nice afternoon for a sit!

What are they claiming for gas mileage?

James,

I have heard alot of different opinions on what kind of mileage they actually get. I have heard 40 mpg in the city and up to 45 mpg at highway speeds.

However, a quick look at their website says the 2008 estimates are 33/41 mpg respectively. Too me that seems kind of low. I know that they are getting similar mileage out of the smaller japanese cars (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla etc.)

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What are they claiming for gas mileage?

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Well, it seems the EPA has adjusted something for the measuring procedures in 2008? I believe the sticker said 33 city and 41 hwy, but apparently based off the EPA’s 2007 measuring model, it was 40/45. Not sure what changed??

I haven’t done much research so I am sure there are other cars that get better gas mileage, but I’m guessing they won’t fit me real well. Oh and of course the “cute” factor for the wife…

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James,

I have heard alot of different opinions on what kind of mileage they actually get. I have heard 40 mpg in the city and up to 45 mpg at highway speeds.

However, a quick look at their website says the 2008 estimates are 33/41 mpg respectively. Too me that seems kind of low. I know that they are getting similar mileage out of the smaller japanese cars (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla etc.)

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Yeah, that’s what I was wondering. I’ve got a 2000 Chevy Prism (relabeled Toyota) that gets 38 MPG highway and is a hell of a lot larger car. I’m just not impressed with any of the “super compacts” out there right now in regards to fuel economy as there really hasn’t been much for improvements over what has been available for decades.

My landlord here at my office has one. In fact its parked right outside my office window right now. I gotta’ believe it is strictly a novelty sort of thing. She also owns a Toyota Prius and fully admits the Prius gets better MPG. Doesn’t make a ton of sense to me except for wanting other drivers to look at you and say, “What the heck is that thing???”. One other point…It MUST burn premium gas only!!! RR

mileage is cited in the MSNBC article… MSNBC article on Smart cars

Combined City/Highway of 40mpg

Not saying any one is making a bad decision here but if they are estimating 40 mpg thats not bad, how ever take a closer look and I beleive you need to run premium which is any where from 30 to 50 cents higher. that will drop your average down too.

I am with james his prism gets 38 and you can run the cheap stuff

OK I cleared my cookies, no change.

For some reason I have to go to the last page to get the most recent posts.

Any way to change that so the most recent are on page one??

Thanks

I got a chance to see one last weekend. Yes, it’s a cute little car, and I was able to sit comfortably inside. Not very practical if you have a family, or you fish with rods more than 5′. But if you were just commuting with it, it would work. I could see these doing well in New York or Chicago or LA, but they have a ways to go before they’ll start selling a lot of them in the Midwest. Especially since the mileage isn’t that much better than many of the compacts that are around now.

Supposedly, the diesel version that is available in Europe will get around 70 mpg. At least, that’s what the guy who owned the smartcar said.

Waste of money IMO. There is a list of cars as long as a pencil that get similar fuel mileage and are actual usable cars. Most any Buick car, many Chevy cars, any mid size import, the V Dub diesels, Focus and Fusions, they all run into the mid and upper 30’s, some even more, and can seat up to 5-6. Heck my old Taurus with the wimpy 3.0 will pull 31 on the highway. Unless not Smart car can get into the 50’s it is a gimmicky fad and not much more. That’s my opinion anyhow.

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Supposedly, the diesel version that is available in Europe will get around 70 mpg. At least, that’s what the guy who owned the smartcar said.

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That kind of mileage would get me interested. A couple extra MPG over my other car in tip top shape just doesn’t get me motivated to spend any money.

I’ll take safety over saving 2k per year. Those things are the size of a 4-wheeler cruising 70 mph alongside the big rigs and monster SUVs. I’d think the Neon driver would have a hard time seeing this thing through the blind spots. But it is cute.

They actually got really good crash ratings for a shoe box on wheels.

Crash Test for Smart Car.

What about cars that can do 150 mpg? Wonder when these will be made available around here?

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/27/loremo-debuts-150-mpg-concept-car-in-geneva/

Yeah, I had the same thoughts as you guys but I was pretty shocked when we went to check it out. The key for me was being comfortable.

I think the crash ratings are the highest for any sub-compact, or shoe box size. Yes, there other cars that that get the same or better gas mileage, but I don’t fit in them. Anybody talking about getting 5 people in a sub-compact must be midgets.

Here is a list of comparable gas mileage. Majority of these are hybrids. I would point out that the smart car we are looking at is 13k with a lot of options like heated seats, tire pressure monitoring, and traction control. Many on this list are over 20k to 30k+.

It is not made for families. It is made for commuting. I don’t remember the figure I read about what percent of time it is only one person in the car but it was pretty high. That is what it is used for.

For us, this would be a third car. My gas guzzling truck can sit in the driveway and be used when needed. Then we would have the smart and an Audi with a 2.0T. At today’s gas prices, it would save us over $3k a year in gas. A lot more as prices continue to climb.

