U.S. Media Hearts Smart

Glenn Swanson
by Glenn Swanson

As the Smart ForTwo prepares for its U.S. debut, its manufacturer is busy spinning their mini (not MINI) marvel to the U.S. press as the ultimate green machine. “America has never been more ready for a car like this,” Smart’s U.S. Prez David Schembri told CNN, after ticking off a list of issues including urban congestion, the cost of gas and general “economic concerns”. America maybe; the American media most definitely. After posing the obvious left-leaning question– “Can a culture that prides itself on big houses and jumbo sport-utility vehicles really fall for a car roughly the size of a golf cart?”– Lake accompanied Schembri for a spin in Smart’s SUV toe-jam through the mean streets of Manhattan. She pronounced the Smart “zippy” and, setting aside any pretense of journalistic objectivity, ejaculated “oh this fabulous.” All in all, Schembri would have to agree.

Glenn Swanson
Glenn Swanson

Glenn is a baby-boomer, born in 1954. Along with his wife, he makes his home in Connecticut. Employed in the public sector as an Information Tedchnology Specialist, Glenn has long been a car fan. Past rides have included heavy iron such as a 1967 GTO, to a V8 T-Bird. In between those high-horsepower cars, he's owned a pair of BMW 320i's. Now, with a daily commute of 40 miles, his concession to MPG dictates the ownership of a 2006 Honda Civic coupe which, while fun to drive, is a modest car for a pistonhead. As an avid reader, Glenn enjoys TTAC, along with many other auto-realated sites, and the occasional good book. As an avid electronic junkie, Glenn holds an Advanced Class amateur ("ham") radio license, and is into many things electronic. From a satellite radio and portable GPS unit in the cars, to a modest home theater system and radio-intercom in his home, if it's run by the movement of electrons, he's interested. :-)

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  • Vega Vega on Sep 16, 2007

    I just can't stand all this "deathtrap, rolling coffin etc" ignorance. These cars have been on the market in Europe for almost 10 years now, and crash statistics show no sign of a bigger risk driving a Smart compared to other small cars. And no, contrary to what some Americans believe driving in Europe is not restricted to tiny cars in rustic medieval cities. Last time I was on the Autobahn I saw tons of 40t rigs and heavy Vans. A Yaris may have a longer crumple zone but ut also has a big inflexible engine block before your feet. In addition, the video some mentioned shows a Smart crashing into a barrier at a speed way above crash regulation standards. This would get you killed in anything below an S-class. I agree that the Smart is not the first choice for a 500 mile road trip but it is still possible. This car has been built to toughest crash standards. The shell is incredibly rigid, the interior survival cell is very spacy (leg- and headroom), even the seatbacks are massive and act as an integral part of the safety system. If I had to hit a wall at 30mph I would rather sit in a Smart than any cheaply built pickup with inflexible chassis rails and cheaply constructed seats with headrests that cannot be adjusted high enough.

  • AGR AGR on Sep 16, 2007

    smart have a double floor to augment the rigidity and crumple of the car. The tires that protude at each extremity are part of the crumple zones of the car. The seat back are metal to protect the occupants in case of a severe collision from the rear. The Tridion safety cell is very rigid to protect the occupants of the car. A smart is not the ideal highway vehicle, primarily its track is narrower, and its susceptible to cross winds. Driving on the highway once the driver gets used to it, is not a big deal. If you would own a smart and an SUV which one would you use do do errands or short commutes?

  • Rpn453 Rpn453 on Sep 16, 2007

    The Smart that the U.S. will get is actually stretched 8 inches (all in the front) compared to the previous model, so it does have a little bit of a crumple zone now. I don't know if all Smarts will be like that or only the U.S. market ones.

  • F8 F8 on Sep 16, 2007

    Vega: These cars have been on the market in Europe for almost 10 years now, and crash statistics show no sign of a bigger risk driving a Smart compared to other small cars. And no, contrary to what some Americans believe driving in Europe is not restricted to tiny cars in rustic medieval cities. Last time I was on the Autobahn I saw tons of 40t rigs and heavy Vans. There are large cars in Europe, of course, but not nearly as many as there are in the States. Is most of the traffic on European roads made up of large sedans, SUVs, and huge, tall trucks like Dodge Ram/F-150/Tundra/Titan/etc.? Because that is what I see on Californian roads every day. A Smart in Europe doesn't have nearly the same chance of colliding with a very heavy, very tall vehicle as it does in the States. And rigs have little to do with anything - any car will suffer extensive damage after a collision with a semi. Smarts may be very safe (they have to pass inspections after all), but I doubt they will be perceived as such (at least initially). Lots of money and time will have to be spent by Smart's team to convince Americans that these cars are safe in a collision, and that's still just one aspect of it. We'll see if Smart becomes successful here in the States, but I have to say that its lack of useful space for anything other than A to B transportation (and for only two people), lack of power, and gas mileage that is only marginally better than its regular-sized competitors is already making it look pretty bad, even if it was the safest car in the world. Combine that with the fact that it's priced to compete with cars that have more room, power, and actually come from well-established brands that are known to be reliable, and it's honestly hard to see why anyone would buy a Smart. It doesn't even have the looks to back it up - it just looks goofy.

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