SFist: When DumbPeople Look at SmartCars

Keight

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:36:52 -0800

I've been on the FourTwo waiting list for two years .. at this point I am doubting I'll ever get one?

Bandito

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:05:05 -0800

Wow, I didn't mean to anger anybody. And they still don't strike me as that safe, fizzandpop. Sure, the roll cage will protect the occupant from being crushed. However, the g forces the occupant will experience when coming to a dead stop after an accident will be far worse in a car that has no hood or trunk to "crumple" and thereby absorb some of the g forces. Also, I can't imagine you'd be as safe in a SmartCar if you were hit by a large SUV like a Tahoe . . . I could see the SmartCar getting knocked a helluva lot further than a heavier, traditional car. And spysea . . . loser? No need to call me names just because I questioned the appeal of the car.

icbalaam

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:30:21 -0800

If you're looking for a possible lawsuit injury settlement I suggest walking by this Mercedes dealership. These SmartCars zip in and out of the parking lot with little regard to pedestrians. I haven't quite figured out why. Perhaps the drivers think the car is so nimble it can out pace a person on the sidewalk. Or maybe they think since the car is so small it won't hurt a person if it hits him or her. Or maybe the test drivers are just assholes.

itsdahagao

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:14:21 -0800

I've passed one of these by in Gilroy, they're really speedy. Seems like they have good acceleration. I believe that they have a top speed of 95 mph.

spysea

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:08:26 -0800

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

spysea

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:03:22 -0800

bandito? "loser" Who's buying these? Not you.........

fizzandpop

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:52:09 -0800

Dear Mr Bandito, I'm not a PR flunky for Daimer Benz, but I must take exception. They are extremely fuel efficient (Piouses and civics are notorious for not meeting their sticker numbers, and hybrids are stupidly wasteful in terms of the resources it takes to build and dispose of them). They are safe, with the rollcage you mention negating the need for crumple zones. And if you've driven in traffic in a European city you'll know they're ridiculously fast. The only drawback I can see is that they're probably not that good for fucking in. But necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

Bandito

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:35:53 -0800

Seriously, I don't understand the appeal of the SmartCars. They're not particularly fuel efficient (Priuses and Civic Hybrids get better mpg), they're not all that safe (despite having a sturdy roll cage, they don't have any kind of crumple zones to absorb accident impact), and they're slow as anything. Why is there a 1 year waiting list? Who is buying these?

mdnelson

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:44:57 -0800

Smart cars have been around for much longer than they've been in the US. I saw my first Smart car in Europe back in 1996 (although I think they were first manufactured in 1993). Sadly, we're so behind the times in many ways!

jimH

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:05:29 -0800

I'll hold out for a Toyota IQ. it has room for 4 (as long as one of the four is a child). http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9885687-1.html

redseca2

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:51:53 -0800

My motorcycle doesn't like Smart Cars, they fit into the same parking spaces.