Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I didnt' cite testing. I cited real world accident results and the fact is, in the real world, the Smart is safer than average. I don't care what you "feel" about your Jeep. In most real world cases, the Smart will simply bounce off as it doesn't have much inertia to overcome. (this is not shown in testing as the rig used to make the car move in testing also keeps it frmo bouncing off).
In the real world, for miles traveled AND per totals of car on the road, the Smart has a stellar safety record. In fact, people have walked away from crashes in Smarts where they wouldn't have had they been in average cars and SUVs.
Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to brick walls that don't want to learn anything new.
Quote:"In most real world cases, the Smart will simply bounce off as it doesn't have much inertia to overcome."
Basic physics. If you take two identical cars (size, weight, safety features, whatever you want), and drive them head-on into each other, the deceleration and forces involved are equivalent to hitting a bridge abutment. That is the reference. Now take two identical cars, this time, one weighs only 1/2 of the other, and do the same experiment. Yes, the lighter car will, as you say 'bounce' off, but look at the g-forces involved. Forget about airbags, crumple zones, etc.... In an instant the lighter car's motion will be going from moving forward to moving backwards. The goal of all the safety devices is to maximize deceleration time, to minimize g-forces. How many g's are you willing to put up with?
Being subjected to high g-forces is a wonderful way to get an aortic tear.
Quote:" In fact, people have walked away from crashes in Smarts where they wouldn't have had they been in average cars and SUVs."
Anecdotal. Supporting evidence, with a large sample size would help. What was the distribution of size and type of vehicle (or whatever) they hit? I hear people say "people have lived into their 90's and they smoked every day". Perhaps that is true, but let's look at the statistics.
Quote:" cited real world accident results and the fact is, in the real world, the Smart is safer than average."
Depends on a lot of criteria. How fast were that going? (major factor there). Were they on a high-speed highway?
Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to brick walls that don't want to learn anything about the reality of physics 101.
Oops... I should have read NJGoats post first, as I basically repeated what he was saying.
Last edited by SuperSparkle928; 08-14-2012 at 07:38 AM..
I would say no. They are supposedly very safe but I do not want to find out first hand. They are not cheap for what you are getting and they are impractical for most people. You will also be the laughing stock of all of your friends, family and coworkers.
You're better off driving a Geo Metro. My mother-in-law gave me her '96 with 175k on it and I decided to use it as a driver to work for a couple of years. I was still getting 45mpg when I got rid of it at 225k miles two years ago. It had air bags too and larger than a Smart car. Being a manual, it is probably faster than a Smart if one knows how to coax the speed out of the 3-cyl engine.
If you want to get a Smart Car, get a Metro and put the rest of the money in the bank and invest it or something else.
I think the SmartCar can only gain in popularity if gasoline goes up alot in price.
I don't think so. The car has no future. New Honda Civics get EPA city/highway fuel economy: 28/39 (automatic), and runs on regular gasoline. Your giving up way too much passenger room and trunk space for too little gain in fuel mileage, not to mention the Smart Car is known for there cheesy transmissions.
When Smart cars were first introduced in Europe, people were claiming they were getting 60 MPG, now for more than 1/3 better fuel mileage, then yes I think it's worth it, but not for lousy 4.8% increase in MPG (highway).
Actually since the Smart car requires Premium gasoline with is 7% more expensive then regular gasoline, the cost of operation fuel wise with a smart car is actually higher than the Honda Civic.
The only thing I think the SMART has going for it is that it can be driven in a big city relatively easy. Otherwise, it's probably the smallest new car being sold in the USA today, gets only marginally better gas mileage than some cars considerably bigger than it (with a manual of all things) and costs quite a bit for such a car. I don't get the appeal of these things personally.
The only thing I think the SMART has going for it is that it can be driven in a big city relatively easy. Otherwise, it's probably the smallest new car being sold in the USA today, gets only marginally better gas mileage than some cars considerably bigger than it (with a manual of all things) and costs quite a bit for such a car. I don't get the appeal of these things personally.
They are unique. Nothing is like them. They do not look like a copy of anything else and there are not that many of them. Many people (me included) prefer unique vehicles, or at least semi-unique, even if they are kind of crummy.
They are unique. Nothing is like them. They do not look like a copy of anything else and there are not that many of them. Many people (me included) prefer unique vehicles, or at least semi-unique, even if they are kind of crummy.
Actually since the Smart car requires Premium gasoline...
Not true. They get the highest performance with Octane 91, but don't require it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fireandice1000
The only thing I think the SMART has going for it is that it can be driven in a big city relatively easy. Otherwise, it's probably the smallest new car being sold in the USA today, gets only marginally better gas mileage than some cars considerably bigger than it (with a manual of all things) and costs quite a bit for such a car. I don't get the appeal of these things personally.
In my experience, most of the people who knock the Smart Car are not really interested in the category, but most people who are interested in the category really love Smart Cars.
Many people just can't wrap their head around the whole notion of an urban car... one that is relatively inexpensive to buy and operate, one that is primarily designed for personal transportation, and one that will mostly be driven on city streets and at city speeds.
My brother was always a speed demon, going through performance driving classes at Bob Bondurant, driving the wickedest BMWs, collecting lots of speeding tickets and spending another fortune on the latest and greatest radar detectors. When the Smart Cars were first advertised in his area they were taking $500 deposits on a car that would not be available for another 6 months. The price was under $15K. He thought it looked like fun and he has money to burn so for grins and giggles he made a deposit, and then forgot about it. Six months later they asked if he wanted the car or wanted the deposit back, and he went for the car. And started driving it to the office most days, taking the wear and tear off his BMW road machine.
I guess a couple of years later I visited him and asked "Where's the BMW?" he replied that he had only driven the BMW 600 miles the year before, so he sold it. When I asked my brother, who can afford to drive anything he wants, why he wound up driving the Smart Car so much he just grinned and said, "It's fun to drive."
In Austin Daimler-Benz made a deal with the City to put 200 Smart Cars onto the streets for city employees to use during the day, and the public to use for car sharing at night as hourly rentals in the Car2Go program. It was so successful from startup that they boosted the number to over 300, and recently added some all-electric ones. They've now expanded the program to Vancouver, B.C.; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.
It fits a narrow market niche that no other car really belonged in until the Fiat 500 - super-small, economical to operate, designed for the city, cute, and it's fun to drive.
The only thing I think the SMART has going for it is that it can be driven in a big city relatively easy. Otherwise, it's probably the smallest new car being sold in the USA today, gets only marginally better gas mileage than some cars considerably bigger than it (with a manual of all things) and costs quite a bit for such a car. I don't get the appeal of these things personally.
Junk the yuck UNsmartcar and get a real gas saver...Chevy Sprint...turbo to boot:
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
