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From the Lorinser press release:
While it was derided at first, the Smart has since evolved into a hip cult-car—even in “big block” USA. Its success story is no surprise: the defiant small car still embodies the principles of good economic and ecological sense while being completely free of a “piggy-bank look” and “everyman design.” Consequently it suits the times perfectly. So why is Sportservice Lorinser forecasting a dark future for the Smart? Because black is suiting the dynamic light metal alloys Speedy perfectly.
32 Comments on “Who Pissed-Off The Smart?...”
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I still remember a comic saying ‘ How come people driving smart cars look so f######ing stupid.”
Just can’t shake that image as every time I see one I look at the pilot and think that guy was right.
You can pay slightly north of 20K here in Canada for the loaded model and still have only room for two and groceries. Makes no sense to me with the Fit and Yaris available and mileage close to the Smart.
Now bring in a Fiat Abarth hopefully with 4 seats and some trunk with Toyota or Honda service dependabilty and you really got yourself a car.
This paragraph:
“While it was derided at first, the Smart has since evolved into a hip cult-car – even in “big block” USA. Its success story is no surprise: the defiant small car still embodies the principles of good economic and ecological sense while being completely free of a “piggy-bank look” and “everyman design”. Consequently it suits the times perfectly. So why is Sportservice Lorinser forecasting a dark future for the Smart? Because black is suiting the dynamic light metal alloys Speedy perfectly.”
Makes about as much sense as the car itself
It’s entirely possible that owners of Smart Cars park them in their living rooms.
Some guy drives by my house a couple of times a week – and he beats to snot out of the little bugger.
My 2002 Jetta TDI seats 3 more people, has 20X more trunk space, and gets almost 2X the MPG. This thing is Prius-like in that it is what poseurs buy when they want to appear to be doing something positive.
–chuck
I am drawn to the damn thing despite the fact that I think the design details are ugly. I enjoy seeing them (although I’m sure that would stop if they became as common as New Beetles). If I lived in Manhattan or Boston proper, or San Francisco, and I could get a Smart with a clutch, the parking situation in those cities would give me a very powerful reason to get one over a Fit, which is what I’d be shopping it against. In a way, these are the modern equivalents of the VW (Real) Beetle.
People look stupid driving all sorts of things – Hummers, Azteks, Lamborghinis, that Scion box thing…etc.
If someone wants to pimp their Smart I’ve got no more problem with that than pimping their Cavalier, Sentra or Escalade.
And chuckgoolsbee, I wouldn’t be throwing any stones if I drove a glass house like that…
“Because black is suiting the dynamic light metal alloys Speedy perfectly.”
What does this sentence mean if anything. And no, the web site of yet another German company doesn’t tell me anything, other than I don’t know German.
Its success story is no surprise: the defiant small car still embodies the principles of good economic and ecological sense while being completely free of a “piggy-bank look” and “everyman design”.
I won’t argue the other points, but the Smart does not make economic sense. Particularly in most households where it would be a second car that is used for commuting while you also maintain a car that seats more than two for family events and trips requiring luggage. The same could be said of most sports cars, except they provide something that a Smart can’t, driving satisfaction that puts a silly grin on your face.
RetardedSparks it was my sole choice of vehicle if I was buying a Diesel car here in America. Still is, other than one Benz E-class and one BMW 3 series, neither of which come with a stick. Would I love to have something else? You bet! But as a home-brewer of fuel, and a chosen swapper of my own cogs I have no choice.
My point was more about how the Smart Car has been “yankified” into uselessness. The EU model with it’s CDI power plant shows impressive fuel economy. The US model however is an embarrassment to it’s Euro cousin, getting 50-70% worse MPGs.
–chuck
The best iteration of the Smart I’ve seen so far is the one where a guy tore out the engine and replaced it with one from a Hayabusa. It was completely impractical (it looked like the motor took the place of the passenger seat) but it DEFINITELY put a grin on a lot of faces.
+1 on the Hayabusa front. Throw one of those in there and I’ll start paying attention. Hell, the thing might still get 25+ mpg.
Robert, did you have your full cup or two of coffee before penning this one?
This thing looks ridiculous as it is. Putting black wheels on it is akin to putting a little black studded leather jacket on a Chihuahua.
I passed one of these on I-85 in Atlanta this morning. My God, these things are tiny. I thought two things – 1) Let me get a look at the tool driving it 2) Doesn’t he know that it’s completely useless from a practicality standpoint (mileage/cargo)? I think anyone of average size in it would look like a monkey f#cking a football.
thetopdog
Word.
Robert, would it have killed you to write a pragraph that can be understood on the second (third…) read?
And no I am NOT drunk…
Enough…
Yet…
Guys, guys, guys. Did you notice the indentation? It’s the press release!
I’ve added a disclaimer to put you out of my misery.
