Americans skeptical of SMARTs for the real world
Size, or lack thereof, seems to be the biggest concern of Americans when asked about the SMART car. The conclusion is based on a survey asking about last week's announcement that DaimlerChrysler, which manufactures the car, would begin selling it in the U.S. in 2008. Penske's UnitedAuto Group Inc. has been picked to be SMART's distributor.
The SMART car is not quite eight feet long, or half the size of a Toyota Camry and two-thirds the size of a MINI Cooper, the latter of which is considered its closest competitor. Though its diminutive size is often touted as a major advantage when parking, most of those interviewed are concerned about the SMART's ability to survive on roads dominated by SUVs and 18-wheelers. States Keith Wagner of New York City, "You'd have to keep your will in the glove compartment. If you got hit by an SUV or a truck, it looks like you'd be dead."
If we remember correctly, SMART sales will begin on the densley populated coasts where their knack for negotiating urban environments would be most appreciated.
Related:
DaimlerChrysler to make SMART move in U.S.
SMART coming to the U.S., Penske to distribute
[Source: Reuters]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
hj 4:12PM (7/03/2006)
Forget being hit by an SUV. I'd be afraid to be hit by a dodge omni in that micro-box. With hardly any frontal crumple zone and a high center of gravity I see this thing as nothing but a deathtrap. Sure the whiney smart fans here will flame me but you can't get around the fact that this thing is totally unpractical when it comes to the driving habits of americans and american metropolitan roadway infestructure vs what you find in european cities.
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Drewboy 4:22PM (7/03/2006)
What a picture! Best wishes D/C with Smart, but I think its doomed in the US...
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ag 4:22PM (7/03/2006)
The smart car is actually pretty safe look at this video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wXnW_Me-w5w&mode=related&search=smart%20crash%20test
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Jay 4:23PM (7/03/2006)
I recall that on "Fifth Gear" that a smart was crashed head-on into a concrete barrier at 70 MPH and it actually demonstrated good crumple design and the interior actually held up very well. The driver might have suffered some leg injuries, but the passenger would have likely have been unscathed. And I've also heard that because of the very short wheelbase, a side impact would like not strike the passenger compartment directly, but instead would partially hit one of the wheels, putting a chunk of the force through the axle and not full on into the passenger compartment.
I still wouldn't want to be hit by an SUV in that, but really...there aren't many cars period I'd want to be in and get hit by an SUV.
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Kneel 4:38PM (7/03/2006)
Maybe if they market it as a luxury golf cart, they could sell a lot of these in the US.
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r 4:38PM (7/03/2006)
#1 is 100% correct. Smart cars are totally impractical when it comes to the driving habbits of american drivers and the infestructure of american metropolitan roadways. The only ones who will buy them are grass eating hippy libs who will drive them as "look at me I'm an attention whore" statement and grannys who drive a mile a week to go to the store.
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Craig 4:42PM (7/03/2006)
Who is Keith Wagner? Who cares what he thinks?
The facts: in Europe and Canada the Smart Car has had accident and fatality rates similar to other small cars, nothing exceptional. A Canadian expat neighbor has one and finds nothing objectionable for in town use. I expect that the small numbers of cars imported will find plenty of enthusiastic buyers.
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gcz 4:43PM (7/03/2006)
If you drive one of these you better learn to drive defensively,kinda like riding a motorcycle.Maybe some clown will park his SUV and drive one and gets to see what it's like to see idiots paying more attention to there cell phones than there driving.
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alsyl 4:54PM (7/03/2006)
I drive a 98 miata now and people think I'm crazy to do so. That any old SUV will kill me. This seems to be a big beef of mine. Percieved American safety is derived from knowing that in a crash the larger automobile will be hurt less. This is true, but does it concern anyone else besides me that the American attitude is to then get a big car so they'll injure the other car in a crash?
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PJ 4:59PM (7/03/2006)
"The only ones who will buy them are grass eating hippy libs who will drive them as "look at me I'm an attention whore" statement..."
As opposed to coke-snorting midlife conservatives that drive Corvettes for the same reason? I'm puzzled by the way freedom of vehicular choice becomes a bad thing when the beholder simply doesn't like the car in question. Especially since the Smart's putting less crap in your air and contributing less to high gas prices than most rolling fashion statements...
