The Smart Car: A Disappointing Experience

With the high cost of fuel, people are moving out of their large SUVs and getting into smaller cars. The Smart Car is one such option that has been available in Europe for years and is now finally being sold in the US. However, based on my experience driving this car, I can tell you that it's not quite what you expect.

One of the few nice surprises about the Smart Car is its ability to accommodate two people comfortably. The seats are very comfortable, and access is easy. However, when it comes to the trunk, that's a different story altogether. It's a two-step process to get anything in or out, and there just isn't much room back here. A small suitcase is about all you're going to fit, which seems counterintuitive given the car's tiny size.

Despite its compact dimensions, I expected the Smart Car to be nimble and fun to drive. Unfortunately, that's not the case at all. The front tires are tiny, and it just has no grip. Going into corners feels sluggish, and the steering doesn't have much feedback. This means that when you're on the highway, you feel incredibly vulnerable. Even a big truck passing by can make you feel blown about, making it hard to stay in your lane.

Keeping up with traffic is also a challenge due to the limited power of the car's 1-liter motor. The ride itself is absolutely terrible, with impacts coming through really hard and the nose of the car bobbing about. This makes driving the Smart Car feel like a bit of a rollercoaster, which can be nauseating.

The worst aspect of this car, however, is its powertrain. The full 1-liter motor does not have much power in the transmission, leading to a frustrating experience. To make matters worse, it's actually a manual transmission that's shifted automatically, which is just terrible. This makes driving the Smart Car even more painful.

Visibility out of the back is also an issue, thanks to big headrests and thick pillars that block your view. When you look back at the rear glass, it always reminds you how small this car is. On the other hand, visibility out the front isn't too bad because I'm sitting up high, with a lot of glass area around me.

We were also impressed by the big sunroof up top, which adds to the car's already cramped interior. As for fuel economy, let's just say it's not electric-powered and doesn't get 100 miles per gallon as some people may have expected. In fact, we got a mere 39 miles per gallon on premium fuel.

To put this into perspective, the Toyota Prius gets better fuel economy on regular gas and can hold five people comfortably, making it a much better option for those looking for practicality. So, if you're looking to get noticed with your car, the Smart Car might be worth considering. However, if you want a good car that's also reliable and practical, there are many other options available that won't break the bank or disappoint in terms of performance.

The Smart Car is an interesting vehicle, but based on my experience driving it, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and practical ride. Its poor powertrain, limited fuel economy, and lack of grip make it a challenging car to drive, even on short trips around town.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwith the high cost of fuel people are moving out of their large SUVs and getting into smaller cars and you can't get much smaller than the smart car after being sold in Europe for years the smart car is finally available in the US and whenever I've driven this car around people have come up and asked does it get a hundred miles per gallon there's a run of electricity is it fun sporty to drive is it really cheap well it turns out it's none of those things one of the two nice surprises the way it accommodates two people in fact there's plenty of room here for two adults and the seats are very comfortable and access is easy but when it comes to the trunk that's a different story it's two step process to get anything in and out and there really isn't much room back here small suitcase that's about all you're going to fit so you think a tiny small car like this would be really nimble and fun to drive well this is not these tiny little front tires on it and it just has no grip you go in the corners and it gives up really early and it just feels sluggish the steering doesn't have much feedback is a long way from a little sport of your car that you might think of so when you think this thing on the highway you feel so vulnerable it's almost scary big truck goes by or across what happens you get blown about makes it hard to stay in your lane Plus just keeping up with traffic stuff with a limited power you have and the ride it's absolutely terrible the impacts come through really hard and the nose of the cars always seems to be bobbing about makes the karlon was a little nauseating to drive but probably the worst aspect of this car is the power train power the full 1 liter motor well that's not too bad if say it's a motorcycle but it just does not have much power in the transmission that bobbing around is caused from probably the worst automatic transmission that we have ever experienced it's actually a manual transmission that's shifted automatically whatever you call it it's terrible makes this car a pain to drive visibility out the back is blocked a bit big headrests and thick pillars and looking out the rear it always reminds you how small this car is when you actually touch the rear glass visibility out the front it's not too bad because I'm sitting up high there's a lot of glass area around we also like this big sunroof up top and as for fuel economy no it's not electric powered no it doesn't get 100 miles per gallon no it's not a hybrid we got 39 miles per gallon and that was on premium fuel to put that in perspective the Toyota Prius gets better fuel economy on regular and the Prius could hold five people comfortably so well the smart card is very fuel efficient there really is nothing else smart about it because with the same amount of money you could buy yourself a Honda Fit which is a much better car and still very fuel-efficient so if you're looking to get noticed consider the smart but if you want a good car there's lots of other options youwith the high cost of fuel people are moving out of their large SUVs and getting into smaller cars and you can't get much smaller than the smart car after being sold in Europe for years the smart car is finally available in the US and whenever I've driven this car around people have come up and asked does it get a hundred miles per gallon there's a run of electricity is it fun sporty to drive is it really cheap well it turns out it's none of those things one of the two nice surprises the way it accommodates two people in fact there's plenty of room here for two adults and the seats are very comfortable and access is easy but when it comes to the trunk that's a different story it's two step process to get anything in and out and there really isn't much room back here small suitcase that's about all you're going to fit so you think a tiny small car like this would be really nimble and fun to drive well this is not these tiny little front tires on it and it just has no grip you go in the corners and it gives up really early and it just feels sluggish the steering doesn't have much feedback is a long way from a little sport of your car that you might think of so when you think this thing on the highway you feel so vulnerable it's almost scary big truck goes by or across what happens you get blown about makes it hard to stay in your lane Plus just keeping up with traffic stuff with a limited power you have and the ride it's absolutely terrible the impacts come through really hard and the nose of the cars always seems to be bobbing about makes the karlon was a little nauseating to drive but probably the worst aspect of this car is the power train power the full 1 liter motor well that's not too bad if say it's a motorcycle but it just does not have much power in the transmission that bobbing around is caused from probably the worst automatic transmission that we have ever experienced it's actually a manual transmission that's shifted automatically whatever you call it it's terrible makes this car a pain to drive visibility out the back is blocked a bit big headrests and thick pillars and looking out the rear it always reminds you how small this car is when you actually touch the rear glass visibility out the front it's not too bad because I'm sitting up high there's a lot of glass area around we also like this big sunroof up top and as for fuel economy no it's not electric powered no it doesn't get 100 miles per gallon no it's not a hybrid we got 39 miles per gallon and that was on premium fuel to put that in perspective the Toyota Prius gets better fuel economy on regular and the Prius could hold five people comfortably so well the smart card is very fuel efficient there really is nothing else smart about it because with the same amount of money you could buy yourself a Honda Fit which is a much better car and still very fuel-efficient so if you're looking to get noticed consider the smart but if you want a good car there's lots of other options you\n"