Not Smart Car
Tiny Smart cars are all over Europe and Canada, too. They can fit in just about any parking space. Mercedes is planning to sell a redesigned version in the U.S. starting in 2008.
Smart for Two is one of the most unusual-looking cars Consumer Reports has ever tested. The tiny two-seater can park just about anywhere. At just over eight feet long, it's not much longer than some vehicles are wide!
The smart for-two makes a Mini look like a maxi, and a VW Bug look like an elephant.
As for fuel efficiency, Consumer Reports finds it gets around 43 miles per gallon. So how is the smart car to drive? David Champion is the director of auto testing for Consumer Reports.
"We've pushed it to the limits and it does grip reasonably well, but it doesn't inspire confidence to drive it at any speed," Champion said.
The 40 horsepower, three-cylinder diesel engine is noisy and acceleration is abysmal. Going from 0 to 60 takes 23 seconds. Compare that with the Mini that does it in less than ten.
"When you're on the highway when you want to pull out to overtake somebody, you really have to give yourself a lot of distance to do that because it's not very powerful," said Champion.
Although you can switch between automatic and manual transmission, in either mode, shifting is slow and jerky. All in all, Consumer Reports says the Smart for Two is one of the worst cars it's ever tested.
You may be impressed that the Smart for Two gets around 43 miles per gallon. However, Consumer Reports points out that's about the same as the Prius, and the Prius seats five people instead of two.
Tags: smartcar
Smart for Two is one of the most unusual-looking cars Consumer Reports has ever tested. The tiny two-seater can park just about anywhere. At just over eight feet long, it's not much longer than some vehicles are wide!
The smart for-two makes a Mini look like a maxi, and a VW Bug look like an elephant.
As for fuel efficiency, Consumer Reports finds it gets around 43 miles per gallon. So how is the smart car to drive? David Champion is the director of auto testing for Consumer Reports.
"We've pushed it to the limits and it does grip reasonably well, but it doesn't inspire confidence to drive it at any speed," Champion said.
The 40 horsepower, three-cylinder diesel engine is noisy and acceleration is abysmal. Going from 0 to 60 takes 23 seconds. Compare that with the Mini that does it in less than ten.
"When you're on the highway when you want to pull out to overtake somebody, you really have to give yourself a lot of distance to do that because it's not very powerful," said Champion.
Although you can switch between automatic and manual transmission, in either mode, shifting is slow and jerky. All in all, Consumer Reports says the Smart for Two is one of the worst cars it's ever tested.
You may be impressed that the Smart for Two gets around 43 miles per gallon. However, Consumer Reports points out that's about the same as the Prius, and the Prius seats five people instead of two.
Tags: smartcar
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