Anyone driven a Smart?
12 September 2001, 02:36 PM
#1
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Hi,
Just wondering, has anyone had a drive of a Smart, and if so please can you tell me what you thought.
I'm not interested in people's perceptions of what they look like, safety etc, I'd like to know what people who have driven them think of the way they drive.
Ta,
Simon.
Just wondering, has anyone had a drive of a Smart, and if so please can you tell me what you thought.
I'm not interested in people's perceptions of what they look like, safety etc, I'd like to know what people who have driven them think of the way they drive.
Ta,
Simon.
12 September 2001, 02:45 PM
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Not driven one myself but a mate took me for a quick spin in his - fantastic what a hoot!! Goes round corners well and is sooo much fun. He swapped the original front wheeels for a set of rears as they are wider, originals are only a few inches wide!!
If I had a few grand spare I would get one just for commuting to work!
Cheers
Richard
If I had a few grand spare I would get one just for commuting to work!
Cheers
Richard
12 September 2001, 02:49 PM
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Hi Richard,
Thanks, that's what I'm thinking of doing... keeping the MY98 longer than I'd planned and using it a bit less, so that I can get a Smart to go to work / Tesco in.
Simon.
Thanks, that's what I'm thinking of doing... keeping the MY98 longer than I'd planned and using it a bit less, so that I can get a Smart to go to work / Tesco in.
Simon.
12 September 2001, 03:10 PM
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Totally agree with Richard here, my boss took me out in his wifes one, excellent laugh, serious lack of storage space though, maybe a good thing if you intend taking the wife out shopping 
12 September 2001, 04:18 PM
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Been in a couple of them and sort of liked them.
Heard that the front wheels are so small because it helps the car to understeer otherwise it might prove to be a bit of a handful. short wheel base, rear engine = oversteer.
Saying that I had never heard anybody having problems when the wheels have been replaced.
Feels a bit odd inside but I'm sure you will get used to it.
My friend has had one for about a year now and loves it.
Heard that the front wheels are so small because it helps the car to understeer otherwise it might prove to be a bit of a handful. short wheel base, rear engine = oversteer.
Saying that I had never heard anybody having problems when the wheels have been replaced.
Feels a bit odd inside but I'm sure you will get used to it.
My friend has had one for about a year now and loves it.
12 September 2001, 05:17 PM
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Two close friends have bought one, I have driven them extensively now, and have to say I love em.
Dont feel weak or weedy. Actually quite nippy. Left hand drive is odd at first but great fun.
Get loads of looks.
Gearbox is odd. Has a hydraulically activated clutch rather than atorque converter. Is actually a three speed manual wih two final drives. Semi auto and auto mode are great in town. 300 miles on £13 worth of fuel. Can be super chipped up by 20bhp.
Damn nippy. fit in nearly all spaces. Spacious inside as tehy accept they are only a two seater. Body panels are plastic and flex massively. Can punch them and they pop out. You can also have them painted specially, or buy funky colours for £500.
Buy it.
Dont feel weak or weedy. Actually quite nippy. Left hand drive is odd at first but great fun.
Get loads of looks.
Gearbox is odd. Has a hydraulically activated clutch rather than atorque converter. Is actually a three speed manual wih two final drives. Semi auto and auto mode are great in town. 300 miles on £13 worth of fuel. Can be super chipped up by 20bhp.
Damn nippy. fit in nearly all spaces. Spacious inside as tehy accept they are only a two seater. Body panels are plastic and flex massively. Can punch them and they pop out. You can also have them painted specially, or buy funky colours for £500.
Buy it.
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13 September 2001, 09:36 AM
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i have a Smart for my day to day running around in - its brilliant. In fact when it goes back in a few months i'm going to get another one!
They are plenty roomy enough inside as there's no huge engine at the front taking up space (it sits between the rear wheels). They are great fun to drive and as everyone states who has driven one - they are really nippy!
