2008 smart fortwo User Reviews

Pros

Can park anywhere, great fuel economy, roomier than anyone expects

Cons

Cruise control not an option, stiff suspension

I've had this car for just over a month now, and I catch people almost daily stopping to stare or snapping pictures of my car. It makes everyone smile, including me. True, it's not a car for everyone, but for anyone with an urban commute, it's great. I have driven it on city streets, back roads, highways, and the interstate, and I have had no problems with it, nor have I felt "too small" in traffic. The ride is a bit firm, so bumps are more readily noticed to the car's occupants. The convertible roof is simple to operate, and the optional heated seats are very comfortable, especially in cold winter weather. The only feature I'd like to add to the car is cruise control, which is not available from smart. It takes me about $22 to fill the tank with premium, and my previous car, a Honda Accord, took about $45 of regular, while averaging half the mileage of this one (18-21 mpg vs. 38-42 mpg)....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy,

Cons

roll up windows Make sure to get power windows

It's fun to drive again.......Past the gas stations great handling at 80 miles per hour

Pros

Excellent fuel economy, Takes 1/2 car garage space, High crash rating, Great Value

Cons

Seat belt staps hard to reach back, chair back adjust handle on inside seat vs. outside

If you tool around a 10-20 mile perimeter specially in city traffic this is the car for you. $26 bucks to fill up a tank that lasts 6 wks! 320 miles.
Lots of room inside - even for the big guys.I'm 6'1" and have lots of leg/head room. Get 1/2 a car storage space back in your garage. Tight parking spaces-no problem- tons of room to spare. Lots of room between cars to get in/out of tight parking lots. Be the center of attention while it lasts... turn heads everywhere..."what's that ! ?" Freeway on ramps not a problem- as much pep as a 4 banger... its zippy enough. I prefer to shift in manual - smoother/faster shifts. In auto mode a bit slow to shift and hesitant to kicks in. Next steps... I'm going into the Smart car side body sticker business... soo many fun ideas for car detail stickers to put on the car to make and have fun. Also a wind-up key comes to mind. : )...read morehide

Pros

looks cool, gets lots of attention,gas mileage

Cons

needs a regular 5 speed manual, requires premium fuel

i dont own a smart, but did take a good test drive in a new Passion.

i like the car, it looks cool,hip,cute,whatever you want to call it, and you certainly will attract alot of eyeballs while driving,which could be a good or bad thing i guess. the car drives and handles fine, i got it up to 70 mph and was pleased with the ride at that speed,though you do get some windnoise.

the car has 2 drawbacks, the car needs a real 5 speed manual transmission and/or a real automatic available, also the required use of premium fuel is going to eat into the gas savings you would get with this car.

overall, i like the car, but if i were in the market for a gas sipper, i would have to give the honda fit and toyota yaris the nod over the smart. the 2 year/24000 mile warranty that the smart comes with is weak, it should be at minimum 3/36000


put a real 5 speed in it and pump up the warranty a bit and i would buy one. are you listening smart??...read morehide

Pros

Unusual design gets you more attention than Britney Spears.Getting 32mpg.Fits in small places.

Cons

Needs alot more power.Rough ride.Not made for the highway.Only 2year/24k mile warranty!Noisy!

A dealer friend of mine sold me his for $5000. I couldn't pass that deal up eventhough it had 33k miles on it so I nabbed it. My wife really was the one who moved me to get it because it was so adorable.

I admit I like the attention I get everywhere I go.

Ok on gas at 32mpg but a Honda Civic or Chevy Cobalt gets about the same.

This thing is a slow as a sherman tank. Around town the engine gets you up to speed without too much drama altough there is A LOT of noise from the engine. Above 40mph it takes ever longer to reach highway speed, Once on the highway you find that you can not pass anything. It just has no power. And when a big truck passes you, the wake left from the truck pushes this little bugger off the road. A little head wind and your down 3-5 mpg. A little side wind and your over in the next lane. When you have finally reached 60, the noise has caused ear damage. Did I mention the noise? Noise from the suspension, Noise from the engine. Noise from the wind hitting the glass. Road noise. Tire noise. Its just noisy.

This thing just serves no purpose. I think a Hybrid is a better statement. The best deal is a 2 year old Honda Civic or Chevy Cobalt which also get about 30 mpg....read morehide

Pros

Drives great in snow, good mpg, loaded for little $

Cons

None so far

I am awaiting delivery on my new 2008 Smart Passion. I ordered almost every option and it came in just over 15k! Which is almost unheard of for the options I ordered! My SMART dealership is very helpful in answering questions that I have and letting me drive one whenever I want. We have gotten a fair amount of snow and ice recently, and I took out this cutie to try and make it slide on the roads. To my disappointment, I was unable to lose traction. The ESP works great, and the heated seats made the entire experience very enjoyable! I drove the same way home in my Solara and was sliding all over the place!
I am single and have dogs, and commute 25 miles each way to my job, and currently do not need a larger car. I have wanted a SMART since seeing these overseas, and I am on my way to getting one. I tell everyone about this car. If you have any reservations about its safety, there are plenty of videos on places like UTube, etc. where safety has been tested. I am a Safety Engineer and did plenty of research before deciding on this vehicle.
If you are wanting a safe, fuel efficient car that is fun to drive and is GREAT in snow- then SMART is what you want to be! Find a dealer near you and test drive it. The reservation is only $99 and you can always get a full refund in case you change your mind... but you won't!!...read morehide

Pros

Fun - Much faster than I expected! The Auto Manual works very well.

