The truth about the Smart car.

[laptop-tech]

Nice campaign, imho.

http://www.truthaboutsmart.co.uk/

[gilboman]

should probably edit title. No truth in there. but still pretty cool

[yao416]

Gas on Smart last 11 weeks? wow

[professionaldude]

amazing stuff. I didn't know it has a very great fuel economy.

[randomdef]

Gas on Smart last 11 weeks? wow

so does a scooter.

i'd feel safer on a scooter.

[CatDog]

ah cool, haven't seen this for a while..

I'll update my thread with November incentives when I get them. Maintenance program I believe is scrapped but there's going to be a larger rebate available.

[freebie]

Gas on Smart last 11 weeks? wow

You can't get the diesel in a North American smart anymore, IIRC. They switched it to a gas engine which has less torque and poorer fuel economy.

[bigdavediode]

so does a scooter.

i'd feel safer on a scooter.

Yeah, I have an uninformed opinion too.

[CaptSmethwick]

Based on the title, I thought this thread would be about something more like this: http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/04/video_smart_car_jarringly_stup.html or this: http://btr.michaelkwan.com/2006/06/14/smart-car-crash-test-video-verdict-goes-for-a-tumble/.

But, I agree, the website in the OP is cool.

[Andro]

Nice campaign, imho.

http://www.truthaboutsmart.co.uk/

cool website, thanks. Too bad diesel in not available here, because of that fuel economy does not apply to Canadian Smarts.

[tebore]

More like half-truths.

I test drove one and it always felt like it was going to tip over.

Their safety video demo on the site was so staged, sandbags in the back, tiny wrecking ball. Most of the energy was already consumed by the movement of the car.
I don't care what any one says about the safety cage. Take the X5 from the fitness club video and ram it at the Smart the same way as in the video and see if the occupants of the Smart can walk away.

[Speedv1]

I have to agree in questioning the safety. I've seen the online crash test videos and it's scary. Hell I saw a crumpled smart fort two on the way to London on the 401 back in June or July, and I guarantee you, the occupants were not feeling so well with the seats pushed up against the dashboard..

I just think you need to analyze the cost of gas to the cost of your life...

Oh and my father's friend has a smart and says that the cost of maintenance alone ruins it for him. He bought a Mazda 3 and says he's never been happier.

[laptop-tech]

so does a scooter.

i'd feel safer on a scooter.

Dont feel bad. There are tons of other ignorant people out there that also feel the same way. And watch out for vampires and the end of the world in 2012.


More like half-truths.

I test drove one and it always felt like it was going to tip over.

Their safety video demo on the site was so staged, sandbags in the back, tiny wrecking ball. Most of the energy was already consumed by the movement of the car.
I don't care what any one says about the safety cage. Take the X5 from the fitness club video and ram it at the Smart the same way as in the video and see if the occupants of the Smart can walk away.

I have to agree in questioning the safety. I've seen the online crash test videos and it's scary. Hell I saw a crumpled smart fort two on the way to London on the 401 back in June or July, and I guarantee you, the occupants were not feeling so well with the seats pushed up against the dashboard..

I just think you need to analyze the cost of gas to the cost of your life...

Oh and my father's friend has a smart and says that the cost of maintenance alone ruins it for him. He bought a Mazda 3 and says he's never been happier.


99% of the people that question the safety of the Smart car form their opinion based on rumors of funny youtube videos. The other 1% is just based on rumors alone.
People that are sure they are safe in a Hummer because it has much more "mass" to absorb the impact, need to go back to school and update your knowledge. Thou there is a bit of truth to that, it is NOT THE ONLY factor. A Smart car is as effective (or better) in terms of safety and will even outperform your "safe big SUV".

http://www.globaltoronto.com/video/index.html?releasePID=x1eJTG2Pknkh5es2f4jPFrkElxvO jYLW


Open your mind. BTW I suggest you visit ClubSmartCar forums and get some information. Just make sure you remove the tinfoil hat before you go there....:-0

[Speedv1]

Dont feel bad. There are tons of other ignorant people out there that also feel the same way. And watch out for vampires and the end of the world in 2012.







99% of the people that question the safety of the Smart car form their opinion based on rumors of funny youtube videos. The other 1% is just based on rumors alone.
People that are sure they are safe in a Hummer because it has much more "mass" to absorb the impact, need to go back to school and update your knowledge. Thou there is a bit of truth to that, it is NOT THE ONLY factor. A Smart car is as effective (or better) in terms of safety and will even outperform your "safe big SUV".

http://www.globaltoronto.com/video/index.html?releasePID=x1eJTG2Pknkh5es2f4jPFrkElxvO jYLW


Open your mind. BTW I suggest you visit ClubSmartCar forums and get some information. Just make sure you remove the tinfoil hat before you go there....:-0

Although I agree that many are mislead by the funny youtube videos and random hearsay, that is a lot of truth in the lower safety of a smart car. In a ratio comparison it is MORE safe than probably any other car out there, it does absorb impact AWAY from the user, and does this VERY efficiently, BUT it terms of it's size and capabilities due to that it is a less safe car then say a midsize BMW. I personally researched it fairly thoroughly due to my father wanting one - safe to say he's not driving one right now.

It's not that the smart car is a bad car, it's a great car, and honestly, yes, as long as you're fortunate enough (and many many many of us will be) to never experience a serious collision, then the smart car is safe. BUT if you experience a bad front end or especially side-on collision then you will definitely see the problems of the smart car.

I personally feel that the safest cars lie among the mid-sized sedans. They have mass to protect you in a collision, still have excellent absorption and crumpling techniques installed, and are still able to avoid collisions due to improved handling/traction.

Oh, and I completely know what you're talking about - PLEASE if you drive an SUV remember that you're NOT invincible!

[CdTriX]

i highly question the smart car's safety due to LOGICAL REASON.

http://online.wsj.com/video/smart-fortwo-crash-test/B51CE4EA-6A5A-440E-9DF6-38AAC8A8678D.html

funny youtube about the safety of a smart car? please take your excuses else where.

1) very little front end to absorb the impact, all of the momentum is transfered into the "cell".
2) rigid "cell" will cause the car to bounce (i saw this first hand today when a smart car plowed into a truck, it literally bounced off the the back of the truck and destroyed the front end. it was maybe, 20km/h
3) the car may not cause a death, but hardly come out "unscathed" after being whipped around like a pinball
4) is saving 100-200 bucks worth the price of safety?

i'm pretty much anti-small car due to the fact that these things are not necessary.

you sacrifice space, safety, power, luxury, and seating capacity just to save a few bucks a year? you can buy a toyota corolla/civic/mazda3 for a little more than one of these death traps and still get the same fuel economy but get a whole lot more out of a car.

[CaptSmethwick]

Although I agree that many are mislead by the funny youtube videos and random hearsay, that is a lot of truth in the lower safety of a smart car. In a ratio comparison it is MORE safe than probably any other car out there, it does absorb impact AWAY from the user, and does this VERY efficiently, BUT it terms of it's size and capabilities due to that it is a less safe car then say a midsize BMW. I personally researched it fairly thoroughly due to my father wanting one - safe to say he's not driving one right now.

It's not that the smart car is a bad car, it's a great car, and honestly, yes, as long as you're fortunate enough (and many many many of us will be) to never experience a serious collision, then the smart car is safe. BUT if you experience a bad front end or especially side-on collision then you will definitely see the problems of the smart car.

I personally feel that the safest cars lie among the mid-sized sedans. They have mass to protect you in a collision, still have excellent absorption and crumpling techniques installed, and are still able to avoid collisions due to improved handling/traction.

Oh, and I completely know what you're talking about - PLEASE if you drive an SUV remember that you're NOT invincible!

