I saw one in London for the first time yesterday.
Wow! Its a really striking car, it looks so stylish in the flesh - I want one!
Another thing that struck me is just how small it is! You don't really get the feeling from the pictures, but it really is like a micro-sports car.
I think its good that we now have a sports can which really can be considered environmentally friendly, I heard the euro-mix economy is 55mpg!
And a fancy website to go with it:
DAS
--
I never understand this attitude. Why does bigger=better?
I have seen reviewers bang on about how the Audi A2 and Merc A-class are terrible value "for such small cars".
But that is missing the point entirely.
Some people actually like small cars, they handle better, they are more responsive, and they are easier to drive and park.
Until you have a traffic light showdown with, say, a C reg fiesta XR2 that's worth £250 and some snotty 17 year old leaves you eating his dust
£13.5k buys you a lot of car these days, but the same argument applies to all Smart cars, they are well overpriced....
That its performance is lack lustre.
Well, if you buy a sports car to beat people off the lights, then that is a different matter. Some people are more concerned with enjoying driving rather than showing off or competing.
The same could be said of all MBs.
And the driver is all the time occupied by steering corrections, after
100 km comes fatigue vs. bigger wheelbase steadyness. I can leave the steering wheel by itself and the car goes straight, the small car starts under the same conditions wander left and right. For example Xsara or Civic - both were disappointment for me, especially Civic. BTW, Smart's tinyness makes it suitable only for very smooth roads. If the roads are even slightly bumpy, the ride becomes very harsh.snipped-for-privacy@w201.lowered
Space, Oliver, Space!
Some/lots of us wish to carry more than a wristbag...
DAS
--
LOL, as far as I can see, 99.9% of the time cars are used to carry the driver only :)
I see it in London all the time, HUGE mpvs/estates/4x4s with just one tiny little person inside the great cavern
The thing is you can get carried away with 0-60. But it is completely meaningless.
The thing is a 0-60 time is heavily influenced by how well you can dump the clutch.
A smart roadster cannot really dump its clutch, but if it could you would be looking at more like a 8-9 second time. Even the good old Suzuke Cappucino cracked 0-60 in 8.3 seconds with a 660cc, 64bhp turbo engine ;)
Then of course there is the issue of turbo lag. which impedes 0-60.
The thing is you are often not going to simply do 0-60, rolling acceleration is much more important, to accelerate out of bends and this is where the roadster excells. And noise is important. The turbo engine makes the right noise ;)
Even outright acceleration is fairly meaningless, ok you feel a slightly increased force on your back but that is it, it doesn't make you feel like your going fast. There is no substitute to being in a lightweight car, close to the road for that real feeling of speed.
I have driven cars which claim 0-60 in 7 seconds or so, but they haven't felt fast!
As for £13k, well it is something a bit different, a bit funky, and VERY fun!
Based on the unresponsiveness of gearshift in the Smart this is where I would be most concerned, is the gearbox going to provide me with a sporty feel? IMHO you can't beat a manual box on a small engined car, what are the options with the roadster? I guess manual/semi?
True ;-)
A bit of blood and guts suspension helps too, none of this airmatic nonsense ;)
Me too, strange how perceived speed and actual speed can differ so much with ride.
Hmmmm, I'm still not convinced, maybe if AMG get their hands on it... ;*)
Yup, I agree the gearshift is the weakest link. A Daihatsu Copen is an similar alternative with a proper shift, and it is faster. But its also butt-ugly when compared to the roadster. (see
From the beginning though the Smart was too small to put in a proper gearbox, which is why they built this integrated engine/gearbox/electric clutch solution, which is smaller and lighter than a convetional manual or auto box.
Yup, Mercs are too quiet and too comfortable to feel the acceleration.
Nothing beats a go-kart.
Except a go-kart that has only one gear, spins to 18,000rpm, and does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. Now absolutely *NOTHING* beats that for feeling fast. Not even a Ferrari. I have never been afraid of acceleration before, but on this go-kart, I had to get used to it first before fully exploiting it, because it felt soo insane!
Barbus have already apparently, upped the power to 93bhp. But they have tinkered with the turbo, and you need to use 97 fuel on it. Worst part is though it is tipped to be £4000 more expensive. Heh. Now you can start talking about value for money ;)
"Oliver Keating" schreef in bericht news:bejjt0$72r$ snipped-for-privacy@titan.btinternet.com...
Its has the same bottom as a mitsubishi colt.
-- Out there, Somewhere
Isn't that the Smartforfour?
Yes, the Fourfor.
Juergen
Test reply - new news service
Bob B
Oliver Keat>>Space, Oliver, Space!
I spent the last 3 weeks in the UK (London mainly) and Germany (Frankfurt and Regensburg). From my view I was amazed at the number of small cars on the roads even the autobahn (many A140/A170Ds and smaller). A lot of them were diesel especially in Germany (gas stations had vegetable diesel for -0.10 euro/L cheaper, but not in London). The Smart and A series appeared to be more popular in Germany than in London, the English do appear to think the car is too small for the price (even the A series). In general the Germans appear to be more concerned with the environment than the English (hot house gases etc)and are more willing to make the sacrifice.
I also discovered why the hydrids are not selling in Europe....the small TDIs (e.g. VW Golf) get very high milage and good performance with known reliability (hybrids are unknown at this time except for the battery replacement at 80K miles or sooner). And there is the Smart option.
If the Smart Fourfor were available here it would definitely be my second car. The Sport would not have space for my dog (an 80 lb. black Lab). Although in California, I would try to get it with the large CDI (107 hp I think) and use the E320 for long trips (1 hr+).
Other notes: Even C bodies are large compared to the other cars in London. In Europe E320s are less common than smaller engined version of the E. The number of S320 that I saw were greater than the number of E320s. In Germany I saw all kinds of de-optioned MB that would never be imagined over here,manual gears, including a recent E with HUB CAPS!!.
Bob B
Oliver Keat>>Space, Oliver, Space!
Woowwwww. Welcome to the rest of the world.
We don't all drive round in 5-litre monsters and think that 3 litres are puny and 0 - 62 mph in 11 seconds is slow...
Maybe most Americans don't either but you'd never know, reading these newsgroups...
:-)) DAS
--
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.