Anyone else on here ever driven a Smart?
08 June 2003, 10:05 PM
#1
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Not exactly performance material, I know, but I was just interested. A friend just bought one (he's a fan of "little cars you can cane the b@lls off") and let me drive it - and it was an absolute hoot. Not mega-quick in the overall scheme of things, but it's got paddleshift and enough grunt to make it really fun around town...
I thought it would be unbelievably slow after a scooby but it's just so different from a "normal" car that you have to take it on its own merits. More grins per mile than anything else I've ever driven since buying the scoob.
Oh - and Smart owners also like Optimax - except they call it "Optislurp". Makes the little cars go much quicker!
I thought it would be unbelievably slow after a scooby but it's just so different from a "normal" car that you have to take it on its own merits. More grins per mile than anything else I've ever driven since buying the scoob.
Oh - and Smart owners also like Optimax - except they call it "Optislurp". Makes the little cars go much quicker!
08 June 2003, 10:17 PM
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I had a new one on a V and then the 6th Cabrio in the UK - even that was over 3 years ago. I couldn't live with anything that slow unless it was as much fun as the smart was. They need wide wheels though or it's understeer city.
Fen
Fen
08 June 2003, 10:28 PM
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Tony's is a mark 7, which means the gearbox is reportedly much better than earlier cars. Much quicker shifting - it's better than an Alfa 156 Selespeed I've driven. He's now saving up for the wide wheels to fix the handling!
He sent me an email this morning with a pic of his speedo - with the needle right up against the end stop at the fast end. The heady heights of about 85mph...
He sent me an email this morning with a pic of his speedo - with the needle right up against the end stop at the fast end. The heady heights of about 85mph...
09 June 2003, 09:01 AM
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Got one.
It's a great complement to the Scoob and Exige.
Mk7 does have a quicker gearchange and less turbo lag as well.
They are great fun and not as slow as people think.
A £300 Digitec remap gives 75bhp on the 600cc and easily over 80bhp on the 700cc Mk7. 75bhp will easily take it over 100mph although it's not too happy there..
Surprisingly quiest and refined, but with the glass roof make sure you get air-con. In fact make sure you get a 'Passion'. The Pulse has more power, but the digitec remap gives the smae result for both cars and the Passion is better specced (has aircon).
Fatter front tyres will cure the understeer, and RWD means you can actually have a bit of fun once the rubbish Trust+ traction control fuse is unplugged.
The Mk7 has proper full ESP and works much better.
However, the dealers are the worst bunch of lying inefficient unhelpful idiots I've ever had to use. Lotus and even Rover customer care is in another league!
8k is also a bit expensive. Fortunately we had a 25% discount at the time.
Mark
It's a great complement to the Scoob and Exige.
Mk7 does have a quicker gearchange and less turbo lag as well.
They are great fun and not as slow as people think.
A £300 Digitec remap gives 75bhp on the 600cc and easily over 80bhp on the 700cc Mk7. 75bhp will easily take it over 100mph although it's not too happy there..
Surprisingly quiest and refined, but with the glass roof make sure you get air-con. In fact make sure you get a 'Passion'. The Pulse has more power, but the digitec remap gives the smae result for both cars and the Passion is better specced (has aircon).
Fatter front tyres will cure the understeer, and RWD means you can actually have a bit of fun once the rubbish Trust+ traction control fuse is unplugged.
The Mk7 has proper full ESP and works much better.
However, the dealers are the worst bunch of lying inefficient unhelpful idiots I've ever had to use. Lotus and even Rover customer care is in another league!
8k is also a bit expensive. Fortunately we had a 25% discount at the time.
Mark
09 June 2003, 10:30 PM
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We had one as a company "share" car - don't laugh! Reminded me of those little go-karts you used to drive on the end of seaside piers. You're right though - you can't help but grin when driving one.
I think ours was an X-plate, LHD, and there was serious lag on it. Worst thing was the gear changes - made you look like a nodding dog, in a mobile tic-tac.
There's another tiny car around too - not sure what it is. Sounds like a lawn mower. Hasn't got the style of the Smart
I think ours was an X-plate, LHD, and there was serious lag on it. Worst thing was the gear changes - made you look like a nodding dog, in a mobile tic-tac.
There's another tiny car around too - not sure what it is. Sounds like a lawn mower. Hasn't got the style of the Smart
09 June 2003, 11:41 PM
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I own a mk6 Pulse, with air con and other bits.....
Bought it last September to add to my fleet....however, the fun factor per £ resulted in me selling my grpA 205 the following February and my MY99 scoob turbo last month after 3.75 years ownership!
Just had the Digi-Tec remap done (78bhp, 93lb/ft) and its now a real mini-me scooby at a fraction of the cost
I've done 6000 miles in the Smart the past 9 months and the novelty has not worn off yet
Oh, and in the 8 months I was 'evaluating' the Smart I did 5000 in it yet only 1500 in the scooby....
Pete
Bought it last September to add to my fleet....however, the fun factor per £ resulted in me selling my grpA 205 the following February and my MY99 scoob turbo last month after 3.75 years ownership!
Just had the Digi-Tec remap done (78bhp, 93lb/ft) and its now a real mini-me scooby at a fraction of the cost
I've done 6000 miles in the Smart the past 9 months and the novelty has not worn off yet
Oh, and in the 8 months I was 'evaluating' the Smart I did 5000 in it yet only 1500 in the scooby....
Pete
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11 June 2003, 02:17 PM
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Me and my dad share a passion cab Smart. They are loadsa fun!
We opted for loads of extras; paddle shift gearchange, electric roof, aircon, electric wing mirrors, heated seats, 6 disc changer, and he got the free stereo upgrade.
he reckons that he gets about 60 ish MPG AFAIK
We opted for loads of extras; paddle shift gearchange, electric roof, aircon, electric wing mirrors, heated seats, 6 disc changer, and he got the free stereo upgrade.
he reckons that he gets about 60 ish MPG AFAIK
11 June 2003, 06:20 PM
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I only got low 40's over 32,000 km and 10 months
"If you're getting over 40mpg then you're not trying hard enough!"
11 June 2003, 09:56 PM
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Message from my friend Tony (who is user J500ANT on www.thesmartclub.co.uk):
"If you're getting over 40mpg then you're not trying hard enough!"
"If you're getting over 40mpg then you're not trying hard enough!"
Fen
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