This is how I view it. I think MB has done a great job in designing the Smart to overcome the safety limitations of its size but, in the end, the Smart is not the best vehicle in to be driving in a high speed collision. This is just my opinion at this point - the Smart is too new a model to have any real kind of collision record in the US (Canadian data is difficult to get), so we'll have to wait a few years before we can confirm our hunches but, as much as I root for the Smart, I am not optimistic on this score.

Avoiding accidents is obviously the best strategy and many claims have been made that smaller cars are better at avoiding collisions but, unfortunately, the data does not back this one up. I have no reason to expect that the Smart will have a better track record on this score than other small and micro cars that have gone before it.

Accidents happen. It's the reason why we belt-up and why cars now have air-bags and crumple zones, etc. The videos I have seen of the Smart demonstrate too much post-collision movement of the vehicle for my liking. This movement puts the Smart's occupants at risk of being tossed around - which is bad enough. But even worse, too much post-collision movement makes a vehicle vulnerable to subsequent impacts. Keep in mind that airbags deploy and crumple zones work only at that initial impact.

So, we'll see where the track record goes with the Smart. In the meantime, none of us have to drive Escalades for protection - there are a lot of smart choices out there today. I personally do not think that the Smart is among them.

[randomdef]

Dont feel bad. There are tons of other ignorant people out there that also feel the same way. And watch out for vampires and the end of the world in 2012.


My car vs the smart car, straight up chicken race, who`s gonna win because who knows they will die?

[ES_Revenge]

Truth about the "Smart" Car is that it's one of the biggest POSes on the road today. But then I didn't need a link to tell me that :confused: Seriously, it's anything but a smart purchase. Insanely expensive for such little car. And I don't [just] mean such a little car, I mean how little you get for what you pay. Not really an RFD-themed purchase.

[laptop-tech]

Truth about the "Smart" Car is that it's one of the biggest POSes on the road today. But then I didn't need a link to tell me that :confused: Seriously, it's anything but a smart purchase. Insanely expensive for such little car. And I don't [just] mean such a little car, I mean how little you get for what you pay. Not really an RFD-themed purchase.


$12k for a brand new car, automatic, 3 years free maintenance and 4 years warranty. And you think its insanely expensive?

[Mistersprinkles]

$12k for a brand new car, automatic, 3 years free maintenance and 4 years warranty. And you think its insanely expensive?

Don't forget Merceded can also change the panels for you if you wish to change color schemes. It's not really important or anything but it's neat.

Honestly it's a different class of purchase for someone who wants an ultracompact. The price is not as low as other compact cars with more seating but it is the most tiny car, and you are partially paying for the fact that it is a Mercedes product.

Some 250CC Vespas (GTS-V) approach $10,000

If you want to talk about something not being RFD material...:lol:

[CatDog]

good thread, seems like people overall are warming up to the idea of smaller cars on the road and specifically the smart.

If anyone's interested in Novembers incentives send me a PM, it'll be a few days until I update my thread.

[sonyminidiscman]

Dont feel bad. There are tons of other ignorant people out there that also feel the same way. And watch out for vampires and the end of the world in 2012.







99% of the people that question the safety of the Smart car form their opinion based on rumors of funny youtube videos. The other 1% is just based on rumors alone.
People that are sure they are safe in a Hummer because it has much more "mass" to absorb the impact, need to go back to school and update your knowledge. Thou there is a bit of truth to that, it is NOT THE ONLY factor. A Smart car is as effective (or better) in terms of safety and will even outperform your "safe big SUV".

http://www.globaltoronto.com/video/index.html?releasePID=x1eJTG2Pknkh5es2f4jPFrkElxvO jYLW


Open your mind. BTW I suggest you visit ClubSmartCar forums and get some information. Just make sure you remove the tinfoil hat before you go there....:-0


What kind of schooling have you been to? I am not a prof, but I have taken enough physics class to know that when it comes to a crash, the bigger, the better. I don't care how strong that cages is in the smart car, since you have next to NO crumple zone, and since the cage is designed to NOT crumple, all the energy will be transferred to you.

Thats why F1 cars have such awsome crash, because they are designed to have parts fly away and that will take the crash energy away before it gets to the roll cage.

If you were to get rear ended by a 18 wheeler, u wanna be in the Hummer or the Smart?

[spf1971]

What kind of schooling have you been to? I am not a prof, but I have taken enough physics class to know that when it comes to a crash, the bigger, the better. I don't care how strong that cages is in the smart car, since you have next to NO crumple zone, and since the cage is designed to NOT crumple, all the energy will be transferred to you.

Thats why F1 cars have such awsome crash, because they are designed to have parts fly away and that will take the crash energy away before it gets to the roll cage.

If you were to get rear ended by a 18 wheeler, u wanna be in the Hummer or the Smart?

Watch this and please explain how "the bigger, the better" is always true.

http://online.wsj.com/video/chevy-crash-test-1959-bel-air--vs-2009-malibu/81C56182-07AA-490A-BB32-60391DE4035D.html

Here are crash tests of both a Hummer and a smart showing similar resullts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbzbxPz1DLc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU


This one shows the amount of damage it can withstand with a high speed crash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

[Speedv1]

Ok... sony disc man is lost.. clearly. The smart does have a small crumple zone but it is EXTRAORDINARILY more efficient than any other.

Look at the high speed collision in the high speed test above. The Mercedes has a 3-4 ft intrusion (roughly), whereas the smart car sees only 1.5 at most. The smart car is designed by gods - honestly.

BUT as the gentleman said in the smart car individual test a larger car is still safer, and will protect you more. And the problem with the old car vs the new impala is the safety designs. The older one.. well.. lacks them, the new clearly has them - not really a fair test of big vs. small.

Like honestly this car is spectacular, but it is still small, and therefore would have to do a lot more to show the same results, and well it just hasn't been achieved yet.

[marcopolo85]

I want to live thanks. The "car" is a death trap.

[Avatar]

I really doubt about the safety part. See how the Fortwo reacts when the wrecking ball hits it. It'd have flew away if not the sandbag behind stopped it. Just imagine a hit like that on a rainy day without sandbag.

It's OK in Europe where everyone drives small cars. But not in NA where everyone drives big cars. There's something call mass/momentum.

[ES_Revenge]

$12k for a brand new car, automatic, 3 years free maintenance and 4 years warranty. And you think its insanely expensive?
First off, according to the Smart website and builder, the cars start at $14,900 for a bone-base model; not sure where you got the $12k from. :confused: The "Passion" trim that goes up to over $18k, the Brabus top-level trim is at $22k (!). LOL $22k for a 70hp "Smart" Car. One of the most ironic names in the car business these days. Edit: Note that I just optioned out a Brabus model to a truly insane $26,298. $26k for a 70hp piece of garbage, LMAO. I didn't add all the options either, just things that I thought I would want (lol as if I would buy one of these) and things that are typically included with other cars that you'd expect to have. If I added the wheel/tyre package and a few other things it would be upwards of $30k for this crapbox :lol: $30k!!!

Considering the Smart's size, power (ROFL--70hp 3cyl?, nevermind the older diesel crapbox), quality, and general driving enjoyment (of which you're in the negative in the Smart), yes it is expensive. There are other cars out there for similar prices that aren't just better cars but far better cars. Hyundai Accent to start with--I'd take one of those any day over the alleged "Smart" Car. I probably wouldn't be caught dead buying an Accent either (an Elantra sure, but not an Accent), so that tells you just how soon I'd think a Smart would actually be a smart purchase. When hell freezes over, that will still be too soon to call the Smart as smart.

[ricoboxing]

I want to live thanks. The "car" is a death trap.

I got into an accident with someone who was driving a smart cart. Their car was a write off, whereas my bicycle only had a few scratches.

