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It is so small the name has no capital letters. The smart fortwo, engineered by Mercedes-Benz, will arrive in the U.S., in three model choices. With 750,000 examples running around 36 countries, the U.S. will be among the last to get one.
Yet, when the 2008 Smart ForTwo arrives in the U.S. late this year, it will be an all-new version, not the European-market car being shown to prospective buyers over the summer.
With its diminutive dimensions (8.8 x 5.1 x 5.1 feet), two would fit side-by-side in one average freeway lane. Yet that yardstick applies only to the outside because the cabin is big enough for a pair of adults well over six feet tall to ride comfortably, not stuck together as in a small aircraft.
Storage space sufficient for overnight bags, one mid-sized hound, or a load of groceries is in back above the mid-mounted engine and accessed through a glass hatch with drop-down tailgate.
You say it doesn't look safe? Four airbags, stability control, and a hard shell provide safety, while the ForTwo's height and bright colors make it easy to see, and its nimbleness make it a hard target to hit.
At an average 1700 pounds and sporting a 71-hp three-cylinder engine and five-speed sequential gearbox laid sideways the Smart ForTwo will reach 90 mph; acceleration isn't fierce but the power-to-weight ratio is better than many compact cars so there's no fear of being run over. And most of those economy cars won't match the ForTwo's anticipated 40 mpg average; figure on 300-350 miles from the 8.7-gallon tank.
The European-market Smart ForTwo we drove drives just like a larger rear-drive car and delivers good bump management and isolation given its stubby length. Noise is not an issue, and you can drive in and out of parallel parking without ever needing reverse. Tires are larger in back, and at 175/55R15, about two sizes larger than many small cars of not-so-far past.
The roughly $12,000 entry-level pure model includes all the safety equipment and central remote locking (like you couldn't reach over). Air conditioning, power windows, and alloy wheels are optional. Those become standard on the $14,000 Passion model, as do heated power mirrors, CD player, shift paddles, and a panorama fixed glass roof with opening shade. A Passion Cabrio tops the range and gets an audio upgrade and a soft folding roof (with glass/defroster rear window) that can be opened to any size at any speed.
The Smart will be sold through approximately 60 dealers across the U.S. under the auspices of the well-established United Auto Group. No word yet on whether they will mirror the stacked glass "skyscraper garages" utilized in some other countries.
www.smartusa.com
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