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smart Cars in the US!

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by smartcarsintdotcom, Feb 20, 2005.

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  1. smartcarsintdotcom

    smartcarsintdotcom New Member

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    hey guys, ive been a long time reader of this forum, but this is my first post. i actually have had a prius since they first came out, but now another brand of automobile has caught my eye.

    i dont know if any of u know, but smart cars are coming to the US, a division of daimler chrysler

    below is a pic of a smart fortwo, 60 mpg

    [​IMG]

    this is the forfour

    [​IMG]

    since the prius and smart cars are similar in the fact that they appeal to gas consumption conscious drivers, and since i think that they are pretty interesting, i was hoping to borrow some priuschat users time on my site.

    if anyone is interested, my website is www.smartcarsint.com (smart cars international)

    thanks!
     
    #1 smartcarsintdotcom, Feb 20, 2005
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    But the smartfortwo runs on diesel and has a tiny 42hp engine that takes 24secs to get to 60. This then limits it to around town which is perfect for those who use it to go to the park, supermarket or even to school. I like it but given the price ($Cdn) there are other more practical vehicles that allow me to do that plus go on longer trips to another city/township or even across the border.

    I would go for the forfour over the fortwo but again, depends how DC prices them.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Feb 20, 2005
  3. smartcarsintdotcom

    smartcarsintdotcom New Member

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    yeah there are pros and cons to every car. the fortwo costs about 8,500 euro if i recall. thats one of the main benefits. who knows hte price in the states.

    but im confused, i dont know why you would be limited to short trips because of the low power of the vehicle. just because it takes longer to accelerate doesnt mean you cannot drive it a long distance.
     
    #3 smartcarsintdotcom, Feb 20, 2005
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It starts at $16,000 in Canada without A/C, power mirrors or even vanity mirrors. The starting price of a Corolla or Civic is $15,000 without A/C.

    Well I'm thinking about on ramp situations where you'll have to accelerate to match traffic speed. I really hate it when people don't speed up and they run out of space and then just cut in forcing you and everyone behind to slow down. Anyway, I just think it's a better city car and I'm guessing that's their original intent (with the fortwo anyway).

    I would go for the forfour or even the roadster. Also, unlike Europe, diesel stations are few and far between so you gotta know your neighbourhood diesel station locations
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Feb 20, 2005
  5. smartcarsintdotcom

    smartcarsintdotcom New Member

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    if i remember correctly, they are changing a lot of things with the engine. for the United states its 60 hp

    i remember its not going to be diesel either,but i coudl be wrong

    more stats here:

    http://www.zapworld.com/cars/smartcar.asp
     
    #5 smartcarsintdotcom, Feb 20, 2005
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    hmm... I guess that's next year or the year after. The current fortwo that's on sale in Canada is abt 40ish hp and running on a 0.8 litre diesel engine
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Feb 21, 2005
  7. Hornhonker

    Hornhonker New Member

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    The smart has no problems with highway or city traffic. I use mine daily on the freeway and spend much of it passing slower traffic.
     
    #7 Hornhonker, Mar 16, 2005
  8. sdgeiger

    sdgeiger Junior Member

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    Does anyone have the specs on the Forfour? What is the MPG..etc?
     
    #8 sdgeiger, Mar 25, 2006
  9. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    The ForFour is going away per http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060325/bs_nm/...mlerchrysler_dc (was on the front page of Yahoo). Also, from the article it says "DaimlerChrysler spokesman Marc Binder said the company had not yet decided formally whether to launch the next generation of the Smart two-seater in the United States, but cited comments from Zetsche that this was likely."

    I would not want to be driving the ForTwo on US roads (at least not in Nor Cal). It would be a deathtrap (by simple physics) given the large # of huge, heavy SUVs here and even their weight compared to typical passenger cars. The ForFour is pretty marginal too.

    From http://www.thesmart.ca/index.cfm?id=4730, a fortwo coupe weighs 730 kg -> 1609 lbs. From http://www.smart.com/-snm-0147663340-11424...f%2f55kw%2epage, the forfour weighs 965 kg -> 2127 lbs.

