Would you buy a smart car? (best, trucks, engine, bike)
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no I wouldn't, I saw a bunch in San Fran (no surprise right ) and I laughed at them, if you want an environmentally friendly vehicle get an electric car that's not a coffin. You could buy a motorcycle which gets even better gas mileage.
Now if you really want to help the earth and stuff, buy a hydrogen fuel cell car. Now those are cool cars. I want to own one later in my life but can't atm, unless of course someone gives me a million dollars
This is why people from other countries laugh at us when we say we drive buig cars for safety. Sure it can be safe if someone hits you from behind or directly in a straight 180 degree angle. However most car crashes dont happen that way. If an SUV is driving one direction and collides with a smart car in another direction, sure the smart car would be damaged however at least it wont flip over, or roll over. Since the car is small, any collision would cause the car to rollover if the impact is not straight on, leading to fatalities. So while the in the person on the smart car might have a totaled car, more then like he will walk away. The SUV might not look damaged at all however due to the car being rolled over and flipped, the individuals in the car might not be so lucky. Remember the term, the bigger they are the harder they fall. It is easy to take down an SUV if you just make significant impact on different sides of the vehicle, not just directly the front and the back.
Most of you are just hating, and you know cars like the smart car and the Toyota Prius are technically much better vehicles. Do not say dare say the Toyota Prius, (very safe, gets great gas mileage, comfortable, and surprisingly very spacious) is not a great vehicle because we all know it is, and if you dislike the car, so what, just hate, you are entitled to your own opinion.
This is why people from other countries laugh at us when we say we drive buig cars for safety. Sure it can be safe if someone hits you from behind or directly in a straight 180 degree angle. However most car crashes dont happen that way. If an SUV is driving one direction and collides with a smart car in another direction, sure the smart car would be damaged however at least it wont flip over, or roll over. Since the car is small, any collision would cause the car to rollover if the impact is not straight on, leading to fatalities. So while the in the person on the smart car might have a totaled car, more then like he will walk away. The SUV might not look damaged at all however due to the car being rolled over and flipped, the individuals in the car might not be so lucky. Remember the term, the bigger they are the harder they fall. It is easy to take down an SUV if you just make significant impact on different sides of the vehicle, not just directly the front and the back.
Most of you are just hating, and you know cars like the smart car and the Toyota Prius are technically much better vehicles. Do not say dare say the Toyota Prius, (very safe, gets great gas mileage, comfortable, and surprisingly very spacious) is not a great vehicle because we all know it is, and if you dislike the car, so what, just hate, you are entitled to your own opinion.
Trying to get much of the point from this post. I don't think anyone is arguing that the Prius isn't a good car, it is. It's great at saving gas, and carrying the family around with you, plus the groceries. The smart car does serve a purpose, and to certain individuals in certain cities i'm sure it serves that purpose well. Those people are probably not carrying groceries in the car, or if they are, they go to the store alone so they can put the groceries on the seat and floor...The performance of the engine isn't anything special, but the fuel economy isn't either...If 40mpg is your goal, there are numerous other vehicles out there that will be more user-friendly than the smart, and equally as safe.
I can remember watching the smart cars 40 mph crash test...The vehicle sustained very little damage during the impact, what would be damaging to the occupants was the subsequent "Bounce" the vehicle induced which would have put it into another lane of traffic, potentially causing a second collision.
I saw you mentioned something about rollovers in SUV's, and yes that can be a problem as the vehicles are top heavy, but so is the smart...at least for the length/width of the vehicle...Combine that with it's short size, and how high on the vehicle many of the impacts will occur will automatically create hazards of rollover. Maybe in europe where the typical accident is between a VW Polo or Golf the smart might fare "ok"...But considering what we drive here in America, i'd say no way.
Other obvious issues for me.
Where do the golf clubs go?
Where's the luggage go?
Can i take it cross country?
How about cross state?
Can she climb through the switchbacks in the rockies?
How reliable will that single clutch automated manual transmission be?
How will she survive a real world crash?
