Smart fortwo vs Prius ?

What do you Prius owners think of the Smart for two

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is cleaner in typical use ?

Reply to
roadriderob
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Better to compare it to the proposed Toyota competitor.

Which even has a small back seat.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

What is the proposed Toyota competitor ? I saw a new (U.S.) Yaris (?) on Motorweek with a back seat for 1 adult and 1 child (Toyota's words not mine) but its not on their website - a link would be nice ...

Reply to
roadriderob

I just saw it a few minutes ago in Car and Driver--but that's not right in front of me right now.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

well, we don't need my Car and Driver. A quick Google search on "toyota smartfortwo" solves the problem in about 0.51 seconds.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

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Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

For me personally, the Prius better meets my needs, but I think the Smart fortwo would be great for seniors who want a basic car to get around in that's also easy on the environment an economical. It would also be a great first car for students who need something inexpensive that is also environmentally friendly and fuel efficient.

I like my Prius more because the gas mileage is about the same as a Smart for two, and it has a full hatchback with a fold down seat and with the back seat not folder, it can carry four people easily.

Reply to
Shawn Hirn

And it costs about 1 1/2 to twice the price of the Smart for Two. I'd stick with the Prius myself, but if I knew that I'd never be driving outside this metropolitan area, I would consider a Smart if I ever were to replace the Prius. As it is, as soon as the Plug-in Prius becomes available, I'll consider trading my 04 for one.

Reply to
Michelle Steiner

At first glance of the specs, I see that they recommend premium gasoline and the mileage ratings are slightly lower than the Prius. Strictly from a fuel cost standpoint, it appears that the Prius has an advantage, but the significantly lower price makes it truly smart from an overall cost standpoint, provided you don't need the room. My biggest concern would be safety--mainly because of the size of the car compared to 99.9% of the vehicles on the road that you might "encounter". I think that is likely to be a major obstacle to increasing sales in the US, at least in the short-to-medium term.

- Doug

Reply to
DougSlug

It's comparing apples and oranges. The Prius is a mid-size car with large front suits, plenty of headroom, room to seat three (two comfortably) in the rear, and adequate cargo space. It also happens to get in the neighborhood of 50 MPG.

Reply to
Mike Rosenberg

"roadriderob"...

The comparison would be better made versus the coming Toyota IQ. If the question is only 'cleaner', then the vehicle that gets more MPG wins as it is the one that releases the least pollutants and uses the least resources.

As other folks have noted, this is not a fair comparison anyway due to the vast size differences between the Smart and the Prius. Tomes

Reply to
Tomes

A better comparison is the Honda Insight . . . which is no longer for sale.

Bob Wilson

Reply to
Bob & Holly Wilson

Well, I'll say this--the Smart really brings meaning to the word "coupe" (which means "cut", as in "cut in half".

Kind of like comparing chickens and apples, ain't it?

Note the Smart is manual transmission only--I know many people who just do not like rowing through the gears. I used to enjoy it, but I'm now in my 70s, and if I could afford one, I'd have a Buick.

Reply to
Pete Granzeau

Especially since the Smart gets only 32mpg.

????? Crazy, but true.

Let's see....$17K, 32mpg, two people. OR: $22K, 45mpg, 4-5 people.

Which car would YOU rather have?

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

  • Greetings!

Take a look at Toyota's concept car (competitor to Smart) -- the IQ:

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earle

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Reply to
Earle Jones

Take a look at Toyota's concept car (competitor to Smart) -- the IQ:

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Use the TinyURL:   
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earle

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Reply to
Earle Jones

In Europe we've been exposed to the Smart for a couple years, and while they are something of a fashion statement, they're just not great cars to do actual driving. They're slow, sluggish, loud, cramped, and a very short wheelbase with a rear engine isn't exactly straightforward to handle.

There's a bunch of cars available in the same fuel consumption range than Prius and Smart - check out e.g. the Toyota Aygo. Similar consumption, but half the price of a Smart, a third the price of a Prius. Classic no frills small car.

cu .\\arc

Reply to
Marc Gerges

the prius gets 25% better mileage to my knowledge. i see a handful of smarts on the road now, cute for sure, but 40mpg is nothing to write home about - especially for such a small package.

bob

Reply to
bob

Smart: 32mpg. Prius: average driver, 45mpg.

That's over 40% better gas mileage.

In fact, the day a Prius sees 32mpg over a tankful is the day its owner takes it in and they find something seriously broken.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

Or you could do as my wife and I are going to do.

We have a 04 Prius that will be used for road trips We have a 02 F150 for heavy trips and 4 wheel trips and we are going to get a Smart as a City car and take some of the miles off the Prius.

George Drum

Reply to
George D

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