[sonyminidiscman]

Watch this and please explain how "the bigger, the better" is always true.

http://online.wsj.com/video/chevy-crash-test-1959-bel-air--vs-2009-malibu/81C56182-07AA-490A-BB32-60391DE4035D.html

Here are crash tests of both a Hummer and a smart showing similar resullts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbzbxPz1DLc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU


This one shows the amount of damage it can withstand with a high speed crash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s


1. This video shows the advanced in 40 years of engineering design.

Other youtube videos, even says, when it comes to protection, you can beat a protection of a full size pick up.

And one thing you have to understand... sure, the car will still have the shape. How nice, yes, you cages is strong. but you see how it bounces back? that means your body is taking ALL the energy of the crash. So you may have your legs after a crash in a smart car, but your internal injuries will kill you.

That is why you don't have spring loaded bumpers. I don't know why ppl are focusing on how STRONG the cage is, we all know the cage exist, probably similar to any F1 cars. The cage does not protect you from any internal injuries. so by driving a smart car, you can be sure you will have all your limbs at the funeral.

[sonyminidiscman]

Its very simple math.

How fast you decelerate (negative acceleration) = how much internal injuries.

Let assume both cars use the same materials, same quality strength steel. and 0km/hr is the point where it reaches the "indestructible" cage. 60km/hr - 0km/hr. Therefore v=-60.

Pickup Truck (3 feet of front end)

Smart (1 feet of front end)

a=-60/t

so as you can see, since it will take longer for the pickup to get to the cage, your a will be less negative then the a for smart car. Hence, less internal injury in pickup.

[gilboman]

$12k for a brand new car, automatic, 3 years free maintenance and 4 years warranty. And you think its insanely expensive?

Hyundai's are much better deals still.

I dont think you can ever argue the Smart Car is a good value, it's not even close to being one.

That said, its a good urban commuter car and makes sense in very limited situations. But reality is we live in canada where the Smart car doesnt make much sense especially at its high price (relatively)

[gilboman]

Watch this and please explain how "the bigger, the better" is always true.

http://online.wsj.com/video/chevy-crash-test-1959-bel-air--vs-2009-malibu/81C56182-07AA-490A-BB32-60391DE4035D.html

Here are crash tests of both a Hummer and a smart showing similar resullts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbzbxPz1DLc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU


This one shows the amount of damage it can withstand with a high speed crash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s


You know your videos make no sense right? it's not comparable, you have a smart car with M(mass) at a certain V(velocity) crashing into a barrier, and then you have a Hummer with M and V. all you can say is if a hummer and a smart car both crashed into a barrier at same speed, results maybe similar.

But we live in reality, you are much more likely to crash into another car rather than a concrete barrier head on, so if a Hummer crashes into a Smart car... say bye bye to Smart Car occupants while hummer occupant will barely feel anything. Physics does not change for smart car.

[jetway1212]

Smart vs my law mower, Guess who wins?

[HP_John]

First off, according to the Smart website and builder, the cars start at $14,900 for a bone-base model; not sure where you got the $12k from. :confused: The "Passion" trim that goes up to over $18k, the Brabus top-level trim is at $22k (!). LOL $22k for a 70hp "Smart" Car. One of the most ironic names in the car business these days. Edit: Note that I just optioned out a Brabus model to a truly insane $26,298. $26k for a 70hp piece of garbage, LMAO. I didn't add all the options either, just things that I thought I would want (lol as if I would buy one of these) and things that are typically included with other cars that you'd expect to have. If I added the wheel/tyre package and a few other things it would be upwards of $30k for this crapbox :lol: $30k!!!

Considering the Smart's size, power (ROFL--70hp 3cyl?, nevermind the older diesel crapbox), quality, and general driving enjoyment (of which you're in the negative in the Smart), yes it is expensive. There are other cars out there for similar prices that aren't just better cars but far better cars. Hyundai Accent to start with--I'd take one of those any day over the alleged "Smart" Car. I probably wouldn't be caught dead buying an Accent either (an Elantra sure, but not an Accent), so that tells you just how soon I'd think a Smart would actually be a smart purchase. When hell freezes over, that will still be too soon to call the Smart as smart.

I think he's talking about with rebates, it's $12 K I believe. As for Brabus, I think it just came out (meaning other model yrs of the Smart didn't have it). Brabus is an aftermarket M-B tuner, I don't believe anyone actually buys them, you are paying for the Brabus name (very expensive & exclusive). The Passion is the real top of the line, the Brabus is a super-niche model (even considering the Smart itself is a niche model).

I don't own a Smart, & don't work for Smart, & I'm not advocating either way for it or against it, I haven't done my research.

[UrbanPoet]

I don't know whats going on with all this whining...
Theres people out there that commute with motorcycles and scooters... And even these people don't cry half as much as the people in this thread.

Bottom line... the smart car works for many people living in urban areas or in need of a secondary car.

[jetway1212]

I don't know whats going on with all this whining...
Theres people out there that commute with motorcycles and scooters... And even these people don't cry half as much as the people in this thread.

Bottom line... the smart car works for many people living in urban areas or in need of a secondary car.

They dont whine because noone making a campaign claiming their scooters or motorcycles are safe and all. Every campaign about motorbikes i've seen is all about fun on the road. Ppl who ride bikes know the risk.

Now ppl behind the smart want to fool avg consumers about their smart's safety to make sales. Hence we got so much whining in this thread.

Got it?

[golden]

Agree. It's the marketing about how safe is the Smart, thus generating all these conversation. Yes, it's very fuel efficient. Yes, it's cute. Yes, it's good for within the city travel at relatively low speed. No, it's no as safe as they want you to believe.

[tebore]

The SMART for the most part doesn't make sense in North America. In Toronto it really doesn't make much sense.

If you're downtown most of your commute should be via public transit or bike it. The numbers makes sense. See if you're all about the numbers then you shouldn't get the SMART anyway. If you still need a car any Hyundai is a better choice in value.

If you're not in Toronto eg suburb you actually need those SUVs the snow banks and road conditions north of the city are comical in the winter time. Again if you need a small car for the summer Hyundai.

I remember this one winter I saw a SMART get buried in a snow bank it looked like a snowplow just piled it up withe rest of the snow. Wheels off the ground and everything.

The SMART just isn't so...

[laptop-tech]

First off, according to the Smart website and builder, the cars start at $14,900 for a bone-base model; not sure where you got the $12k from. :confused:

You are indeed a very confused person.

$14900 for the car, minus a $2000 instant rebate, minus $500 business rebate (business card required) minus negotiation. Never mind the $500 loyalty rebate. Also keep in mind the 80000 km or 4 years warranty.

I guess I should yell out there that one must be an idiot to buy a Civic. I went to the Honda website and saw a Civic SI for $25800!!!! Wow ! Who would be an idiot to buy a common car for that price!?

[marcopolo85]

You are indeed a very confused person.

$14900 for the car, minus a $2000 instant rebate, minus $500 business rebate (business card required) minus negotiation. Never mind the $500 loyalty rebate. Also keep in mind the 80000 km or 4 years warranty.

I guess I should yell out there that one must be an idiot to buy a Civic. I went to the Honda website and saw a Civic SI for $25800!!!! Wow ! Who would be an idiot to buy a common car for that price!?

....... So your basically calling 25%(exaggerated) of Canadians idiots...

I think that one must be a complete idiot of you do buy this death machine.

[tebore]

I guess I should yell out there that one must be an idiot to buy a Civic. I went to the Honda website and saw a Civic SI for $25800!!!! Wow ! Who would be an idiot to buy a common car for that price!?

I'd like to see a SMART put down a track time close to the SI.

Buyers of the SI have completely different reasons for buying a car compared to buying a SMART.

Yes there are different reasons to buying a car. Again if you're looking to buy a car just for transportation the SMART is a DUMB choice.

[sonyminidiscman]

You are indeed a very confused person.

