September 4, 201114 yr took in a Smart car.....had never driven one......wow, what a trip. the drive itself, as far as the cabin and visibility, not bad, you feel secure in traffic even though there is not much car. The powertrain is a huge deficit to the car. a small three popper and worthless tranny really make the car a toy. the style and design is neat though. Handling is not all bad! The car does give the impression of a tarted up golf cart but methinks its not all far off into being something interesting. HIGHS- unique, useful and innovative package LOWS- junk powertrain (mostly the tranny), lack of solidity truth is as urban cars its hard to think of a better package. Now invest in real mechanicals... If GM did this car with the cruze turbo.......... If I lived in an urban setting and had this as a second car and the powertrain was real I would have no issues owning one. I would like to see GM do this kind of car. Honestly.
September 4, 201114 yr Not if you have a kid or a dog or if you have to haul anything more significant than a laptop.
September 5, 201114 yr Brilliantly packaged, but $16 grand will buy a lot of other cars. A lot of better cars!
September 5, 201114 yr The iQ gets great mileage in the city and can, theoretically, seat 4. If you never leave densely populated areas and need to haul small pets or groceries, the iQ makes a bit of sense, more than something bigger you get used. The smart works as an enclosed motorcycle, more or less.
September 5, 201114 yr It takes a higher iQ to drive a manual transmission, which makes Yota's US decision on their smallest car all the more perplexing.
September 5, 201114 yr Brilliantly packaged, but $16 grand will buy a lot of other cars. But it will not help you in the urban parking jungle. The Smart is a one trick pony... it can park virtually anywhere. In Manhattan, this is key... outside, for the rest of you, it makes no sense. I laugh every time I see a Smart in south Jersey. If I'm working in NYC again, I want one... but I intend to put a better drivetrain in, if that is the case.
September 5, 201114 yr I'd rather have an iQ... more of a real car, and it has a real slushbox as opposed to a poky, slow as molasses automated manual.
September 5, 201114 yr $16 grand would nearly cover a year on the Metro as well. Trains are bloody brilliant. My bike, that's also brilliant. Trying to drive anywhere within 30 miles of D.C. is f@#king retarded, no matter what you're in. In short, urban cars are always going to have drawbacks, there are better ways to get around, for most people.
September 5, 201114 yr I'd rather have an iQ... more of a real car, and it has a real slushbox as opposed to a poky, slow as molasses automated manual. iQ is out of the question for me. Because Toyota thinks all NA cars need 4 seats, I cannot fit in the iQ. I fit in the Smart. Also, the Smart is 10% shorter than the iQ... when parking is king, that foot of length makes a big difference. Drivetrain don't matter, as I would be searching for a Hayabusa. For more on that, go on Youtube and search for "Smart Hayabusa" for entertaining videos. Only problem is lack of reverse.
September 5, 201114 yr $16 grand would nearly cover a year on the Metro as well. Trains are bloody brilliant. My bike, that's also brilliant. Trying to drive anywhere within 30 miles of D.C. is f@#king retarded, no matter what you're in. In short, urban cars are always going to have drawbacks, there are better ways to get around, for most people. Bikes are brilliant, as is mass transit. Places that lack both are a PITA...and while I love it, I am glad I no longer live in Atlanta.
September 5, 201114 yr Between public transportation, my bike and my wife's car being far more practical, I can go weeks without driving the Jetta. Wonder if I could pull off selling it and buying a vintage 911.
October 1, 201213 yr I know my comment is a bit late, but this would really be a great car if Suzuki was the manufacture. They already have a great little 1L3 from the original Swift/Metro. It was not unusual to see these with well over 100k on them. It would be a quality small car, with incredible MPGs, unlike the unremarkable Smart. Edited October 1, 201213 yr by rp2s
October 2, 201213 yr Why not just import the Opel Adam, far superior car to a Mini or Smart. Don't know if its superior to the MINI, but it is one heck of a car. Would love to see a small Buick coupe with some style on a Opel platform. If GM could build a small coupe with the style of the Verano, they would be cookin with GAS!
October 3, 201213 yr Why not just import the Opel Adam, far superior car to a Mini or Smart. Don't know if its superior to the MINI, but it is one heck of a car. Would love to see a small Buick coupe with some style on a Opel platform. If GM could build a small coupe with the style of the Verano, they would be cookin with GAS! I think an AWD and FWD version of the Adam would be a big hit here. I would love to have the Adam CNG version here in the US.
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