It might be a Smart Choice

Despite the pictures I have hanging over my desk, I missed a major occurrence in the automotive world, and for that I sincerely apologize. But the way I see it, if I missed it, other people probably did too, so I’ll go ahead and fill you in just in case.

This past January, the United States became the 37th country to sell Smart cars, according to Smart’s website, www.smartusa.com.
If you’ve been to Europe, chances are good that you’ve already seen this small auto cruising around the streets, parked perpendicular to a curb or parked in some other ridiculously small place. The size of the car is impressive. It looks like a Power Wheel for grown-ups, and I have seen people who would tower over the car while standing next to it somehow climb in and out.
But the size is part of the reason it hasn’t been sold in the U.S. until recently. Because in all honesty, with the number of SUVs out on the road, who wants to risk their life commuting in a Hot Wheels car?
To give you a basic idea of the size, the Smart ForTwo is 106 inches long, about 62 inches wide and 60 inches tall. For a little perspective, a MINI Cooper is about 55 inches tall, 66 inches wide and 146 inches long.
In my world, size is only a small factor. What really matters is what is under the hood. If you want a car for performance or speed, the ForTwo is not for you.
A one-liter, inline three-cylinder engine powers the ForTwo. It has 70 horsepower at 5800 rpms, according to the website, and 68 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpms. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. This car was clearly built for convenience, not excitement.
The EPA estimate predicted an average of 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway. The lower gas mileage makes the car less desirable — for slightly lower mileage, you could be driving a MINI.
The price of a ForTwo isn’t entirely impressive either. For the very basic coupe the MSRP is $11,590. The next level up, the passion coupe is $13,590, and the cabriolet version of that is $16,590. I can think of several other cars in the same price range that I would rather drive.
The ForTwo is available with an automated manual five-speed transmission, yet another option I’ve never been fond of. I prefer traditional manual transmissions, none of this electric, you-can-only-go-up-or-down-one-gear-at-time stuff. But I do like how the ForTwo handles.
I, along with dozens of other Irvine Spectrum shoppers, had the opportunity to test drive a ForTwo last May, and though it doesn’t have the kind of power I’d like (plus the guy that was sitting in the passenger seat was a little squeamish, so I had to take it easy) taking corners around the parking lot was as much fun as racing go-karts. And I do love go-karts.