Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 4:19:16 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Smart Car: Revolution Parked in a Tiny Package

Posted Jul 2, 08 12:30 PM CDT in Opinion,  Technology 

(Newser) – Despite an underpowered engine and lousy transmission, the tiny Smart Fortwo can be a good buy—particularly for city-dwellers, Farhad Manjoo writes in the Machinist. The mini-ride makes parking, merging, and tight turns entirely new experiences. "It's the sense that you're unstoppable in this thing, that no corner of the city is off-limits, that this is the future of driving," Manjoo gushes.

Driving a Smart car can also appeal to one's inner exhibitionist. "The Smart elicits such curiosity that owners have taken to printing up FAQs to hand out to people they meet," Manjoo writes. The most common question: does it feel like a normal car? The answer: "It certainly does—at least, it feels like the front half of a normal car."

Source Machinist

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • The 15 Most Fuel Efficient Cars

    Aug 7, 08 9:43 AM CDT
    The 15 Most Fuel Efficient Cars Toyota’s Prius may hold the crown for fuel-efficiency, but that doesn’t mean it’s lonely at the top. BusinessWeek takes a look at the 15 cars with the best mileage—30 mpg combined city and highway or better.

    • Mercury’s 2009 Mariner Hybrid offers mileage better than the average SUV at 32 mpg combined, starting at $29,445.
    More »

  • Smart Car Scores Big on Cute

    Jul 18, 08 9:45 AM CDT
    Smart Car Scores Big on Cute Mercedes’ Smart cars are selling brilliantly—the US waiting list is 30,000 long—and the tiny two-seater's performance at the gas pump isn't the whole story. Yes, they’re the most fuel-efficient non-hybrids around, but only barely—some Hondas and Toyotas almost match their 33mpg. There's also the cute factor, the Washington Post reports. “The Jeep was stylish,” says one SUV convert, “but I never got the attention before that I get with this.” More »

  • 30K Americans Ordered... This?

    Dec 4, 07 6:30 PM CST
    30K Americans Ordered... This? American orders for a new fuel-smart car are already swamping its German manufacturer, the AFP reports. Some 30,000 Americans have already put down $99 on Daimler's Smart Fortwo in anticipation of its January arrival—but some analysts say the tiny two-seater will end up parked in a country that favors massive, hard-drinking SUVs. More »

  • Tiny Smart Cars Zip Toward US

    Sep 19, 07 2:53 PM CDT
    Tiny Smart Cars Zip Toward US With the first Smart Car set to hit the US in January, Newsweek questions the company president on the intelligence of trying to sell a 1,750-pound vehicle in the land of bigger-is-better. Despite bad safety ratings from Consumer Reports and entrenched SUV love in the American psyche, he seems confident—bolstered by 30,000 pre-orders. More »

  • Smart Car Makes a Little Noise

    May 16, 07 1:12 PM CDT
    Smart Car Makes a Little Noise Smart USA will venture into the American auto market early next year, but not in a big way: The Smart Fortwo is very, very small. LA Times auto columnist Dan Neil takes it for a spin and reports that it's a chick magnet and a lot of fun to drive, but relatively expensive. Also, what if someone steps on it? More »

Alan Chow, with the California Air Resources Board, an environmental agency, gets a driver's view of Daimler AG's Smart Car Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, at the Los Angeles Auto Show.   (AP Photo/Ric Francis)
Journalists test drive the Smart car on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 in Detroit.   (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
A Smart fortwo car drives past PPG Plaza in Pittsburgh's Market Square during the lunch hour Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2007.   (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

Smart Car • Smart Fortwo


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Technology Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »