California Autos Examiner

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

smart fortwo blurb




As we sit and wait for DC execs to make up their minds on whether or not to bring the fortwo to our shores, I thought I might as well post a mini review that I found. This reviewer is clearly not in favor of the fortwo and this test drive didn't win him over. Of course we would get the second generation model which would presumably sort out the issues that he complains about.

I think that smart's unique style and size could carve out a niche in our bigger cities. A recent visit to San Francisco for a dinner party really drove home the point of this car: I drove around FOREVER to find a parking spot, but I drove past spots the fortwo would've fit into constantly. DC is hoping that if offered in the US the fortwo could garner 20k annual sales. That number may achievable in it's first years, but I'm unsure that it could sustain that pace. It's true that the smart division is skating on thin ice. But I don't think that DC could say to themselves "We tried everything" if they didn't offer the smart in the US before disposing of the division. I'm still holding out for a "Go" no later than April.

Here's the section pertaining to the fortwo, but the full article (which is actually a Hyundai Sonata review) can be found by clicking here.

I picked up a smart fortwo (yes, if you know what that is I'm extremely impressed as it isn't even available in the U.S.) from Mercedes-Benz on Monday, and not once, not twice, but three times it wouldn’t start. The first time, while parked in the service department of a Jaguar/Land Rover dealer, I slotted the key into the lower console (ironically just like a Saab), turned it to the right and nothing happened. I made sure that the sequential-manual transmission was in neutral, and then twisted the key again... nothing. I pulled the key out, turned it around and slotted it in from the opposite side (as if that would do anything), and still nada. I twisted the key to the "on" position and moved the gear selector around, tried to start it, nothing, and then put it back into the neutral position, pulled the key out, put it back in and then tried again. You guessed it, no sign of life yet. Then I opened the door to let some air in and some steam out (my steam as you can imagine), and turned the key once again... it started. I drove home without stopping, despite wanting some lunch and not being willing to stoop to drive-through levels, only to remember that I had a lunch appointment anyway. Jennifer had the Sonata, so I left the smart running and went off to pick up my new video producer, who laughed hysterically when he saw what I was driving (its the hairless dog of cars), and then laughed some more when I attempted to accelerate and what sounded more like a tractor than a car zipped up to 60 mph in a mind-numbing 20 or so seconds - yippee! It was after lunch that it wouldn’t start for the second time. Opening the door didn’t work, and neither did fiddling around with the gear lever, switching it from up to downshift positions, reverse and then back to neutral with the ignition switched on, after which I pulled the key out and re-slotted it, and then five minutes later, thoroughly frustrated, it started once again for no apparent reason. This happened once more, and now it sits in the driveway, only to be used when absolutely necessary. Do you think I’m impressed with smart? No, and not only because of this car. A previous version I tested had a non-working audio system, and there were electrical glitches with the one before that. The "smart" is a "dumb" decision if you’re looking to save money anyway. In other markets its priced much higher than equivalent Japanese or Korean subcompacts that feature a great deal more size, power and features. Sure its fabulous on fuel, but believe me, itll take years of fuel savings to make up the thousands of dollars difference you’ll need to ante up to get into a smart if Mercedes ever brings the brand to the U.S. And if you were to load up a smart with similar features available on a base Sonata (at least this scenario works in neighboring Canada where it is sold), it gets pretty close to the big sedans base price. Its a steep price to pay for a car that is anything but reliable. Case in point, despite having the funky little fortwo in my driveway, I drove the Sonata everywhere I needed to go today, without any problems with the ignition, or anything else I might add. No wonder Hyundai is doing so well and smart, not to mention Mercedes-Benz that builds it, is losing money worldwide. So Mercedes, while wed take a long-term ML350 any day of the week (its really a superb SUV), you can leave the fortwo in the garage. And another thing, bringing the smart fortwo to the U.S. would be a stupid decision unless priced lower than a Kia Rio, and even then the Kia is a better car.

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