I would like to get your feedback. I will be attending the August 1st Event in White Plains, NY.

 

I went to the one in Albuquerque about two weeks ago. If you have a Smart "reserved", you will probably get an invitation to a special showing the day before they have the one for the general public. Even if you do not, they were not checking anything so go to this (assuming you can find out where it is) because it is less crowded. They had a whole fleet of Smarts in different colors along with at least one a cabriolet but all were European models that are slightly different than the US versions.

Impressions from driving the car--Drove like a real car which was a little surprising to me. Seemed very solid even though it is small. Plenty of room for two, no room for a third, not even a baby. For somebody tall, you can put the seat back about a mile--I think a very tall person would fit OK. Acceleration was acceptable but of course, not neck snapping. You drive with a Smart rep and they seem to want to impress you with the fact that you can use the steering wheel goodies to shift the transmission but I suspect I would always leave it in the automatic mode.

The people showing the car were very well informed and could answer most any question. It would appear that the dealer for the local area has been chosen and it is not the Mercedes dealer. It is the organization that sells Toyota and Honda here.

My wife is the real question mark. She refuses to accept the car, says she would never drive one, so I did not tell her where we were going. After we were there, she did at least accept a ride in it. She left without near as much negativity but I do not think she is really convinced yet. I think the movie of the crash test with the E class may have convinced her that it is a bit safer than she thought.

 

Mine too......

She is willing to go to the event when it comes to our area, but she wants to be in a tank on the road. I thought she would like the "smallness" of it, but she is worried about accidents. Understandable.... I want her in the safest thing around.

Do you have a link to that video you mentioned?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

This has two different crash videos. The first is the one shown in the van that they have with the Smart Road Show. These are the older Smarts; I think the new ones might do a little better.

Regardless, I would not want to crash into in a Smart or any other car for that matter.

 

- Deposit $99.00
- Testdrive in Phoenix/Chandler went well
- Recommendation: Steering wheel and/or seat must be HIGHT adjustable (seat pump or similar; i.e. like New Beetle drivers side seat)

Impressions:

Right along what can be expected; "Mikeee likes it". Seriously, if you live in an area, where Golf Carts are legally driven on up to 35 Mph roads (in wider bicycle lanes) - where people have at least one "real car", there may be a market. We drive our Club (electric) Golf Cart around the Golf Course etc. after hours (private CC/Adult community) to "count the rattle snakes" etc... just for fun; relaxing in fresh air; watch birds etc.

It may be possible, to use the Smart Car semi Golf Cart (eventually) - so I hope. Why? IT'S AIRCONDITIONED!! The Fun Factor would be worth it to me.

Here is my take; at $15,000 one can buy a better car (Honda, Toyota, VW, Nissan - dependent on where you live) and the garage is big enough (mine is) to house 2 full-size cars, a Golf Cart and the Smart Car. Otherwise just forget it. Now, living in a BIG city - parking issues etc. - different story.

Regardless of the SmartCar's implied (real) Value - if the objective is: reliable, inexpensive transportation - there are better cars to fit the bill.

But then again, the C32 purchase was not about "transportation" - absolutely not; so in that regard, the Smart Car will be in the same category (Fun).

 

I was some what interested in this new car , and thought it would be a good car for around town. and short trips within the County. About 4 weeks ago I was in Ft.laudedale / Hollywood area , heading south on 441. I just happen to look over to the by the Nisson dealer and saw 10 of these smart cars lined up. all Colors too. Well I stopped in to have a look see. I went inside to talk about them . Their salesman knew nothing about them and would not offer a test drive . And they where all priced above $25,000. ?? And they would not come off that price tag. The whole dealer seemed Phishy, so I walked. ___PTE___

 

PTE;

Those were not the 2008 Penske dealership cars. The $25,000 price has to do with getting each car individually certified/made US DOT compliant and they were most likely 2002 or 2005 model year cars (see ZAP, Santa Rosa and other Co., one is in the Dakotas). Those were not the Canadian Diesels were they?

