2009 smart fortwo User Reviews

Pros

Price and fuel economy

Cons

Seat belt location

Purchased As New

I love this car its fun to drive and passing the gas station is even more fun.The only thing I don't like is that the seatbelts cut into your neck.They need to make them adjustable.

Pros

Great looks and fuel consumption

Cons

Not so good for my ego...I will live.

Purchased As New

I used todrive my Mercedes C55 with 362 HP to the office. Every 6 month I had to get it serviced for 500 dollars, needed new tires for 8oo dollars. Now I am driving a smaller Mercedes to work and enjoy saving tons of money and the looks I daily receive from Macho Pick up drivers....laughing at me. Just go ahead and pass me, I will see you at the next RED light, or at the next gas Station. The party is over, this country is in a crises....keeping my business running is more important then my EGO. On the weekends, I have money left over to fly my Cessna. It is a great car, runs great...the turn radius is nothing, but best of all it does 80 MPH on the Freeway 280 Miles of that for 20 Bucks. Ego go away, a SMARTER Ego has arrived.
My sister has one in Germany Munich, no sweat in the winter either, snow, ice...this car does it all....read morehide

Pros

good fuel economy and fun to drive

Cons

I have not found any yet.

Purchased As New

We have had ours for about 6 weeks. We have put about 2300 miles on it. We are really enjoying our Smart. It is roomy, and we have enough room to travel in it if we don't take too much "stuff". We have taken two road trips, and we have had no trouble.

Pros

Tons! Parking, fuel economy, handling, ownership cost

Cons

Distance to nearest smart center

Purchased As New

I've had mine for about a year. It's been a great ride, does well in the snow and in the summer, and gets great mileage. I've been tracking mine religiously on Fuelly and am getting about 40mpg mixed.

The interior is roomy, and there's lots of space in the trunk for groceries and such. The heated seats work well in the winter, and the rag top is great for summer driving. The best part is that it's small enough to fit in a 10x10 shed without a problem.

The car only has two major downsides. One is that the ride can be rough, especially on very bumpy roads. Not as bad as a Jeep, but this isn't a luxury car. The closest I can compare it to would be the early Saturn line. The other is that cruise control is not a factory option. There are two aftermarket vendors, but it's a DYI deal, as only a few dealers will install either module. (Both are easy to install as a stereo system though, so...)

This is a great car for single people, childless couples (looking to stay that way), or as a second car for commuting. If you have a family of four, this will not be a good "only car" solution for you. But if I have to tell you that, you shouldn't be driving anyway...

With the convertible option starting at $16K, it's *the* lowest priced convertible you can buy new. It also gets great mileage, handles well, and only requires service (oil changes, etc) every 10K miles. Add up the cost of the car, fuel, and maintenance for a year, and you'll find that any smart by far has a lower operating cost than most available on the market today....read morehide

Pros

just what i wanted and fits all my driving needs

Cons

none

Purchased As New

over the past 29 years of auto ownership. we decided to visit a smart dealer to look only !! when we left that day we were driving a 2009 smart passion cabriolet . it fits our needs and the wife lets me drive it on the weekends, when she is not commuting to work 24 miles each way , down 95 from Baltimore to Laurel MD.if she feels safe the way those people drive, i am more than satisifed . good mileage, good looks . windy days it does blow around ( so does my ford ranger or chevy s-10) its not a tank .these reviews are like a body part everybody has one. if you want a toyota or other foreign car buy it. if your dumb enough to buy it for me i will be dumb enough to drive it , last thought , go to the baltimore marine terminal and look on the lot's it looks like nothing is selling,, good gas mileage or not there are so many vechicles they are storing them at bwi airport on the aux parking lots . it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's going on with the economy....read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy, active driving, comfortable, lots of features you don't find on cars this size

Cons

You can't take a corvette off the line at a traffic light. But do you need to?

Purchased As New

I've had my Fortwo for one year now, and it's been one of the best cars I've owned. The fuel economy is great for not having to shell out the big bucks for a hybrid. The car is unique and the size allows me to have reserved spaces between driveways where no one else will fit here in San Francisco where parking is a premium. My wife got one too, so we can both utilize the same carport in our apartment.

Performance - The car is not a performance car. However, the 71 hp engine moves the car surprisingly well in the city and on the freeway. My commute is 45 min-1 hour on freeways from San Francisco to San Mateo and I feel safe.

Comfort - Took the car to Vegas in the spring, and though I've been on long trips in many types of cars, my butt hurt the LEAST in the Smart. 5 stars for comfort. The car also has amenities that are hard to find in other cars of a similar price.

Safety - Despite the IIHS's second crash test where they crashed it into a C-Class, I feel safe in my smart. It has high ratings in standardized tests, and gets the best possible score in the side impact test, which is what I'm really worried about. Furthermore, it has ESP, which currently isn't available on any carsth I know of in this price range. Mercedes has stated that ESP can help avoid 30% of crashes, and I've exprienced it first hand, so I feel safer than any other car in this price range.

Appearance - I've never gotten so much attention and so many questions in any other car. This little thing breaks down barriers.

