The driver has to be a little patient with this car when you go for a drive around town. Streetlight racing is pointless but the engine's torque makes the smart feel much quicker than it really is. The small motor makes for quite the mix of a 3-cylinder engine rumble and the usual diesel clatter. It does get loud after a while but I find it adds to the overall personality of the smart. Up to about 110-115 km/h, the smart drives nearly like a normal automobile. Once 120 km/h is reached though, stability and crosswinds develop into significant issues. Steering is also affected as it becomes quite light. Keep in mind that even thought the car will only do 135 km/h flat out; it is barely using 5 litres of fuel per 100 km or doing 60 mpg.
The smart handles very well and has a smooth ride for such a short wheelbased car, though quick and repeated bumps will upset the stability by a noticeable margin. The fortwo's chassis feels very stiff and solid. It actually seems like the whole car was carved out of a single piece of steel. Steering is precise and nicely weighted and requires both hands on the wheel when cruising on the highways.
The brakes perform well enough. The pedal lacks progression though and travel is very long. Initial bite is good but the more pressure is applied to the pedal, the further it goes down before the car comes to a full stop. A little later in the text, I innumerate all of the components of this car's electronic wizardry that make it all but impossible to crash. It would literally require a planned careless manoeuvre to get into an accident. Whether it is an upside or a downside, none of these accessories can be switched off.
It takes quite a while before some heat is generated from the engine and this is not unusual for diesel-powered car. On one particularly cold morning (-15 degrees Celsius), it took well over 15 minutes of driving before the temperature in the cabin got to a comfortable level. A dealer installed electric heater could possible remedy the discomfort.
Safety
All smarts have a safety cell called Tridion. The cage is what absorbs most
of the energy on impact. The wheels and even the engine are part of the crash resistance plan. The car has standard dual front and side air bags, ABS brakes, electronic brake force distribution and emergency brake assist, electronic stability and traction control, and seatbelt pre-tensionners. The smart has not yet been crash tested by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) or the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). The European New Car Assessment Program (equivalent to the other associations) has rated the smart 3 out of 5 stars in both frontal and lateral impacts.
Conclusion
This car is proof that no one really needs to spend $100,000 to get noticed while driving around. Furthermore, at an average of just over 5 litres of fuel per 100km, a little more than Mercedes-Benz announced in its literature, trips to the gas station will be inexpensive and infrequent. The tank can only hold 22 litres of gas. This means that a fill-up will be on the $20 side and the range should be of about 450 kilometres.
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The brakes perform well enough. The pedal lacks progression though and travel is very long. Initial bite is good but the more pressure is applied to the pedal, the further it goes down before the car comes to a full stop. A little later in the text, I innumerate all of the components of this car's electronic wizardry that make it all but impossible to crash. It would literally require a planned careless manoeuvre to get into an accident. Whether it is an upside or a downside, none of these accessories can be switched off.
It takes quite a while before some heat is generated from the engine and this is not unusual for diesel-powered car. On one particularly cold morning (-15 degrees Celsius), it took well over 15 minutes of driving before the temperature in the cabin got to a comfortable level. A dealer installed electric heater could possible remedy the discomfort.
Safety
All smarts have a safety cell called Tridion. The cage is what absorbs most
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Conclusion
This car is proof that no one really needs to spend $100,000 to get noticed while driving around. Furthermore, at an average of just over 5 litres of fuel per 100km, a little more than Mercedes-Benz announced in its literature, trips to the gas station will be inexpensive and infrequent. The tank can only hold 22 litres of gas. This means that a fill-up will be on the $20 side and the range should be of about 450 kilometres.