The worst new car ever.

Curmudgeon wrote: Yeah, NO ONE likes CVT's.

As far as driveability - I actually like them. I am strange, though.

Now, reliability...

JThw8 wrote: At the time I bought mine the Fit wasnt on the market and the Smart was by far the most fuel efficient vehicle available besides VW diesels. That has changed and they haven't, its a definite problem for them. But the utility argument is no better than people who *have* to have an SUV for the utility. 95% of my driving is done with 1 person in the car, 2 seats is all I need (and why does noone complain about the utility of a miata?) As for cargo space I've hauled a 42 inch flat screen, a set of 15" wheels and tires, a chevy small block, 600lbs of floor tile, etc.

FTFY

Lesley wrote: The electric one is a lot more fun – none of the lag n' lurch shifting.

Except it gets to 60 slower than a Chevette diesel automatic.

I like the Smart. It is fun to blast by it on the highway with my truck and see the blast wave of air cause it to more over 3-5 feet. The good thing is it is so small that it does not go out of its lane.

Anti-stance wrote:

JThw8 wrote: At the time I bought mine the Fit wasnt on the market and the Smart was by far the most fuel efficient vehicle available besides VW diesels. That has changed and they haven't, its a definite problem for them. But the utility argument is no better than people who *have* to have an SUV for the utility. 95% of my driving is done with 1 person in the car, 2 seats is all I need (and why does noone complain about the utility of a miata?) As for cargo space I've hauled a 42 inch flat screen, a set of 15" wheels and tires, a chevy small block, 600lbs of floor tile, etc.

FTFY

Indeed, I neglected to add in the VW because they are so far off my radar I never think about them. I loves me some VW, right up until they went water cooled, after that, not on my shopping list.

tuna55 wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Yeah, NO ONE likes CVT's.

As far as driveability - I actually like them. I am strange, though. Now, reliability...

I like CVT's, I actually LOVE CVT's. I am the Product Engineer at my current job for our CVTs. I think they are a brilliant piece of tech that have their place and applications. In a model where fuel economy is king, load is minimal to medium, and enthusiast "feel" isn't a requirement they are great!

You guys just happen to fit into the last caveat.

so there, NO ONE has a name.

novaderrik wrote: so 40mpg is "great" gas mileage now? my 97 Cavalier damn near did that (39.8 on the last two tanks before i sold it..), and it had a usable rear seat and a trunk that would hold stuff.

Yeah, my car pool partner's '07 Civic routinely gets 40mpg on our commute in the summer, somewhat less in the winter. Less see, 4 doors, roomy, Honda quality, same mileage, trunk, about the same price. I think I'll buy a smart car instead...

tuna55 wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Yeah, NO ONE likes CVT's.

As far as driveability - I actually like them. I am strange, though. Now, reliability...

My dad bought a sentra with a CVT and it drives fine.

Flight Service wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Yeah, NO ONE likes CVT's.

As far as driveability - I actually like them. I am strange, though. Now, reliability...

I like CVT's, I actually LOVE CVT's. I am the Product Engineer at my current job for our CVTs. I think they are a brilliant piece of tech that have their place and applications. In a model where fuel economy is king, load is minimal to medium, and enthusiast "feel" isn't a requirement they are great! You guys just happen to fit into the last caveat. so there, NO ONE has a name.

Are you John Connor?

akamcfly wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Yeah, NO ONE likes CVT's.

As far as driveability - I actually like them. I am strange, though. Now, reliability...

My dad bought a sentra with a CVT and it drives fine.

See my multiple Ford Freestyle threads.

Flight Service wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Yeah, NO ONE likes CVT's.

As far as driveability - I actually like them. I am strange, though. Now, reliability...

I like CVT's, I actually LOVE CVT's. I am the Product Engineer at my current job for our CVTs. I think they are a brilliant piece of tech that have their place and applications. In a model where fuel economy is king, load is minimal to medium, and enthusiast "feel" isn't a requirement they are great! You guys just happen to fit into the last caveat. so there, NO ONE has a name.

Woops, I thought the Smart was a CVT. My bad.

I guess I should have said that the average person used to, say, a 4 speed slushbox gets all wound up at the way a CVT operates. I hear complaints all the time which I have to answer as 'that's how it's designed'. Then there's the people with the 8 speeds who complain 'that damn thing shifts all the time...'

Just yesterday I had some girl complaining that hers shifted weird (a Caliber) and that it was noisy. We drove it, normal CVT operation and no abnormal noise. Asked her to ride with me, the tech or the service manager, she refused. Escalated in her momma screaming at the service manager about the noise no one could hear. Turns out you only hear this noise IF: you jack up one side, remove the wheel, then put it in gear and let it do its thing. Or if you raise the car on a lift and run it with the wheels hanging and the CV axles at full droop. Well hell yeah, the spider gears and final drive are unloaded, of course it's gonna make all kinds of freaky noises. Then her dad calls back screaming about the same thing... yet another reason I will never do that job again.

