Smart SUV's

[Byron Kinnaman]

"Back to our regularly scheduled topic."
Guess I made the mistake of butting into a private discussion. So sorry. Thought I had something to contribute, but guess I was mistaken.
Art

Huh?

That comment apparently didn't work as intended. Your comments, Art, were on topic. Mine were off topic. I really didn't want this to turn into a love/hate thing concerning Consumer Reports. I did, however attempt to take advantage of your comments to point out that Consumer Reports is be all, end all, when it comes to product reviews. I intended to let it go at that.

So, if I offended you, I'm really sorry, it wasn't intended.

[BOBSMITH]

I have only seen one of these being driven around town. I deliver mail to a very upscale mall, and I happened to see someone driving one out of the parking area on the job one day a couple of months ago.

Also, for about a week, the Mini-Cooper dealership about a mile from my house had some on their lot. By the time I had the time to go look at them, they were all gone. (He had about a half dozen of them sitting out by the road.) Whether he sold them or whether they were just there for show, I don't know.

[Art Davis]

Huh?

That comment apparently didn't work as intended. Your comments, Art, were on topic. Mine were off topic. I really didn't want this to turn into a love/hate thing concerning Consumer Reports. I did, however attempt to take advantage of your comments to point out that Consumer Reports is be all, end all, when it comes to product reviews. I intended to let it go at that.

So, if I offended you, I'm really sorry, it wasn't intended.

Byron,

I'm really sorry I misunderstood you. I'm still looking forward to learning something about dutch oven cookery from you----

Art

[Jay Herb]

HI! Art!, I sent you an E-mail

[George Cathcart]

There are two Zap Smart Cars (legally imported Daimler Smart Cars) for sale on the Ford dealer's lot here in Tipton, Iowa! Zap has been selling them in the U.S. under their name for a while now.
Zap World - Smart Car
Roger

And, returning to subject "Smart Cars"-----

I've seen a number of them here, so there must be a "dealer" close by. Really strange vehicle for a mountain town, where anything but a four-wheel drive vehicle can be virtually unsaleable!

One of the local real estate offices has two or more---yellow--and the r.e. signs on the side and back seem bigger than the car itself. Hardly the kind of car to ferry your r.e. clients around in, is it? Maybe strictly an advertising billboard--hey, they do catch your attention.

And when there is snow and ice on the roads, that's not the kind of vehicle that I want to be in, for sure.

[Brian B-P]

...And when there is snow and ice on the roads, that's not the kind of vehicle that I want to be in, for sure.

There are enough Smart fortwos around here that it is no longer unusual to see them on the road. They don't appear to be having any problem with winter, and some correspondence in a local newspaper confirms that the drivers are happy with them. The tires are about typical in diameter for subcompact cars, and the vehicle is rear-heavy with rear-wheel-drive, which is a good combination for traction.

I would be a little concerned about stability with this vehicle (it's too tall for its short length), but not with traction. Of course, I would use good winter tires, just as I do with my car and van.

The "need" for trucks and four-wheel-drive for use on ordinary public roads is a figment of the imagination of buyers and marketing people, although of course driving all four wheels can be helpful. I drive a Honda Civic (ordinary front-wheel-drive small car) to work from my rural home, and do not have any difficulty, yet some of my neighbors insist that they need trucks because of that same location.

Just to put my comments in context... we are months into winter here (it started soon after Chester started the Snow Job thread in September), and yesterday I spent an hour and a half plowing my driveway - again. We don't get deep snow, but we know about roads with snow and ice!

While I personally have little use for the Smart, the comparison with trucks emphasizes the difference between need and desire: just as the people with the enormous "bulgemobile" RVs think they need them, while we are happy with much smaller trailers, there will always be those who "need" more.

[Buck62]

I found an RV that the Smart-Cars can tow.... (see below)

[Andrew Gibbens]

Or, for real:





That's a Weferlinger LC9-200.

Andrew