$14900 for the car, minus a $2000 instant rebate, minus $500 business rebate (business card required) minus negotiation. Never mind the $500 loyalty rebate. Also keep in mind the 80000 km or 4 years warranty.

I guess I should yell out there that one must be an idiot to buy a Civic. I went to the Honda website and saw a Civic SI for $25800!!!! Wow ! Who would be an idiot to buy a common car for that price!?

what do you mean by "a common car"? if you mean theres a lot of them on the road, that really doesn't affect the price of the car. There are a lot of 328i on the road too...... and a lot of camrys too..... they are 40K to 50K ....

civic SI is not really a civic........ 2 very different animal.

[gordholio]

amazing stuff. I didn't know it has a very great fuel economy.

It's a sardine can, it should get good gas mileage.

[CatDog]

$14900 for the car, minus a $2000 instant rebate, minus $500 business rebate (business card required) minus negotiation. Never mind the $500 loyalty rebate. Also keep in mind the 80000 km or 4 years warranty.

There isn't any Pure inventory left but there are some Passions floating around.

$4075 is with all rebates, and there's still a $2000 airmiles rebate available if you have a ton of points.

The $4075 number does not include the grad rebate either that's worth $500 for all current/students who graduated in 08/09.

Panoramic roof, 6 CD changer, heated seats, the cars are neat for what they are.

PMs answered

[CaptSmethwick]

Panoramic roof, 6 CD changer, heated seats, the cars are neat for what they are.

I think that assessment applies to many, many cars. The Smart, though, is unique in the marketplace and I'd like to see it succeed. Still, I don't think anybody should confuse it with being a safe car in a high speed collision on a busy highway and some of the arguments in its defence here are ill-informed. Fortunately, I see very few on the highway and that might net it a decent injury/collision claim track record over time. For urban, moderate speed and volume traffic situations, though, I really like the Smart.

The above being said, I know somebody who owned one of the very earliest MYs of the Smart and he told me that they had in excess of 200k kms on it, drove it on their vacations, etc. and he further regaled me with how reliable it proved to be (I think the engine was still on its original hamsters!). Quite the testimony, frankly.

No, as much as I am wary about its safety, I think it's a decent product. As to whether or not it's decent value, that depends on the buyer - and I'm not likely to be one.

[spf1971]

You know your videos make no sense right? it's not comparable, you have a smart car with M(mass) at a certain V(velocity) crashing into a barrier, and then you have a Hummer with M and V. all you can say is if a hummer and a smart car both crashed into a barrier at same speed, results maybe similar.

But we live in reality, you are much more likely to crash into another car rather than a concrete barrier head on, so if a Hummer crashes into a Smart car... say bye bye to Smart Car occupants while hummer occupant will barely feel anything. Physics does not change for smart car.

Actually the videos make perferct sense. The statement being refuted was "I am not a prof, but I have taken enough physics class to know that when it comes to a crash, the bigger, the better.". The videos show that the statement was false. While size is beneficial, it's the technology behind the size that matters. Otherwise the 1959 Bel Air would have faired better as it was bigger.

[CatDog]

No, as much as I am wary about its safety, I think it's a decent product. As to whether or not it's decent value, that depends on the buyer - and I'm not likely to be one.

Exactly - budget is often a decider in this segment. For $215/month w/tax I believe is a great deal for a car with a bunch of creature comforts. Now, if someone needs back seats, a second set of doors and a large trunk it isn't - this car obviously isn't for them.

[golden]

I think this debate should end as different people have different mentality about risk taking. Some like sky diving and they say it's perfectly safe while others won't People should be able to do whatever with their $ and life.

[gilboman]

Actually the videos make perferct sense. The statement being refuted was "I am not a prof, but I have taken enough physics class to know that when it comes to a crash, the bigger, the better.". The videos show that the statement was false. While size is beneficial, it's the technology behind the size that matters. Otherwise the 1959 Bel Air would have faired better as it was bigger.

Ok I see, but i would hardly say the Smartcar and Hummer difference would be anywhere near the difference between a car from the 50s and one from 2008

But the crash test videos showing Hummer & Smartcar is very misleading if you want to use them to assert that a Smart car would perform comparably well as a Hummer in a vehicular collision.

The videos do not show each car absorbing equal amounts of energy, the hummer is subjected to much higher amount of energy than the smart car eventhough both cars were travelling at the same speed in the crash test.

Point is, a hummer crashing into a smart car, the smart car will be in much worse shape including its occupants because it has to absorb more energy and nowhere to dissapate it. And its not like a smartcar has any better technology in terms of crash performance as evident in the first video showing car from 50's crashing with a current Malibu

Maybe this illustrates the point. A smart car crashing into a regular "modern" car.. Bye Bye Smartcar occupants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6TL15pJtw&NR=1

Physics FTW

[jetway1212]

I still dont see why ppl keep being denial about the Smart safety. Gosh i dont get how they passed grade school.

Destruction of the car is one thing. Having the cell intact doesnt mean that you're safe.

They crash-tested the smart with a Mercedes C series because majority of cars on the road are mid sized sedans with equivalent weight and mass. This is more or less a REAL test of the smart's safety. Stop looking at the the test where the smart hits a barrier.

[sonyminidiscman]

Watch this also..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0

I don't understand what he is saying but the video speaks for itself.

I definitely DO NOT want to be in the ping pong ball ....

[sonyminidiscman]

Actually the videos make perferct sense. The statement being refuted was "I am not a prof, but I have taken enough physics class to know that when it comes to a crash, the bigger, the better.". The videos show that the statement was false. While size is beneficial, it's the technology behind the size that matters. Otherwise the 1959 Bel Air would have faired better as it was bigger.

ok, you got me there..... if you pick on the words. but usually ppl take it as you are crashing similar things. i mean, u can also say that my statement is false if you crash a corolla into an 3 feet Ibeam cemented to the ground.I beam is a lot lighter/smaller then the corolla, but it will destroy the corolla.

that video is a test of engineering and strength of materials... not about size.


This one really does say "size does matter"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dCJYaE2IRY&feature=related

[stealth]

I think the Smart car is perfectly fine in areas it was designed for : densely populated urban areas When I was in Paris last month, I saw tons of them...and it made sense...small roads, slow speeds, minimal parking, everyone drives tiny cars or scooters, gas is expensive and hard to find fill stations, and people rarely took highways anywhere.
However, I dont think its such a great fit here in north America where big highways are regularly used due to sprawl, everyone drives bigger vehicles and gas is plentiful.

[ES_Revenge]

You are indeed a very confused person.

$14900 for the car, minus a $2000 instant rebate, minus $500 business rebate (business card required) minus negotiation. Never mind the $500 loyalty rebate. Also keep in mind the 80000 km or 4 years warranty.

I guess I should yell out there that one must be an idiot to buy a Civic. I went to the Honda website and saw a Civic SI for $25800!!!! Wow ! Who would be an idiot to buy a common car for that price!?
:rolleyes:

Don't be absurd. Every car out there has rebates, incentives, we ALL know that. How are you going to compare cars without using the MSRPs? Yeah if you're really in the market you will start taking every car in the class (or that you're interested in) and then start looking at things like incentives, rebates, finance/lease rates, etc. and make your micro-comparison. On the larger scope, that's ridiculous.

I'm not putting in the time and effort to go and research every damn car in a comparable segment finding out what incentives, rates, etc. there are and coming to the real-world, OTD/OTR comparison prices. I'm certainly not in the market for a *%$#box so why am I going to do all that? Just to prove that the Smart is in no shape, way or form a good value on top of the fact that it is an enormous POS, just because you have some ludicrous obsession with thinking a Smart is a smart purchase? Uh, yeahhh okay then :rolleyes:

Comparing the MSRPs like any sane person would do in this situation, the Smart is dumb, and it's a huge rip. $2000 isn't some kind of miraculous unheard of rebate, so it's not like those couldn't be had on competing cars, off their MSRPs. There are other RFDers already saying the same thing about the price of the Smart, above. You know why? Because any RFDer in their right mind knows that already.

