Author Topic: CD Article: 2006 Smart Fourtwo winter test (Read 14444 times)

Autos_Editor · « **on:** March 21, 2006, 01:15:05 am »

Test Drive:

The Smart only carries two people, but that's one more than most commuter cars do, observes Michael Clark, who takes a Fortwo onto the winter-slick roads of Winnipeg. You'll want winter tires, but Smart's stability control, anti-lock brakes and optional heated seats work just fine. More...

Bullet Blue · « **Reply #1 on:** March 21, 2006, 09:56:42 am »

My friend has a Smart Fortwo and it is absolutely HORRIBLE in the snow. He even has snow tires on, and it is still really bad. I would never want to drive one in the snow. It would be way too frustrating.

Loudpedal · « **Reply #2 on:** March 21, 2006, 01:34:44 pm »

Winter test? Besides a picture in the snow, it was not really a test that told me much about the vehicle dynamics in the snow.

safristi · « **Reply #3 on:** March 21, 2006, 01:40:35 pm »

The PASSION level includes the "Soft_TOUCH" feature....Hmmm It take a TWO ta TANGO it seems......

avtoller · « **Reply #4 on:** March 21, 2006, 02:45:07 pm »

There was a winter comparison test not too long ago that basically said the Smart was just short of pathetic in the snow.

Howswedeitis · « **Reply #5 on:** March 21, 2006, 03:18:41 pm »

Frankly speaking, you'd have to have "rocks" in your head to buy one of these things
in the first place. Granted if you do only city driving the Smart makes sense but who
only does city driving? For the price and what you actually get the Smart is not
much more than a novelty riding on the cache of it's association with Mercedes
Benz. The arrogance of Mercedes to market such a poor excuse for car at such
a high price makes me wonder what a laugh the board of directors in Stuttgart
must be having.

I recall seeing one of these on a highway in the middle
of January it must have been -20c and the poor guy driving the thing could
hardly see out...the side windows were frosted and you could see the
heating system hardly kept up with keeping the windshield clear.
If I wanted a car like that I could easily buy myself a 1979 VW Beetle
and buy an ice scraper to keep my windshield clear!

Bullet Blue · « **Reply #6 on:** March 21, 2006, 09:30:43 pm »

Quote from: Howswedeitis on March 21, 2006, 03:18:41 pm

Frankly speaking, you'd have to have "rocks" in your head to buy one of these things
in the first place.

While I tend to agree, it seems that Smart is doing adequately in sales:

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060321/REG/60321001/1003

Arthur Dent · « **Reply #7 on:** March 22, 2006, 06:33:38 pm »

I wouldn't mind one if they were drastically cheaper and had less features.

DriverJeff · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2006, 12:12:55 pm »

Quote from: arthurdent on March 22, 2006, 06:33:38 pm

I wouldn't mind one if they were drastically cheaper and had less features.

Yeah, I would think that as a genuine entry level hyper-economy CITY car, it would make sense. Price it maxed out at about $15-16k and it'd be neat. But for the money they are getting for these things in the Cdn market, I tend to agree with the rocks in the head statement.

One of the women my wife car-pools with actually gets agitated whenever she sees them. It's almost a conditioned response now (sort of like when I see a soccer mom in the suburbs driving a Hummer while talking on the cell phone). It's turned into a codeword now everytime either of us sees one while driving, we point and simply announce "Mad!"

So, at least the SMarts provide us with entertainment anyway.

wing · « **Reply #9 on:** March 23, 2006, 01:35:10 pm »

Ever hear of "Punch buggy" ? It's a game you play in the car when you see a VW Bug..... First person to spot it yells "Punch Buggy" and puches the person next to them, great fun. Well it got a little out of hand now with the new Bugs and you see them so often it's not much of a game (kind of like punch civic) that can get painfull.

So, I've changed it to "Smart", rare sightings include a punch

UmroAyyar · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2006, 02:03:34 pm »

Quote from: Giant Dwarf on March 23, 2006, 12:12:55 pm

Yeah, I would think that as a genuine entry level hyper-economy CITY car, it would make sense. Price it maxed out at about $15-16k and it'd be neat. But for the money they are getting for these things in the Cdn market, I tend to agree with the rocks in the head statement.

One of the women my wife car-pools with actually gets agitated whenever she sees them. It's almost a conditioned response now (sort of like when I see a soccer mom in the suburbs driving a Hummer while talking on the cell phone). It's turned into a codeword now everytime either of us sees one while driving, we point and simply announce "Mad!" So, at least the SMarts provide us with entertainment anyway.

We point and say 'Toy Car'.