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Get Smart, Size Matters

3:16 PM Fri, Sep 05, 2008 |
Henry
 E-mail

071119_smartCar_hmed1p.hmedium[1].jpg In the era of high fuel prices, The Smart Fortwo, as in for two people, is making a big splash. It's the new sub compact courtesy of Smart and Mercedes Benz.
Sure, the pint-sized four wheelers are perfectly suited for the narrow streets of Paris.
But here in the land of big hair and even bigger SUVs, are we really ready to downsize?

Being the car aficionados that we are here at Young Street, we jumped at the chance to test drive the micro car at Smart Centre Dallas better known as Park Place Motor Cars.

First, it's small, real small, 114 inches small. A parallel parker's best friend, it's billed as the smallest car in North America. Imagine me, our camera man Rudy and his gear climbing into this thing. You're thinking sardine can, right? It's a snug fit, but not as snug as you might think. In fact, it's actually kind of roomy dare I say airy?

The car we drove came equipped with all the amenities, a retracting roof top, a CD player, A/C, an iPod auxiliary, electronic stability, a dash mounted tach and clock, anti-lock brakes, seat belt tensioners and several air bags. It has all the conveniences you'll find in full-size cars.

It's got two seats, four wheels, no trunk, no back seat, no kidding.

You can drive it in automatic or sequential manual mode. It's got paddle shifters on the steering wheel and no clutch.

It's a rear engine car with a three-cylinder power plant that squeezes 70 horsepower. You'd never win a race with this thing, but that's not the point.
Top speed clocks in around 90 miles per hour, but why would you ever want to do that? Isn't it against the law to exceed the speed limit?

As we cruised up and down Lemmon Avenue in Dallas, we got lots of ooohs and aaahs, stops and gawks. We did manage to get a one-finger salute but tons of thumbs ups.
It's not a hybrid and it's not an electric car. This thing is fuel efficient. The Smart Fortwo gets an impressive 37 mpg in the city and a mind blowing 47 mpg on the highway. It's considered the most fuel efficient car in the U.S.

We also learned this thing has eight removable body panels available in a rainbow of colors. What does this mean? If you have a yellow-colored car in the morning with just a couple of hours of elbow grease and a few tools you can have a red-colored car by lunch time.

It's also eco-friendly; if you're crunchy you'll be happy to know 95 percent of the components are recyclable.

Now before you get nervous about being in an auto accident behind the wheel of a Smart car, you should know in a crash test by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Smart car did great. It got the highest rating in the 40 mile an hour front-crash test, as well as in the side-impact crash test. This might have something to do with the safety cell built into the car. It's designed and inspired by roll cages usually only found in race cars.

If you want to buy one get in line. This thing is so popular right now there's a waiting list waiting for you at the dealership. $99 will hold your spot online. The base model Fortwo will set you back 11 g's. When you get to the dealership ask for Allison Powers. She's the hot blonde with a wealth of knowledge about The Smart Fortwo.

What I really like about this car is the geek factor. It's nerdy and cool at the same time. Is that possible?

A novelty? Huggable? Pop culture icon?

Did I tell you how small the Smart ForTwo is?

Smarten Up Here



2 Comments

brad said:

We drove it too. What an awesome car! We bought it in red and got all the options including the rag top. We won't get it until sometime early next year.

margarita g garza said:

They look so cute ! There are none in our neigborhood . :(


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Young Street: A weekly look inside the lives and lifestyles of D-FW young adults. From music to nightlife, to pop culture, food, fun, fashion and beyond, Young Street is unique and in sync with north Texas' hot trends, products and more.

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