2008 smart fortwo Road Test Review

The smart fortwo certainly has received a lot of buzz, but would you really want to own one?  We spent a lot of time with this car and the answer comes down to: can you really use it for what it does best, while overlooking some things you might not like. 

If the idea of buying a Mercedes-Benz for below cost is irresistible, well then the smart fortwo is that.  The car, built by Daimler-Benz in France, has been losing money for its company, a member of the Mercedes car group that originated it as a joint venture with the Swatch watch people.  But the car is priced to market, which means it has to be price-competitive and it is.  The “coupe” has a base price of $11,590, a well-equipped price of $13,590. And a convertible is available for $16,590.

What’s it like to drive?  First thing that occurs to you when you get in a smart fortwo is that it doesn’t seem so small, despite the fact that it’s only 8 feet, 10 inches long, on a 73.5-inch wheelbase, little more than half the length of a full-size car.  And many compact cars have a wheelbase as long as the smart fortwo overall length – keep that in mind as we continue.  There’s excellent headroom and the width is enough, so the two occupants, if average size, shouldn’t be the least bit cramped.

The rear-mounted engine is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder (61 cubic inches) and it develops about 70 horsepower.  It has a 10-1 compression ratio, which calls for premium gasoline, although it seemed also to run acceptably on mid-grade.  But that is a cost consideration vs. regular that you have to consider.

The transmission is an automated manual five-speed.  What that means is that the clutch is operated electro-mechanically at the transmission – no clutch pedal.  The primary reason for this design is packaging – installing a conventional clutch with linkage and cable to a pedal just was too intrusive for the cabin.  Wiring and switches take up lots less room.

Sounds appealing – no clutch pedal and no need to shift manually unless you select a manual mode.  But it does produce a lurching effect every time the transmission shifts.  There are steering wheel paddle shifters you use with the manual mode on the premium model.  The paddles enable you to make the shifts when you want, so at least your body anticipates the gear changes.  But shifting is not butter-smooth, because bottom line is that it’s a manual transmission, so there’s no torque management and no simultaneous disengage/engagement of gears that can dissipate the lurch.

The ride quality is definitely not boulevard comfort level, something you have to accept, because ride is to a substantial degree a function of wheelbase.  The wheelbase is considerably shorter than even a MINI.  In fact, the MINI wheelbase is within about 9 inches of the smart fortwo overall length.  So yes, with a smart fortwo there is more impact harshness than you’re probably used to, on anything but smooth roads.

However, the car does do things no other car we’ve driven can do, namely make U-turns on some pretty narrow streets, and fit into parking spaces that would keep even a MINI, with its 12 feet of overall length, rolling past.  Although you physically could park head-in on parallel parking streets without sticking out, it isn’t legal in most places.  When street parking, you might more be concerned about the snap-in body panels in some locations.  The panels, which are plastic for dent resistance, might appeal to vandals almost as much as Jeep Wrangler doors.

Co-tester Bob Giordano has the “OK” look after returning from his test drive of the smart fortwo.

Wondering about the fuel economy?  Sure it’s very good, and the numbers we got were well above the “official” EPA figures (something that’s been happening a lot since EPA changed the fudge factor and the numbers came down for everyone).  We got 45 miles per gallon overall, in  highway/suburban secondary roads operation, which translates to a lot of 35-45 mph with relatively few stoplights, and highway cruising at 65 mph.  Our highway number alone, in fact, was 47 mpg.  The 2008 EPA numbers are 33 city/41 highway, but we didn’t get to the big city, only to some smaller towns, but still with some traffic.  The gas tank holds 8.7 gallons, enough for about 300 to almost 400 miles of range.  We’d suspect the mileage drops noticeably from our numbers in summer use with the A/C on. 

Performance was acceptable.  The car weighs only about 1600 pounds and so the 70 horses (and 68 lbs. ft. torque) do the job.

Does the idea of such a small car make you nervous in traffic?  It didn’t bother us in real world operation in suburban towns, because the interior is so roomy, a function of good design.  Behind the seats is a cargo area, which we suspect would work nicely for pizza delivery and the like, and it also is large enough to hold suitcases for a trip to the airport.  The smart fortwo also would work very well for anyone who does commutes of under 25 miles or wants a car for around town use.  It is not the car you would take on a driving vacation or even longish commutes.

From a safety standpoint, Mercedes has done an excellent job.  The car has a high-strength steel safety cage design, and the short wheelbase means that a side impact is more likely to transfer a lot of force into the wheels, not as much into the cabin.

The smart fortwo isn’t a sports car by any means, but it handles decently and with standard electronic stability control (which includes anti-lock brakes), it should keep the overly exuberant driver out of trouble.

Our test car was the “passion” model, which at $13,590 list is $2,000 above the base “pure.”  But the extra money gets air conditioning, power windows, radio with CD player (yes, radio or A/C are options on the pure), heated outside mirrors and a see through “Panorama” roof .  Add $3,000 to that price and you can get the power-operated cloth top passion “cabriolet” (convertible).  With the value of the Euro already putting pressure on the pricing, we doubt that the importer, smart USA, a Roger Penske operation, will be bringing in many of the “pures.”

Right now there’s about a six-month wait, but surely that will dissipate by next year.  Pre-2008 models you may hear about are “gray market” models that were brought in by an unauthorized importer about five years ago.  However, they were certified to U.S. emission and safety standards of that period.  smart USA has a dealer agreement that forbids selling above list, but dealers are creative enough to add dealer-installed options that cost them little but are priced high, to boost the selling price of a hot model.  That’s why patience will save you money.  No mass-production car stays hot forever.