Thought and the Smart for Two

It has been two day since my last post. Let it be known that I am officially "getting serious."



Excuse the shitty cell pic but there she is a smart fortwo.

This was one of the most interesting cars I have ever driven and I am amazed that such a small vehicle is legal to drive on the road (not hating, just impressed). The car seems small enough that if a suburban, f150, or the H1 sitting behind it would eat it while casually cruising down the local big box store avenue.
A video of the crash test shows the car bouncing off of the wall like a hand ball on the school playground. The smarts pinball tendency in high speed collisions is due to the stiffness inherently found in the round shape of the car. The cars unibody must be strong be cause it has a crumple zone equivalent to that of a vw microbus. "Although the dummy's head did strike the steering wheel through the airbag, we think the smart does a good job of protecting occupants in this type of crash." said one of the testers.

As far as driving the car is concerned it was fun but tedious. The interior was spartan and rugged with cloth or tough leather seats and thin rough carpet and plastic lined floor. The dash is minimalistic and the base model does not have a tachometer or clock.

The For Two in America only comes with an automatic trip-tonic five speed. And the car really wants you to use the trip-tonic feature. If not it bucks and jerks like a fifteen your old trying to pull a real five speed into a slightly angled driveway. With the manual shift mode in use the smart rewards the driver with a peppy athletic feel. Unfortunately the smart is underpowered naturally as an economy car.

The car in its deluxe model does have some unique features. There are paddle shifters, a nice tachometer and clock which truly do give a complete feel to the amber gauge set. It also can be optioned as a convertible, which is really a glorified leather sunroof, but who doesn't like a sunroof/convertible?

Interestingly enough an arm rest is an available option in all trim levels but never standard.

All in all I would say wait. I hope that Mercedes will release a souped up Smart For Two, akin with its AMG brethren. If that's your style though I guarantee you will like the car. The Smart For Two even in it's most basic form offers something not found in all cars, passion to be different and enjoy every minute of it. Indeed the Smart will share its passion with you and you will not be able to get a smile off your face while it is in your possession.

Best option: DRIVE IT