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Cute as a button and smart too

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By RON MOORHEAD, Special Sections correspondent

Published: December 8, 2007

Again we in North America have waited years to have the opportunity to own a vehicle Europe has had for some time. Granted, the reason might have been because we were not quite prepared for a small car that transports only two people. We are talking about a car so small that it can be parked perpendicular to the curb like a motorcycle.

With the ever-advancing gasoline prices, it is time to be smart with our petrol dollars and that is exactly what the smart fortwo attains. Yes, you could have bought a smart car from a private importer, but that would have been a vehicle that was converted to U.S. standards, having been built to European specifications. It also would have cost you nearly double its worth.

However, that is all going to change now that Roger Penske and Daimler have come to an agreement to bring a smart car built to U.S. specifications and sold at smart-specific dealerships.

Cute as a button and zippy to drive, the smart fortwo is ready for American streets. I had an opportunity to drive two models that will be available soon and, along with a good friend, came away from the experience with a positive feel for this little transport.

Three versions, a base coupe called Pure; an up-level coupe, the Passion; and the Cabriolet were given to us to cruise the San Francisco Bay area from the Stanford University campus along the Embarcadero, through Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. The smart is after all a city car, meant to conquer the rigors of urban life without the difficulty of maneuvering narrow streets, squeezing into small parking spots and sipping fuel. We found the smart fortwo does all of the above with assurance.

My passenger and I are not small in stature. We discovered at the onset of our adventure that we could not buckle our seatbelts at the same time because big hands got in the way of reaching for the same spot. But once we worked out the choreography of seat-belt buckling, we settled in for a comfortable and enjoyable drive.

Yep, the smart is small, with only a few inches between our shoulders, but there is plenty of head and leg room, enough so that I could wear a hat and stretch my legs out nearly straight. Yet even with a total length of just over 106 inches, there is room behind the seats to stow a number of soft-sided travel bags.

As cute as the thing is, we were getting more thumbs up in the smart — particularly the Cabriolet — than either of us balding guys has seen in a long time. It is equally fun to drive. Nimble and full of zip, we switched in and out of tight spots with ease.

The Cabriolet offers top-down motoring in two modes. The cloth top slides back to just above the rear storage compartment, revealing a large sunroof-type view. If you want more of a convertible feel, push the top-down button again and the top slides down to the rear hatch for more sun-filled driving.

There are two solid bars above each door that can be removed for a true convertible feel but we decided to leave them in place, as it is easier to play with the soft top while driving. In fact, one big advantage of this mechanism is that if it starts to rain while cruising, you can raise or lower the top at up to 55 miles an hour. Our host gave a chuckle as she explained you can't do that with a $300,000 Ferrari.

Powered by a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine, the smart is surprisingly capable. Though we were not able to attach our usual testing equipment, we could tell the smart rep's claim of 0 to 60 mph in 12.8 seconds was spot on. Granted, this isn't going to set any records in the stoplight drags, but you will get a jump on everyone because they will be sitting gap mouthed watching you pull away. It also will bring you pleasure to know you are getting 40 miles per gallon.

We are disappointed that we will not see the diesel-powered smart car right away, but they are studying the possibilities of its practicality in the States. That's OK because we are happy to have the car on our shores and the new design was worth the wait. This is one cool and smart car.

Ron Moorhead, a nationally syndicated automotive columnist, can be reached at ronmoorhead@hotmail.com.

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