Cons

Being mobbed in parking lots!!! Can not lower the seats.

Well worth the wait. I am getting 32 MPG in the city and I do not drive to save fuel. We have had a few very windy - 50+ MPH - days recently and the Smart handled this very well. It also takes some practice to Park 2/3rds the way into a parking spot - so that it shows. I will add the Tach when my dealer gets it in....read morehide

Pros

A blast to drive.Very nimble.Excellent fuel economy.All the room a commuter needs.

Cons

Better performance using manualy shifting.Premium fuel recommendation unexpected.24/24,000 warranty.

Great commuter/runabout car. Probably not an "only car" for many but, if you can afford a commuter car or live in a city, why not buy a car that attracts attention like a Rock Star! You'll have the opportunity to make a LOT of new friends from all those that will approach you and ask questions. 10 years of safety experience in Europe. 'Saw them a couple of years ago on the AutoStrada in Italy and was sold! Don't be mislead about storage, two passenger, yes, but it has more storage space behind its seats than a MINI does. If you pack like we do, two people can easily make a weekend trip. We grocery shop for our weekly needs for 2 using this car without any difficulty....read morehide

Pros

Fits in really tight spaces; Stand out shape gets noticed; Decent fuel economy

Cons

Barely acceptable power; Zero room for anything; Only fits two people; Real world safety issues

If you are buying this car because its "cute,"-- don't do it. You will regret it. Buying a car on looks alone is not a, ahem, smart decision.

Let me explain. Being one of the first people to own and drive one here in the NYC area, I get more attention than a Ferrari F430, which I assume is why people will buy it. In all reality however, its just a passing fad.

This 'car,' if you want to call it that, has as much practicality as a go-kart. I mean that literally. By no means is this a highway cruiser- it takes almost 14 seconds to reach 60 mph. To contrast that, your landscapers 10 ton truck and 20 foot trailer will win at a stop light race. Not only a humbling experience but hair raising one when you need to pass a garbarge truck and 18 wheeler in the on the GW bridge. Around town, the short gears make it feel quicker than it is and its 0-30 is about its user friendly limit. On the plus side, you can zip around like nothing else, except your son's go-kart, if it were street legal that is.

With an extra passenger, that power deficit makes itself even more pronounced and you will be rubbing shoulders with him or her. The ride is noticably harsh and you feel every cigar butt in the road. The steering is quick and light which adds to the fun factor, helped by its small size. Which brings me to safety.

Although smart engineers have done an excellent job at making this car as safe as possible, the laws of physics can not be denyed. The structure is super strong for its size but have a little fender bender with a minivan and theres a good chance you will be sleeping in the hostpial for a night or two. Drive one next to a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV and you'll know what I mean. Again, my hats off to the engineers for putting all current technology into making this safe, but E=mc squared still and always rules supreme.

Fuel economy. On a 1 to 10, I give it an 8. I get about 31 mpg around town but that number decreases significantly with an extra person or when you need to keep up with traffic. Driven slow, I can touch 40 mpg but I don't drive slow. By contrast, a Honda Fit gets about the same and some hybrids do much better than that.

Its super small size makes parking very easy, but in America we can not park perpendicular like a motorcycle so that rules out saving space.

In the end, I'm not so sure why anyone would buy this. (I won this one through a charity) A Honda Fit costs about the same, gets about the same MPG, smokes this in every acceleration test and fits 5 people comfortably, all the while packing two or three suitcases in the trunk. Did I mention its a lot safer in an accident? As I said, its not a smart decision. If you're looking to make a statement, paint your entire body blue and drive a scooter to work. You'll get better gas mileage and you may even make the 10 o'clock news; then you can personally tell the public how to save the environment....read morehide

Pros

avg 37 mpg in town, accelerates better than no's show,

Cons

Hi test needed, Radio lacks several needed features, Two year warranty is relic

It's a blast to drive. Filled it up today for the first time and it felt good just putting 5.6 gallons into the 8.7 gallon tank. The new motor being still tight did yield well over 37 mpg in the city. With more mileage on it that number should go up. Since I don't live in a constricted area such as NYC a small car is not that important to have, however driving this little vehicle is such a pleasure.
0-30 MPH is quite impressive and important to get into any traffic
Has many active and passive safety features that similar vehicles lack.
The fact is that it has ESP, a feature that will eliminate or strongly reduce single car accidents and also that it has a Safety Protection Compartment made it possible to consider this purchase.
My reasoning is... there is alway someone bigger than you.
A minor issue, Daytime running lights are not standard so I have to turn them on each time the car is driven, after all it's not a Hummer. The two year bumper to bumper warranty/24,000 miles warranty is a limitation in today's automotive world. An additional year & 12,000 more miles can be bought for 395.- but...
every visit no matter how involved will cost $100. Up to a total of three more years are possible with the extended warranty.
If someone questions the mileage on this car and believes that it should be more, then they should do real world thinking.
Only a turbo Diesel would beat this. Alas there is none available at this time in the US....read morehide