Also, the car is being sold in Mexico (City). So, buying a "conversion" could present a problem - eventually; in CA things are always a little different....

 

Uweb, Thanks for the insight and update. The place where I saw these smart cars was next to a Nisson dealership ( I got to believe it is not part pf the dealership). The sales office was a home converted to sales office. The salesman did not offer for me to examine the cars so I could not tell if they were diesel or if they were 02 or 05 DOT converted cars. This area Ft. Lauderdale to Miami has many ties to international countries. I might believe that these were brought in from Mexico or gray market conversions straight out of Europe. I'm glad my instincts told me to shy away. I guess working out of a converted home to automotive sales office was my first tip off that something wasn't right. Now that you've conveyed some very interesting information I will continue to look for the 08 Penske dealership cars. Thanks for restoring my faith in the Benz name. ___PTE___

 

I attended the event in San Diego. They hosted the event at a Whole Foods grocery store. I waited about 30 minutes for my turn at the wheel. They had a route setup (about 1 mile) to drive the car. Due to traffic and the route chosen, I never got it above 30 MPH. I'll take another look when they come out and I can go on a real test drive.

My opinion about this car is neutral. One my spin around the block, I felt it had enough power for city driving and it handled well. Visibility was good. It was very roomy inside. The materials were very cheap, but I didn't expect high quality plastics in a car with this price. I think this is a great novelty car, and it has a place here, just not in my garage.

 

Just got back from my Street Smart Event and it was held at my company's Lexus Dealership in White Plains, NY. I work for Mercedes-Benz and our Street Smart Event is on August 16th in Edison, NJ.

I was the first to take it out, and from the looks of everything inside, it was pretty easy to understand how everything works in the car. We only had European versions (speedo was in kilometers, and the shifter was a bit different) to test drive, but its pretty much the same.

As ffejalink stated above, there was plenty of room inside. Visibility was good, and I agree that the interior had a cheap feel to it. The brakes were a bit funny, taking a some effort to get some stopping action, but once pressed a bit, it stopped quite fast. I like the hill start assist. The brakes hold for 1.7 seconds on a incline so you don't roll backwards or forwards. I was suprised about how much pep it had. Granted it only weighs 1,600 pounds, that Mitsubishi engine (being produced by Mercedes-Benz now) is sufficient for around town cruising. I have not yet taken it on the highway or interstate, but I got up to around 50 mph and it seemed very stable and comfortable.

I could not tell you how many looks and finger pointing there was once I took them out.

Overall, I'm impress... but there are a few things that could be changed or added. For instances, there is no tilt or telescoping steering wheel (maybe available for US models) and there is no height adjustment either. So the height position of the seat and the steering wheel is set in stone. Also, there were no power side mirrors. Again, I am hoping that the US model will have them. I had to reach over my passenger to adjust the passenger side mirror.

There is a kit available for around $800 and you choose the color kit you want so you can change the color of your SmartCar.

 

Looking forward to the event in Orlando in October. Haven't heard anything about the location yet, presume I'll get an invite as a $99 depositor! No news on who the dealer is either...anybody know?
JB

 

I have been keeping a watch on a thread over at smartcarofamerica where there have been a number of reviews and driving impressions from the smart car and event.

http://smartcarofamerica.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77

Overall, I think the car is great for what it is and I will be excited to see what aftermarket world becomes available for it.

As for the event, I have heard and seen for myself that each event goes completely different. the first event I went to was kinda messy and I waited in line for about 2 hours just to drive the car.

 

The event in San Diego was organized, however their driving route was inadequate to give you a decent impression of the car. I think it's a great vehicle for what it is but I'm leaning more toward a Mini Cooper.

 

I will be going to the one in Seattle along with 15 other Canadian smart car drivers on September 1st. Should be interesting.

 

It was actually on the 29th of August and it was good. Report is on clubsmartcar.ca