And don't even begin to say a Civic Si and a Civic CX (or whatever the base Civic is these days) is the same as the comparison between a Smart base and a Smart Brabus (or even Passion). The Civic Si has a totally different engine, limited-slip front end, different brakes and suspension, among many other upgrades over the base Civic. The uplevel Smart still has the same engine and nearly the same everything else. Sure there are differences but it's nothing major. The Civic Si costs more than the base Civic because you get more and get things that are significantly different. With the Smart whether you buy the $14k model or the $30k model, it's still the same POS.

As for the Smart not being smart in this part of the world... It's not smart in Toronto, it's not smart in ON, it's not smart in Canada, not in North America, and not anywhere else in the world either. About the only place it would be smart would be in Bizzaro World. :lol:

I'm not confused about anything. The Smart is a POS of a car and a big rip off. There is nothing Smart about it, not one damn thing. The end.

[Tacoma]

...I guess I should yell out there that one must be an idiot to buy a Civic. I went to the Honda website and saw a Civic SI for $25800!!!! Wow ! Who would be an idiot to buy a common car for that price!?

I was going to stay out of this but now your slamming the Civic Si makes it personal!!

My first car was a Civic Si and it's not "common" as you say. This is a car for those who want something fun to drive and that's relatively fast and nimble with a good track record of high quality. In it's current iteration, it's about 200hp and at 8000 screaming rpms with a manual tranny, this engine sings and you can blow by a Smart Car like it's standing still. Common it is not. You can do much worse for $25K.

On topic, I think the Smart car is good someone who lives downtown and who drives very little (or has another car) using this car only for short errands such as going to the local supermarket. Beyond this, I see other cars in the sub $20K range being a more practical everyday driver.

[Phantasm]

Mercedes has obviously done a good job brainwashing some people with their safety propaganda. I'm glad to see that the majority of people in this thread have enough knowledge of physics, human anatomy and general common sense to realize this car would not be safe in real world collisions with other vehicles.

The video posted showing a new Malibu crashing head on with a 50 year old Bel Air doesn't prove anything except that cars from 50 years ago were not built with crash safety in mind. Your attempt to prove that bigger is not better failed miserably because both of those cars were nearly the same weight!

Try crashing a Hummer H2 (6600lbs) into a Smart Car (1600lbs) and see what happens. Fact is, even a mid size Mercedes will destroy a Smart Car head on. Just like the Toyota Camry annihilated the Toyota Yaris in head on crash tests.

IIHS tests consistently show that small cars perform poorly in frontal collisions with midsize cars, let alone full size cars, trucks and SUV's.

[CaptSmethwick]

I had a few minutes to spare this morning and looked up the Smart's crash test results on both the IIHS and NHTSA sites:

http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/safercar/menuitem.db847bd57e3dc1f885dfc38c35a67789/?vgnextoid=c95df2905bf54110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCR D&vgnextrefresh=1&ID=7646
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=936

These are not truly awful but the door unlatching AND the extraordinary amount of movement of the car post-collision (side) AND the calculated rollover propensity (FWIW) is just too much to conclude that this is a safe vehicle in the event of anything above a moderate-speed collision.

In both tests, the door unlatched, leading the NHTSA to note a safety concern for the Smart. I expect that MB engineers are already on the case and future iterations will be improved.

[gordholio]

To me, there's nothing appealing about Smarts. Why would you get an undersized car like this, when you can get something like a Hyundai Accent for less?
It's way overpriced.

[laptop-tech]

As for the Smart not being smart in this part of the world... It's not smart in Toronto, it's not smart in ON, it's not smart in Canada, not in North America, and not anywhere else in the world either. About the only place it would be smart would be in Bizzaro World. :lol:




There are tons of people here labeling the Smart car as a "death trap" or something along those lines, however Im still waiting for unquestionable evidence, numbers, statistics, proving their claims.

I could say all day that the Honda Civic is the most unsafe car in North America, but if I cannot provide evidence supporting it, its all hearsay.

[CdTriX]

Here you go Laptop...

Small car safety: While small cars are safer now than before, so are large cars. In every category of passenger vehicle (car, SUV, or pickup truck), the risk of death is higher in crashes of smaller, lighter models. For vehicles 1-3 years old during 2006, minicars experienced 106 driver deaths per million registered vehicles compared with 69 driver deaths in large cars.



from http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr051408.html that did the tests.

[CaptSmethwick]

There are tons of people here labeling the Smart car as a "death trap" or something along those lines, however Im still waiting for unquestionable evidence, numbers, statistics, proving their claims.

I could say all day that the Honda Civic is the most unsafe car in North America, but if I cannot provide evidence supporting it, its all hearsay.

The way that insurance claim data is collected and analyzed, you'll be waiting another 2 to 3 years for this.

As has been previously said, though, that data (when it comes) will likely show tepid results for the Smart (IOW, neither truly wretched nor really good) as buyers of Smarts are typically not really looking for suburban commuting or semi-rural transportation and are likely to drive (on average) at slower speeds and fewer kms per year. This is a presumption on my part but, if true, will likely show stats that would be no worse than, say, a Toyota Yaris.

Of course, the Yaris doesn't exactly have a stellar injury claim record: http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_cls.aspx?y=2006-2008&cls=2&sz=1&sort=name

As for the Civic, the above link shows that it's actually pretty decent for its class - in that size class, your time would be better spent picking on the Nissan Versa. Interestingly, the Civic Hybrid demonstrates the data phenomenon I suspect will occur with the Smart: the only way to explain the deviation in injury claim data between the regular Civic and the hybrid is that the cars are driven differently - largely, I suspect, driven more economically and at fewer kms/year.

[laptop-tech]

Here you go Laptop...

Small car safety: While small cars are safer now than before, so are large cars. In every category of passenger vehicle (car, SUV, or pickup truck), the risk of death is higher in crashes of smaller, lighter models. For vehicles 1-3 years old during 2006, minicars experienced 106 driver deaths per million registered vehicles compared with 69 driver deaths in large cars.



from http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr051408.html that did the tests.

From your own link:

"The big question from consumers is, ‘How safe is it?'", says Institute president Adrian Lund. "All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better. But among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package."


The way that insurance claim data is collected and analyzed, you'll be waiting another 2 to 3 years for this.




The Smart car is 10 years old. Enough time to easily determine what makes a "death trap".

[CdTriX]

From your own link:

"The big question from consumers is, ‘How safe is it?'", says Institute president Adrian Lund. "All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better. But among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package."





The Smart car is 10 years old. Enough time to easily determine what makes a "death trap".


i don't understand what you're saying?

"All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better." that's pretty much it... for a small car, it's safe... but it's not safer than a bigger car.

[gilboman]

i don't understand what you're saying?

"All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better." that's pretty much it... for a small car, it's safe... but it's not safer than a bigger car.

exactly..and every car out there is bigger than the smart car:lol:

it's like saying "she's not ugly for a 800lb woman"...but she's still 800lbs at the end of the day:cheesygri

[mr_sandman]

I've always questioned its ability to reach highways speeds and passing ability on the highways with such a small engine. As well, being a tall vehicle with tiny rims, how is this on cornering? I have a Sentra and I'm able to do 110+kmh on the DVP to Gardiner southbond ramp with confidence....I don't think I'd have the same confidence with this vehicle. If I were a city driver and minor highway driving, I would very much consider a Smart tho.

[Phantasm]

From your own link:

"The big question from consumers is, ‘How safe is it?'", says Institute president Adrian Lund. "All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better. But among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package."





The Smart car is 10 years old. Enough time to easily determine what makes a "death trap".

