2008 Smart fortwo

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By  Paul Eisenstein, Executive Editor

2008 Smart fortwo
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After a seemingly interminable wait, DaimlerChrysler – er, Daimler AG – er, that German company’s Smart cars are finally heading for theU.S. And TheCarConnection.com got a chance to drive the all-new version of the automaker’s fortwo two-seater, which should begin rolling into showrooms around New Year’s.

It’s hard to imagine a more serendipitous situation, smiled smart’s U.S. boss, Dave Schembri, as we took the keys for one of the pint-sized coupes. With fuel prices again setting records, with urban roadways more crowded than ever, and with public sentiment increasingly turning against SUVs and other big products, “This just might be the right car at the right time and the right place,” said Schembri, an industry veteran who signed on with Roger Penske, the Detroit businessman whose company will handle U.S. sales and distribution.

The black-and-silver fortwo we drove was not entirely Americanized, we should point out, with slight changes coming to the lighting layout, and a little more muscle to be squeezed out of its engine. But the overall vehicle is so close to what we will see that we can provide a good description of what fortwo buyers will experience.

Hard to imagine, but the smart measures just 8.8 feet, nose-to-tail, a full three feet shorter than the already downsized MINI. It’s just five feet wide, five feet tall, and boasts a 28-foot turning radius.

Despite its diminutive dimensions, the fortwo is extremely easy to get in and out of. Indeed, in spite of my own, 6-foot-2 frame, I actually had to slide a bit forward to reach the pedals.

The Passion Coupe, which will come in at something under $14,000, is a surprisingly well-equipped vehicle, with a reasonably good, stock audio system, and both a large clock and a tachometer straddling the top of the center stack. Through the steering wheel, there’s a large and easy-to-read speedometer. Unfortunately, it was far more difficult to read the lower half of that gauge cluster, the low-contrast LCD requiring you to squint to see how much fuel is onboard.

Three cylinders to go

Firing up the little coupe is easy: step on the brake, slip the key into the center console and give it a turn. Instantly, the little 1.0-liter three-cylinder pops to life. Americans will receive a modified version of the manumatic transmission, but the European gearbox was a solid package. The big trick was figuring out that to go from manual mode to automatic, you needed press a small button on the side of the shifter.

Pressing the button again would toggle back to manual mode – or you could use the standard paddle shifters located just behind the steering wheel.

We’re not quite ready to buy Schembri’s assertion that the fortwo drives like a Ferrari, but it’s certainly not the cheap and less-than-cheerful econobox other makers have dumped into the market over the years. While no rocket, around-town acceleration is surprisingly good, our coupe able to keep up with all but the most aggressive drivers when launching off from a stoplight.

Shifts, whether in manual or auto mode, were crisp and clean, though when driving flat out, the fortwo did have a tendency to dive between gears.

A car of this length will, almost by definition, tend to buck as you run into obstacles like potholes and speed bumps. Smart engineers have done a surprisingly good job of minimizing that tendency, and overall, road harshness matches what you’d expect from a larger and more expensive vehicle.

Though quite tall, the fortwo is reasonably wide, improving side-to-side stability, especially in corners. The standard, 15-inch tires also help. With the coupe sitting as tall as it is wide, it’s by no means a sports car, however, and there’s a moderate amount of body roll, though nothing unexpected and certainly not unacceptable.

We’ll wait for the final, U.S.-spec engine to report 0-60 numbers, t

told top speed will nudge 91 mph.

An Achilles Interstate?

We got only the briefest time on the interstate, and we have to wonder whether this will prove the Achilles tire, er, heel, for smart. The fortwo is small enough to fit two inside a typical parking spot. How will American drivers feel running alongside a Suburban or Escalade at highway speeds, never mind a loaded steel-hauler?

Those smart folks recognize the challenge and they’re trying to deal with the safety issue up-front. For one thing, every U.S. fortwo will come with a list of typically high-end features: four airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, corner braking control, brake assist, and a hill-holder function that will keep you from rolling while your foot moves from brake to gas.

The wheels, meanwhile, are slightly offset and act as side bumpers during a crash. Then there’s the Tridion roll cage. Influenced by motor sports technology, this system is designed to direct crash energy around the passenger compartment. In a corporate video of an offset crash test, a fortwo slammed by an E-Class Mercedes, the smart’s passenger compartment is effectively untouched – but you can see the rear of the little vehicle deforming from the shock.

There are other factors to consider, of course. Would a prospective buyer need four seats? Really? How many motorists never put somebody in the rear? As to cargo space, there’s not much; enough for perhaps 3-5 grocery bags, depending on how you pack them; one, maybe two airline carry-on bags, if they stood upright.

Then there’s the matter of fuel economy. Final numbers have not been released, but smart is expecting to deliver at least 40 mpg. That’s less than a Toyota Prius, at least if you accept the inflated numbers on the window sticker. You’re probably close to comparable in most real-world situations.

We’re hoping to see smart add a diesel to the lineup sometime soon, much as they have in Canada, where the little car has been on sale for several years already.

While it’s still about six months from launch, smart has been taking an aggressive approach to the rollout, a, ahem, smart move in today’s crowded U.S. market. The company’s website has, we’re told, already drawn 1.5 million unique visitors. And tens of thousands more have attended the first smart Road Shows, a nationwide tour meant to boost visibility and let potential customers actually get behind the wheel. A special program supplementing these efforts has already generated thousand of $99 deposits.

There’s little question people are paying attention. As we drove around Detroit , we received countless waves, thumbs-up and high-signs. Maybe Schembri is right about the car and the timing.

Our personal feelings: the smart fortwo is a delightful little car to drive around town. It’s easy to manage and offers a lot for the money. If we were empty-nesters, largely limiting our travel to a major city or suburb, it would be easy to imagine owning a fortwo. We’re not sure yet about long commutes. But even then, there’s a large potential audience and we expect many folks will find the fortwo a smart alternative.

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