Reliability - A couple of minor warranty issues so far, but the San Francisco Smart dealer has been super helpful in resolving those issues. They even resolved some interior rattle, which is usually too much to expect from a dealer. The car only needs to be serviced every 10,000 miles, and I've heard that the little Mitsu 3-banger in the Smart is known as a reliable little engine in its previous applications.

The car is not for everyone, but if you want something that will take you around is fun to drive can fit anywhere, and has a low impact on the environment and your wallet, then this is absolutely the car for you. At this price range, I think you can't find a better new car unless you need a back seat....read morehide

Pros

fuel economy, parking, fun

Cons

none

Purchased As New

You buy based on facts.
Yes, it is small and behaves as small car. Not harsher than my mini cooper s. Cabrio is great commuter and a lot of fun. Do not feel unsafe at all.

Pros

Plastic, interchangeable body panels; transparent panoramic roof; styling; interior room; MPGs

Cons

Lack of cruise control; lack of rear cargo light

Purchased As New

Unlike many other reviewers, I actually own the car and didn't make wild guesses about its safety, real world fuel economy, or passenger room. It's a small two seater with inherent limitations - of course it doesn't ride like a Buick, have the cargo space of an SUV, or seat 5 people. And, it's not supposed to do any of those things. I have a crew cab, 4WD truck when I need to haul people or cargo, but the truck isn't as fun to drive and gets less than half the gas mileage (20 vs 45) in my driving.

The smart has an amazing amount of interior room for its size - it's more comfortable for me at 6'2" and 285 lbs. than my previous 2007 Honda Civic Coupe. For the safety naysayers, the smart saves my $360/year over the Civic and I don't need some cooked up IIHS test to tell me that the smaller vehicle is at a disadvantage in a high-speed, head-on collision. IIHS didn't bother to smack together a full size truck/SUV and those mid-size sedans weighing half as much and show the winner. Quick! Everyone buy a Suburban, it's the only way you'll survive a rare, high-speed, head-on collision! Unless your Suburban gets hit by a schoolbus, semi, or train that is; there's always a bigger fish out there. Despite the media hype, you're much more likely to die of many other causes before dying in a small car accident. See www.safeandsmart.com.

My fuel economy is way better than EPA estimates. I only dipped below 40 for my average/tank during the winter. I'm now back into the mid-40s on average per tank. The next numbskull that spouts 'it only gets 33 MPG and my Geo Metro got 50 plus' is seriously delusional. The fortwo can achieve over 50 on a highway trip if driven properly and the Geo Metro WAS a fold-up tin can. A fortwo's NASCAR-style roll cage would eat it for breakfast. Of course, comparing two cars separated by nearly 20 years of engineering, pollution controls, safety requirements, and luxury items isn't quite fair is it?

My favorite feature, though, is the interchangeable plastic body panels and plastic roof. No door dings and no hail damage! If something does get damaged, just replace the plastic panel in question. I've already changed my car from white to red in a day. Let's see any other car do that!

The fortwo is also the only car in the US that will fit in one bay of my garage with a Polaris Ranger and Kubota tractor, leaving the other bay free for my truck. And, you can pretty much park it anywhere else as well, do U-turns without drama in the middle of a street, etc.

I have driven the fortwo nearly 14,000 miles since Sep 2008 and been to NJ, DE, MD, PA, and OH. I've driven in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, on I-95 around DC/Baltimore, etc. I'm going to Indianapolis later this month to drive on the Indy 500 track and then on to Alabama before returning home in the smart.

This car is the friendliest car I've ever owned, I've talked to more strangers and brought smiles to more people and myself than in any other car I've owned. The smart makes me feel like I did when I got my first car - I'm sixteen all over again.

In closing, it can do anything you ask of it within reason - just don't expect to tow a boat, seat 5 people, or drag race Mustangs....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy, safe, reliable, spacious, fun to drive ...

Cons

no turbo

Purchased As New

So far very happy owner. Driven over 10000k and averaging 36MPG on my daily work commute. MPG is as good as our Prius and is almost 1/2 the cost.The smart is not for everyone, but is a perfect car for the solo commuter or those who need a second car.

Pros

Excellent fuel economy, fun to drive, always gets a wave and a smile.

Cons

There is no con. If forced, wind stability, fixed with an aftermarket wheel and tire combo.

Purchased As New

I was an informed purchaser-I knew what I was getting before I bought it, so although I drive a 2008 Corvette Z06, I don't expect anything near that level of performance or sophistication. The ratings are against a standard four door sedan, which is still apples and oranges. I have been having a lot of fun with this vehicle. I enjoy the better than average fuel mileage, between 38-42 MPG. The first tank was 33 MPG, but I don't believe that the tank was completely full. The car requires attention in windy conditions. This was addressed by a larger aftermarket wheel and tire combination. I would not hesitate to recommend this vehicle in a metropolitan or urban area. I have taken it on two 'long distance' trips and was able to carry my wife and enough luggage for the two odf us for the weekend. As far as safet is concerned, the vehicle had to prove itself to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the car meets or exceeds all requirements for certification and operation on the Nation's highways and byways. I would not hesitate to buy another one, or recommend this car to a friend....read morehide