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In the US we have a nasty tendency to equate price with size, and that size=value=price of the car. We buy cars like we buy laundry detergent in that if it's smaller it MUST be a lesser value and should be priced less, even if it costs the same to make and costs the same or more to engineer.
It's why we went to SUVs for commuting in, as the big SUV was a better "value" (more space, more doors, etc).
I actually had a frined of mine say he was buying a 4 door version of a car because for the same price he got more doors, therefore it was a better value.... And he's single with no real need for a 4 door car. He just looks at the car as if it were a refrigerator.
A lot of peopel do the same with small cars like the Smart here.
Me? I'd drive one with no issues physically or mantally. But I'm not closed minded. I don't NEED one right now, so I won't BUY one, but I'd DRIVE one, and if I neded a small car, I'd consider one (especially with their prices on the used car market).
I like the fact that they'd be so easy to park in the city. There are a whole slew of these little cars sold in Europe, some by companies that we'd recognize, but very few are in the U.S. market. I guess because this country has such wide expanses that our requirements are different, or at least that's so for some of us. I am basically a city driver, though and don't want an all electric car for the few times I am traveling distances.
There are better options available at the same price with real carrying capacity and nearly the same fuel economy. Why drive a tiny 2-place shoebox on wheels when you could have a 4 place subcompact with a trunk?
On a more serious note the Smart car that came with the 1 liter diesel engine and got 80mpg was a good city car, but when they went to regular gas the car now gets only 40-50mpg,there are much better options out there for about the same price that are much more practical..
I wish that there were more competitors in the mini car size. I love the fact that they are so easy to wash and wax. I used to love the old VW Beetles. Some people only need a car for themselves and maybe one passenger - a car to run errands around town in.
In that class the Honda Fit outclasses the Smart in every way possible. Better ride, mileage, room, space, utility, handling, performance, reliability, cost of ownership. Pretty much everything except style and/or quirkiness.
Like the Prius, the Smart was a car that I really really wanted to like (and buy), but reality set in and it turn out to be a big disappointment.
In that class the Honda Fit outclasses the Smart in every way possible. Better ride, mileage, room, space, utility, handling, performance, reliability, cost of ownership. Pretty much everything except style and/or quirkiness.
Go figure. A car designed to be the smallest real car you can buy is, well, smaller than other cars.
Your logic is how we get individual people commuting in Suburbans by themselves, 'cause you might just want to use the extra room occasionally.
Do you need the space of a Fit to take yourself to work and back?
Go figure. A car designed to be the smallest real car you can buy is, well, smaller than other cars.
Your logic is how we get individual people commuting in Suburbans by themselves, 'cause you might just want to use the extra room occasionally.
Do you need the space of a Fit to take yourself to work and back?
Do you know what a Fit is? It is tiny. Personally I am not sure that I can fit in a Fit. It would be a good car for my daughters though.
Why would I get a Smart that gets worse miles, has less safety features, worse performance. Even if the tiny fit is bigger than what I need to drive to work, would it make sense to burn up more of our limited gasoline in order to drive a smaller Smart car? Does ti make sense to place the public more at risk for having to pay for me if I get injured driving a less safe smart car just because it is smaller?
What advantage do you think that smaller brings? By your logic, we should all drive motorcycles to work. They are smallest of all.
You probably should have looked up what a Fit is before you posted this:
Your logic is how we get individual people commuting in Suburbans by themselves, 'cause you might just want to use the extra room occasionally.
Now everyone is laughing at you. A Fit and a Smart are in the same class. The Fit is just better designed - so it holds more. It is not much bigger.
Go figure. A car designed to be the smallest real car you can buy is, well, smaller than other cars.
Your logic is how we get individual people commuting in Suburbans by themselves, 'cause you might just want to use the extra room occasionally.
Do you need the space of a Fit to take yourself to work and back?
The Suburban argument is a straw man. It costs a lot more to buy and a lot more to run, hence making it pointless to own if you will only use it for its true purpose a couple times a year.
The Fit vs. Smart argument is a much more valid one. The Fit and Smart cost roughly the same and both have similar operating costs. The Fit, however has far greater utility and capability in every situation save a small parking space. It also holds its value much better than the Smart, has more standard equipment and is much easier to service owing to its much larger dealer base. So, no, the Fit owner doesn't need that big of a car to commute in, but they aren't spending anymore to own or operate it than they would a Smart.
So while the utility=value argument for a Suburban used primarily for commuting is plain stupid, the utility=value argument for the Smart vs. Fit is actually a pretty good one.
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Would you buy a smart car?