Instead of just focusing on four words, you should concentrate and try to comprehend the meaning of the full sentence you just quoted.

[CaptSmethwick]

The Smart car is 10 years old. Enough time to easily determine what makes a "death trap".

You apparently have a chip on your shoulder on this issue and appear determined to simply gainsay anything that anybody else says about the Smart. All I have tried to do in this discussion is bring some facts and some perspective about crash safety. In doing so, I have also given credit to the MB engineers who made the Smart as safe as it is.

I think I'm done here.

[hagbard]

My wife and I really like our diesel smart, but certainly wouldn't consider a gas version, it just doesn't have the mileage that the diesel has. And they are expensive to maintain with almost all the parts being proprietary. For example, a new battery cost over $300 installed. And its a tiny little battery. Putting a new front bulb in cost $30.

[laptop-tech]

smart fortwo "Best Retained Value" winner (June 26, 2009)

TORONTO, ON - The smart fortwo recently received the Canadian Black Book award for “Best Retained Value”. Designed to identify specific models that outperform their competitors, the awards are based on real performance and measure actual value retained after a four year period.

Kathy Ward, President & CEO of Canadian Black Book, presented Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada, with the award at smart Canada’s head office in Toronto. The awards determine a vehicle's ability to retain its value from its original MSRP, and are based on data gathered from four-year old passenger cars and light-trucks under $70,000.

"Receiving the Canadian Black Book residual value award provides further validation of the extraordinary and innovative concept of the smart fortwo," said Marcus Breitschwerdt. "We are grateful to all of the loyal smart fortwo owners for placing their confidence in our brand, and we are very happy to provide strong residual values as an additional benefit of ownership. The unique smart fortwo continues to be an intelligent choice for mobility because it provides class-leading fuel efficiency and versatility in a safe and fun-to-drive package. These are the trademark characteristics that have allowed us to expand the smart family to more than 15,000 strong in Canada since the vehicle’s introduction five years ago."

For more information, please contact:

JoAnne Caza 416-847-7550 JoAnne.Caza@mercedes-benz.ca

Michael Minielly 416-847-7509 Michael.Minielly@mercedes-benz.ca
Further information about smart is available on the internet at: www.thesmart.ca

Source : http://www.thesmart.ca/index.cfm?Language=English&NewsID=350&id=7299

[Phantasm]

It's still a deathtrap.

[laptop-tech]

Smart fortwo named most fuel-efficient vehicle in the two-seater class for the second consecutive year (February 11, 2009)


TORONTO, ON (February 11, 2009) - Today Natural Resources Canada presented the smart fortwo with an ecoENERGY for Vehicles award for being the most fuel efficient vehicle in the two-seater category. This is the second year in a row that the smart fortwo has earned this important title.

the smart fortwo's fuel economy values
City estimate: 5.9 l/100 km
Highway estimate: 4.8 l/100 km
Combined estimate: 5.4 l/100 km

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources Canada, attended a press conference held in Toronto this morning by Natural Resources Canada at the Canadian International Autoshow and presented the award to Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada.

“I am extremely proud to accept this award for the second year in a row as it demonstrates smart’s continued environmental leadership in its class,” said Marcus Breitschwerdt. ”Not only is the smart fortwo produced in one of the most modern and environmentally friendly plants in the world, its excellent fuel economy and low vehicle emissions have made it a hallmark for fuel efficiency, functionality and fun. Since its introduction in Canada five years ago the smart has developed a loyal following, and I would like to thank every smart owner and share this award with them for making the environmentally conscious decision to drive a smart fortwo.”

[john widow]

They should make video games like this kinda like old sega cd tried to..

[cortez]

I would have to test drive one myself to make an opinion. Going off of just looks though.... I wouldn't want to be seen in one of those things anyways.

[Desolatax]

I drive a 2005 Smart Cabriolet 140km round trip each day, getting 60mpg on average. 80km of it is highway driving at 90-100km/h, it has no problems on the highway, even when it is very windy. Its even better in the city, I can rip through traffic since it's all multi-lane. I've driven it over the coquihalla, maintaining the speed limit the whole way. I've driven it on very twisty roads, roof down, going about.... uhh... the speed limit ;)... and no problems in the corners. Its a very fun car to drive, granted that its no BMW M3. I can drive the car extremely hard (staying in the power band, redlining, etc), and my fuel economy drops down to 47-50. My all time lowest MPG per tank was 45.9MPG. Even if you drove an M3 at the same speeds as the smart car, you'd probably get 15-18MPG.

Do I wake up each morning and thing "Oh, I might die in my Smart car today if I get in to an accident"? No, I don't. I've put 45,000 km on the Smart over the past year and a half, costing somewhere around $1700 on fuel. If I would've been driving our bigger Touareg, it would be closer to $6000 in fuel over the past year and a half. I'll be driving this 140km commute for at least the next 3 years.

I'd never buy the gas version of the Smart. The torque that diesel gives you is much more useful than the horsepower boost of gas, and the diesel gets much better fuel economy.

Is it a deathtrap? No.
Is it safer than an SUV? No.
Is it safe for its size? Yes.

If it was a death trap, I GUARANTEE that there would be more videos, pictures, etc supporting that it is a death trap, since the car has been on the market for over10 years (not as long in North America, but you've been able to get them in europe since 1998).

90% of the people in this thread have probably never even been inside a Smart car.

So many misinformed people...

Smart IHS Crash Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU

I'd rather crash in a smart than any of these vehicles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOqD54oxRA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmpDM8wVrUQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpU5azjCB8

[Phantasm]

I drive a 2005 Smart Cabriolet 140km round trip each day, getting 60mpg on average. 80km of it is highway driving at 90-100km/h, it has no problems on the highway, even when it is very windy. Its even better in the city, I can rip through traffic since it's all multi-lane. I've driven it over the coquihalla, maintaining the speed limit the whole way. I've driven it on very twisty roads, roof down, going about.... uhh... the speed limit ;)... and no problems in the corners. Its a very fun car to drive, granted that its no BMW M3. I can drive the car extremely hard (staying in the power band, redlining, etc), and my fuel economy drops down to 47-50. My all time lowest MPG per tank was 45.9MPG. Even if you drove an M3 at the same speeds as the smart car, you'd probably get 15-18MPG.

Do I wake up each morning and thing "Oh, I might die in my Smart car today if I get in to an accident"? No, I don't. I've put 45,000 km on the Smart over the past year and a half, costing somewhere around $1700 on fuel. If I would've been driving our bigger Touareg, it would be closer to $6000 in fuel over the past year and a half. I'll be driving this 140km commute for at least the next 3 years.

I'd never buy the gas version of the Smart. The torque that diesel gives you is much more useful than the horsepower boost of gas, and the diesel gets much better fuel economy.

Is it a deathtrap? No.
Is it safer than an SUV? No.
Is it safe for its size? Yes.

If it was a death trap, I GUARANTEE that there would be more videos, pictures, etc supporting that it is a death trap, since the car has been on the market for over10 years (not as long in North America, but you've been able to get them in europe since 1998).

90% of the people in this thread have probably never even been inside a Smart car.

So many misinformed people...

Smart IHS Crash Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU

I'd rather crash in a smart than any of these vehicles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOqD54oxRA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmpDM8wVrUQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpU5azjCB8

Saying a smart car is safe for its size is like saying an ant is strong for its size. Both statements are true, however a 2 year old can still easily crush an ant by stepping on it the same way an average sized car or pickup truck could easily crush a Smart car (or at least bounce it like a ping pong ball) on the road.

If you crash your Smart car into a solid object, you might be OK. However if you crash into a bigger car on the road (and lets face it, everything on the road is bigger) then you are probably going to be in trouble.

