Hybrid Cars Discussion Email This Page | Print This Page Topic: Smart Car



Ann Job should be writing on a car found in Canada and Europe called the "Smart Car". The car is produced in conjunction with Mercedes Benz and has been around for several years. The big question is Why not in the USA. Zap motors has 200 ready to be sold in the USA and is just waiting for Government approval. I have seen and driven one here in the States and I would buy one maybe two tomorrow if they were available here. Well built and safe. Yes they are small but comfortable. My friend has one and drove from Quebec to Key West, Key West to Melborne with several side trips. On arrival in Melborne she reached $100 in fuel costs. The thing got 81 miles per gallon of Diesal. This needs to be investagated as to what is the holdup on selling these cars in America. Reelman

There are some in the database, and just today there was an announcement that a company plans to make electric versions of them!

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005..._technolo.html

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i saw one yesterday!! i was at the mall, we were walking out to our car and there was one just parked in the parking lot. it was really small and had one of those long european license plates on it. on the front dash there was s sign that said something like interested in owning a smart car? call this mercedes dealer. i'd get one as a second car or something.

I saw something similiar with a mercedes badge a month or 2 back. Thought about stealing it as I could probably lift it up and put it in the back of my compact pick up

19,900 miles and (slowly) counting

I saw these things everywhere in both London and Paris. They really are tiny, with the models I saw only being around 6ft. in length. They have to be extremely thrifty with the gas, though. Last year, gas was the equivelant of around $5-6 dollars per gallon. Many people there use Diesel because of the better fuel ecomomy. Can you imagine a collision involving a Smart Car and an Expedition or Ram? That would be my only qualm about these 'ultimate commuter cars.'


Cheers!

John Smash!!

As for hitting a big Suv I don't know the answer but you can watch it hit a large Mercedes Sedan head on thier website. Guess who came out on top? The Smart Car. I was amazed. They have incorporated a saftey cell around the car that the passengers sit. It protects them. As for the size of the the thing it looks very small compared to Americian cars, but so was my 62 MG. Driving one is a pleasure. It will do o-60 in 5 sec. The low center of gravity makes it very nimble around curves just like a true sports car. As a matter of fact I believe the Smart Car may qualify as a sports car. Remember the original Mini-coopers. A six ft6"er can fit just fine still having headroom. I'd have to say don't sell this car short just yet until you've had a chance to sit in one and drive it. Reelman

I don't know if you can tell but I'm pretty much sold on one or two of these. My first driving car was a new '58VW Beetle that got 42 mpg when gas was 26 cents a gallon. It didn't even have a gas gauge. I was thinking conservation back then (also my wallet). As with most new inventions the first mass produced ones have problems the engineers failed to work out but corrected in later models. This holds true even for todays "Hybrids" and cars of the "future". Thats one reason I don't own one. The Smart Car has been around for 5 years, it's just we haven't heard of it nor exposed to it unless we travel abroad. Even then we just think what an odd little car. Never seen one of those. The Car Magizines have ignored it as well. I just don't understand why. This car should get a lot of publicity in my opinion. And yes it is a eye opener everywhere it goes. As to the smog producing diesels they are a thing of the past. As with anything mechanical you have to maintain it to gain max performance. The general train of thought for a diesel is you never have to do anything to it except change the oil and filter which for the most part is true. Whew I'm ranting too much. Lets hear some thoughts. Reelman

You have to have a captive audience prior to investing in the SmartCar here in the USA. I think they will have a difficult time in two areas: 1. American buyers want bigger cars and would be scared that they would get killed in an accident. 2. Not sure the SmartCar can pass America's rigid crash tests. Guess 1 and 2 are sort of related - What problems are you mentioning of the existing hybrids?

I LIKED....past tense, the Smart Car when I first found out about it. I thought it was a great idea but I did have some concern for safety. My problem with it could be temporary, but I have read that the car itself will sell here for $28,000! If that is true then I will surely look elsewhere. For the mileage that people are getting you may as well get the Insight and save yourself $8000. If they truely do come out selling at that price I think it'll flop faster than you can say Edsel.

They are only $20,000 Canadian, so there's no way they will be $28k US. I think they are overpriced, but that's just in comparison to all the other small cars that get sold at a loss, supposedly.

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'97 Prius Simulation Prius inner workings