Smart looks, poor manners: Fortwo is small on performance, ride -- but great for parking

[john1701a]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

Some places do allow perpendicular parking.

Very few, I'd imagine, since the vehicle would basically be invisible at night. Reflectors only work if they are facing the correct direction.

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[KandyRedCoi]

^your kidding me, US has the most reflectors clad on to our cars, even my lil lotus has like 8 reflectors on every side of the car, and that thing is tiny...LOL^

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by john1701a

Very few, I'd imagine, since the vehicle would basically be invisible at night. Reflectors only work if they are facing the correct direction.

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depends how narrow the street is. The new smart is slightly longer than the old model so it will stick out a tad more so I recommend parking on wider streets only (for perpendicular parking).

A wider street will also give the other driver more room to manoeuvre in case they can't see you pulling out (using hazard lights would work)

[Boo]

I wouldn't perpendicular park the Smart because I think in most instances it would stick out too much as its length is much greater than any car's width.

The Smart is 106.1 inches long. But the midsize Camry is 71.7 inches wide. And even the gigantic Suburban is 79.1 inches wide. So we're talking about the Smart sticking 2 to 3 feet further out than other cars. Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by Boo

I wouldn't perpendicular park the Smart because I think in most instances it would stick out too much as its length is much greater than any car's width.

The Smart is 106.1 inches long. But the midsize Camry is 71.7 inches wide. And even the gigantic Suburban is 79.1 inches wide. So we're talking about the Smart sticking 2 to 3 feet further out than other cars. Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

Yeah but keep in mind that you don't park 0 inches from the curb. Usually within 12 inches.

Normally, the bumper would be sticking out (anything fore of the windshield) that's why I said it's best if you perpendicular park on a wide street or one where the parking spaces are generous in width.

The new smart is 20cm longer than the old.

[Boo]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

Yeah but keep in mind that you don't park 0 inches from the curb. Usually within 12 inches.

Normally, the bumper would be sticking out (anything fore of the windshield) that's why I said it's best if you perpendicular park on a wide street or one where the parking spaces are generous in width.

The new smart is 20cm longer than the old.

Actually, in Manhattan, most parallel parkers park 0-6 inches from the curb (I and many others try to park within an inch).

In any event, assuming parallel parkers park 12 inches from the curb, that still leaves 1 to 2 feet of Smart's rear hanging out there. And even if the Smart were to overhang its front end over the curb, there'd still be a lot of the Smart's rear exposed. Not to mention that the parallel parkers -- instead of "tapping" the Smart's bumpers while getting in or out of a tight parallel park, will be tapping the Smart's body sides.

Really, for me it would have to be almost a life or death emergency before I would perpendicular park a Smart among parallel parked cars.