smart4two

Car and Driver reported that it returns just 32 MPG. Not cool...

 

The EPA combined mileage for the Smart is 36 mpg. I'm not surprised that C&D only managed 32 mpg. C&D only managed 42 mpg in the 2004 Prius they tested. Neither the Prius nor the Smart are a vehicle for C&D's demographic or editors.

A quote from C&D's Mike Dushane about the Prius:
"I had to look at the car sign-out board to remind myself I'd driven this car. It's that forgettable. If you want an appliance that gets good mileage and tells the world you're hip and green, this is the de facto choice. Since those aren't my priorities, I don't feel the need to drive this car again anytime soon. A few of our young male interns were transporting this car on the highway and scored a phone number from some attractive young ladies in another vehicle. That this vehicle can help score a date should strike fear into the hearts of car enthusiasts everywhere."

 

Especially since the "Smart" asks for PREMIUM gas!

 

Yeah, I don't get it. Seems like a great concept, but the mileage seems way off the mark. If the market is small and cheap, there are much cheaper cars out there. If the market is small and green, there are much better mileage cars out there. I suppose somewhere in the overlap there is a niche for small, cheapish and greenish. I was really excited about the SMARTs, but was very disappointed when the real numbers were posted.

Not to defend C&D, but they did manage to get 50/52 (54mpg on a suburban loop) out of the Prius in this test:
The Frugalympics - Comparison Test/Sedans/Comparison Test/Reviews/Car and Driver - Car And Driver
Incidently, in the same test the Jetta TDI did 33/41


Rob

 

I think the market is: 'small and easy to park in the city'. The Smart is the best at 'small' for the time being. At $14K, I do not know how many cars are cheaper, either. Certainly the mileage is disappointing in the gasoline version.

C&D can be relied upon for judging which automobiles are fast and maneuverable. They flog the crap out of every car to get the best performance numbers they can (plus free car + free fuel = fun), so I think the mileage numbers should be viewed with that in mind.

 

They're easy to find here in Winnipeg, Lone Star Mercedes sells a ton of them. I agree that parking is the biggest advantage

The Smart gasoline is Transport Canada rated 5.9 l/100km city and 4.8 l/100km highway. Converted to Imperial Gallons, 48 city and 59 highway

The turbodiesel was rated a bit higher

The Prius in Canada is rated 4.0 l/100km city (71 mpg) and 4.2 l/100km (67 mpg) highway

I sat in one a couple of years ago at the Lone Star dealership. At the time, is was priced around $8,000 cheaper than a Prius. The Prius was hands-down better

 

i just saw one of them in traffic here for the first time this morning. neat little car, but i don't think i'd want one.

 

I think the smart is designed for people who could walk so mileage isn't a priority.
Very clever in that the panels clip on so can be changed easily. You can have a set of different colour panels and change them in an evening for a whole new look the next day.

Yaris is cheaper, more economical, roomier and better built.

Smart cars are a fashion accessory, they were designed by the designers at swatch watches, you know, the watch with the changable surrounds.

 

I saw one last week.

Wayne over at cleanmpg felt that those who try for economy could get 60mpg in the Smart. Those trying in a manual Yaris could probably get close to 60mpg also. That's the manual though. You don't need the ability to operate a clutch with a Smart.

The Smart, and many modern cars that call for premium, can run fine on regular.

It is definitely a niche car. It's safer and more versatile than a motorcycle or scooter. Which are its closest competitors in the niche(small, easy parking).

I'm hoping its success will lead to the introduction of more mini cars.

 

Heh. Having grown up in the big city of Las Cruces, I'm (pleasantly!) surprised to see a Prius in Hobbs!

(Maybe that smart4two was really aliens visiting from Roswell?)

 

If I did my calculations right, the extra cost for premium is a little less per unit than in Canada. Per http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/, the avg. cost of regular in the US is currently $3.324 and premium is $3.657. Those are bargains compared to what it is in San Jose per http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/CAmetro.asp ($3.724 for regular and $4.03 for premium).

 

I wonder if the US (or maybe California) will catch up to Canadian gas prices w/the weak dollar and all.

The amazing part was in December 2001, my parents and I were in the Los Angeles area and we saw regular unleaded for <$1/gallon. We didn't even bother shopping around for gas when we saw it that cheap.

When I lived in WA state (no Prius yet; moved away in ~Sept 04), I was griping when premium was nearing $2/gal.

 

But what the Yaris doesn't have but the Smart does, the "Cute" factor. The Smart is very fun as well.

 

According to the wiki at least, the diesel has been dropped in NA and the gas engine has been upped from 700cc to 1L. Thats probably largely to blame for the disappointing numbers relative to what SMARTs elsewhere seem to manage.

I'm all for smaller cars, but for me at least smaller but not particularly efficient doesn't make much sense. In my mind the Insight was a much better small car, and that got scrapped. Maybe these are cheap enough that people will buy them anyway, but its not very compelling in my book.

People seem to be lining up to buy one, so obviously they see something in it I don't. And I'm not a hater, I actually went out to one of the local SMART events when the tour came to town to see them. I love the idea. Just really disappointed by the numbers. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the Prius.

Rob