15 hottest products of 2008: the smart car
Filed under: Extracurriculars
Smart is back.
Maybe nerds in school still get stuffed in lockers, but it does seem like it's cool again to be smart. America just voted for president a man who is lauded for his intelligence. The public in general seems to be getting smarter about spending money, or at least is thinking a lot about how we spend money. The sales of Smarties candies is on the rise (okay, I'm stretching, but I wanted another "smart" example). And then there's the popularity of the smart car.
The smart car is made by Mercedes-Benz which so far just manufactures one style: the smart fortwo. (Frustrating grammariarns and journalists everywhere, Mercedes-Benz spells the smart car with a lower case "s" and then smashes the "for" and "two" together, so, no, the smart fortwo is not a typo. And the "for two" reference is just what you think. Two people can fit in this vehicle. It's not exactly a family car.)
The smart fortwo started selling in Europe in 1998, but a recent redesign has made it a hot commodity in America in 2008: 20,000 smart cars have been sold in America this year so far; worldwide, around 140,000. And plenty more will continue to be sold. If you go to a smart car dealership in America, you can't drive one off the lot. You have to get on a waiting list.
Not bad, considering the state of the auto industry today.
So what's the appeal? Well, the cars are incredibly tiny -- 8.8 feet long, although 5.1 feet tall and wide -- which means the gas mileage is excellent. As the web site for smart cars says, it's "designed to achieve 33 city/41 highway mpg according to 2008 EPA standards, which involves measuring mpg while taking into account real-life driving conditions such as start/stop city traffic, air-conditioning, heating, etc."
The smart cars are also just really cool-looking in a futuristic Jetsons sort of way, except they don't fly, and they're easy to park. Typically, two smart cars can fit into one parking space, and you can also just park the smart car facing the curb on most city streets -- no parallel parking required.
And fortunately, whether you buy the smart car or another car that happens to be smart, our transportation is likely to continue to become more intelligent. Toyota, for example, is developing a brake system that will stop your car at stop signs if you don't.
And that's a very good thing because let's face it, drivers are not necessarily getting smarter.
Geoff Williams is a freelance writer and the author of C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America (Rodale).
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-09-2008 @ 10:30AM
W. Barber said...
Adrian Fenty, the young Mayor of Washington D.C., modestly drives himself around in a Smart Car.
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12-09-2008 @ 1:49PM
Joseph Guignon said...
I don't think I would try to park even this short little car other than parallel parking if that is what is available because of the length of nearly 9 feet, even though this is very short indeed!The Honda Prius does get 10 or more mpg, carries 4 people, and IS available now! It is nearly as small as the smart fortwo.
I would have to admit one thing though, I love the idea of owning a car that gets such incredible mileage and is so small BUT right now with the craze of huge suvs still alive it scares me a little to think of a wreck with a Ford Expedition or the equivelent.
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12-12-2008 @ 7:33AM
Evilution said...
Honda don't make the Prius.
Actual real world MPG figures for the Prius are lower than advertised, you only get super miles if you drive it correctly which most people don't..
Every time you see a Prius, see how many people are in it, the most I have ever seen was 2 people, I have never seen people in the back of a Prius.
The shell of a smart is like a walnut, the whole thing is very light but incredibly strong. The car's lack of weight means it is very good in a crash.
It has been on sale now for 10 years and there has only been 3 reported deaths of people driving smart cars. 3 people in over 1 million sold, that percentage is the lowest death record for any car on the road today.
12-09-2008 @ 2:29PM
Ron Sarson said...
Why buy this toy when you can buy a real car that gets better mileage?
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12-09-2008 @ 2:51PM
Gregory said...
Hmmm, a liability shift? If the car is a "SMART" car and the driver is dumb, one can't blame the car manufacturer for the cause of an accident due to a dysfunctional car! The ideal is to match a "smart" driver with a "SMART" driver and the accident rate will = 0! Finally, humanity has reached perfection!
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12-09-2008 @ 2:53PM
Gregory said...
correction, "SMART driver to a "SMART" car...
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12-09-2008 @ 6:19PM
RJ said...
I hope the first one to drive this car full time is the Government Car Czar. Let's see if he survives before we buy.
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12-10-2008 @ 8:58AM
TomLeeM said...
I have a Smart Fortwo and really love driving it.
http://home.comcast.net/~tomleem/mysmartfortwopure.html
A good source of information on the Smart Fortwo is SCOA.
http://www.smartcarofamerica.com
The Smart Fortwo is a very safe vehicle. It has a high safety rating from the NHTS. :)
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12-10-2008 @ 9:22AM
Texmac said...
I own a vibe thats get 36mpg. Why in the world would anyone buy the SMART at that price when you can get an auto built by toyota in america with so much better safety rating, The smart comes with plastic flowers in the side door pocket, EMT's can put them in the body bag when you are picked up.
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12-10-2008 @ 9:42AM
Texmac said...
The smart is a "ONE BUMP" car, That's all you will hear if a large truck runs over you,..............
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12-10-2008 @ 1:57PM
Macaw said...
Let's put the myths to bed...
Vibe 32-mpg highway per the epa
Toyota make the Prius and it's almost twice as long and 45-mpg highway
Vibe scores much worse in side impact tests
Don't like the smart then don't buy one, but please keep your ignorance of a vehicle you know nothing about to yourself.
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12-12-2008 @ 11:35AM
Brenda said...
My husband was stationed at Dexheim army base in Germany. These cars have been a major mode of transport for many years. Our friends in Germany told me this morning fuel is $10.75 a gallon our money. There it is sold by the liter and they use the euro. I don't want one of these cars--look like a death trap to me. Just a footnote: i took my husband there to be buried this past august. $13,000.00 our money ended up being $8,000.00 in euros. Our money is worth almost nothing in other countries and worth less every day.
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12-15-2008 @ 1:02AM
MIKE said...
BRENDA& TEXMAC: I HAVE PICTURES SENT BY A DRIVER WHOSE SMART WAS HIT, THE SMART SPUN AROUND A FEW TIMES AND WAS THROWN AGAINST THE SIDE GUARDRAIL. THE CAR SUFFERRED SOME DAMAGE ON THE PLASTIC PANELS REPLACED FOR VERY LITTLE BUT THE BEST PART IS SHE WALKED OUT WITHOUT A SCRATCH.
ALSO ANY CAR THAT A TRUCK OR AN EXPEDITON WILL HIT MAY KILL THE DRIVER AS WELL. ALSO i THOUGHT TOYOTA MADE THE MATRIX AND PONTIAC MADE THE VIBE, AM I WRONG?
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