Thoughts 28 Jul 2007 05:10 pm
Mercedes Smart Car
I saw my first Smart Car over at Best Buy this week.
They are distributed by the DaimlerChrysler division of Mercedes.
I had read that they weren’t due out until September.
Pricing should run between $12,000 for the cheapest model, and just over $20,000 for a convertible with all the available extras.
These little blighters are two seaters and are only about 8 ft long by less than 5 ft wide and are supposed to get 60mpg.
When I read the safety reports, DaimlerChrysler was saying they were very safe because if you were hit from the side the other car would likely hit an axle.
Right, they really get 60 mpg?? and being a dinky little piece of tin is really a safety factor.
I believe them, I mean, after all, when has a car not gotten the gas mileage the company promised? And do you believe that a car manufacturer would lie about safety? Please ignore the Ford Pinto.
In Europe’s five-star crash rating system, the smarts get three stars.
Adrian Lund, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, isn’t impressed, saying that “every carmaker advertises that they have the state of the art design” on safety.
But he adds that as long as the imports meet with federal approval “they’re not unsafe.”
“On the other hand,” he says, “they are small and lightweight and cannot protect you” as well as a larger car. “Fatalities are much higher with small, lightweight vehicles.”
On the up side, I suppose you could get two of them in one parking space, and if it breaks you can pick it up and carry it to the nearest repair shop.
There are at least two Canadian versions that have some sort of new diesel engine, unfortunately the engine has not yet been approved for use in this country.
UnitedAuto Group has been designated as the exclusive distributer for the Smart Car.
I don’t know how fast they go or how well they accelerate, but on our freeways, especially with the new ramp lights, acceleration and top end become important.
Except on a Friday afternoon, on the 15, heading for LA.
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Remember the Subaru 360
Two of us used to pick up the back end, while our friend shoved cinder blocks underneath, leaving the driver stuck.
Although, one big guy could have gotten it off the blocks.
The only problem with that, is that the driver still had to wait for help, because a big guy couldn’t get in to one, without the liberal use of a chainsaw.