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Interior bits and pieces look nice but just a bit too busy with the colors and trim.

the outside I like....it is a definite improvement over the usual.

not the worse I have seen.

SO I wonder if you can parralel park a smart car & just back in to the curb with your rear. So not parralel park but park like it was a pull in spot Just think of all the spots you could fit in

Just think .... some day a whole new generation of wrenches will be talking about dropping Subi's, 6's, V8's & Rotaries into them!

... and maybe Jake's son or grandson will have a website on how to upbuild their teeeney leeetle motors for 150 hp!

Are they really turbos?

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That is no more a car than my bicycle is

My wife hates those things. She was always telling me to run them off the road when we see them. Which is pretty often. I noticed sometime last year that she stopped saying that. I asked her what happened and she told me she had to stop herself from ramming one on her way to work.

We have one that we usually use for running around town, errands. They are actually pretty cool!

i could buy 10 metro's for what that cost.... and still get better mpg!

or one metro and one pretty nice 914!


yes i have a metro, 39mpg driving it like i stole it back and forth to work, 50+ mpg on a freeway run. to date i have less than 2,500 in purchase and maintenance costs, and have had it 4 yrs.

7gal per fill up!

i know it doesn't look "cool"!
so what? my dick ain't that small to need a car that looks cool to get to work in

Some of them have ... but I don't think the one imported in the USA have turbos.

I have checked the US Website and they show only a 70 HP engines (no turbo).

In Europe you can have 61, 71, 84 or 98 HP (Brabus)... 84 and 98 have a turbo
You also can have a 45 hp turbo diesel that gives you 70 + mpg
...

Say what you will, I think they are cool little cars. So there!

I think they are cool too, though it would not fit my commute - they are not meant to be highway cars. if I still lived in Baltimore City, though, I would consider one. Street parking is always an issue, and the Smart was made as much to be easy to park in cities as much as it was made to be efficient.

and people are already doing engine swaps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV4HdsDZX6c



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDU5BU_qSJU


Zach

When I was in Germany I saw these cars parked just as you describe... backed in with the rear wheels against the curb. You can easily get 2 in 1 spot.

At least it doesn't look like a clone of the other 99% of passenger cars on the road.

The other Euro import that I don't like for similar reasons is the Ford Transit Connect. Great delivery truck for around town, up to about 45MPH. It is the only vehicle I have ever driven that is both underpowered AND underweight. Sitting in traffic you can feel the engine strain when the AC kicks on and there is no real ventilation so you need to use it. Getting to highway speeds is an exercise in patience (and bravery on an uphill on ramp) and then the slightest wind blows the truck all over the road. The only saving grace is it is a commercial 3/4 ton vehicle that gets 26-28MPG highway.

we just bought a nissan versa - for its 4 adult interior space.

i'd say its needs alot of suspension upgrades for anyone to say it handles well.

compared to driving our 1993 subaru impreza or 1996 toyota corolla - it feels like i am driving a small mini van, with it taller seat position.

We have some of these on campus in Baltimore. For a 3/4 ton vehicle it is SMALL! But it is perfect for a city based college - especially since the vehicles that we have for campus upkeep rarely if ever see the freeway.

Zach

Some of you may know John Crosby? Former PCA Club Race Chair, and now a racer with a really nice new cup car.

Here's his cup car:

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and here's his paddock car:

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Note the center dual exhaust, low profile tires/sport wheels, tow hooks, etc.

Says it better than a golf cart, you can take it into town and get stuff if you need, and it is just about the same size in the trailer!

The Hayabusa engine swaps look like fun!

Like a pit bike.

They were designed to do just that.

The WORST fuel mileage I've ever gotten in my '03 Jetta TDi wagon is 40, and it took over a month of around town driving tom do it. Mixed is 44 or so, freeway has been as high as 48. The '02 sedan gets 47-48 mixed use, and has gotten 51 on a long trip, before I fixed the dragging brakes......... Both cars have an amazing amount of cargo space, and we routinely carry 4 adults on an evening out. And they're comfortable, as well as fully capable of staying up with traffic. I have the note from the nice officer to prove it ............................


The Cap'n

The VW TDi is the only reason that I would consider a new VW to replace my Subaru, whenever its time to do that. It is a great car.

Zach

I have an 08 Smart, and yes you can back it into the curb to park. I also sometimes share a single parking space with another Smart. But if the meter expires we both would get a ticket. I have 35,000 miles on my Smart and so far has been a good car.

Did they ever offer a manual for Smarts, or are they still the little 6 spd auto?

More than a Smart as far as micro cars go, I'd like the new retro Fiat 500 (Abarth edition of course!). They need to bring those to the States ASAP.

I wish they'd bring the Cappucinno into the states.

"Note the center dual exhaust, low profile tires/sport wheels, tow hooks, etc."

Oh. My. Gawd!!! Now THAT is a sense of humor I could get along with!!!


PLEASE tell me he has snuck up into race pre-grid with that car at least once?!?!?! If not, why the heck hasn't he?

We ran across some of these during a canyon run with mostly 914's and 911's -- it might have been the New Year's day hangover run -- anyway they handled shockingly well up in the hills. They did not look stock, however. Generally speaking I think they are silly vehicles though for most people in the US. Maybe OK if you're in NYC or an ultra-congested beach town.

I saw one that on the back where it says "SMART" it instead said, "SMARTASS" all done to match original style.

I got no problem w/ the size or engineering / mechanical aspects. I just think they're fugly. Who came up with that look? It might be practical but not my cup-o-tea.