What are your views on the Smart fortwo car?

Question

Any opinions of the Smart fortwo? Likes/ dislikes. Any user opinions. All answers appreciated!

Answer 1

I owned one for three years and had no problems what-so-ever, other than normal wear. To change a headlight bulb the entire front end had to be removed which only took twenty minutes and 30 minutes to reinstall. It was cool to be able to hold the entire front fender assembly up with just one pinky finger. The front fenders are made out of a composite plastic. I thought the tires were rather expensive and an odd size (had to purchase from a Smart dealer) The car topped out at 84mph and averaged 52mpg driving through the center of Stuttgart everyday. I would own another one, if the price was not so high. I can purchase a well equipped Mini Cooper for the price of a Smart Car.

Answer 2

You probably would just get a small bruise from the seatbelt. Bigger does not mean safer. The Subaru Impreza, VW Jetta, Volvo S40, and Audi A4 are all compact cars that are safer than most SUV's. Safety has to do with how the frame is designed. The shape. The Smart Fortwo is round in shape and has a stronger frame than many larger cars. It is very safe. Just watch crash test video's on youtube. But I would never buy one. Smart is a company that Mercedes owns. It uses a 3 cylinder Mercedes engine and only comes with an automatic transmission just like Mercedes. They are unreliable and expensive to maintain and use only Premium gas just like Mercedes. They only get 41mpg highway at best, when they should be getting 50mpg. The Honda Civic, Toyota Yaris, Chevy Cobalt all get similar gas mileage to the Smart, but have more power, better reliability, and more space. The Smart also seats just two people and has almost no trunk space. And it is a very slow car. 0-60mph in 12.7 seconds with a top speed of 93mph. The Smart Fortwo is really an old car design. The new 2008 Fortwo is really the old Smart Fortwo that came out in Europe in 1998.

Answer 3

Owned a 2005 one from new (ForTwo Pulse), but had to sell it in April when I emigrated.
I absolutely loved the thing, it's a hoot to drive, completely different to most things out there, the speed limiter can be removed easily with a simple remap (while adding a few extra horses too), there lots of modifications available.
Despite it's small size, the interior cabin space will stun you.

To the guy who said that they handle on rails....that's not really true. Only the Smart Roadsters are known to handle, and it's easy to see why the ForTwo isn't so great in this respect. It's tall and has a short wheel base, which makes it a little top-heavy.

Answer 4

I love the way they look both inside and out. The personalisation thing is cool too (I especially love the panels with numbers on). They are great fun in city traffic and very easy to park, but on a motorway they're not such fun. Crosswinds affect this car due to its height relative to its length,while the 0.7 engine is really loud at high speeds. Obviously the Smart isn't the most practical thing on the road as it can only seat two, and the boot is small too. Oh, they're not cheap either compared to rivals. However I don't think any of these faults matter as you're not going to buy the Smart car as a family car, or if you drive on the motorway often and the price won't matter to most buyers anyway as it's bought as a fashion accessory, not an essential. I prefer the Fiat 500 but I still love Smarts!

Answer 5

I worked for Benz(maker and seller of Smart cars)
they are affordable ( 9 $ a fill up 1000 km's a tank easy)
they are safe, they are built like a tank, (one peice of metle makes the entire chassis )there is a video of one running into a wall at 70MPH and the guy was still able to open the doors and windows and the body was still intact.
suprisingly they are good in the winter(with winter tires) and they has quite a bit of "get up and go"

i am 6 feet tall 180 lbs and i fit NO problem in this car and had head room.

Now for the bad

top speed 120 km/p/h (i dont know what that is in MPH)
Enging is in the trunk so you have VERY little trunk room
insurance is expensive, because althought they are very safe if the chassis bends at all ANYWHERE the car is a write off

after the 5 year warrenty is up the parts are very expensive, you cant buy them anywhere except the Merc-benz /smart dealer. in the 8 months i worked there i saw atleast 50 waybills for over 7000$(canadian)

all in all
its a fantastic car but it does cost more the the base 20,000 over the cars life


p.s. just red the comment above, about pannels, it took Smart car techs 4 hours to change all the panels on the car. you also must specail order them from germany(2 weeks to a moth easy) and pay a LOT of money for them

Answer 6

Based on the new Mitsubishi Colt. You are better having the Colt though as it's cheaper to buy and service, plus it is structurally stronger so safer in an accident. The Colt is also better equipped from standard. Smart have always been a rip off and are not as reliable as people make out. The plus sides to a smart is that they look unique and make you feel a bit funky!

Answer 7

I think the new smart fortwo is great ! everyhing you hear about it is good, im looking at them at the moment for a new car and i am so going to get one ! plus ive heard you can drive from london to scotland on just one tank of petrol ! I think they are a great little car and they look really stylish ! Hope I've helped you gd luck w.e. you decide !

Answer 8

The +: Small, easy to park, , mercedes build quality
The -: Very expensive for what you get, slow gearchanges in auto and manual, Auto clutch very tricky in traffic (it can't decide whether to be in or out when crawling),definitely 2 passengers with weekend bags only, high speed stability questionable.

I have driven a rental a few times. I believe it to be typical.

Answer 9

its like an ATV but a Bit bigger and ohhh yea it handels like its on rails and it look cool jus like the Old mini something Adorable and something that catches everybodies eye.

and if you get the Brabus Version than you'll Kick Butts of cars like the 911's and Astond and boxster's.

Linkin Soldier out!.

Answer 10

i think the cute styling, fuel usage, and low price will make this car popular if u can find a dealer