You seem to agree with the IIHS since you willingly post a link to their crash test video, so why don't you take a moment to actually read what they have to say about mini cars vs large cars on the road:

From IIHS:
While small cars are safer now than before, so are large cars. In every category of passenger vehicle (car, SUV, or pickup truck), the risk of death is higher in crashes of smaller, lighter models. For vehicles 1-3 years old during 2006, minicars experienced 106 driver deaths per million registered vehicles compared with 69 driver deaths in large cars.


I guess instead of looking at the whole picture, you would rather pick and choose the bits of data that support your opinion while disregarding anything that might hurt it.

Posting links to old cars failing crash tests is meaningless. Why not post a video of some new cars that you might actually encounter on the road today crashing into a Smart car like the one you own? You know, a video that is actually pertinent to the topic.

Here is one that's already been posted earlier in the thread, but maybe you missed it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6TL15pJtw&feature=related

Oh, and here is a another one for good measure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0

You're right about misinformed people. There are so many, and unfortunately you are one of them.

[Desolatax]

The S class weighs 4000lbs where the Smart weighs 1600lbs. That is two and a half times heavier than the Smart. If you hit another vehicle that weighs 2.5 times your own vehicles weight, your vehicle will not fare as well as the other vehicle. To be a fair comparison, the S class would have to hit a Semi with no cargo in order to be fair. The average sized car is around 2500-2800 lbs, based on the Civic and Corolla. The extra weight at 40mph will make a difference vs a Smart car or any car for that matter.

I never said that smaller cars were safer than larger cars. I said the Smart was safe for its size. Anything hitting something that is two and a half times its size will obviously loose. A 100lb man running straight for a 250lb man at the same speed, and colliding, who do you think will win?

Your comparison of of an ant to a 2 year old and a smart car to a pickup is also ridiculous. You might as well say a meteorite could hit a person and it would be the same as a smart car hitting a pickup truck.

Lets take the Brilliance BS6, a chinese made car that weighs 3600lbs. In the crash test video against a solid object, it failed miserably, but by your logic, it should be superior compared to the Smart because its bigger. Wrong. It is NOT safe for its size, by any stroke of the imagination, it IS a deathtrap. The Smart performed better. Then there is the Cavalier. Again, a bigger vehicle. It gets a poor rating. The Smart gets a good rating. FOR ITS SIZE! This has been said quite a few times.
In the following video, the Yaris does horribly when hit by the Camry. The Smart getting hit by the heavier S class(not in this video, but the earlier one), fared better than it did from the looks of it.

I have not once said that a Smart car will do better than a car that is 2.5 times or more heavier in a head on collision. The Smart will do well, all things considered. If its against another Smart or if its against a loaded 18 wheeler. Nothing can beat the laws of physics. The heavier object will beat the lighter object if the forces are equal. I know that if I get in an accident with an Audi Q7, the Q7 driver and passengers will do better than I will.

IIHS Video of Honda, Smart, Toyota: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V94uqWwCm0

Please research before you post.
Saying a smart car is safe for its size is like saying an ant is strong for its size. Both statements are true, however a 2 year old can still easily crush an ant by stepping on it the same way an average sized car or pickup truck could easily crush a Smart car (or at least bounce it like a ping pong ball) on the road.

If you crash your Smart car into a solid object, you might be OK. However if you crash into a bigger car on the road (and lets face it, everything on the road is bigger) then you are probably going to be in trouble.

You seem to agree with the IIHS since you willingly post a link to their crash test video, so why don't you take a moment to actually read what they have to say about mini cars vs large cars on the road:

From IIHS:
While small cars are safer now than before, so are large cars. In every category of passenger vehicle (car, SUV, or pickup truck), the risk of death is higher in crashes of smaller, lighter models. For vehicles 1-3 years old during 2006, minicars experienced 106 driver deaths per million registered vehicles compared with 69 driver deaths in large cars.


I guess instead of looking at the whole picture, you would rather pick and choose the bits of data that support your opinion while disregarding anything that might hurt it.

Posting links to old cars failing crash tests is meaningless. Why not post a video of some new cars that you might actually encounter on the road today crashing into a Smart car like the one you own? You know, a video that is actually pertinent to the topic.

Here is one that's already been posted earlier in the thread, but maybe you missed it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6TL15pJtw&feature=related

Oh, and here is a another one for good measure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0

You're right about misinformed people. There are so many, and unfortunately you are one of them.

[CatDog]

Lets take the Brilliance BS6, a chinese made car that weighs 3600lbs. In the crash test video against a solid object, it failed miserably, but by your logic, it should be superior compared to the Smart because its bigger. Wrong. It is NOT safe for its size, by any stroke of the imagination, it IS a deathtrap. The Smart performed better. Then there is the Cavalier. Again, a bigger vehicle. It gets a poor rating. The Smart gets a good rating. FOR ITS SIZE! This has been said quite a few times.
In the following video, the Yaris does horribly when hit by the Camry. The Smart getting hit by the heavier S class(not in this video, but the earlier one), fared better than it did from the looks of it.

Thank you, weight alone doesn't make a car safer.

For those who PM'd me asking about Decembers incentives I've opened a thread that can be found here

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/smart-friends-family-sale-free-3-months-822288/

[Desolatax]

My wife and I really like our diesel smart, but certainly wouldn't consider a gas version, it just doesn't have the mileage that the diesel has. And they are expensive to maintain with almost all the parts being proprietary. For example, a new battery cost over $300 installed. And its a tiny little battery. Putting a new front bulb in cost $30.
Not sure what you mean by a tiny little battery, the one in mine is huge, same size as my fathers G35x battery! But yeah, proprietary parts does kinda suck, I've bought most of mine off of ebay and anything I can get through Lordco (wicked discount there :D)

[vaportech]

Cool looks interesting.

Any Benz dealers on here that offer overnight test drives in the Markham area?

Thanks.

[skyset]

Don't care what people say about this smart car. In the end, you're still

-Driving an ugly car
-Going to get laughed at anywhere you go, and if you go in rough areas (i.e. Jane & Finch), you're going to get shot
-You'll die no matter how hard you get hit in an accident
-Did I mention you'll get laughed at?

[hagbard]

The Engine light came on when driving the smart yesterday, we're calling the dealer today. I don't expect good news. Might be time to dump it.

[Phantasm]

The S class weighs 4000lbs where the Smart weighs 1600lbs. That is two and a half times heavier than the Smart. If you hit another vehicle that weighs 2.5 times your own vehicles weight, your vehicle will not fare as well as the other vehicle. To be a fair comparison, the S class would have to hit a Semi with no cargo in order to be fair. The average sized car is around 2500-2800 lbs, based on the Civic and Corolla. The extra weight at 40mph will make a difference vs a Smart car or any car for that matter.

I never said that smaller cars were safer than larger cars. I said the Smart was safe for its size. Anything hitting something that is two and a half times its size will obviously loose. A 100lb man running straight for a 250lb man at the same speed, and colliding, who do you think will win?

Your comparison of of an ant to a 2 year old and a smart car to a pickup is also ridiculous. You might as well say a meteorite could hit a person and it would be the same as a smart car hitting a pickup truck.

Lets take the Brilliance BS6, a chinese made car that weighs 3600lbs. In the crash test video against a solid object, it failed miserably, but by your logic, it should be superior compared to the Smart because its bigger. Wrong. It is NOT safe for its size, by any stroke of the imagination, it IS a deathtrap. The Smart performed better. Then there is the Cavalier. Again, a bigger vehicle. It gets a poor rating. The Smart gets a good rating. FOR ITS SIZE! This has been said quite a few times.
In the following video, the Yaris does horribly when hit by the Camry. The Smart getting hit by the heavier S class(not in this video, but the earlier one), fared better than it did from the looks of it.