Dave
They are plenty roomy enough inside as there's no huge engine at the front taking up space (it sits between the rear wheels). They are great fun to drive and as everyone states who has driven one - they are really nippy!
Dave
13 September 2001, 11:31 AM
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Guy at work has a Brabus Smart - body kit / wide wheels / twin exhausts etc....looks really really cool - In fact he gets more looks than I do in my STi... 
Ro.
Ro.
14 September 2001, 02:31 PM
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Is my info out of date? I knew someone who had one in Brussels 2 yrs ago, she absolutely hated it as she said the (lack of) suspension nearly took the fillings out of her teeth. In Brussels you can understand that (cobblestones frequent) but did I read somewhere they've changed tyre sizes to get around it? I vaguely considered one but the above put me off.
BJH
BJH
14 September 2001, 08:56 PM
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I've a mate who drove the base model a few weeks ago.
He said it was great fun...except for the very slow gear change
I've been very tempted with a Smart but this has put me off a bit.
Is the gear change really that slooooow ?
Pete
He said it was great fun...except for the very slow gear change
I've been very tempted with a Smart but this has put me off a bit.
Is the gear change really that slooooow ?
Pete
16 September 2001, 09:45 AM
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Hi there,
I went to further investigate and test drive a Smart car on Saturday, at Intermoto / Smartmoto which is just by Petersfield (http://www.smartmoto.com).
They have the whole range new, from the basic Smart & Pure through to the Smart & Passion cabriolet. They also have a second hand selection which was more of interest.
I got into a brand new one in the showroom, and was amazed by how roomy it felt - doesn't feel like you're in a tiny car at all. With the seat back, I have no problem fitting, and no headroom problems at all. I was worried that I'd fit, but would be looking into the roofline coming down to the windscreen rather than out of the windscreen itself, but it's fine, can see no problem. The back window, which is basically the back of the car, is quite close, so should be easy to reverse in and out of places.
After a chat with the salesman, we went out for a test run that consisted of getting out of the tight yard out back, a twisty and in parts rough surfaced a road, pulling away from some roundabouts, and a fast section on the A3 including having to merge into traffic at speed.
The first things to master are sitting on the left hand side, and the gearbox. The gearbox is a Mitsubishi style tiptronic. Pulling the gear lever to the left (toward the driver) engages tiptronic mode, then pushing forward goes up a gear, and pulling back goes down. The selected gear is shown on a digital dashboard display, and so is an up or down arrow when changing. Pushing the gear lever to the right (away from the driver) selects neutral, then pushing it down gets reverse. The car I went out in was the Passion, so it had a totally automatic option. This is engaged by pressing a button on the side of the gear lever. When this is selected, a digital 'A' replaces the gear readout on the dash.
In tiptronic mode, you can change gear without lifting off of the accelerator, so you can do it with your foot flat down etc. Previous cars I've driven with this sort of gearbox (Mistubishi FTOs) tend to throw everyone forward and make jerky tiptronic downchanges, but the Smart doesn't do that and is reasonably smooth. You can switch to and from fully automatic mode at any point too, the auto takes longer to shift the gears though.
I reckon that the fun to be had with these cars will be in mastering the gear ratios, they're reasonably short up to and including 5th, then 6th is really a cruise gear with little or any acceleration - the car stays at speed nicely though. I found that by the end of the drive, I could get it to be quite responsive by hustling it through the gears.
Driving on the left hand side of a car on the left hand side of the road was a little strange at first. This is not the disadvantage that you might think it is, as the Smart is narrow enough that you can drive well away from the kerb to see what's going on without straying over the centre line, you also have the option of driving close to the kerb and looking down the other side of the traffic in front of you. I found that the car tends to understeer (unusual for a rear wheel drive with the engine in the back) but later discovered that a lot of this was down to getting used to being on the other side of the car and initially misjudging some of the corners. I also found the acceleration to be deceptive, I got it to 75mph and it felt fine, I was amazed as I expected some sort of breakdown in handling, or for it to seem like I was doing about 200mph... it didn't it just felt normal.
