2009 smart fortwo User Reviews

Pros

I was surprised at how little I really gave up by getting this car.

Cons

None yet.

Purchased As New

I've gone back and forth on getting this car for 8 months. I am by myself 95% of the time in my car (commuting mostly), so it's really a definition of what do I "need". I've loved it since seeing it the summer of 2002 in Milan, and finally pulled the trigger last month.

The biggest thing I've taken away from owning this car for two weeks is this: I have not had to compromise nearly as much as I was prepared to. Based on all the online reviews, I was prepared to drive a deathtrap/gokart/slow/bumpy/notsmart car. Based on the National Institute of Highway Safety, this car is not a deathtrap. While the drive is a bit louder and little bumpier than my acura tsx, it's better than my old 87 celica. It's got oomph in first and second gear and I have no trouble getting going from a stoplight. I don't get to 70 mph quite as fast as I used to, but once going at that speed, it's just like any other car. I have heated seats, power heated mirrors, a/c, ipod player, so I've given up nothing there. The price is half of my acura, it costs $18 to fill up the gas tank, my insurance bill went down, and I have more money in my bank account because of it. It fits in my garage w/ room to spare. Best of all, it's stopped my aggressive driving.

I guess it comes down to, what do you really need? 30 years of car advertising had me believing that I needed a leather and wood ensconced interior with 12 speakers and 300 horsepower. Turns out, I don't need that at all....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy

Cons

no power, sloppy transmission

Purchased As New

If you like being able to go when the light turns green, this is the wrong car for you. The sequential transmission doesn't shift when you want it to, but rather a second or so later; you have to anticipate when you want to shift, and tell the car to shift a second sooner.

Pros

great fuel economy, plenty of room inside for packages etc, fun to drive, many safety features

Cons

need to be aware of my surroundings and not just go blindly driving along

Purchased As New

I bought this car to use as a work car. I am a mfg rep and am on the highway daily so wanted something economical to drive that would also have enough room for the things I need to carry with me.
It does not ride like a cadillac but the ride is equivilant of any small car. The seats are engineered so that they provide support and pleny of cushion even on long drives. I really do like the little car, it gets great gas milage and is fairly easy to handle on the highway. I do know that occasionally the extreme winds in south Texas occassionally do buffet the car, it just means you need to have BOTH hands on the wheel. When I am preparing to enter a limited access road I do need to allow a little longer time but once I reach crusing speeds of 60 - 70 miles per hour I have no problem getting through traffic. In town the car has more than enough engine power to get around, up and down hills, and stay with traffic.The handling is quick and very responsive, the braking is supurb. I have avoided a couple of accidents beause I was able to stop before being hit on the side of the car. Overall I am very pleased and more that satisified with the car. It is working out even better that I had expected it to....read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy, fun to drive around town, pretty peppy when driving in manuel.

Cons

Miss cruise control & tilt steering wheel

Purchased As New

I own a Tahoe that I only drive on weekends now that I have the Smart Car. It has as much leg room as the Tahoe after you get in and I'm 6' 2". It would be nice if it had a tilt wheel but once you figure out how to get in and out it's not bad. It's not bad zipping around in town and does a pretty good job on the highway. Wouldn't advise driving on a long trip, handles a little rough in the wind. Overall I really enjoy driving the car it's fun...................read morehide

Pros

Wonderful Car

Cons

Not sure if there really are any

Purchased As New

I love this car. This a great car to comute in. The only car my wife and I use on weekends. Gas milage is about 43 MPG. not to shabby.The interior is roomy. I'm 6'2" & almost 300 lbs. and I have plenty of room. This car reminds me of theVW bug of the 1960's but much better appointed and safer. I have heated leather seats and a geat sound system. Yes, tnansmission takes a little getting use to, but I always shift manually and have no problems. 6 days after I got this car a deer struck me while I was going 40 mph. Now it smashed the windshield (it held together) and it did take a month to get another but my wife hit a deer years before in a Taurus and totaled it and she was lucky to be alive. This Smart held up well and was back on the road as soon as a windshield could be found. Remember you are driving in a rollcage. I have almost 16K miles on this car. and hope to have it for many, many years. Seems very easy to repair.
This is a car for one or two people that do mostly comuting (average under 60 miles a day). Enough room in the back for a couple of sets of golf clubs.I've had it up to 80 mph and it handles nice on the hghway. And for the price where can you find a car that you get that much attention....read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy, comfey, CHEAP insurance (full coverage), replaceable panels under $1k

