta et al) their proper due. They are much better than this car. And they can serve a small family, go on the highway, save gas, be green and not be a single trick pony like the smart.