Road noise from the Smart is pretty minimal considering its size, especially on the rough stuff - was able to maintain a conversation with the salesman without any trouble. The noise increases a lot with the windows down so there's probably a good reason to have air conditioning. The ride is pretty good, quite firm - depends if you like that sort of thing I guess, personally I do. The drivers seat is pretty comfortable, not sure how it would feel after 3 or so hours though.
When we got back to the dealership we had a successful go at negotiating small gaps with me driving and a little slalom of expanded polystyrene markers that they had in the car park, all good fun and easy to do once you've got the hang of perspective out of the windows and the steering under control. All round visibility is pretty good, I failed to see a coach when joining the A3 as the mirrors weren't set properly, but the brakes sorted that out OK (brakes are pretty firm). I'd say that your passenger may want to help with vision when merging, but if you were in the car alone you'd probably see well enough on your own (passenger blocks a bit of the view over the right shoulder).
The interior is bright, the one I went out in having a blue interior which seems pretty common. Dials are functional, with a digital readout for some functions and traditional dials for speed and rev counter (standard on Passion, optional on others). There's also an analogue clock, and the stereo is mounted high in the centre console, rather like on a VW Golf. Space in the back is more generous than I'd have thought, Sam the dog would definately get in there on his bed for shorter trips. I'm pretty sure we'd get our average Tesco shop in there too.
So, I'm pretty convinced that getting one of these could be a good move. Basically, it'd commit us to the Impreza we have for another couple of years at least, as the money we'd spend on changing it in 2002 would go on buying the Smart. However, I reckon for petrol savings alone the Smart is worth it. We can't get the baby in there, but about 80% of the trips done in the Impreza are with just me anyway.
Will have a good long think about it, and may go see another dealer, but these guys have a lot of stock - other places seem to have plenty of new ones but struggle for a range of second hand.
The Smart is definately fun, but not in the same way that the Impreza is. While the SIDC would organise track days for its members, I bet a Smart club would do really well with a 'Kickstart' type skills competition - lay out a tight slalom, some tight parking spaces, a three point turn, reverse around the corner etc on a car park, then time the competitors around the course, adding time penalties for knocking down cones etc. That'd be a fun day out!
Not 100% committed to getting one at the moment, but I'm pretty convinced...
Simon.
I went to further investigate and test drive a Smart car on Saturday, at Intermoto / Smartmoto which is just by Petersfield (http://www.smartmoto.com).
They have the whole range new, from the basic Smart & Pure through to the Smart & Passion cabriolet. They also have a second hand selection which was more of interest.
I got into a brand new one in the showroom, and was amazed by how roomy it felt - doesn't feel like you're in a tiny car at all. With the seat back, I have no problem fitting, and no headroom problems at all. I was worried that I'd fit, but would be looking into the roofline coming down to the windscreen rather than out of the windscreen itself, but it's fine, can see no problem. The back window, which is basically the back of the car, is quite close, so should be easy to reverse in and out of places.
After a chat with the salesman, we went out for a test run that consisted of getting out of the tight yard out back, a twisty and in parts rough surfaced a road, pulling away from some roundabouts, and a fast section on the A3 including having to merge into traffic at speed.
The first things to master are sitting on the left hand side, and the gearbox. The gearbox is a Mitsubishi style tiptronic. Pulling the gear lever to the left (toward the driver) engages tiptronic mode, then pushing forward goes up a gear, and pulling back goes down. The selected gear is shown on a digital dashboard display, and so is an up or down arrow when changing. Pushing the gear lever to the right (away from the driver) selects neutral, then pushing it down gets reverse. The car I went out in was the Passion, so it had a totally automatic option. This is engaged by pressing a button on the side of the gear lever. When this is selected, a digital 'A' replaces the gear readout on the dash.