    In comparison, here are some other weights:
    06 Prius: 2890 lbs
    07 4 cylinder Camry auto: 3307 lbs
    07 V6 Camry XLE auto: 3516 lbs
    07 Chevy Tahoe 2WD: 5443 lbs
    07 Chevy Tahoe 4x4: 5706 lbs
    06 Civic Sedan: 2628 - 2840 lbs depending on the trim and transmission

    One unknown is reliability. Mercedes reliability is awful. Chrysler-branded vehicles aren't as bad though...
     
    #9 cwerdna, Mar 25, 2006
  10. Tadashi

    Tadashi Member

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    I just saw one of these going home from work yesterday. It did not seem to have any problems keeping up with traffic nor did it seem to be noisey like a VW bug (like this article says http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/09/pf/autos/smart/). It had Juarez plates so they probably sold in Mexico. The ForFour looks OK but not sure about the FoTwo. It was way too small unless all you needed it for was commutting.
     
    #10 Tadashi, Jun 13, 2006
  11. Potential Buyer

    Potential Buyer New Member

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    The Honda Insight weighs 1700 lbs. I would never buy the ForTwo just because I can't imagine such a short wheelbase making for a decent ride on the highway, but the ForFour and Roadster look alot better, more reminiscent of the Mini Cooper.
     
    #11 Potential Buyer, Jun 13, 2006
  12. Oxo

    Oxo New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(smartcarsintdotcom @ Feb 20 2005, 10:26 PM) [snapback]66035[/snapback]</div>
    Is this the same as the Smart car which has been sold for some years by Mercedes in Europe? They look very similar.
     
    #12 Oxo, Jun 13, 2006
  13. AnOldHouse

    AnOldHouse Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Jun 13 2006, 03:18 PM) [snapback]270672[/snapback]</div>
    Yes. Mercedes is part of Daimler Chrysler.
     
    #13 AnOldHouse, Jun 13, 2006
  14. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Potential Buyer @ Jun 13 2006, 11:27 AM) [snapback]270636[/snapback]</div>
    The Smart car is not marketed as a highway cruiser. Its primary purpose is urban driving. I have seen tons of them in European cities, but rarely any on the interurban roads.
     
    #14 IsrAmeriPrius, Jun 13, 2006
  15. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    I saw tons of these smart cars during my trip to Canada two weeks ago. They even cruse on highways! Actually, Canada is full of small cars like Echo, Fit, Yaris, etc.
     
    #15 ScottY, Jun 13, 2006
  16. Drift Motion

    Drift Motion RMS13

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    dayum!! 24sec to 60...thats a lil too slow..
    for somethin like that, y not just get a golf cart? liek 3-4k and u can get around places without walking
    and i think the gov is promoting that in some area to reduce pollution

    but i like the small tiny Smart cars, the coupe is nice
     
    #16 Drift Motion, Jun 13, 2006
  17. hawkjm73

    hawkjm73 New Member

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    They're Heeeere!

    Just saw a fully Americanised 2-door Smart car in Cave Creek, AZ (Near Phoenix). I had time for a brief chat with the owner. She'd had it about three weeks, reports a 50mpg economy, absoluty loves the car, and got it from a dealer in Scottsdale, AZ. She said her major complaint was having to explain it's not a golf cart. We do have lots of golf carts around here that look a lot like the Smart.
     
    #17 hawkjm73, Jun 27, 2006
  18. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    #18 cwerdna, Jun 28, 2006
  19. tracysbeans

    tracysbeans Member

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    Oh I though the Smart Car was an EV car. Not interested at only 46mph gallon in the city. I can get that with my Prius. :(

    For now I will stick to my Prius and Daimler Chrysler Gem.

    I think the car is cute though. I would need it to be an EV to be interested though.
     
    #19 tracysbeans, Jun 28, 2006
  20. kDB

    kDB New Member

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    i saw a fortwo a couple weeks ago on the highway here, and i could have sworn it had illinois plates. though, it was going the other way so i could be mistaken about the plates.
     
    #20 kDB, Jun 28, 2006
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