Rare, elusive Smart car spotted in Lakewood

I've been waiting to see a Smart car on the road since PopSci magazine wrote a piece about the cars last summer. If you haven't seen one or heard of them, here's a synopsis: They make the Mini look like a Hummer (OK, a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea) and their fuel efficiency — at 33-45 mpg — is impressive.

So this morning on my commute in, I saw one driving south on Abrams between Mockingbird and Gaston. It was silver and a very nice looking lady was driving it. I know because I gawked at her and her car. It's hard not to want to check out the Smart. It's not quite nine feet long, five feet tall and five feet wide. I don't know what the dimensions of, say, an Expedition are by comparison, but I bet you could fit at least a couple Smarts inside of one and still have room to spare.

I called the Dallas dealership, smartcenter Dallas, on Lemmon, and talked to Courtney, who let me know they made their first Dallas deliveries in January. Right now the only way to get the wee little car is to make a $99 reservation online. Then, according to the website FAQ, "smart offers future owners the unique experience of reserving and customizing your smart fortwo online. smart then ships your built-to-order vehicle directly to your dealership, ensuring that each smart fortwo is as unique as its owner."

Anyway, I just think they're fun, and I'm always somewhat fascinated by new auto technology (NOTE: the Smart isn't all that new — more than 800,000 have been sold in 36 countries before hitting the States). I also think their presence on the American market is encouraging for obvious reasons. They may not be very practical, but I can't say I find them any less so than a number of other cars on the market.

Comments

[East Sider]

I would love to have one of these, but I confess I'd be terrified to drive one in Dallas. It would seem that taking one on LBJ or I-30 would be suicide.

Still be neat for a second vehicle, if you thought of it as an all-weather moped.

[East Sider]

I would love to have one of these, but I confess I'd be terrified to drive one in Dallas. It would seem that taking one on LBJ or I-30 would be suicide.

Still be neat for a second vehicle, if you thought of it as an all-weather moped.

[Alfredo]

33-45 mph is not that impressive. You can already buy other vehicles in that range if not better. As to getting to the USA safety was one of the reasons it took so long as they couldn't meet fed standards. With the 33-45 mph at least they are being honest as when it first came out the claim was 60 mph which it cannot do. Personally I'd rather drive my Honda Civic.

[ScottH]

Alfredo-

>33-45 mph is not that impressive.
I believe the Smart Car will go 90 mph (MILES PER HOUR).

>at least they are being honest as when it first came out the claim was 60 mph which it cannot do.
It will go 90 Miles Per Hour.

Alfredo, are you a coyote? Miles Per Hour is a bit different than Miles Per Gallon.

Paula, did you let the coyotes in here?

[Norman Alston]

I have test driven Smart Cars twice and find them to be surprisingly fun and responsive. I got it up to 65 mph quite easily. The finishes were pretty nice, too.

I agree that fuel economy in the high 30 mpg range is not as good as I expected from a 1 litre engine, but I don't think that fuel economy is actually the point with these cars. It's more about operating more easily in a crowded city. I also think at some level it's about trending away from increasingly bigger, more ostentatious cars. The Anti-Hummer. Even with historically high fuel prices, we keep going to bigger and bigger cars. Did you know that the Mini is coming out with a slightly longer version for Americans, or so I have been told? In fact, even the American version of the Smart Car is a few inches longer than the Euro version.

I put down my $99 over the Summer. Some day soon they'll call me and ask if I still want it and I'll have to decide if my '72 VW Beetle is still smart enough.

[Rick Wamre]

Yes, Mini is coming out with a Clubcar, which is a few inches longer than the regular Mini. I imagine it's designed to accomodate a full family of riders, as opposed to the regular Mini, which accomodates two regular-sized people in the front seats, but only offers a few inches of leg room in the back. I know, because we have a Mini and two teen-age sons. They fit in the back of our Mini, but it's pretty tight, and that's with me (as driver) scrunching up a bit under the wheel. Still, we like the Mini's size and handling in town, so I don't think we'd run out and get the Clubcar just for the few extra inches added. But I think Mini's offering goes to Norm's point: Manufacturers are working overtime trying to build cars that are sporty, fuel efficient and "cool".

[Jeff Siegel]

Saw an apparently brand new smart car in a parking lot at The Arboretum in Austin a couple of days ago -- with a for sale sign on it. Seems kind of odd to sell it so quickly if they're so difficult to get.