I'm not sure how the Smart is so unfit for American roads, besides being conspicuously smaller than the average car. It's fast enough for any sort of freeway driving, but even that's beside the point--the Smart will only sell in coastal urban areas, where non-enthusiast "lifestyle" types will love how easy it is to fit into tight parking spots.
PS: Grannies need wheels too.
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Wade 5:00PM (7/03/2006)
Dr. Z says, "Es ein itty bitty auto vill get u killed mach schnell."
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Nat 5:02PM (7/03/2006)
The for-four would have done well here, but this is a little too extreme. They will need to come up with some clever distribution ideas to move these.
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Vinny 5:04PM (7/03/2006)
SMART car = air conditioned motorcycle
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Mark 5:17PM (7/03/2006)
This will be a good thread to revisit in 18 months when smart easily reaches its goal of selling 20,000 units a year. Some people just don't get it.
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Jay 5:26PM (7/03/2006)
The only real safety concern I have about the smart is that the fortwo, according to smart's Canadian website, takes almost 20 seconds to get to 100 KPH/62 MPH. Probably a reason for the great fuel economy, but that's appallingly slow, and IMHO I think a car that can't get out of its own way may get into and cause problems. Whatever one thinks about how well it handles an accident, crashworthiness causes problems for the people who choose to be inside the car. Poor acceleration causes problems for the car and everyone on the road near it.
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gbh 5:28PM (7/03/2006)
I just came back from a little trip out I-64 to the east coast.
Saw a pretty nasty wreck on the way back - this would have been Sat AM in western KY if memory serves.
Buick Century - hit partially head-on. Entire front end in passenger compartment. Blanket covering the front for obvious reasons.
Suburban - not sure how it was hit, but was also facing the wrong way on the highway. Appeared to have rolled once. Front of roof and most of A & B pillars collapsed. Rescue was desperately attempting to cut the vics out.
Couple of other vehicles involved, but everyone apparently walked away from those cars.
Perception of big SUVs being safe is just wrong in most real accident scenarios. IF you wish to go around ramming vehicles from behind, then sure, you'll do it better in a Suburban/Explorer/DomesticWhatever SUV.
If you have a single car accident, or (as is really likely) roll that thing as part of any encounter - good luck, you're gonna need it.
Please, consult with a cop/fireman who works these accidents often. They generally won't drive SUVs except when they have to. Cops know how easily they roll and how they crush out when they do.
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HardwareGuy 5:31PM (7/03/2006)
After seeing the FifthGear crash video I wouldn't be worried at all driving a SMART car on freeways and interstates. I wouldn't buy one though because I'm a big dude who likes a little more room. It'll be fun to see 4 of those in a parking spot that would fit one Suburban though.
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Bob_Ericson 5:58PM (7/03/2006)
Saw 5th gear crash. Seems pretty decent. I'd have no problem driving one. Even though I ain't no pony-tail wearin, nose-ring wearing, bleary-eyed hippy. I'll be happy sticking it to the Ahmadinajdurkadurkaman and pig-boy Chavez.
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HoosierJim120 6:02PM (7/03/2006)
Wow, guess I shouldn't mention I ride a motorcycle. I think the Smart would safer than a Honda Gold Wing.
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loikll 6:10PM (7/03/2006)
I don't put too much stock in that FifthGear video. Seems to me a head-on crash into a stationary concrete barrier is the BEST possible crash scenario for such a lightweight, relatively low-momentum/low-kinetic energy vehicle. The structure just needs to withstand its own weight.
What if your head-on was against a massive vehicle moving 60 mph the opposite direction? What if you were T-boned on the side?
I think of my wreck of 3 yrs ago in my Honda Civic: I was stopped in a traffic jam when some uninsured idiot redneck in a large pick-up truck came flying into the cluster and plowed straight into my tail at at least 40 mph. Everything aft of the backseat was smashed flat.
I'd hate that truck to be making violent contact into a SMART, striking full speed 2 feet behind my head before it even begins to meet resistance. (Just look at the thing). And even if I survived that, this egg would be launched clean into orbit.
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