Anyone drive a "Smart Car" here in North America?

I was, perhaps mistakenly, led to believe that they were forbidden here in the USA.

Erm...yes, but Ken is in Canada, where Smarts are sold (and popular, at least here in the Toronto area).

I caught that part. The USA constitutes another pretty large part of 'North America'.

I understand they are being imported by a separate company that apparently operates from the M.B. east coast offices. That company Smart USA, has licensed the Zap electric car company to distribute them and line up dealers. Presumably they would be existing Zap dealers. It is my understanding that the Smart micro car will not be imported, but a tiny SUV designed to compete with a like sized Toyota will be imported.

My sense is that the warranty is through the distributor and not through M.B. or the importer Smart USA, but I could find nothing on that.

These cars are very cool and tough check out the first link which shows a crash test. I first saw them while in Italy on vacation, I think they will be the next Volkswagon Bug.

Here's is the link to the company where you can purchase IN THE US.

Nope. See

. TheAmericanized Smarts are said to be available "soon", and you're askedto "register your interest", but as of now you cannot buy one in the US.

I looked at that site too, Daniel. What they are going to sell, if indeed they get the project on track, may be somewhat different than the European 'Swatch'.

I have seen lots of them on the roads in Europe. The common perception is that they are probably 'death traps', but they apparently serve a needed niche. Darwin would have loved the concept.

I've seen the Smart micro in europe several times. The fill a niche for people who have no enclosed parking and must use unmarked street parking in big urban areas. There are few areas that I can think of where that small size will really be a benefit in the USA. Even if you found street parking in NYC there would be no benefit to parking sideays in a long metered spot. That's probably why Zap isn't importing the Smart micro car but is instead bringing in a much larger (in relative terms) SUV to compete with the tiny SUV's from Toyota, etc.

I think the Smart SUV will have a long hill to climb before the car becomes a success because there is plenty of established competition with high quality products in that market already and the Chinese are also getting products ready. Also consider that the car is a new name being sold through non-traditional car dealers (Zap dealers). And finally consider that the warranty will be does not appear to come from Mercedes or the Importer, but from the Distributor and a small network of dealers.

I'm just not sure who will be willing to ante up $25k under those conditions.

The Swatch is not the same as the Smart. They are two different vehicles.

The Smart ForTwo is quite popular here in Toronto, as I've mentioned. It is fully compliant with Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which are almost identical to US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Differences are fairly minor: the Canadian bumper standard is more stringent than the US standard (all Canadian-spec bumpers meet US requirements, but the obverse is not true). The Canadian standard allows European headlamps, which the ForTwo has and which are not permitted in the US. The Canadian standard requires Daytime Running Lamps, while the US standard merely permits them. The Canadian front seatbelt anchorage location requirements are more stringent than the US standard, so some belt designs allowed in the US are not approved in Canada. That's about it, as far as safety standard differences go. Emission standards are identical between the US and Canada. So, from where I sit, the only regulatory snag stopping the Canadian version of the ForTwo being sold in the US is the lack of US-DOT headlamps. There must be some other reason than that, though, for that's an easy and inexpensive fix.

Common amongst whom? And based on what data?

A perception is not necessarily based on data.

Most people with whom I have spoken (Europeans) feel that, in case of an accident, the passenger in a larger and more substantial vehicle would be more likely to survive.

Are they? "Smart (short for Swatch Mercedes ART, sometimes called the MCC Smart) is a brand of microcar based in Böblingen, (Germany)."

Yipe! Didn't I see this on the shelf at Radio Shack?

Years ago I saw an accident that left a lasting impression. It was a head-on between an early sixtyish Rambler and an early seventyish Vette. The Rambler had a few scratches and a dent or two; the Vette now consisted of the rear 40% of the original car, with the engine front on the center console and the transmission somewhere inside the trunk. This was in a 30MPH zone where the little old ladies traditionally make it hard to go as fast as 25.

At least people in these "smart" cars won't be able to sit in the left lane and slow traffic down, for fear they'll get caught in the treads of the car behind them.

Here, they hug the left (passing) lane for dear life. Won't get over. It must be uncomfortable driving next to the shoulder???

A couple of months ago, I got into a traffic jam on Highway 59 South and when I moved up on the cause, I found it was a Texas Highway Patrol unit, driving 55 in the left lane. (Speed limit was 70)

Everybody was afraid to pass on the right (which IS legal under these conditions), and traffic had stacked up for miles.

No, if the Swatch Mercedes cars ever get here, the drivers will not change much.

Frequently I'm the first person to pass one of those. Eventually I see people behind me starting to cautiously pass.

You'd better believe it. I will maintain my speed in the right (driving) lane and if I happen to come past the ass in the passing lane, sobeit.

So I'm given to understand. However...

Last year I had the opportunity to study at leisure a Smart ForTwo. It seemed to me that the bumpers immediately ahead of the front wheels were just a plastic skin, with no reinforcement apparent. I found this mildly puzzling, to say the least.

Isn't there a requirement that the bumpers protect the front wheels and suspension from damage? Or is damage protection required only for lighting?

$25K - in the USA??? The list price here, for the least expensive Smart, is about $17K Canadian - less than $15K USD. Get 'em here while they are priced that way ;-)

The 3 cylinder diesel engines on the 4-2s here in the city seemed to work quite well. The courier and pizza delivery guys started with them. I saw them first in London (UK) about 3 years ago. Last year they were driving around the city here.... I guess the block heaters work well starting the diesels here in Winnipeg. Maybe they also use synthetic oil for lube??

Ken Winnipeg, Canada

Good idea! Seriously the cost of getting the cars certified for USA compliance would be high. When the importers were first considering bringing the Smart micro car into the U.S. the initial price was a staggering $20,000 for a 2 seat car! According to the press releases and news stories I've read the company re-thought that decision and are bringing an baby SUV into the U.S. instead. One press release said the range in prices for the SUV would $20k to $25k.

Small cars with diesel motors have never been popular here, mostly because of the distances people drive. Far greater than the UK. And the price of fuel at the pump has historically been much lower.

Yes, a block heater will do wonders for getting a diesel started on a frigid morning...and they help get the driver warm too. I had one installed on a Volvo 240 Diesel and it helped a lot, especially as the motor got closer to 200,000 miles.