I’d love to have a tiny 2 seater coupe, but this is slow, cheap (not the price), and is made by Mercedes (reliability?) I guess I’m thinking more along the lines of an MX-5, but with a fixed hardtop and just under 20k. Man could I go for a new CRX.
Is’nt it true this kiddie car requires premium fuel? At 25 cents a gallon more than regular.
On I-95 the eighteen wheelers run those over and no one even notices.
Seriously, even though I personally could never fit in one, I really fear for those driving them on highways where big trucks are allowed.
The only good part of the Smart Car is that it is so small you can park it almost anywhere. Other than that why someone would want to drive a shopping cart with an engine is beyond me.
“I really fear for those driving them on highways where big trucks are allowed.”
It doesn’t matter if you’re driving a Suburban if you get hit by an 18 wheeler. You’re toast no matter what. Ever seen the pic of a school bus vs a Hummer H2?
Is it too much to ask for one of these in the $12k range? I commute from CT/NJ to NYC (though wouldn’t want to do that in a Smart, which basically leaves me dead in the water from the get-go). When I’m on the motorcycle, no parking issues, no money spent. When I bring in the jeep and all my work gear (computers, etc.), I have to shuffle for parking between 11pm and 1 am, alternate side. I see places to park Smarts all over the city, since everyone is still driving bigger wheels. The problem is, when you start spending 20 large minimum, you start thinking you might as well reach and get a used Audi A4. This sucker is being pulled in too many directions to make it worthwhile. What a shame.
Yes the smart requires premium fuel and gets, at best, 33mpg in the city. The Yaris gets 29, but at least you get a real car with a trunk that drinks 87.
Chuck, after your comment, I finally came up with a good thing about the Smart: it doesn’t pollute as much as your awful Jetta.
HTH.
Thanks MrDot. Add to the premium fuel problem the fact that the cabin seats 2 and little else, gets blown about by 18 wheelers and crosswinds,is toast when hit by anything bigger than a mini and leaves the driver looking like a smacked ass by those wondering why anyone would pay sticker price. There you have it.
The Smart is the answer to a typical European problem. In Big European Cities it is difficult to find a parking space, so the smaller your car is, the better you can fit a parking lot.
This is why you can see them all over the place in Cities like Paris etc. Apart from that the car indeed is a statement. Sometimes less is more.
M1EK, I’m burning leftover fryer grease, distilled into BioDiesel. My emissions are far less harmful than any US-spec Smart.
–chuck
Robert you are forgiven. I assume the press release was written in German and translated by Google. It still doesn’t make any sense.
Chuck, I’ve never seen reliable data that indicates that biodiesel generates less particulates and NO2 than gasoline.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/technologies_and_fuels/biofuels/biodiesel-basics.html
“New car-buyers seeking to minimize their vehicle’s environmental impact should focus on vehicle efficiency, along with tailpipe emissions, not the vehicle’s potential to use an alternative fuel. Gasoline-powered models are better than traditional diesel and biodiesel vehicles on toxic soot and smog-forming emissions. Diesels can produce as much as 10 to 20 times more toxic particulates than their gasoline counterparts, more than can be made up for with the use of biodiesel. Diesels fair even worse when it comes to smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions, with greater than 20 times the emissions of a comparable gasoline vehicle.”
“My 2002 Jetta TDI seats 3 more people, has 20X more trunk space, and gets almost 2X the MPG.”
Try as I might, I can find no evidence to support the existence of a 2002 Jetta with 140 cubic feet of trunk space and a EPA rating of 80 mpg highway. Curious indeed.
“Is it too much to ask for one of these in the $12k range?”
That’s about where the base models start. I think you can crack $20k for a Brabus cabrio loaded to the gills.
Do people buy these things just to make a statement? Kinda like every Prius owner that I know is a total asshat….so is every Smart owner.
There’s more than a few of these where I live, and the owners are usually oddballs. Not bad, just odd in the same sense that Saab owners in the eighties were odd. You know, tweed jackets with leather patches, shops at the farmer’s market, goes to gallery openings, probably has a Master’s degree and visits a naturopath. Nice people, though.
They’re always empty-nesters, too. I’ve yet to see a non-greybeard in one. There’s decent cargo space—at least as much as the Yaris behind the seats—but the two-seat thing is a definite turn-off if you’re younger.
I have to confess to being a fan, but I don’t know if I like the new one. Canada had the prior CDI Smart for about three years, but we lost it when they brought the gas version over for the US. Pity, really, because the diesel, while slower and more expensive, didn’t have such a witless transmission and did get better mileage.
Don’t get the smart. For all the tradeoffs – safety, practicality, cost, resale values – the mileage just isn’t good enough to offset all these negatives. Even if “green is good” is your mantra, this car doesn’t cut it, as it drinks too much fuel. There are better choices in eco-transportation. The only advantage to this car is that you get noticed, which may not be such a good thing anyway.
It would be OK if you installed one of those $21,000 LS-9 Chevy crate engines that were listed on TTAC earlier today.