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TP's smart fortwo blog

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by Tideland Prius, May 21, 2008.

  1. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Yeah, I guess the climb to Pennask Summit is longer, especially from the lake. I used to think Vancouver had hills, but not after cycling that. :)
    It sounds like the little Smartie does alright on the hills, but I'd still be nervous trying to maintain 110 in those typically gusty winds of the plateau.
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    mm not sure where that is.

    Yeah it does alright. The ride is very firm though, much more so than the Prius.

    Yes you would and so would I lol. I barely maintained 100km/h between Medicine Hat and the Drumheller turn off because of very strong southerly/southwesterly winds (I'd wager 50-60km/h). I pulled over at one point and had some difficultly opening the driver's door. But then again, I don't think the Prius would fare any better as we all know it is slab-sided but I probably wouldn't have to turn the wheel as far as left in the Prius as I did in the smart (just a guess because of the extra weight and wider tyres).

    If I had to do a trip again, I'll probably use the Prius mostly because of cruise control.
     
  3. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    You had mentioned the Okanagan connector earlier. Pennask Summit is the high point on that road between Merritt and Peachland.

    Given the choice, I'd take the Prius, too, even though I rarely use cruise control. Hopefully you can just trade cars when the time comes for a road trip. ;)
     
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    lol. I never knew that. Now I know!

    Ahh. Yeah part of it was to bring the car home. The pedal on the smart is a lot stiffer too so no cruise on a Prius isn't as bad as no cruise on the smart.
     
  5. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Eastbound on Portage, you had to turn off on to Broadway. Especially past Great West Life at Osborne, it gets bumpy. So is St Mary's south of the Norwood Bridge. St Annes is no fun either. But once you get on to Fermor, it's ok. The new surface at the Floodway is very nice.

    You should have gone down Wellington by going south on Maryland, left at Wellington, and taken Stradbrook all the way to St Mary's. Bouncy-bouncy

    For harsh bumps, it's hard to beat Dugald between Lagimodiere and Plessis

    How did it make you feel to find out later about the guy who went bonkers, chopped the head off that unfortunate passenger, and started nibbling on him? Too bad the RCMP didn't have a convenient excuse to cap him right there on the side of the road

    Now the Canadian taxpayer will generously keep this nut in a smile-in ward for the rest of his life. Didn't take long for the various mental nutjob organizations to defend this kook: poor fellow, he's a "victim" in this, the stigma of the Mentally Ill, etc etc

    I have no problem with the Mentally Ill, and really encourage them to seek proper help and medication. I have a HUGE problem with them snapping and going monkeys*** on us
     
  6. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Not to take this thread in yet another direction, but yes, mental health is a big issue. Locking people up and keeping them heavily sedated wasn't very successful, but turning them loose to wander the streets in search of 'medication' isn't working so well, either.
     
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Pretty shocked... I mean, ok fine you stabbed him... then continued to stab him... and then decapitate him. Seriously.
     
  8. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Made me think of Soylent Green. You too??

    Anyhooser, back to topic: how is that Smart working out for you??
     
  9. Jack66

    Jack66 Kinda Jovial Member

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    I've been seeing a lot of Smarts in the NO VA and DC area. I even saw a covertible that I didn't know existed. They seem like a good choice for many. My main concern would be safety. An earlier post had a link to a damaged Smart. The car rolled but I didn't see any front-deployed airbags -- maybe what looked to be a side airbag in one picture. Also, any crumple zones for the car would seem to include the passenger and driver seats. How can the Smart absorb damage and not transfer much of it to the people inside? :(

    I have a lot of respect for you, TP, and I can't imagine you purchasing the Smart without some information that reassured you about the car's safety. Just curious what that information was.

    P.S. Do you have something like a Condo Association with covenants covering bad guests and the people that hosted them? If so, do the hosts realize their guests might be bringing them trouble?

    Enjoy your Smart and good luck against the night pranks. :)

    Jack
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    jayman - smart's working out good. Just like the Prius back in 2004, people here obviously have varying opinions on it. Unlike the Prius, the majority (friends/family) like it. Sign of the times perhaps?

    Jack66 - It's hard to spot the convertible because the roof rails are removeable and sometimes the owners won't even remove them. They'll only adjust the soft top and leave the rails in place.

    Well several things

    1. In the city, the highest speed is 60km/h. A head-on is 120km/h at the most. (knock on wood). Most likely, it'll be an offset so I'll be spun off somewhere, rather than taking the full brunt so I should be ok.

