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

I wouldn't say the transmission is crap. I've driven the new Smart and liked it. In manual mode the transmission shifts very slowly but is better when shifted manually. You also need to modulate the throttle when shifting like in a normal manual. If you do this then the shifting is OK, not great. However, I've also driven VW's triptronic and found the same issues. The shifts are slow in auto mode and jerky in manual mode unless you match RPM's like a normal manual.

I would take any opinions on the ride with a grain of salt. Having lived in Michigan for 22 years and still visiting at least once a year I would have to say the Michigan roads, and Detroit roads in particular are the worst I have ever driven. They are even worse than roads in rural Czech Republic and Poland.

 

The transmission is a plus if you plan to convert to an EV.

 

i was actually considering a smart car, esp since one of my buddies runs a dealership, but really needed the extra back seats

great car for what it is, wont take the freeway or long drives like the prius would, but in crowded city streets...that car will totally SHINE!!!

 

yeah I totally preffered driving it in manual using the flappy paddles its fun
the jerk doesn't bother me, my moms QP kinna does the same thing

 

Can you really park Smart cars perpendicular to the street, and as a separate question, is it legal?

http://www.unitednathanproductions.com/blog/images/smartcarparking_lrg.jpg

 

^parking yes, illegal in cali^

 

:rofl:

 

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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^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^

 

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.

 

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.