SMART car to accept $99 reservations for 2008.

[Bamboo]

SMART is a car brand sold in 36 countries that will arrive in America in 2008.A reservation system is planned but does not offer details at this point.This marketing strategy looks like a "catch and release" fishing expedition.SMART wants to collect demographic information like zip code in order to price the car.Asking for $99 gets rid of people just taking a virginity pledge.Dealerships will have a list of customers and when cars arrive will game the system.Takes me back to the old days of shirts and skins and getting picked last for the team.

http://www.smartusa.com/smart_art_reservation.html

[Xipe Totec]

1. It looks like 18-wheeler toe jam to me

:scared:

[Kutjara]

2. I drove one for three years in the UK.

Fantastic city car and one of my favorite cars of all time. I could destroy Porsches and other sportscars around town because I could manuver the Smart through gaps they couldn't. It would go from 0-30 in about the same time as a "normal" car. Leg and headroom were great (the same as in the front of a Mercedes S-Class, apparently) and parking was a breeze. Fuel consumption was nearly 60 mpg, which really helps in a country where gas is nearly $10/gallon. I even saved 50% on the $250 annual road tax, because the Smart was classed as a low-emission vehicle. There were two parking garages in central London that even let Smarts park for half price (no joke in a city where covered parking can cost $20/hour).

On the open road, however, it was a different story. The 599cc engine did 0-60 mph in about 17.5 seconds and the car was electronically limited to 85 mph, so you had to plan lane changes on highways and overtaking very carefully. MCC boast that the Smart has the same crash safety rating as a Merc C-Class, but that's a big leap of faith when you see how little metal sits between you and the outside world.

The Smart is a terrific car for European (and Far Eastern) roads. How well it will survive in "size is everything" America remains to be seen. I would love to own another, but I'm a bit concerned about how it would survive an encounter with Ms. Soccer-Mom Expedition-Driver and Her Incredibly Interesting Cellphone.

Also, the base model Smart costs about $9,000 in Europe, rising to $18,000 for the one with leather seats, A/C and other creature comforts. That kind of money will buy you a very nice compact car in the US (Civic, Mazda3, Corolla), so Smart will have tough competition. If Smart decide to charge the same as the current crop of specialist importers are quoting (nearly $30,000 last time I checked), they'll only sell a handful to rich enthusiasts.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Reminds me of the Fiat 850 Spyder I drove on the Autobahn...

for a year until I blew the engine.

50 mpg and 17 seconds to get up to 60, so cheap to run but terrifying with short on ramps. When I sat at a light, I was occasionally looking up to the axle of the larger trucks, wondering if he was thinking of turning my way. And once in a while I crapped my pants when a strong sidewind blew me over a lane when at real speed.

It did, however, get up to 140 mph eventually (preferably downhill) at the cost of a cracked head, and handled incredibly well when shod with some very sticky Pirellis. Probably best that this thing won't wind out like that.

With the side airbags and reinforced passenger frame, I don't know that this is any more of a deathtrap than the tinny piece of shit Corolla I'm driving now. A couple of years ago I went over a lot of numbers comparing deaths in large and small cars and was not impressed with the safety issue-- get hit the right way in anything and you're toast no matter what you drive. Be interested in the death and injury experience of this thing in Europe so far.

I heard the sticker will start at $11,000, and if it's popular there will be a lot of dealer markup on that for a while. I like saving gas and ease of parking, and prefer a small car given a choice, but at that price there seem to be a lot of other options. A lot of Minis are being sold around here now, though, and this might end up being a bargain Mini.

[Kutjara]

5. I can see it selling well in "traditional" cities.

Places like NYC and Boston, that are laid out in a more "European" fashion are perfect for the Smart. Big "car-centric" cities like LA, less so.

One of the advantages of the Smart is that you sit up quite high, well above the roofline of Minis and most other sedan cars (though not as high as a SUV). This gives better visibility, which is useful for scoping out parking spaces and routing around congestion.

Early Smarts had an unfortunate tendency to tip over backward on steep inclines (like the ramps in parking garages), but MCC lengthened the wheelbase a tad and that particular problem went away. It made for some hilarious photos that I'm sure are still posted around the Web.

$11k isn't a bad price for the basic model, but the basic model is very basic. You'll need to double that price to get the kind of accessories US drivers take for granted.

[madrchsod]

3. there`s no way in hell tthis thing is safe

on any expressway in chicago unless it`s three in the morning. nice car for....?

[phantom power]

6. I think we Americans are overly concerned with "safety."

Particularly as it has to do with size. That has been a major contributor to the "ever-bigger-car" arms-race that ultimately gave us the Excursion, the H2, etc. I understand that bigger cars add some level of safety in a collision, at least in terms of adding protective inertia, but at some point we have to say "enough."

On way to look at it: is an Excursion really going to fare any better in a collision with a semi than a smart-car? No, not really.

Another concern: is my daughter more likely to die from a car collision, or from a famine caused by climate change? In the 0-5 year horizon, probably "car collision." After that, I'm no so sure.