just got our first smart car, adopted from my dad..its a 599cc lhd passion...and me, mrs and daughter love the wee thing..its joining a much loved/abused cinquecento sporting and a lairy 220hp fiat coupe turbo 20v...so its right at home...anyhooo, here's my thoughts on the wee smart so far..
ok, lets look at the definitions of smart..
smart (STYLISH)
..stylish...this thing looks like the result of an illicit liason between a silver cross pram and an alien lifeform. it looks as if it could just have driven off the set of blade runner or some other sci fi blockbuster. to my eyes, it certainly does cut a stylish dash around town or zipping along in the fast lane.
it looks like a bit of urban jewellery, a cut above the usual 'economy car', which, truth be told, the purchase of which usually marks you out as someone who wears trousers made from hessian sacking and nettles and whose staple diet is gruel...extravagance isnt a word usually associated with the purchase of an 'economy car' but the smart feels like an extravagant purchase. it has great build quality and works the magic of feeling lightweight but well made, more swiss army knife than electric screwdriver. it feels classless like an old mini or panda, as at home outside a council house or a stately home, outside lidl or harrods..it doesnt make people think, poor soul, he has to drive a base model diesel, it makes them point and smile.
..the extravagant theme continues inside, lovely firm germanic seats, precise controls, and, the switches and buttons all have that fisher price feel of unbreakable simplicity, which is handy when you have hands like a gorrilla and the manual dexterity of a drunken irishman at a wake. the interior is stylish for sure, big, bold speedo, dash mounted pods for a clock and a rev counter and a chunky wheel with the smart logo emblazoned across its centre just to remind you what a clever clogs you have been in purchasing the car in the first place.
smart (CLEVER)
ok so clever..well, the smart ticks this box too. like all good small cars, it doesnt make you feel like you have settled for second best, it doesnt give you that feeling of, god, i wish i could have something better than this damn thing..im a huge fan of small cars, but only good ones. the original mini, original panda, original 500 and cinquecento spring to mind here. the smart aint neccessarrily a better design than those cars, its just a different design. a different way of looking at things. its properly small, lilliputian even in comparison to my cinquecento, but it never feels like it, a great trump card to play!! i honestly feel cars like the late daihatsu move and the new mitsibushi i are a much more clever design as they can accomodate four and lugage in a not much bigger footprint, but if you bear in mind the smart was designed for two and two alone, its a wonderful example of packaging.
..its bright and airy inside and feels much, much bigger than it is..another tick in the clever column then. the cars glass roof obviously helps in this regard, making it feel airy and light, and you can place the wee car with pinpoint accuracy with its well weighted non power assisted steeering. the car is so light, the front wheels so narrow, it just doesnt need pas, and you dont miss it one bit.
..it is narrow and there could be more elbow room, but there is more than enough space for two 6ft plus occupants, the packaging really is clever. it feels like a pod, a transport system rather than a car, fitting in well with its space age looks..
smart (QUICK)
..ok, so we are reaching the outer edges of credibiltiy here..no one in their right mind is gonna claim the smart to be a quick car in the traditional sense..yet it is quick from a to b, particualrly in town where you can take advantage of its diminutive size, shoot into gaps that only exist for you and park it virtually anywhwere.
its wee force fed 599cc triple thrums away behind you like a manic buzzsaw, as only a triple can, and, from 2.5k to 4.5k it actually nips along really well, giving a satisfying amount of urge in the lower gears. the wee car will sit at 80mph all day, only requiring a nudge back to 5th for longer inclines to maintain this pace up hill and down dale..personally, i just sit at a nice relaxed 65mph and watch the world go by thru the panoramic front window. just like you wouldnt buy a 4x4 defender to do the nurbugring in, you dont buy a smart car for its searing pace. adjust your life to smart speed and enjoy the ride!!
smart (STING)
...il tell ya what smarts....il tell you all what irritates the hell out of me....the money iv thrown at other fun cars over the years. the time iv spent looking for something modern, safe, economical and characterful when it was under my nose all the time in the unlikely shape of the baby german. this car makes me smile. it appeals both cerebrally and emotionally, its a car you can love rather than like...and the thought that i could have bought one years ago and enjoyed its individuality and parsimonious 50mpg thirst for the past few years rather than the past few days..now that smarts...big time!!