Cons

cruise control not available, 2 different size tires

Purchased As New

I love my new Smart for 2!!! I bought it with blue panels, bought a set of red ($900), swaped out 1/2 & with pinstriping, I now have "old glory". It parks very easy, turns on a dime & gives you 9 cents change. It has the feature of switching to manual shifting. Base price $13,200--I added leather seats, heated seats etc...read morehide

Pros

Great MPG and handling.

Cons

Lack of Alaskan sales & service

Purchased As New

I bought my Smart car in Houston and towed it on a trailer to Alaska. I am a large guy and it is so roomy that I have no problems with entry or exit. It is very comfortable even on those 2+ hour trips to the Kenia or Talkeetna. It has to be the most commented on car I have ever seen. I have to discuss the car with at least on person each day. So if you like a nice little car with great MPG and lots of public appeal this car is for you. I have over 8800 miles on mine....read morehide

Pros

Mercedes quality, great fuel mileage, big inside.

Cons

Mercedes service & repair prices.

Purchased As Used

This car is DIFFERENT in a good way. For example, there's room in a one-bay garage for the Smart and two motorcycles (main reason I wanted a Smart). There's also some wack-a-doodle things like "always-on" mirror heaters and a radio that always comes on when the engine is started (I seldom use the radio because it's a dangerous distraction from traffic situations). I have yet to find a way to program the radio to stay OFF unless I press the ON button. Why aren't there 4 wheels of the same size? Why is the engine so badly strangulated? It could easily make 100 HP, maybe more. Could use roll bars to stop the car from "corkscrewing" in turns when wheels fall into a dip. Please note that a number of these things are just personal preferences, although my wife and I have found that Mercedes does things just a little differently from most automakers. She has a 2002 C230K that's a blast to drive, also gets great mileage (as high as 39.8 mpg on a 1200-mile trip), but mostly 22-24 mpg around town. I can't wait to see what kind of mpg the Smart gets when driven for mileage.

The local dealer (Tampa) is great and easy to work with. Where can I get a complete list of options and accessories?...read morehide

Pros

Economy and maneuverability

Cons

None within the scope of what the car is and isn't

Purchased As New

I've had mine since March 09. I drive about 76 miles per day. This car was designed as a "Urban Commuter" in a place where parking is at a premium and parking laws are liberal compared with the USA. When I bought it my insurance cost went down about $100 per six months (compared to previous Hyundai Sonata) -- that wasn't expected. I think there's way too much whining about the transmission; I find it fun to drive; if I need a little extra, the paddles come in handy. I'm a big guy and find the interior to be much more copious that the Yaris, Kit, or other small cars. Also, the seats are not as close to the ground and are easier to get in and out of. To me, the car has more technology per cubic inch that anything. I added a Kenwood head unit that does Sirius/BlueTooth/iPod/iPhone and GPS. The car gets more smiles from pedestrians and passers-bye than any car I've ever driven. The Smart is what it is. You buy it for what it is realizing that it can't be all things. It's not a car for aggressive drivers. If you're a speed limit driver, you want economy, lower carbon footprint, and capacity for two -- you'll probably be happy. If I had it to do all over again -- I'd do it all over again !!...read morehide

Pros

Curb parking is easy!

Cons

Does not like speed bumps (neither do I)

Purchased As New

The car is very comfortable, though it wanders a bit above 65 mph. The air conditioning is powerful and there is plenty of leg room.