In a world of compromises, i think this vehicle asks for to many while providing to few outstanding benefits that i couldn't get with another vehicle...I guess as a plus at least i could park it sideways, but i can deal with parking like everyone else, is a TDi Jetta/Golf and getting better MPG and carrying the whole family, two pieces of luggage, and two sets of golf clubs all at the same time
In my rural area the smart car would be a death trap. We have potholes that are bigger than that car. I would never be able to see over tall grass or see around blind curves and hills. I'll stick with my SUV for the time being.
I like the idea of the Smart car. So far the execution hasn't been ideal. I'd rather see more compact diesels and motors like VW's 1.4l supercharged/turbo TSI motor that has power and still gets 40mpg. Thanks EPA for sucking!
Most of you are just hating, and you know cars like the smart car and the Toyota Prius are technically much better vehicles. Do not say dare say the Toyota Prius, (very safe, gets great gas mileage, comfortable, and surprisingly very spacious) is not a great vehicle because we all know it is, and if you dislike the car, so what, just hate, you are entitled to your own opinion.
WOW, using the word hate twice in the same paragraph, does that make you sound environmentally hip or something?
I thought this thread was on Smart cars not Prius's..... take your rant to another thread......
Where do the golf clubs go?
Where's the luggage go?
Can i take it cross country?
How about cross state?
Can she climb through the switchbacks in the rockies?
How reliable will that single clutch automated manual transmission be?
How will she survive a real world crash?
From working in the car sharing industry I have a lot of familiarity with all sorts of economical cars, Smart included. At my current job I get to see/drive just about everything out there. So, I think I can offer some insight.
First off, I took out the rest of your post as it was spot on. I'm a bit of a Prius critic but only in terms of its overall economy (dollars and cents), nothing to do with the car itself. However, when it comes to the Smart, it is flat out arguably the worst vehicle you could spend money on. The ONLY time/place it makes sense is if you live in a dense urban area, need a car for around town use and parking is a nightmare. Even then, if the street has marked spaces, it isn't going to help you and you can't park front in like you can in Europe in most places.
To answer your questions:
1. You could get one set of clubs in the trunk, but that's about it.
2. You could get a couple small carry ons or one large suitcase in the trunk.
3. You can as it is rather roomy inside, but sustained highway driving isn't it's strong suit.
4. It's fine for day tripping as long as you aren't taking a lot of stuff with you.
5. I wouldn't personally take it anywhere near upper elevations and long grades. I drove one from Philly to Pittsburgh and if it had been a horse, I would have shot it somewhere along the way. The engine gets absolutely wheezey at upper elevation and just doesn't have the power to sustain a long grade, there were stretches I was in the right lane, flashers on, barely going 35...and that was in PA, not the Rockies.
6. The transmission is simply horrendous and makes a bad car even worse. There have been multiple issues with the transmissions and they have been the subject of a couple recalls. The unit is North America specific and not used on the Euro models. Don't buy one expecting to drive it like an auto, you need to operate it like a manual clutchless unit. Think early E46 M3 SMG...only crappier.
7. Not well, as you illustrated in your post. The car is tall with a narrow wheelbase and you can even feel the instability on the highway in cross winds. Physics has to play a role and you are basically strapping yourself into a lightweight reinforced ball. There are many instances of doors coming off and people being ejected and Smarts bouncing following hits by larger vehicles or at highway speeds. Besides the "star" ratings don't use dummies and are only tested with the car against an immovable object (head on into wall) or the car is allowed to freely move (side impact). This means only the weight of the vehicle itself plays a role. Run a 1,600 pound Smart at 25mph head on into an Explorer going 25mph and the folks in that Smart are going to feel like they hit a brick wall at 90+ as well as have to deal with massive direction changes (the Smart WILL bounce backwards), the forces of which cause most injuries.
NJGOAT, In the 3rd pic down, is that some sort of hood ornament on the truck? That truck looks like it had a smaller engine fire too. Good thing the cab didn't burn, that driver might have been hurt.
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) and I laughed at them, if you want an environmentally friendly vehicle get an electric car that's not a coffin. You could buy a motorcycle which gets even better gas mileage. 
Absolutely not