JThw8 wrote: And that "learn to drive it" comment isnt a jab, its a different type of trans and it takes a new learning curve. Its a manual, not an auto, but the computer is shifting for you. You let up on the gas at the shift point the same as you would when shifting a manual and things start to smooth out.

Don't these engines have a drive by wire throttle? If so, why wasn't this behavior programmed in?

I freaking love Smarts. I think they are a great design. The automated 5spd seems like it could be cool to mod

I mean you can actually see where the servos do the job that cables could do. It shouldn't be too difficult to gut the automated parts and fit a cable shifter in there like a VWMS unit

Sadly there isn't much room for a clutch pedal. You would have to move the brake pedal over to the right, or use a dual overhung pedal assembly from tilton or wilwood.

I will buy a smart someday and I will convert it to a true manual.

Smarts are the only car that makes my 850 look long and sleek.

Too many smart haters gonna hate. Aside from the three hour drive to the dealership I REALLY like it. The shifting is a no brainer once you learn how to shift it. Like any car it has its own patterns and foibles. But I enjoy driving it over the App Gap here in Vermont. I cab get a real world 45 mpg on the highway running all day long at 75 mph. How many other cars can do that? As for old cars and equivalent mileage, this car is safer, has ice cold a/c, and handles extremely well. My wife regularly gets 50mpg around on her commute. I enjoy small cars that are fun and tossable. This one is. Maybe more so than my 75 Vette. If my wife would only let me try the used formula vee tires on it!

I do not like how the smart feels,

I do not like the smart's little wheels

I do not like how the smart shifts

I do not like how I don't fit

I do not like them here or there

I do not like them anywhere

I do not like the smart car fan

I do not like them, a man I am.

vwcorvette wrote: Too many smart haters gonna hate.

Agreed.

Smart love

Fit_Is_Slo (ceasarromero) wrote:

Flight Service wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Yeah, NO ONE likes CVT's.

As far as driveability - I actually like them. I am strange, though. Now, reliability...

I like CVT's, I actually LOVE CVT's. I am the Product Engineer at my current job for our CVTs. I think they are a brilliant piece of tech that have their place and applications. In a model where fuel economy is king, load is minimal to medium, and enthusiast "feel" isn't a requirement they are great! You guys just happen to fit into the last caveat. so there, NO ONE has a name.

Are you John Connor?

Why do you ask?

In reply to ditchdigger:

I guarantee you if those were in the smart showrooms, there would be allot less haters.

In reply to ditchdigger:

Gee, thanks. Now you're making me really want a Smart.

ditchdigger wrote:

vwcorvette wrote: Too many smart haters gonna hate.

Agreed. Smart love

ok, fine.. do you have any pics of Smarts that look good? there are a ton of videos on the youtubes that show how much fun they can be with an infusion of Huyabusa power..

I see them as a modern interpretation of a euro city car like an Isetta, vintage 500 or Bianchina.

I should note that the driver of the white smart I took the pic of yesterday hated it. He has only ever driven full size pickups and I had to point out to him that he could change shift modes. It was a company car that he reluctantly used. He felt it emasculated him. I personally don't represent my masculinity with what I drive and don't quite understand that attitude.

ditchdigger wrote: He felt it emasculated him. I personally don't represent my masculinity with what I drive and don't quite understand that attitude.

While I generally feel the same way, the Smart gets an exception. When I sat in one at the auto show, my balls waited outside. For the record, I own and will soon drive a Yugo completely out of free will.

I point and laugh at anybody driving one outside of a dense city. The only great quality the not very Smart car possesses is you can park it anywhere. Other than that, its a econobox that can't do econobox things, like carry more than 2 people and 2 bags of groceries, or be serviced outside of a MB dealer.

novaderrik wrote: ok, fine.. do you have any pics of Smarts that look good?

Taste is too subjective. There are folks that think a 75 ford LTD looks good, still others think late 90's Tauruses are nice looking. I think those fortwo's I posted look great.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I point and laugh at anybody driving one outside of a dense city. The only great quality the not very Smart car possesses is you can park it anywhere. Other than that, its a econobox that can't do econobox things, like carry more than 2 people and 2 bags of groceries, or be serviced outside of a MB dealer.

Same here.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I point and laugh at anybody driving one outside of a dense city. The only great quality the not very Smart car possesses is you can park it anywhere. Other than that, its a econobox that can't do econobox things, like carry more than 2 people and 2 bags of groceries, or be serviced outside of a MB dealer.

I think they make really good sense in a dense European city. Especially since in Europe you're generally allowed to "parallel" park by backing strait in and they can be had in diesel (not sure about real manual trans, Europeans love their stick shift diesels). I don't see as much value to them in the U.S. since nowhere are there streets that tight and packed.