And the cute factor is huge with my wife. And we all know how important it is to make the wife happy.

Looks like you could go straight from work onto the #1 tee box for mens night.

I drove one in Germany. They are fun little go carts, and yes, you can really stretch out if you are a taller guy. Parking is a breeze. Just get close, and pick up and move it the rest of the way. Think I am kidding? We actually had a few guys, and picked one up and turned it around in the guys parking place.
They are only three cylinders, so I think keeping up at hwy speeds calls for some high RPM’s which require more fuel.

One thing that does bother me is it only has a 24k mile warranty. At least we basically get two years to decide if we want it or not. If the gas price is $6 in two years…yeah we will probably get it. Maybe there will be a better option in two years, but as prices go up, the demand will go up for all these types of cars. At least we are on the waiting list now instead of waiting for that $6 gas to get on a waiting list. Maybe the 2010 model will get that 70 MPG.

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Looks like you could go straight from work onto the #1 tee box for mens night.

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I think you mean women’s night.

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Looks like you could go straight from work onto the #1 tee box for mens night.

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I think you mean women’s night.

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This is the car you need. All electric…..0-60 in 3.6 seconds…..get on that waiting list!!

http://www.teslamotors.com/

I do beleive the one with a diesel motor exists. I saw alot of them when I was in london. I am not sure about there gas milage. 70 mpg is not impossible out of that car with a diesel look at the jetta that got great milage with a diesel untill they stopped selling them. 50 mpg I think

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This is the car you need. All electric…..0-60 in 3.6 seconds…..get on that waiting list!!

http://www.teslamotors.com/

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Starting at 109,000 with a 60,000 deposit wow

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This is the car you need. All electric…..0-60 in 3.6 seconds…..get on that waiting list!!

http://www.teslamotors.com/

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Starting at 109,000 with a 60,000 deposit wow

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And no hitch!!!

What did it cost to “get on the list”? Downpayment?

ET

It was $99, which is refundable if you decide not to take the car.

What about winter driving???? How light is this thing and how well would it “stick” to the road?

The crash testing is a little deceiving. Compared to other shoeboxes, it is rated good. The Smart car can have a “GOOD” rating and a larger car can have a “POOR” rating and the larger car does better on the tests comparatively. It is comparison testing against like sized vehicles, not against 1 constant threshold. I would like to see one after hitting a deer at 60 MPH before I would think about shelling out any $$$$ for a chance at one.

big G

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What about winter driving???? How light is this thing and how well would it “stick” to the road?

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Hard to say since we didn’t get to test it in the snow. Would have to go off the “technology” it has. I don’t know what most of this is but it sounds fancy.

esp — One of the standard features on your smart fortwo is something called Electronic Stability Program or esp. When the esp® sensors indicate a skid or swerving of your car, they automatically control the engine throttle and the Anti-Lock brakes to maintain your present course. Also integral to the esp safety system is Electronic Brake-Force Distribution Control (EBD), which helps to prevent the rear wheels from over-braking.

ABS – Another feature of esp is the Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABS). With ABS, you can hit your brakes hard knowing the ABS circuitry will apply and release each brake independently to keep you from skidding regardless of the type of road surface each wheel is on.

CBC – When you enter a corner and apply your brakes, the unequal forces at each wheel can result in a skid or a complete “end-around”. With Cornering Brake Control (CBC) the inner wheels require less brake force due to less traction. CBC counteracts a potential tendency to swerve by distributing brake forces selectively – even below the threshold of ABS activity.

BAS – Avoiding accidents is often measured in inches. Electronic Brake Assist can sense when you have stepped on the brake quickly but have not applied it hard enough to activate the ABS system. It can be the difference in reaction time you need to avoid an accident.

ASC and ETC – Acceleration Skid Control (ASC) and Engine Torque Control (ETC) are designed to help the smart fortwo move forward on slippery surfaces. ASC acts much like a differential lock but does it by directing power to the wheel offering optimum traction. ETC provides engine control when driving on slippery surfaces. It “feathers” the throttle on low traction acceleration and limits torque in down shifting applications.

HSA – The 5-speed automated manual transmission of the smart fortwo is equipped with Hill Start Assist (HSA) which allows you to pull away on a hill without having to apply the handbrake. As you lift your foot from the brake pedal while sitting stopped on a hill, HSA holds the brakes on for about a second to give you time to move your foot to the accelerator. So don’t worry about driving your smart fortwo in San Francisco.

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I would like to see one after hitting a deer at 60 MPH before I would think about shelling out any $$$$ for a chance at one.

big G

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I don’t think the car would handle a deer at 60 mph, but is any car in this class size going to do well? A kia or a Prius?? Last year I saw one of those little cars get rear-ended by a Durango. They were not going very fast but the back of the shoe-box was totally destroyed and there wasn’t a scratch on the Durango.