Anyone driven a Smart Car?
 

I would like to rent a SmartCar in Sicily because they are very cheap for an automatic car and get great mileage. My dilema is the luggage space. I have 2 suitcases about 9"x18"x24". The rental car website states one large and one small case fits.
Has anyone driven one of these?
Can anyone tell me if my luggage will fit. Or if I move the seats up a few inches will they fit stacked horizontally atop each other.
Is this a lost cause? Help!

Hi Kimber,

I haven't driven one, but I stopped next to one at a light the other day. I seriously doubt that your 2 suitcases would fit.....

Are you alone in the car?? If so they might fit, if not, then it would be a VERY tight squeeze.

I have a friend in Germany that has one and there was enough room for his overnight bag, my caryon (between my legs), my purse, his laptop and that was about it... the o'night bag and carry on were about the same size and that was the largest carryon size you can have on a plane (think large soft computer case thingy)... We were a tight squeeze with that, but it was doable and we had a LITTLE extra room.

smart cars are only slightly larger than the dimensions you listed for your suitcase....

not really, but that's not much of an exaggeration. like someone else said, you probably have enough room if it's you alone. if not, go with a larger car.

http://www.smartcarsint.com/

good luck!

I suggest hanging saddle bags out the windows like a bicycle.
Those things are about like a motor scooter with a roof.
They are little to the nth degree.

To give you an idea of size. At Oktoberfest I saw three big guys pick one up in the middle of the street and turn it facing the opposite way.

They were drunk enough to think it was funny.

I don't think the driver did, but there was not a heck of a lot he could do about it.

Fortunately the turning radius of those vehicles is quite small and the other traffic let the victim back up and turn in the right direction.

thanks everyone-
i'm kinda stuck now cause my brother and i don't drive stick and the "normal" automatics are double the price.

Less luggage? Personally I couldn't live without my shoes but if it meant saving a bit of dosh then i'd do it (grudgingly!)

And BTW they are a hoot to drive - have a great trip.

Last summer in Italy I drove one of the larger Smart Cars. It had a back seat. All my family in Calabria loved the car.

AP6380 is right, there is now a 4 seat Smart Car. But I don't think a two-seater would have room for *any* type of suitcases.

"my brother and i don't drive stick" How difficult can it be for you to get used to it ? Thousands do it every year. And people from the UK seem to have no trouble adjusting from stick shift to automatic, if necessary, *and* driving on the wrong side :-)

well i have been practicing stick. However, i live in Florida- the flattest place on Earth. I am concerned about panicking on a hill somewhere, stalling, rolling, all that fun stuff.
I ahve actually gona as far to get the tech specs on the Smart Car's luggage space to see if it's applicable.

I haven't driven a Smart Car, but I love them. I've been thinking of getting one for my charm bracelet. Anyway, rolling backwards down hills and stalling at stop lights and such is going to happen. In Italy you may be run over before you realize what is happening.
Is it really too late to rent a different car?
((c))

Caroline, it's much easier getting used to an automatic when you're used to driving a stick. It takes some time to get used to a stick when you're used to automatic, and when you're on vacation isn't probably the best time to do it for the first time.

its not 'the stick' which is difficult to learn, its mastering the clutch

you are crazy if you will be driving and PARKING in Sicily without complete mastery of the clutch, critical for PARRALELL parking.

parking in Sicily most of the time means parking in the street parrallel to the curb.even if you spend 30min driving around and find a nice long parking spot, you might only return to find the adjacent cars different and find they left you only 6inches space to the front and rear of the car

shell out for the automatic, or use public transport/taxi

You are ALL right!
i think it's crazy to drive stick in a foreign country for the first time. That's why I want the Smart Car so bad. It is cheap & automatic.
Smart Cars go for about 50e a day, Norm Automatics are about 90e.
I would actuall consider packing lighter just to save the cash. As it is, there will be only 2 total cases. I think they will stack if i move the seats up.
*sigh*

My friend, her daughter and I drove a new 4-door, 4-seater SmartCar from Madrid to Lisbon and then all around the Costa del Sol back to Madrid. It was great!

Ive driven a few smart cars, they are either semi-automatic (no clutch, just the stick) or fully automatic.

Its a great car for driving downtown. They ve got a new software now, with the old one the automatic had troubles gearing down, if youre approaching to fast at an intersection. You luggage wont fit, but for 2 people this is a great car! No problems at all in the mountains, and youll accellerate faster than any Porsche :-)

Go for the Smart car. It'll be fun. The real challenge would be travelling in an APE 50 -- the tri-wheel scooters that are so prevalent in Italy. I tried to order one in the U.S. but you can't get one here because you can't get them registered for travel on the roads (at least I couldn't). But I think they're great.

When my brother and I got our driving permits, my father insisted we learn to drive on a manual car (all he ever owned) because he said driving an automatic would be the easiest thing in the world once we'd mastered a stick. He was right, and I thank him (in heaven) every single time I drive in Europe! (I taught my two kids the same way and now both of them prefer a manual transmission)

A few years ago, when I got my drivers license the instructor told us: "Last week a lady approached me, she wanted to learn how to drive on a car with automatic transmision. Unfortunately I told this to my pals at the diner. The answer was: "Wow, you call yourself a driving instructor, and yet you cant tell people how to drive?".

It is still a disgrace for anyone to admit, not being able to drive with manual transmission in Germany.

i thought the reason manual transmission had always remained popular in europe was fuel efficiency in hilly towns full of roundabouts and alleys. engines were always smaller than in the US. less percentage of driving is done on freeways. automatics cant give anything near the fuel efficiency of a human correctly selecting and anticipating gear changes.

they are more reliable too and have less parts.

but if you are willing to pay for the fuel, why should anyone laugh cause you dont use a clutch?

I wonder if Germans realize their idol Schumacher doesnt use a manual clutch in his Grand Prix car.

I could only find smart car rentals for a minimum of three days, but I only need 2. Has anybody found smart car rentals for less than three days?

>why should anyone laugh cause you dont use a clutch?

Its a MACHO thing, imagine peer pressure in school, and you are the only one not intelligent enough to learn a simple thing like driving... You may think intelligent grown up people shouldnt have a problem with this, but many folks in Germany (and Italy aswell?) think you re a "retard". A car isnt just a car..., its a think to boost your self esteem.

>Has anybody found smart car rentals for less than three days?

@aceKing Where in Italy?

@aceKing Where in Italy?

I am looking to putt around in a smart car while in the Bologna area. I am thinking about driving straight to Maranello instead of taking the train/bus via Modena.

There is a sixti office at Pisa airport. Prices start from 5 Euro/ day, but expect to pay 10 Euro plus 7 Euros insurance.
And the car will have a huge sticker on boths sides saying "Im only 5 Euros" and only 100km a day are included. Extra km are 13ct/km. A "day" is between 10am and 10am the next day. Bring back the car on time and read the fine print!

I dont think there is a less expensive alternative, although you will have to do some driving.

http://www.sixti.com/cgi-perl/rental/el#

Thanks logos!

I once worked for a company that had a SmartCar for its company car. Nobody there was that enamored of it--noisy, no storage space, not very comfortable. As far as small cars go, I'd much rather have a Citroen C3. More practical, fun to drive (and also available as an automatic), almost as easy to park as the Smart.
At any rate, the SmartCar is having ongoing financial difficulties.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/02/bu...02daimler.html