... if you accept this car for what it is..ie a cheap, stylish mode of extremely economical transport, and dont start waffling on about s class refinment, caterham handling and m3 grunt, all admirable traits for sure, but traits that have little or no bearing in the market sector the smart competes, your gonna enjoy the smart car experience..sure it has faults..its ride is a little firm, it can feel jiggly over uneven surfaces due to its super short wheelbase, it wil understeer manically if provoked, and you wouldnt even wanna think about catching it if you managed to lose the tail..its so short it feels like it would spin like a kids top til it hit something solid.
and yes, the gearbox is as bad as everyone says...but only in fully automatic mode..if you use the six speed sequential box as a manual and lift off between up shifts just as you would do in an ordinary manual, it is smooth and as quick as it has to be, just remeber this isnt a rip snorting dsg equipped v6 tarmac rippler, its a town car..it has the added benefit of feeling wonderfully intuitive to use as you click click merrilly between cogs. in other words, if you learn to drive it properly and leave the fully auto mode for octegenarian owners downsizing from an a class cos clarrisse doesnt play bridge on a wednesday any more and charles has retired from the golf club, you will adapt pretty damn quickly to it..i genuinnely dont feel it to be any slower between changes than an old fashioned manual box using it this way...
...but you will forgive it its little foibles anyway, cos as i alluded to earlier, here is a car you can love..here is a car of genuine character...its like that strange hippy girl your strangely drawn to, she looks stunning but wears a tea cosy on her head and different colour boots on each foot..but you dont care..cos her idiosyncrasies are what make her so attractive in the first place....
bottom line, if your gonna buy an economy car, a second car do you wanna feel like you are wearing clogs made from recycled truck tyres bought from oxfam and made by blind children in a unicef hostel in jibrovia, and by doing so, advertise the fact to all and sundry that your life hasnt worked out quite how you wanted it to..
..or do you wanna feel like your wearing a pair of hand made european designer shoes and have everyone think your ploughing your own furrow, setting your own style, boldly swimming against the flow...whilst all the time laughing at them cos you know you got them from tk max for a fiver less than the clogs....
ok, lets look at the definitions of smart..
smart (STYLISH)
..stylish...this thing looks like the result of an illicit liason between a silver cross pram and an alien lifeform. it looks as if it could just have driven off the set of blade runner or some other sci fi blockbuster. to my eyes, it certainly does cut a stylish dash around town or zipping along in the fast lane.
it looks like a bit of urban jewellery, a cut above the usual 'economy car', which, truth be told, the purchase of which usually marks you out as someone who wears trousers made from hessian sacking and nettles and whose staple diet is gruel...extravagance isnt a word usually associated with the purchase of an 'economy car' but the smart feels like an extravagant purchase. it has great build quality and works the magic of feeling lightweight but well made, more swiss army knife than electric screwdriver. it feels classless like an old mini or panda, as at home outside a council house or a stately home, outside lidl or harrods..it doesnt make people think, poor soul, he has to drive a base model diesel, it makes them point and smile.
..the extravagant theme continues inside, lovely firm germanic seats, precise controls, and, the switches and buttons all have that fisher price feel of unbreakable simplicity, which is handy when you have hands like a gorrilla and the manual dexterity of a drunken irishman at a wake. the interior is stylish for sure, big, bold speedo, dash mounted pods for a clock and a rev counter and a chunky wheel with the smart logo emblazoned across its centre just to remind you what a clever clogs you have been in purchasing the car in the first place.
smart (CLEVER)
ok so clever..well, the smart ticks this box too. like all good small cars, it doesnt make you feel like you have settled for second best, it doesnt give you that feeling of, god, i wish i could have something better than this damn thing..im a huge fan of small cars, but only good ones. the original mini, original panda, original 500 and cinquecento spring to mind here. the smart aint neccessarrily a better design than those cars, its just a different design. a different way of looking at things. its properly small, lilliputian even in comparison to my cinquecento, but it never feels like it, a great trump card to play!! i honestly feel cars like the late daihatsu move and the new mitsibushi i are a much more clever design as they can accomodate four and lugage in a not much bigger footprint, but if you bear in mind the smart was designed for two and two alone, its a wonderful example of packaging.
