The SMART Car

Written by Alan Bellows

In lots of places other than the United States, there is a plucky little automobile for sale called the Swatch Mercedes ART car, orSMART car for short. It gets an impressive 69 miles per gallon (diesel), yet it has the get-up-and-go of an average compact car. It is available in most of Europe, Asia, Australia, and in Canada, but it has not been marketed in the United States yet because it is contrary to Mercedes-Benz’s high-priced luxury stance in the U.S..

At first glance, it looks like a glorified golf cart. It’s even Mini-er than the Mini, so small that two SMART cars can share one standard parking space. It also looks a bit unsafe considering that this tiny, 1,600 pound two-seater is meant to share the road with the likes of the 6,400 pound Hummer H2. But it’s not quite as deathtrappy as one might think.

The rear-mounted three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine only produces about forty horsepower, however the car is so lightweight that those forty horses go a lot farther than one would think. But it’s certainly no race car; it takes just short of twenty seconds to accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour (about 62 miles per hour), and it has a maximum speed of about 85 miles per hour due to an electronic speed governor. It’s geared with a clutchless 6-speed manual gearbox.

It has high-end braking and stability control features to help it keep its footing, and a few nice little features such as a system to prevent the car from rolling back when starting on an uphill slope. The passenger compartment is protected by a reinforced steel cage which its engineers call the “walnut,” allowing the car’s exterior to absorb much of the energy of an impact. The cage holds up to some brutal punishment… for example, in one test the cage remained intact after impacting a 20 ton block of concrete at 70 MPH (see video link below). But it’s not perfect, it has many of the same impact-related problems as other smaller cars. In Europe’s five-star crash rating system, the SMART car weighs in at three stars.

In Canada, the base SMART coupe can be had for about $12,100, which is about $9000 less than a base-model Toyota Prius, and about 10 miles per gallon more efficient. But the Prius’ zero-to-sixty time of about 10.5 seconds will smoke a SMART car, and the Prius gets five stars on the same crash-test rating system that gave the SMART car three stars. As for looks, they’re both equally goofy in design, but in distinct ways.

Mercedes plans to bring SMART cars to the U.S. someday soon, so if you’re looking for an inexpensive ultra-fuel-efficient car that is reasonably safe, it may become the best option, as long as you don’t mind the fact that it’s gutless.

Is the Smart Car For You?

NEW YORK (AP) - At just 8 feet, 8 inches long and about 5 feet wide, the two-seat Smart car turned heads as it rolled through Manhattan one recent evening at rush hour.

Pedestrians in Times Square gawked. In front of Grand Central Terminal, a cabbie rolled down his window and asked, "What is it? How much?" Two nearby police officers both gave it a thumbs up.

The 1,800-pound "micro-car" - more than 3 feet shorter than fellow European pipsqueak the MINI Cooper - is likely to be the smallest thing on four wheels when it hits the U.S. car market in early 2008. Produced in France by the Mercedes Car Group, the "Fortwo" model has been on a 50-city U.S. tour this summer, including Detroit, Smart USA's corporate headquarters.

Its base price is $12,000, and it's hard to beat the fuel efficiency of about 40 miles per gallon. If any car can squeeze into Manhattan parking spots, this is it. And Smart is hip: The Museum of Modern Art has displayed it as an innovative, stylish solution to two practical problems: urban crowding and diminishing energy.

But the big question is: How many Americans, used to SUVs and other hefty vehicles, will take to this itty bitty car? Is it safe?

"Just how many urban fashionistas are there?" wrote Juergen Zoellter in a review this spring for Car and Driver magazine, predicting only limited U.S. sales. He said the prospect of driving a Fortwo in truck trafficon American highways was "scary."

"In the States, the vehicle's size may work against it," he wrote.

The Smart car's U.S. crash-test results will be announced this fall, said David Schembri, president of Smart USA and a veteran auto marketing executive, previously with Mitsubishi. He said it's expected to get four stars out of a possible five.

The European New Car Assessment Program crash-tested a previous model, the Smart City Coupe, and gave it a three-star rating out of a possible five. The U.S. model is almost 8 inches longer than the European one, with safey improvements including a steel safety "cage" inside, more air bags, and "intelligent" seatbelts that sense motion changes.

Of course, once outside the cage, there's not a whole lot of car left.

"Even with modern safety features like multiple air bags, people in small, light cars are always at a disadvantage in crashes," said Russ Rader of the Arlington, Va.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The United States is way behind the rest of the world in embracing small, fuel-efficient cars. But even abroad, the Smart car has not been profitable. With about 750,000 cars sold in 36 countries, the company reportedly has lost billions of dollars. Last year, sales fell to 102,700 vehicles worldwide from 124,300 in 2005.

Still, more than 20,000 wannabe Smart owners in the United States have already signed up.

Schembri calls it "the wow factor."

The Smart car "challenges habits of personal mobility," said a MoMA tag for a 2002 display of the vehicle. In August, the little car was taken for test drives at East Hampton, N.Y., playground of the hungry-for-novelty rich. Commercials for the Nintendo Wii, meanwhile, a video game system, have featured a Smart in white with sky blue accents, mirroring the game's colors.

Even at 6-foot-1 and "not skinny," Schembri said he fits comfortably behind the wheel. The quick-handling vehicle, with a more than 70-horsepower, 1-liter, three-cylinder engine, is "so much fun to drive it's addictive," he said.

The Smart car began in the early 1990s, when Nicolas Hayek, inventor of the Swatch watch, went toMercedes-Benz with his idea for an "ultra-urban" car with interchangeable body panels for style and color - a feature similar to the trendy Swiss watch. The prototype of the Smart City Coupe was introduced in Germany in 1997.

Swatch is no longer involved with the car, but the "S" in Smart still stands for Swatch, the "m" for Mercedes, and the "art" for, well, the artsy combos that are options.

For instance, it can come as a "cabriolet" (French for convertible), or if an owner gets tired of the color, the body panels - made of recycled plastic - can be removed and switched.

In addition, the same Smart car can be driven either stick shift or automatic. Gears are changed using either the traditional floor "stick," or by squeezing levers under the steering wheel - right to shift up, left to shift down.

One fancier version, starting at $14,000, includes air conditioning, alloy wheels and a panoramic roof. The convertible, starting at about $17,000, features an upgraded sound system with MP3 capability and a six-disc CD changer.

The target U.S. market, said Schembri, includes first-time car buyers, urban sophisticates, baby boomers looking for a second car, and "empty-nest" parents.

The first U.S. Smart car dealerships will be announced later this year, with sales and service handled by Smart USA, a division of the Penske Automotive Group, which is distributing the car in North America and Puerto Rico.

Is the Smart Car For You?

NEW YORK (AP) - At just 8 feet, 8 inches long and about 5 feet wide, the two-seat Smart car turned heads as it rolled through Manhattan one recent evening at rush hour.

Pedestrians in Times Square gawked. In front of Grand Central Terminal, a cabbie rolled down his window and asked, "What is it? How much?" Two nearby police officers both gave it a thumbs up.

The 1,800-pound "micro-car" - more than 3 feet shorter than fellow European pipsqueak the MINI Cooper - is likely to be the smallest thing on four wheels when it hits the U.S. car market in early 2008. Produced in France by the Mercedes Car Group, the "Fortwo" model has been on a 50-city U.S. tour this summer, including Detroit, Smart USA's corporate headquarters.

Its base price is $12,000, and it's hard to beat the fuel efficiency of about 40 miles per gallon. If any car can squeeze into Manhattan parking spots, this is it. And Smart is hip: The Museum of Modern Art has displayed it as an innovative, stylish solution to two practical problems: urban crowding and diminishing energy.

But the big question is: How many Americans, used to SUVs and other hefty vehicles, will take to this itty bitty car? Is it safe?

"Just how many urban fashionistas are there?" wrote Juergen Zoellter in a review this spring for Car and Driver magazine, predicting only limited U.S. sales. He said the prospect of driving a Fortwo in truck trafficon American highways was "scary."

"In the States, the vehicle's size may work against it," he wrote.

The Smart car's U.S. crash-test results will be announced this fall, said David Schembri, president of Smart USA and a veteran auto marketing executive, previously with Mitsubishi. He said it's expected to get four stars out of a possible five.

The European New Car Assessment Program crash-tested a previous model, the Smart City Coupe, and gave it a three-star rating out of a possible five. The U.S. model is almost 8 inches longer than the European one, with safey improvements including a steel safety "cage" inside, more air bags, and "intelligent" seatbelts that sense motion changes.

Of course, once outside the cage, there's not a whole lot of car left.

"Even with modern safety features like multiple air bags, people in small, light cars are always at a disadvantage in crashes," said Russ Rader of the Arlington, Va.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The United States is way behind the rest of the world in embracing small, fuel-efficient cars. But even abroad, the Smart car has not been profitable. With about 750,000 cars sold in 36 countries, the company reportedly has lost billions of dollars. Last year, sales fell to 102,700 vehicles worldwide from 124,300 in 2005.

Still, more than 20,000 wannabe Smart owners in the United States have already signed up.

Schembri calls it "the wow factor."

The Smart car "challenges habits of personal mobility," said a MoMA tag for a 2002 display of the vehicle. In August, the little car was taken for test drives at East Hampton, N.Y., playground of the hungry-for-novelty rich. Commercials for the Nintendo Wii, meanwhile, a video game system, have featured a Smart in white with sky blue accents, mirroring the game's colors.

Even at 6-foot-1 and "not skinny," Schembri said he fits comfortably behind the wheel. The quick-handling vehicle, with a more than 70-horsepower, 1-liter, three-cylinder engine, is "so much fun to drive it's addictive," he said.

The Smart car began in the early 1990s, when Nicolas Hayek, inventor of the Swatch watch, went toMercedes-Benz with his idea for an "ultra-urban" car with interchangeable body panels for style and color - a feature similar to the trendy Swiss watch. The prototype of the Smart City Coupe was introduced in Germany in 1997.

