Once inside there's ample headroom and legroom, plus the seats are generous. The only time you may feel claustrophobic is when
 |
| Surprisingly, there is ample headroom and legroom in the car, although its narrow stature means you may be rubbing shoulders with your passenger. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
someone else is along for the ride. As the fortwo is narrow, you may butt up shoulder to shoulder depending on your size. Of course this scenario would be fine if your passenger just happens to be one of those lovely ladies lured in by your cute-as-a-pup smart, but a tad uncomfortable if it's a business associate. I just happened to be driving home my ex-wife's fiancé, and even though we are each merely 5 feet, eight inches or so, and of medium builds, the fortwo was a bit too close for comfort. But once on my own again, the fortwo is a terrific traveling companion. It's a lot zippier that I previously imagined a 799-cc 3-cylinder common rail diesel engine should be.
 |
| For only producing 40-hp and 74 lb-ft of torque, the smart's 799-cc 3-cylinder common rail diesel engine is a lot zippier than previously imagined. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Factor in the rear-mounted Suprex engine only produces 40 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque, despite the fact that the direct injection, turbocharged, charge air cooled engine's torque reaches its maximum at an extremely low 1,800 to 2,800 rpm, and its get up and go is surprising. This is due, of course, to the car's extremely light curb weight of 740 kilos (1,631 pounds) and high-tech "softip" sequential clutchless 6-speed Getrag automatic gearbox. Launching from a stoplight in manual mode I was able to take off quicker than the average driver chose to and speed ahead of traffic without any hesitation. Of course, closer inspection proves that its 19.8 second to 100 km/h "charge" is hardly athletic, so don't go waving your ownership papers tauntingly at the guy driving the HEMI-powered 300C next to you.