..its bright and airy inside and feels much, much bigger than it is..another tick in the clever column then. the cars glass roof obviously helps in this regard, making it feel airy and light, and you can place the wee car with pinpoint accuracy with its well weighted non power assisted steeering. the car is so light, the front wheels so narrow, it just doesnt need pas, and you dont miss it one bit.
..it is narrow and there could be more elbow room, but there is more than enough space for two 6ft plus occupants, the packaging really is clever. it feels like a pod, a transport system rather than a car, fitting in well with its space age looks..
smart (QUICK)
..ok, so we are reaching the outer edges of credibiltiy here..no one in their right mind is gonna claim the smart to be a quick car in the traditional sense..yet it is quick from a to b, particualrly in town where you can take advantage of its diminutive size, shoot into gaps that only exist for you and park it virtually anywhwere.
its wee force fed 599cc triple thrums away behind you like a manic buzzsaw, as only a triple can, and, from 2.5k to 4.5k it actually nips along really well, giving a satisfying amount of urge in the lower gears. the wee car will sit at 80mph all day, only requiring a nudge back to 5th for longer inclines to maintain this pace up hill and down dale..personally, i just sit at a nice relaxed 65mph and watch the world go by thru the panoramic front window. just like you wouldnt buy a 4x4 defender to do the nurbugring in, you dont buy a smart car for its searing pace. adjust your life to smart speed and enjoy the ride!!
smart (STING)
...il tell ya what smarts....il tell you all what irritates the hell out of me....the money iv thrown at other fun cars over the years. the time iv spent looking for something modern, safe, economical and characterful when it was under my nose all the time in the unlikely shape of the baby german. this car makes me smile. it appeals both cerebrally and emotionally, its a car you can love rather than like...and the thought that i could have bought one years ago and enjoyed its individuality and parsimonious 50mpg thirst for the past few years rather than the past few days..now that smarts...big time!!
... if you accept this car for what it is..ie a cheap, stylish mode of extremely economical transport, and dont start waffling on about s class refinment, caterham handling and m3 grunt, all admirable traits for sure, but traits that have little or no bearing in the market sector the smart competes, your gonna enjoy the smart car experience..sure it has faults..its ride is a little firm, it can feel jiggly over uneven surfaces due to its super short wheelbase, it wil understeer manically if provoked, and you wouldnt even wanna think about catching it if you managed to lose the tail..its so short it feels like it would spin like a kids top til it hit something solid.
and yes, the gearbox is as bad as everyone says...but only in fully automatic mode..if you use the six speed sequential box as a manual and lift off between up shifts just as you would do in an ordinary manual, it is smooth and as quick as it has to be, just remeber this isnt a rip snorting dsg equipped v6 tarmac rippler, its a town car..it has the added benefit of feeling wonderfully intuitive to use as you click click merrilly between cogs. in other words, if you learn to drive it properly and leave the fully auto mode for octegenarian owners downsizing from an a class cos clarrisse doesnt play bridge on a wednesday any more and charles has retired from the golf club, you will adapt pretty damn quickly to it..i genuinnely dont feel it to be any slower between changes than an old fashioned manual box using it this way...
...but you will forgive it its little foibles anyway, cos as i alluded to earlier, here is a car you can love..here is a car of genuine character...its like that strange hippy girl your strangely drawn to, she looks stunning but wears a tea cosy on her head and different colour boots on each foot..but you dont care..cos her idiosyncrasies are what make her so attractive in the first place....
bottom line, if your gonna buy an economy car, a second car do you wanna feel like you are wearing clogs made from recycled truck tyres bought from oxfam and made by blind children in a unicef hostel in jibrovia, and by doing so, advertise the fact to all and sundry that your life hasnt worked out quite how you wanted it to..
..or do you wanna feel like your wearing a pair of hand made european designer shoes and have everyone think your ploughing your own furrow, setting your own style, boldly swimming against the flow...whilst all the time laughing at them cos you know you got them from tk max for a fiver less than the clogs....