I have not once said that a Smart car will do better than a car that is 2.5 times or more heavier in a head on collision. The Smart will do well, all things considered. If its against another Smart or if its against a loaded 18 wheeler. Nothing can beat the laws of physics. The heavier object will beat the lighter object if the forces are equal. I know that if I get in an accident with an Audi Q7, the Q7 driver and passengers will do better than I will.

IIHS Video of Honda, Smart, Toyota: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V94uqWwCm0

Please research before you post.

Thank you for reiterating everything I've been saying in this entire thread. The smart car is much lighter than essentially every vehicle on the road, and therefor much more dangerous. I know that FOR ITS SIZE it is a safe car! You even quoted me saying it in my last post, maybe you should actually learn to comprehend what you read!

That chinese car is a total deathtrap too, but there are not many of those driving around on our streets here in Canada are there? But guess what? There are lot's of goddamn pickup trucks on the road here!

The F-150 has only been the best selling vehicle (not truck, but VEHICLE) in Canada for the last 30 years or so. Statisitcally you are probably more likely to crash into a pickup truck than anything else on the road!

Last time I checked there aren't many meteorites falling out of the sky and killing people. But there certainly are a hell of a lot of pickup trucks driving around crashing into people, and people crashing in to them as well.

Just to clarify: Yes the Smart car is safe for it's size. No, it is not safe when up against almost any mid or large sized car or truck or suv on the road.

[laptop-tech]

The Smart performs better than some Toyota or Honda cars. Well, that is not easy to swallow for some fanboys.

[Desolatax]

The Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, perform worse than the Smart. The Smarts passenger cell stays intact.

Honda Fit vs Accord: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLfK35O91gE
Toyota Yaris vs Camry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcTf78b8WfY
Here's the video that you linked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPdEWLnAQr0
How would the Yaris, Camry, Fit, or Accord hold up vs a F150? The Yaris and Fit both had their A-Pillar buckle, versus an F150, it's more likely that the occupants would get crushed. I haven't seen any crash videos where the Smarts A-Pillar buckles, not in any of the solid objects or the off-center car-to-car collisions. Even the Camry only got an acceptable rating, but if it hit an F150, what would happen?

Even vs larger vehicles, the Smart does pretty damn well.

I've been looking all over for fatal Smart car crashes, but I can't find any pictures! For a car that has been on the market for 10 years, you think there would be pictures of it absolutely crushed? Why aren't there any? Oh that's right, because it will actually do well. Sure, the car won't be driveable again in an accident, but all of the photo's that I have seen show the passenger compartment still intact.

Thank you for reiterating everything I've been saying in this entire thread. The smart car is much lighter than essentially every vehicle on the road, and therefor much more dangerous. I know that FOR ITS SIZE it is a safe car! You even quoted me saying it in my last post, maybe you should actually learn to comprehend what you read!

That chinese car is a total deathtrap too, but there are not many of those driving around on our streets here in Canada are there? But guess what? There are lot's of goddamn pickup trucks on the road here!

The F-150 has only been the best selling vehicle (not truck, but VEHICLE) in Canada for the last 30 years or so. Statisitcally you are probably more likely to crash into a pickup truck than anything else on the road!

Last time I checked there aren't many meteorites falling out of the sky and killing people. But there certainly are a hell of a lot of pickup trucks driving around crashing into people, and people crashing in to them as well.

Just to clarify: Yes the Smart car is safe for it's size. No, it is not safe when up against almost any mid or large sized car or truck or suv on the road.

[Phantasm]

The Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, perform worse than the Smart. The Smarts passenger cell stays intact.

Honda Fit vs Accord: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLfK35O91gE
Toyota Yaris vs Camry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcTf78b8WfY
Here's the video that you linked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPdEWLnAQr0
How would the Yaris, Camry, Fit, or Accord hold up vs a F150? The Yaris and Fit both had their A-Pillar buckle, versus an F150, it's more likely that the occupants would get crushed. I haven't seen any crash videos where the Smarts A-Pillar buckles, not in any of the solid objects or the off-center car-to-car collisions. Even the Camry only got an acceptable rating, but if it hit an F150, what would happen?

Even vs larger vehicles, the Smart does pretty damn well.

I've been looking all over for fatal Smart car crashes, but I can't find any pictures! For a car that has been on the market for 10 years, you think there would be pictures of it absolutely crushed? Why aren't there any? Oh that's right, because it will actually do well. Sure, the car won't be driveable again in an accident, but all of the photo's that I have seen show the passenger compartment still intact.

Yes the Fit and Yaris are small little deathtraps too, what exactly is your point?

[gilboman]

The Smart performs better than some Toyota or Honda cars. Well, that is not easy to swallow for some fanboys.

no it isn't, unless you intend to crash into concrete barriers. did you read anything on here about how its the mass of the vehicle that matters when it comes to why the smart will fare worse than any other car on the road in a vehicular collison?

and conversely, your point is most honda/toyota cars perform better than the Smart. And on the road in N.America, the smart is usually the worst car to be in if you want to survive a crash with another car simply due to its size.

its like a 5ft 100lb guy, can never be a linebacker, samething with a Smart, it can never be a safe car to be in for a crash.

[sneek]

I drive a 2005 Smart Cabriolet 140km round trip each day, getting 60mpg on average. 80km of it is highway driving at 90-100km/h, it has no problems on the highway, even when it is very windy. Its even better in the city, I can rip through traffic since it's all multi-lane. I've driven it over the coquihalla, maintaining the speed limit the whole way. I've driven it on very twisty roads, roof down, going about.... uhh... the speed limit ;)... and no problems in the corners. Its a very fun car to drive, granted that its no BMW M3. I can drive the car extremely hard (staying in the power band, redlining, etc), and my fuel economy drops down to 47-50. My all time lowest MPG per tank was 45.9MPG. Even if you drove an M3 at the same speeds as the smart car, you'd probably get 15-18MPG.

Do I wake up each morning and thing "Oh, I might die in my Smart car today if I get in to an accident"? No, I don't. I've put 45,000 km on the Smart over the past year and a half, costing somewhere around $1700 on fuel. If I would've been driving our bigger Touareg, it would be closer to $6000 in fuel over the past year and a half. I'll be driving this 140km commute for at least the next 3 years.

I'd never buy the gas version of the Smart. The torque that diesel gives you is much more useful than the horsepower boost of gas, and the diesel gets much better fuel economy.

Is it a deathtrap? No.
Is it safer than an SUV? No.
Is it safe for its size? Yes.



This. It is safe for its size. I would never buy a smart car...simply because they are hated where I live. People would tip it over or throw it in the river. I am sure insurance would cover it, but a smart car doesn't seem to offer me what I need.

[hagbard]

My wife got the car in to the dealer about that engine light coming on. She tells me its a "valve" and its going to be $700 to fix it. This is on a car that's four years old and has 40k on it. Time to get rid of it. Feel free to send offers :lol:

Just checked the smart forum, apparently there's something called a EGR value which isn't as serious a deal (I guess). Might explain why we had trouble last Oct with the car spontaneously dying while driving.

Oh, but they want $700 to replace it. In the smart car forum, I'm told its a $100 part and that is commonly wears out. We're pretty much held ransom by our local smart dealer since there's no one else around who does work on smarts.

Told my wife we're selling the car.

[laptop-tech]

http://www.safeandsmart.com/stories

[AA0913]

.simply because they are hated where I live. People would tip it over or throw it in the river.

cow tip

or

mentos commercial?? seriously?

[Phantasm]

http://www.safeandsmart.com/stories

A website that brags about safety of Smart cars which is owned and operated by Smart USA. They wouldn't be biased at all would they?

:lol:

That's like going to a Church website to learn about the facts of Evolution.

[MikeyP]

Has anyone heard of any incidents/deaths caused in Canada due to driving a Smart?.. like they would have survived if they were driving something bigger? Just wondering...