Posted on : August 11, 2008
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With the skyrocketing oil price
at $4/gallon, the Smart Fortwo micro car has been gaining popularity among
consumers. Enthusiasts are willing to shell out $99 and wait for nine months to
drive the fuel-efficient and compact Fortwo.
The pod-shaped micro car gains an
audience of different ages ranging from the school kid to a regular working
adult, garnering comments like introducing “the coming of space age.”
All packed tightly with 1,800
pounds, the Fortwo is equipped with regular side airbags, anti-rollover
technology, steel-cage structure, and top-rate side- and front-impact
crashworthiness awarded by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
With its 70-horsepower, 1-liter,
three-cylinder engine, the micro car does not have the makeup for a mischievous
getaway car. It will be left trailing among Mini Coopers, Honda Civic, and
Saturn SL. But whatever lack it has in aggressiveness, it makes up with its
tiny size. At a length of 8 feet, 10 inches and about three feet shorter than a
Mini Cooper, it can easily crawl into narrow parking lanes. Its length also
allows you to cut corners without worrying about its back sticking out.
At a gas mileage of 33 miles per
gallon, running in the city and 41 mpg on the highway, Fortwo performs behind
Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid but is better than Toyota Yaris and Honda
Fit.
There are a couple of downsides
with its smallness, however. The transmission can be sluggish and halting and
its compact size jerks when one tries to change gears abruptly. You’ll find its
engine struggling to come up a hilly area; and even with improved suspension,
you’ll feel each bump as you drive.
Nevertheless, it’s surprising
that with its compact size, it has a spacious interior. It stands higher than a
standard car, and the sunroof gives one the feeling of a larger interior. The
Smart car has helped Daimler’s sales to go up after it has sold 11,399 units in
the United States. This can be attributed to the affordability of the micro car
with a cost of $12,000.
It is said that 30,000 customers
are on waiting list and 80% of which are to buy when the units are available, a
proof that Smart Fortwo has attained significant attention from consumers.
Martin Schwoerer, an online
writer, wrote in his car review: “The new ForTwo maintains its Tonka-toy
proportions and look at me I’m wearing designer glasses (without a
prescription) unconventionality. There’s now a painted parenthesis around the
driver’s compartment: a clever if unsuccessful attempt to reassure drivers that
Smart’s got their back (as there’s nothing much behind them). From certain
angles, the slash-marked Four Two looks like a Pokemon with weird sideburns.
Anyway, there’s no denying that observers (especially women) fight the urge to
muss the ForTwo’s metaphorical hair and pinch its figurative cheeks.”
