August 31, 2007
SFist Photo: Is this tiny Smart Car your New Ride?
Despite looking like one of those controversial electric vehicles, this Smart Car is just a regular gasoline-powered two-seater. What makes it unique is its tiny size - at less than nine feet long it's very huggable.
Have you seen one of these cars around? Is it for you? When can you get one to drive on the streets of San Francisco? Will boisterous yoots tip your vehicle over as they do in Canada? See you after the jump.
Photo courtesy of local wunderkind Fred Sharples
Even though delivery is promised for the first quarter of 2008, a few of these cars have already been spotted around town. And why not, if you can achieve parking miracles such as this, this, or even this? (As long as yours doesn't get stolen, stripped, and graffitoed thusly, you'll be fine!)
We Bay Areans had the chance for a test drive the past few weeks and the response from potential buyers was enthusiastic. San Franciscan Fred Sharples took a spin and then compared this little car to a "very safe motorcycle". And who wouldn't want one of those? They're very strong, as this grisly video attests.
You'll have your chance to see one at the next San Francisco International Auto Show coming up around Thanksgiving. See you there!
| 
I'd consider buying one if they made a convertible version. IF it had extremely good gas mileage.
I saw one of these in Glen Park the other day. My first thought was, "Isn't that going to fall off a hill?" It was parked in a driveway on a steep street. Are these really safe and/or practical for SF's topography?
If I may put on my Don Herbert hat for a moment: cars typically have a deceptively low center of gravity, because the bottom contains lots more metal and fuel than the top. Some larger vans and trucks are the exception to this rule, which is why they're more prone to flipping over at high speeds.
Judging by its looks, the Smart Car would only be prone to tipping over if it took a breakneck turn at race-car speeds, or if it had a fat man strapped to the roof.
Thanks for the breakdown, mattymatt. Like Barbie, I think math is hard.
guest 1 :
check out the smartusa website linked in the article. There is a cabrio version shown. Also, the mpg is only Good (40mpg), not "extremely" good, but not bad eitehr.
I have relatives in Europe that have owned one of these, or the mercedes euroversion that might be a little bigger. They love them.
This should compete well in the second car/commuter car arena. It's too small to compete with mini, I think. I'd be more interested in how big the trunk is.
Well, going by the new gas mileage standards, the Prius gets 46 mpg and sells at a large premium to the smart. I'd say 85% of the fuel economy of a Prius for that cheap is "very good!"
I want one. I want one. I want one. I want one. I want one. I want one. I want one. I want one.
40 miles per gallon? It should get 80.
I test drove one of these a couple of weeks ago when I just happened to come across some promotional event off of Bryant. The car is super duper small which makes it look so damn cute and like a death trap all at once. But, once you're inside the ride, you don't notice its size at all; it feels like a regular car. It's pretty zippy too, though I didn't go up any hills. You also sit sorta high up. According to the folks at Smart, that high sitting position is a safety feature for side impacts. If they say so. When you get out of the car and turn and look at it again, you're taken by surprise again at just how small the bloody thing is. Again, you smile at its Hello Kitty cuteness and shudder at the thought of how you'd look after coming in contact with a Chevy Tahoe.
Right when I got out, my girlfriend told me to get one. I said that I'd definitely think about it. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought, hmmm, where would the golf clubs go? Could I strap on my surf board to the roof? If I shop for groceries with my gf, where would the groceries go? And at a base price of $12,000, it's cheap but not thaaaaat cheap. And as mentioned above, at 40 mph, it's green but not thaaaaat green.
I'm still waiting for a plug-in hybrid Mini. C'mon guys, get on it!
I test drove this twice two weeks ago. One day they had a setup on Stevens Creek in SJ, another was at the Whole Foods Cupertino.
Yes it's small but roomy on the inside, yes it gets +40mpg (but takes premium fuel), yes they have a convertible position, yes it's got a low center of gravity of which makes it tiping hard to do (I asked the rep if he's rolled one, he said no, and gave us an explaination of the low center-grav due to the engine and battery placed below center line).
Things got no power steering, think riding lawn mower/ go-kart, hard to turn when stopped, easy when moving.
Though most folks in the US have no clue what these little guys are like, they've been in Europe and around the world since 1998. Over 780,000 sold. Designed by Swatch. Safety-engineered and performance-engineered by Mercedes, it was an unlikely marriage of modern style and proud history of auto manufacturing. Though these new smart cars will be sold in America in mass in 2008, their older brother has been with us about 16 months. In 2003, an auto converter became frustrated by Mercedes' refusal to bring the smart car to the US since 1998. He went to the Dept of Transportation and EPA and asked for permission to change the European models to meet US safety and emissions standards. After three years of work, he was granted that approval and began selling the Euro Design smart cars in April, 2006. Just two months later, Mercedes announced that they had changed their minds and would introduce an Americanized smart car in 2008. They will be distributed through Penske Automotive Group, not Mercedes. Though the 1000 converted models are now almost all on the streets across the country, their selling prices are significantly higher than the 2008 models. Though the entry level smarts will be offered in 2008 at $12,000 according to their press releases, the currently available higher end converted smarts are at $26,900. The high cost of conversion, as well as the shipping and import costs from Europe forced this higher price. Still, the owners of these cars have all shared their common feedback... there is no car, at any price, that will attract the positive attention from passers-by, than the smart car. It is not the miles/gallon. It is certainly not the price. It is the unique style and design, so different from any car on the road, that makes this car magical. As magical as the only prior car in history to bring these smiles to this country... the fifties Beetle. The new ones in 2008 will share this attraction with their older, but littler brother. Converted smarts are 8'-3". The new ones are 7" longer. Current ones have Mercedes engines. New ones have Mitsubishi's and are more powerful. The looks, however, will cause the same smiles. Get ready for this phenomenon, America. When you see one in person, you'll understand. There is no way to understand it until then.
Ron Gaus, aSmartCar.com
Smart Car + typical SF speeding SUV etc.=
Smash, Squish, Splat, Squigling Squirming brains on the sidewalk.
Three points against it:
1.- It looks like a clown car.
2.- The mileage ain't that great.
3.- It ain't that cheap, neither.
Thanks, but I'll keep my '89 CRX si. I get 30/40 MPG, it only cost me $4k, and it looks sporty.