    2. A normal car has crumple zones taking care of the crash force. In the smart, you have the crumple zones, the suspension, the wheels and the seat (incl. the seatbelt) all taking part plus the tridion safety cell. So hopefully all of that will lessen the force on my chest. (4-star from NHTSA, "good" from the IIHS)

    3. Side-impact ratings is good. 5-star from the NHTSA, "good" from the IIHS. There are two steel beams in the doors, side-airbags with head protection (because there isn't a side curtain airbag) and plus you're sitting above the wheels, so you're decently high up (I'd wager around Outback/Forester or RAV4 level).

    4. Handling isn't the best for obvious reasons. A tall height and skinny front tyres leave little to be desired. The suspension is quite firm (firmer than the Prius) so at least it doesn't lean as much as say a RAV4.

    5. Weight is nearly 50/50 (I think it's 46/54). There's traction control, stability control (ESP), corner brake control (CBC), ABS w/EBD and Brake Assist all as standard equipment. There's also a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (helped when the bandits flattened my tyre)

    No I don't. That was just a temporary place that's all. They got evicted so all's well.
     
  11. Sufferin' Prius Envy

    Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member

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  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Like many cars that recommend premium, the Smart doesn't require it, and can burn regular just fine.
     
  13. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I guess it depends on how the powertrain management system "trains" itself and how it takes advantage of different octane fuels

    For example, my FJ "recommends" Premium, but states regular is ok too. I've tried a few different grades over several tanks each, and appear to have the best luck with Mohawk/Husky Premium 94.

    The Premium 94 is an ethanol blend made in Canada, selling price is quite fair compared to non-ethanol grades sold here. Difference in fuel economy with my FJ is around +2.5 MPG running the 94, and it feels far peppier too. Apparently it will advance the timing quite a bit

    Again, some vehicles like the FJ have powertrain management to take advantage of different octane fuels. I never run anything but regular unleaded in the Prius, and for the vast majority of vehicles, regular is best
     
  14. Jack66

    Jack66 Kinda Jovial Member

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    Thanks for the safety rundown, TP. It sounds like you made a great choice. :) Has anyone figured out how to fit a family of five in a Smart yet?
     
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    How smart? It's cheaper to refuel than a Yaris so it doesn't bother me to put in 91.

    Np. Sure, just move the front seats forward a bit. Have people sit on the cargo area and have their legs go behind the front seats and the toes under the front seats. lol.


    Update: So, I'll be honest. It hasn't been the most reliable vehicle in our fleet. There were a few factory defects, one of which is crippling :(. Will have the car towed tomorrow (I have an appointment tomorrow to have something else fixed cause the part arriveed and now I have another problem for them to look at ... ugh)
     
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well the car was fixed under an hour. Great service (The car was cleaned inside and out). Had a courtesy car given when they had to keep it overnight. Wasn't the cleanest courtesy car if I'm honest.
     
  17. Jack66

    Jack66 Kinda Jovial Member

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    How long does it take to clean inside and out? You could probably clean everything four times in the same amount of time it takes to clean your Prius. :)
     
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    not very long. Sometimes, I'm just looking for things on the car to clean cause I'm done quite quickly. Waxing is also quite fast too which is a good thing cause the car is black.
     
  19. miscrms

    miscrms Plug Envious Member

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    Got to test drive a smart while I was sitting around at carmax waiting for them to appraise our Land Rover (so we can buy another Prius). I honestly liked it a lot better than I thought I would. It had the panoramic roof, which helped it feel a lot bigger inside. The pickup was surprisingly good, though as others have noted the auto/manual shift pause and lurch is pretty substantial. It was much smoother though when using the paddle shifters. Felt surprisingly stable and solid cornering and on the freeway. All in all seems like a great car for a solo or duo commuter. just wish the mileage was a little better. Also thought CarMax was pushing it a bit asking $17,998, even at only 6k miles.

    CarMax Car Detail

    Rob
     
  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    US$18k is quite a bit. Doesn't it start at $13.5k for the passion coupé? It has no leather so it doesn't have the comfort package. It has the radio 10 option though (CD Changer) but i'm not sure if you need to get the smart sound system with that (2 tweeters + sub). The only other options I can see are the pods, alarm and the fogs, as well as the metallic paint. US$18k gets you a brand new fully loaded cabrio (with leather, heated seats, auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers etc etc)