Swatch is no longer involved with the car, but the "S" in Smart still stands for Swatch, the "m" for Mercedes, and the "art" for, well, the artsy combos that are options.

For instance, it can come as a "cabriolet" (French for convertible), or if an owner gets tired of the color, the body panels - made of recycled plastic - can be removed and switched.

In addition, the same Smart car can be driven either stick shift or automatic. Gears are changed using either the traditional floor "stick," or by squeezing levers under the steering wheel - right to shift up, left to shift down.

One fancier version, starting at $14,000, includes air conditioning, alloy wheels and a panoramic roof. The convertible, starting at about $17,000, features an upgraded sound system with MP3 capability and a six-disc CD changer.

The target U.S. market, said Schembri, includes first-time car buyers, urban sophisticates, baby boomers looking for a second car, and "empty-nest" parents.

The first U.S. Smart car dealerships will be announced later this year, with sales and service handled by Smart USA, a division of the Penske Automotive Group, which is distributing the car in North America and Puerto Rico.

Smart Car: How Smart Is It?

by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 05.12.08

CARS & TRANSPORTATION

The Smart Car is undoubtedly cute and novel, but is it a smart choice for drivers that are concerned about the environment as well as their wallet? We've given the Smart Car a lot of coverege here on TreeHugger (here, here, here, here, here and here, for instance), always evoking mixed reviews from our writers and readers alike. Eric Taub of the NY Times recently test drove the Smart Car ForTwo for two weeks on the streets of Los Angeles, and found the experience to be, well, mediocre. While he acknowledged that the car got him as much attention as the iPhone when it first came out, when it came time to take it on the roads the car underperformed in numerous ways.

For one thing, although the Smart had no problem getting up to 80 MPH on the highway, "once at speed, the engine thrashed and the car was buffeted by the wake of passing tractor trailers, giving me pause when I thought about taking one hand off the wheel. The experience was akin to crossing the upper level of the George Washington Bridge in a 1960s Volkswagen Beetle on a windy day." Cornering wasn't much better, either: "the body roll was pronounced, causing a friend to reflexively grab the dash."

Perhaps the worst feature of the car was its acceleration, which Mr. Taub described as follows:

When accelerating, the dreadful 5-speed automated manual transmission shifts awkwardly and slowly. It may be enough to make you reach for the Dramamine: the engine temporarily slows as the car is about to upshift, jerking the driver forward and then back with each shift. Several times, my wife threatened to walk home.

The AC worked fairly well, but was extremely noisy. At least there was plenty of head room inside the car. However, In a city like Los Angeles, the car's diminutive size didn't provide much of an advantage, given the abundance of parking and the wide-open streets in the city.

Finally, the biggest disappointment came in the mileage department, where the writer averaged 32 miles per gallon for two tankfuls of gas, which is below the EPA's estimate of 36 m.p.g. for combined city/highway driving. Taub ends his article by asking "With its limited carrying capacity, seemingly mediocre fuel economy, erratic handling and fitful acceleration, one question that potential buyers in this part of the world should be asking is, what’s the point?"

Now, it should be kept in mind that the Smart was not really designed for going 80 MPH on the highway, nor is it meant to corner like a Porsche. What's more, the diesel version of the Smart gets far better fuel mileage--yet isn't available in the U.S. Still, it's hard to ignore the fact that for around the same price, a car such as the Toyota Yariscan beat the Smart on fuel economy, while offering better handling and more room for storage.

So we leave the question to you, readers: how smart is the Smart car?

Via: ::NY Times

ICBC offers words of wisdom

Written by Citizen staff

Monday, 21 December 200

Drive smart in winter conditions.
December is also traditionally the time of year that sees the most crashes, many of which are preventable by preparing your vehicle, planning ahead and driving smart.
Be cautious of winter hazards like snow-covered roads and black ice.
When snow begins to melt, potential dangers can include standing water, flooded areas, and potholes. For both situations, drivers need to remember the same two key tips - reduce your speed and increase your following distance. The more time you have to react, the better. Expect delays and get in the habit of checking road conditions at drivebc.ca before heading out, especially for possible road and highway closures.
ICBC recommends having the ‘at the scene of a crash’ claims card in your vehicle. Experiencing a crash can be frightening and stressful, and these cards are designed to help customers remember all the vital information they need to gather in order to make a claim. The cards are available from local Autoplan brokers, ICBC Claim Centres or can be downloaded from icbc.com.
In the event severe winter road conditions lead to higher than normal call volumes for ICBC’s Dial-a-Claim call centre, ICBC asks customers to be patient and suggests having the following information ready:
* your vehicle licence plate number
* the driver’s licence number of the person driving your vehicle
* the licence plate and driver’s licence numbers of the other person(s) involved
* where the crash happened
* when the crash happened
If you are involved in a crash, ICBC is committed to providing a hassle-free experience and will be open to assist customers throughout the holiday season. Customers can reach Dial-a-Claim by calling 1-800-910-4222. For more information, please visit icbc.com.