First impressions from an early SMART owner

Stergios | Has owned a 2008 Smart fortwo 2dr Cpe Passion

I am not your average car buyer. I don't buy cars based on traditional needs. This time around I wanted to buy the smallest new car possible. So I bought the 2008 SMART ForTwo. Sure, I could have bought more car for the same price (Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Aveo, etc), but I wanted the smallest car.

You see, I used to drive one of the biggest trucks for sale in the US, a 2001 Ford F350, Quad Cab, Dually, Long Bed. I'm not towing the boats and cars that I used to tow on a regular basis, and the F350 was a bit much for commuting on a daily basis. I was ready for a change, and a drastic change at that. I just felt like I had to bring my driving karma back to equilibrium after pounding the pavement with my F350 these last 7 years. My car friends might call me soft, but so be it. So now I drive the SMART car.

When I found out SMART was entering the US market, I plunked down my $99 deposit right away. 11 months later the dealer called me and told me my car was ready for delivery.

I like driving my SMART. The first thing I noticed is that everybody wants to talk to me about the car. At stop lights, at parking lots, even in front of my house people stop as they are driving by and ask me lots of questions about the car. (I think the most frequent question is "Is that electric?") No one ever wanted to talk to me about my F350.

So back to the driving part. The next thing I noticed is that the SMART is super easy to park. Man is it easy to park. I can fit that car into any parking space; even half a parking space is all I need. I am still in the habit of pulling all the way into a parking space which leaves about half of the space empty. It's funny watching people cruise a busy parking lot looking for a good spot, and then thinking they found one, they have to stop only to realize that spot is already taken by my car. With my F350 parking was easy too; it's just that the walk from the way back of the parking lot to the store front takes about 10 minutes. Each way.

Where was I? Oh yea, the driving. As I get ready to drive somewhere I still have a happy little chuckle inside me. Every time I approach the car I think to myself, "Damn, that is one small car". That feeling fades away quickly after I start driving, however. I mean there is a lot of room inside. I'm a little bigger than the average guy; six feet, two inches tall, and tip the scales just shy of 220 on a good day. So I can tell when a car is cramped. The SMART really is smart in the roominess department. It is very comfortable. I quickly forget about how small the car is on the outside once I am on the inside.

The SMART handles very well. Driving it reminds me of an older underpowered European sports car. The steering is tight, and responsive. (I have manual steering). While it is very light, it weighs just 1800 pounds, it is also underpowered. So I think a lot about keeping my momentum as I drive, and that adds to the fun of the driving. With my F350, I just point that hulk in the direction I want to go, and it would go – nothing got in it's way.

I have 700 miles on the SMART so far. The dealer told me too keep the rpms under 4000 for the first 1000 miles, and I am happy to say I have stayed below that mark so far. (I am surprised that the break in period is so long...I would think that with today's manufacturing tolerances that the need for a break in period is a thing yore. It made me wonder about the engine's reliability when I heard that, so I am playing it safe for now and following the dealer's recommendation.) The engine seems to really find it's power band at 3500 rpms, but I back off of the gas soon after that. In just 300 more miles I'll see what it's like to drive with all 71 ponies available! But for now, I will have to dream. And besides, I still have my F350, so with it's 550 ft lbs of torque I can get my stump pulling fix on when I feel the need.

But it is not all straight 'A's with the SMART. I have had a few nerve racking experiences with driving on windy days. Twice I drove over the Dumbarton Bride when there were 25 knot gusts, and I have to tell you that I was scared! Real scared. The wind was severely pushing my car around. The first time it happened I was talking to a friend on the phone. I quickly said a rude goodbye, dropped the phone, and held on for dear life as I traversed the span. I survived, but I was shaken for a few minutes before I pulled myself back together. Now when I cross the bridge I put my game face on early, I turn down the radio, put my hands at the 10-2 position, and wonder if the SMART car can float. If it does, I'll just carry it home in the back of my F350.

You would think that freeway driving might be a bit dicey too, but you would be wrong. Sure, acceleration is not the SMART's strong suit, but it handles the freeway fine for short stints. After you get up to speed, how much acceleration do you need? I've driven from Palo Alto to Oakland quite a few times, about 35 miles each way, and the SMART is great for that distance. Taking an extra 10 seconds to get to 65mph is no big deal when you are going to be on the freeway for another 30 minutes anyway. I just keep my little speed daemon in check, and tell him "chill, we'll be there soon enough". With my F350, I used to accelerate past a lot of these foreign cars, and that was while towing a 10,000 pound boat. Uphill!

One downside about freeway driving is that I wish the SMART had cruise control, but the option was not available.

The storage space behind the drivers space is surprisingly big. Today I carried two old fashioned white box computers and a small hand truck in the back. Yesterday I carried ten 2.5 gallon jugs of water for the office, and they all fit in just fine. If I need to carry more stuff, I'll just tie it to the roof.

If you are the practical type and you want the most small car your money can buy, the SMART is probably not for you. There are better choices like the Chevrolet Aveo or the Toyota Yaris that fit the bill. But if you want to put-put around town, and you mostly drive by yourself or possibly one other person, the SMART would be a fun choice. I'm glad I have one.

Reviewed on May 5, 2008