In tiptronic mode, you can change gear without lifting off of the accelerator, so you can do it with your foot flat down etc. Previous cars I've driven with this sort of gearbox (Mistubishi FTOs) tend to throw everyone forward and make jerky tiptronic downchanges, but the Smart doesn't do that and is reasonably smooth. You can switch to and from fully automatic mode at any point too, the auto takes longer to shift the gears though.
I reckon that the fun to be had with these cars will be in mastering the gear ratios, they're reasonably short up to and including 5th, then 6th is really a cruise gear with little or any acceleration - the car stays at speed nicely though. I found that by the end of the drive, I could get it to be quite responsive by hustling it through the gears.
Driving on the left hand side of a car on the left hand side of the road was a little strange at first. This is not the disadvantage that you might think it is, as the Smart is narrow enough that you can drive well away from the kerb to see what's going on without straying over the centre line, you also have the option of driving close to the kerb and looking down the other side of the traffic in front of you. I found that the car tends to understeer (unusual for a rear wheel drive with the engine in the back) but later discovered that a lot of this was down to getting used to being on the other side of the car and initially misjudging some of the corners. I also found the acceleration to be deceptive, I got it to 75mph and it felt fine, I was amazed as I expected some sort of breakdown in handling, or for it to seem like I was doing about 200mph... it didn't it just felt normal.
Road noise from the Smart is pretty minimal considering its size, especially on the rough stuff - was able to maintain a conversation with the salesman without any trouble. The noise increases a lot with the windows down so there's probably a good reason to have air conditioning. The ride is pretty good, quite firm - depends if you like that sort of thing I guess, personally I do. The drivers seat is pretty comfortable, not sure how it would feel after 3 or so hours though.
When we got back to the dealership we had a successful go at negotiating small gaps with me driving and a little slalom of expanded polystyrene markers that they had in the car park, all good fun and easy to do once you've got the hang of perspective out of the windows and the steering under control. All round visibility is pretty good, I failed to see a coach when joining the A3 as the mirrors weren't set properly, but the brakes sorted that out OK (brakes are pretty firm). I'd say that your passenger may want to help with vision when merging, but if you were in the car alone you'd probably see well enough on your own (passenger blocks a bit of the view over the right shoulder).
The interior is bright, the one I went out in having a blue interior which seems pretty common. Dials are functional, with a digital readout for some functions and traditional dials for speed and rev counter (standard on Passion, optional on others). There's also an analogue clock, and the stereo is mounted high in the centre console, rather like on a VW Golf. Space in the back is more generous than I'd have thought, Sam the dog would definately get in there on his bed for shorter trips. I'm pretty sure we'd get our average Tesco shop in there too.
So, I'm pretty convinced that getting one of these could be a good move. Basically, it'd commit us to the Impreza we have for another couple of years at least, as the money we'd spend on changing it in 2002 would go on buying the Smart. However, I reckon for petrol savings alone the Smart is worth it. We can't get the baby in there, but about 80% of the trips done in the Impreza are with just me anyway.
Will have a good long think about it, and may go see another dealer, but these guys have a lot of stock - other places seem to have plenty of new ones but struggle for a range of second hand.
The Smart is definately fun, but not in the same way that the Impreza is. While the SIDC would organise track days for its members, I bet a Smart club would do really well with a 'Kickstart' type skills competition - lay out a tight slalom, some tight parking spaces, a three point turn, reverse around the corner etc on a car park, then time the competitors around the course, adding time penalties for knocking down cones etc. That'd be a fun day out!
Not 100% committed to getting one at the moment, but I'm pretty convinced...
Simon.
17 September 2001, 09:53 AM
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Cool, I may get involved if I get one... as it took me 1 1/2 hours to get the 8 miles to work on the bus this morning (and I walked 2 of those miles to go faster than the bus)... I'm ready for a city car!
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