Smart’s ForTwo is ready to grow!

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by amm0bob

[IMG]http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0S02014.WdKnFUAWpijzbkF/SIG=1290efgba/EXP=1248414456/**http%3A//www.cartoday.com/images/news/2003/2/smart4.jpg[/IMG]




OOOOPPPPSS...



Ya know what Bra... I'm looking at the web and thinking teh ex owner may not have had standard rims an all...


But I will also add that I took this from another forum I frequent... a forum that I trust the place in general BTW... but it IS teh interwebs and all... and as such, may be suspect... I'm thinking not, but I'm loaded, and I don't have to prove I can drive... from this chair anyways.

I'm just saying if I had two trucks like that that were coming at me... I'm glad I have a Prius.

I know how a smart looks like in all iterations. You have an '07 pulse cab (in red) and a black passion both Euro models. The middle one is a 450 and the last one is a konigseder or something like that modded '08 US model.

Originally Posted by Mike Dimmick

19.8 seconds on the 33kW diesel that Nikki's just leased. This is the common problem with 'Prius-beating' diesels - they're slow. VW's Polo BlueMotion is listed at 12.4s. Because these are manuals, the real time for most drivers is much slower.

Having said that, 12 seconds is plenty. North America would be a lot better off if car buyers there would understand that they don't need that much power. Also, I bet most of them don't actually use that power - to get the quoted acceleration times you largely have to have the pedal flat to the floor. The complaints I hear about the Prius noise when accelerating suggest that you were never using the power in your old car.

I actually did use the power on my old 1.6 Focus (officially 10.1s, 98 bhp/73kW) and yes, the engine does rev to achieve it - rev to about 4,000rpm then change up. Beat numerous Mercs and BMWs off the line! Despite the slower figure for the Gen 2 Prius, I find it's better at accelerating from 30 to 60 - I can overtake in places that I couldn't with the Focus (usually I had to change down to 3rd or 2nd gear to get acceleration, and then change up while overtaking). The Prius is very slow off the line up to 30mph, but after that it gets going.

I notice that the 2011 Ford Fiesta in the US is going to be the 1.6 Ti-VCT petrol car with a PowerShift auto box. It manages 9.6s 0-62 with a manual gearbox but only 47mpg - imperial gallon, 20% bigger than US gallon - on the weaker EU driving cycle. This is not the 76mpg diesel you may have read about. On the current European Focus, the automatic box adds 15% to the 0-62 time and knocks 15% off the fuel economy figure. You can't get an automatic Fiesta over here.

Thank you. Finally someone posts a logical post. Yes we know there are diesels in Europe that get better mpg but as you've said, they're slower (which the diesel fanatics here fail to mention.. every time) and people already "complain" that the Prius is slow.

[hill]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

Extra doors and seats make favourite an A1 competitor


The Smart ForTwo is growing – and here’s the picture to prove it! Auto Express has learned that Mercedes is planning to add a pair of rear doors and extra seats to its famous city car.
Doubling the Smart’s carrying capacity to four people, the new variant will give the range some added practicality, letting it compete with an upcoming raft of desirable small cars such as Audi’s A1 and BMW’s Isetta.
. . . . . . . . . snip

Hugh? New?
Heck, I first saw the 4 seater what ... maybe four YEARS ago. ah, yes ... old is made new again,

Smart Forfour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Smart_Forfour

I was hoping the smart 4 back then would make it to the U.S. ... and come in a 100% EV version. Hope springs eternal. Still waiting.

.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by hill

Hugh? New?
Heck, I first saw the 4 seater what ... maybe four YEARS ago. ah, yes ... old is made new again,

Smart Forfour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




I was hoping the smart 4 back then would make it to the U.S. ... and come in a 100% EV version. Hope springs eternal. Still waiting.

.

That didn't go very well. I know in the UK, it was quite pricey (more expensive than a Fit or comparable vehicle). Sure it had nice features like a panoramic roof as shown in your picture but the same 1.0 litre engine is powering this 4-dr smart. If you guys think the fortwo is slow, what would you think of the forfour with the same engine?

[Boo]

Originally Posted by hill

Hugh? New?
Heck, I first saw the 4 seater what ... maybe four YEARS ago. ah, yes ... old is made new again,

Smart Forfour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




I was hoping the smart 4 back then would make it to the U.S. ... and come in a 100% EV version. Hope springs eternal. Still waiting.

.

I prefer the looks of the Smart "ForTwo +2" (although neither one is a looker):

[SageBrush]

These cars make me grin when I see them driving around, but I have to admit I would never buy one. The Yaris just strikes me as a much better buy.