I wish I had seen this when I was not in my own Smart car as I would have LOVED to get a shot of it. Driving down through Burnaby on my way in to Vancouver I caught a glimpse of a little hot rod Smart car. This flaming red and black pocket rocket had the Brabus fender skirts, front and rear ground effects and additional rear spoiler and several other skin modifications. The tires were extremely meaty and it obviously had been lowered a smidge. It moved like a jet though so he must have tweaked the engine computer to make the little 3 cylinder diesel move like that. This is not the one I saw but is a stock Brabus equipped Smart… his was even wilder.
Hopefully I will come across it again and I’ll get some more info on it.
Here are my top 5 quirky things about my Smart car:
- Makes a good mix master… take one quart of milk, add two scoops ice cream and some fressh strawberries, strap them in to the passenger seat and then go searching for the nearest set of railway tracks or pot-hole filled street. Drive up and down several times and voila!… Strawberry Milkshake. Short wheelbase = rough rides.
- If you have a tall body like me or are over 5’11” then you probably will have the same difficulty I have at stop lights. Unless I tilt my head and scrunch down a bit I can’t see the stop light as the windshield/roofline gets in the way. If the seat was able to drop down an inch or two that would give me the ability to see the street lights.
- There is one wicked blind spot between the side window and rear window of the car. Between the seat headrests and the back pillar there is virtually no way to see a car driving at your back fender on either side. I find myself almost hitting my head on the driver side window while I shoulder check or triple checking the back passenger side (mirror, side mirror, back window/side window) for cars.
- I drove a 1952 International Harvester 1 ton truck that used a floor mounted brake (the pedal pushed down in to the floor) and it felt just like my Smart car’s brakes.
- The “semi-automatic-manual” transmission is one very strange feeling shifter. It reminds me of an old British sports car that I had to double clutch to shift without grinding gears. The pause and lurch between shifts is enough to make a person sea sick. The only way it shifts without the lurching is to use the paddle shifters and shift at much higher RPM’s which is probably terribly hard on that poor little engine.
So there you go… those are my 5 biggest beefs about my little pocket car. What are yours?
Ok, I am sure that everyone has their own list… maybe their’s is even longer than 5 as well, but here are my 5 favorite things I love about my Smart-
- Obviously the first has to be the combined city/highway mileage of 45 mpg (5.23 l/100km). I drive in to work 2-3 days per week and take the bus the other days. The 2 way trip is a combined highway drive of around 30 km of 115km/hr rush hour highway and 14 km of 30-50km/hr city stop and go.
- Styling… for a micro-car I love the looks that people give it and the smiles I get. For being such a short wheel based car they’ve done a fantastic job of making it not look too blunt or chopped off. The angle of the windshield and the way the headlights wrap around the fenders give it a very attractive but cute appearance.
- Roominess of the interior. When you sit in a Smart car you get the idea that you are definitely NOT in a micro or mini sedan. The seats are comfortable, there is plenty of leg, knee and elbow room. The head room is ample for even someone such as me who is very tall from the hips to the head. Nothing feels cramped or restricting inside the car.
- Zippiness… Even though my 2008 has only a 72hp gas engine, the car can really be quite quick off the line and has no trouble keeping up with rush hour traffic that flies along at 115 – 125 km/hr. It certainly does not feel like a tiny engine in a tiny car with tiny wheels. I won’t win any Indys with it but I do not feel underpowered by any means.
- Number and quality of extras that it comes with. Since I drive a 2008 Passion it came with the power windows, power/remote locks, paddle wheel shifters, airconditioning, 6CD stereo w/5speakers. The other nice touches are the multiple use coffee cup holders (comes with different inserts/sleeves for different uses), the AUX input jack for the stereo and also has a convenient power plug for AUX devices.
5a. The heated seats… nice when it is -10 C and it takes a few minutes for the heaters to kick in.
What are your favorite things that you love about your Smart car?
Now everyone out there that owns and drives a Smart car must have all kinds of accolades, beefs, desires and interesting info about their car or the brand it’s self. OurSmartCars.com will be the spot to “let it all hang out”. It will be the place to come to learn more about the little beast and share insight on it. Find out what makes it tick, why it is so unique, how the car is built, the history on it and much more. You’ll be able to share your favorite photos or even show off your recent videos of your micro-car. Brag a little, boast a lot… tell us what you like or love or even hate about your Smart. The Smart is a phenomena we are all part of it… heck I even look at it as the car that really started the “green vehicle” revolution. Sure there were a lot of green or eco type cars out there over this past 5 yrs but I don’t believe for a moment that any of them became as iconic or notorious as our Smart. Let’s face it… society out there either things it is the dumbest idea that car makers ever came up with or feel that it is God’s gift to the planet. There doesn’t seem to be much in between. What do you think?
Join in the conversation, share your thoughts, give your opinion on this cute and thrifty little go-kart. The world is waiting…!
Tags: share views social
Welcome to the “Our Smart Cars” International blog.
As you are well aware of… the Smart car is here to stay. No matter whether you are a hater or a lover of this unique and amazing vehicle, you realize by now that they are… er… well… EVERYWHERE!. This incredible trend-setting vehicle has changed our environment… both ecologically and financially! They’ve made an impact where ever they sprout up. I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada and there seems to be more and more of these little mega-mini-machines on the streets everytime I look.
This blog is a precursor to what I hope will be the penultimate SMART car adoration site. The plans are to have a complete social networking framework built around the front of the site to which this blog belongs to. Wouldn’t it be great to swap thoughts, stories, likes/dislikes, photos, videos and such with other SMART car owners? Well stay tuned, as over the next short while the “Our Smart Cars.com” Social network will be taking shape. Also if you are Canadian and you will get the option to join either the original International based site and/or a Canadian version that will be dedicated solely to the Canucks out there with Smarts.
BTW – here is my little Pocket Rocket:
My Smart car
Tags: micro-car, SMART, smart car, Social network
