J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Well, I never thought I would say this but I have just driven one and really enjoyed it, only went round the town centre and found it to be more fun than it has any right to be, and I didnt feel a Gibbon in it !

It was a 'Pulse' in red and silver, a brand new demo model that my brother in law turned up in, I was amazed that it actually felt quick-ish and made a reasonably sporty sound, it was comfy and better over speed humps that my Fiat Coupe. I reminded me of our Fiat 500 but didnt break down and was a lot higher up, must be the engine being behind you, my wife has just gone out in it, she seemed keen to say the least. Cant say I have taken much notice before but I can see the point now. That said I didnt go on the motorway.

I hate to say it but I quite fancy one as we have a people carrier and the Fiat and both are crap around town.

PeterPerfect

Thats why I bought a Pulse a couple of years ago. It was so much fun (once remapped) I sold the MY99 turbo I'd owned for over 3 years.
I've since moved on to the Brabus roadster which is even more fun. Same bhp/ton as a R5 GT turbo but still returns 50mpg

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

What power did it chip to, must say I found the Pulse a lot quicker than I imagined but I get the feeling being around town flattered it and that it may feel a bit breathless at speed, i.e motorway. Also didnt get chance to try the handling, I know its not that kind of car but the size of the tyres it looks like an understeer monster but probably for the best being so short and sort of mid engined.

PeterPerfect

My Pulse was the last of the G1 600cc Pulses. The remap (no hardware chipping) raised the bhp from about 61bhp to 75bhp, with a similar increase in the torque....it slashed about 4 seconds off the 0-60mph.
The one you drove is probably the G2 700cc Pulse version. This will remap to higher levels, especially the torque.
Mine never understeered in the dry because the G limiter backed off the power. In the wet it did understeer a bit if pushed....bit so did my MY99 with ALK, bumpsteer removal, Eibachs, Toyos.....
The G2 version has the more sophisticated Mercedes ESP system for individual wheel braking for traction/stability.
Only problem on motorway was slight wandering from crosswinds, though I understand that fitting wider front wheels/tyres will resolve most understeer/wandering issues.

The remap removed the speed limiter and on a 'private' road I got upper 90's on the flat (verified by my GPS).

Henrik

iTrader: (5)

We have a Smart too... It's the old 600cc passion, but it really is a hoot to drive More fun than the impreza at lower speeds

I would definitely recommend everyone to get one if you don't need four seats and can cope with the semi automatic **** gearbox.. Also, it's not exactly a motorway cruiser, even though it's OK as long as you stay below 65 if it's windy. It's downright scary to do 84mph (limiter) in windy conditions, although if it's not windy it's fine.

Comfort isn't exactly the Smart's strongest point, but it's OK. Because of the short wheelbase and short suspension travel it feels kind of harsch over bumps etc.

I'm convinced it has made me a 'faster' driver in the Impreza too, because I seem to be going smoother since getting the smart, for some reason.