Oh my goodness! I saw these in Switzerland and was infatuated. I wonder if my '86 Honda hatchback will hold out until 2006. I'm at 240,000 miles but I get 42 mpg. Can anyone tell me what the fuel efficiency will be like in these little wonders? Thanks, J.

pears43: two carry-ons shouldn't be a problem.

jmw44: the fuel efficiency in the city is good but it's like a normal small car on the highway. The top speed is 135 km/h, so on a highway you're driving the motor at the high end of its potential which ruins fuel efficiency.

I've seen two in L.A. in the last month. Maybe they're being brought in from Mexico.

Thanks Hans. So what do you mean for the highway if I drive 65 mph -- not as good as 40 mpg? Of course, I'm not finding much in the way of small cars that can compete with my old '86 except for those hybrids. So if the smarty ranks well for safety and dependability, I might hold out for it anyway. J.

I'm an American living in Germany, and live right around the corner from a Smart Car factory (Stuttgart). They are really popular here, but then people here don't seem to have a problem with little vehicles (unlike the US). They even have a convertible model where the whole front windshield comes off! You see grown men and women driving around in these little cars with helmets on! Too funny!

Photos of Messerschmitt road lice. Click on Gallery on the left side.

http://www.messerschmitt.co.uk/

My fav's the Smart Sports Car... looks like a beefed up dune buggy with SHARP paint work. :-) Word on the street around here (Mannheim, Germany)... Smart cars can legally park SIDEWAYS in a parking spot, due to their narrow front/rear clearance. Incredible! Makes my '91 5-series BMW look like a tank.

Jmw44: hopefully I got the math right: 65 mph means about 105 km/h and 40 mpg should be 6 l/100km, isn?t it?

If you don?t go faster than 65 mph, it should be better than 40 mpg. It depends on the question whether there are hills and how much weight you?ve got in the car, but 45, maybe even 50 mpg is possible. If you really push it (85 mph when possible) on a normal highway under normal circumstances, it?s about 40 mpg. If you drive it in a city, it should be something like 50 mpg (or even better if you try to conserve fuel).
The car has good safety for its size, with a steel cell around the passengers and airbags. It has also good features as ABS etc. At least in comparison to msall cars from the 80?s it?s safer but of course it lacks the size of other cars.

As for reliability, I have one for 2 ? years, but with just 20.000 miles. No problems yet and I haven?t heard about big problems from others who drive a Smart. But I?m not sure whether its motor, especially if driven much of the time at its limit, will hold out long.

Hi

just worth pointing out that mpg is different in UK to US.

US gallon = 3.8 l
UK gallon = 4.5 l

Peter

We recently returned from Italy and I've been online trying to find as much information as possible about this little car. I want one.
On the other hand, I've had pocketbooks that were larger than this car. Maybe I can just put a handle on one of them and get it into this county in that way.

When we lived in Germany in 2002 we bought a very used 1984 Volkswagon Jetta diesel, cheap and fuel efficient but not much go left in her. We maxed out at about 120 km per hr....humiliation is being overtaken on the autobahn by a Smart car doing 130!!!

Judy

After my highly modified BMW M 6 (167+mph top end) and my daily driver WRX 5 sp wagon, the 1.2L VW Golf was a bit of a bow wow in NW PT and SP this July.
The (original) VW Bug rented in Los Cabos in '01 was a farm implement - thank all the gods they ceased production in '03.
You can still get a Trabant - a big hit in Harlem from what I've heard.
Pay for what you value and value what you pay for!
M

I saw my first Smart Car in the United States on Tuesday night in Palm Desert. The license plate was Mexico.

I was with a friend and we both just pointed with our mouths hanging open! What a surprise to see one here!!

A hotel in South Beach (Miami Beach) FL called 'The Wave" has a Smart Car with its logo painted on it. Great advertising and it must be very handy in that congested area of the city.

Pears43, yes you can rent a Smart from € 5 per day! The rental company is Sixti, a branch of Sixt. But be aware that insurance, car cleaning (if not done by yourself) etc. will add to the rent. And read the conditions carefully. One-way rental are not allowed.

www.sixti.com