R-comps, here I come!
Smart_Car_USA_Open_for_Business
- Thread starter TinmanMS6
- Start date
R-comps, here I come!
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- 2008 Mazda5 5MT Sport w/ Popular Package
A couple of aftermarket mods and you are all set, no more fears
http://cars.blogs.ca/2006/09/19/smart-develops-monster-truck-fortwo/
Ya that car survived that crash really well........but did you ever think about the forces that the car didn't absorb, but the occupants will? There's no crumple zone in a Smart car at all, so what a car should do in a crash, a Smart car doesn't. Because there's no crumple zone, there's nothing the car can absorb in the impact, so the occupants feel more of the impact than in something different.
that's what they were trying to say in the video as well.. that although the car managed to stay in one piece, it would have been very interesting to see the same thing happen with the occupants.
you obviously have plenty of parking where you live...a smart will fit in spaces that a Fit (or MINI, or my Miata) can only dream of. there's been one in my neighborhood for over a year (no idea how they got one), and the places it can park are unbelievable.
the smart is only aimed at a specific set of customers w/ specific needs.
I found the Motor Trend article pretty interesting...the Smart was actually rated at +45mpg before the new ratings in 2008 came in effect. Also:
"While the laws of physics cant be denied, Daimler's engineers have done everything to counteract them. The safety cell around the passenger compartment is super strong. The lower floor is part of a well-designed crash structure that uses the wheels, engine, axle--even the door hinges--to absorb and dissipate crash energy. Although most of the body panels are plastic, structural metal parts are the same thickness as those on a Mercedes S-Class. There are dual front airbags, of course, plus side head/thorax bags. ABS and an electronic stability system are standard. The front end employs conventional MacPherson-strut suspension, but there's a massive deDion tube at the rear that also helps in side-impact situations. A tussle with a Kenworth is still not advised, but know that the fortwo passes every American and European crash test with flying colors."
MotorTrend Feb2008 by:Matt Stone
"While the laws of physics cant be denied, Daimler's engineers have done everything to counteract them. The safety cell around the passenger compartment is super strong. The lower floor is part of a well-designed crash structure that uses the wheels, engine, axle--even the door hinges--to absorb and dissipate crash energy. Although most of the body panels are plastic, structural metal parts are the same thickness as those on a Mercedes S-Class. There are dual front airbags, of course, plus side head/thorax bags. ABS and an electronic stability system are standard. The front end employs conventional MacPherson-strut suspension, but there's a massive deDion tube at the rear that also helps in side-impact situations. A tussle with a Kenworth is still not advised, but know that the fortwo passes every American and European crash test with flying colors."
MotorTrend Feb2008 by:Matt Stone
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- 2008 Mazda5 5MT Sport w/ Popular Package
Back in 99 I went to visit my wife (then girlfriend) in her native Germany. I was shocked to see a Smart parked like this pic as soon as we got to the apartment where she used to live. I had no idea what the car was all about, to me it looked like a fancy golf kart. She used o drive a Nissan Micra so no wonder she called my old crappy Chevy Cavalier a "big" car
Back in 99 I went to visit my wife (then girlfriend) in her native Germany. I was shocked to see a Smart parked like this pic as soon as we got to the apartment where she used to live. I had no idea what the car was all about, to me it looked like a fancy golf kart. She used o drive a Nissan Micra so no wonder she called my old crappy Chevy Cavalier a "big" car
lol if you could park like that legally, I'd buy it just for that reason! But looks like that one's still sticking out too much...
BlueWolfCry
Member
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- 02 LX, 03 MSP
saw one in st. paul for the first time couple weeks ago...they are pretty cool I think. Dangerous though...with so many big ass cars on the road
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- 96 Miata M-Edition, 2015 Mazda 3 Hatch
yet another reason I moved out of philly.
but yes, I live where parking is plentiful.
i get by just fine w/ the miata, but i don't know if i could say that if i lived in DC or NY. my point was that i can see the appeal of the Smart for someone who needs to get around in an urban area.- :
- 2008 Mazda5 5MT Sport w/ Popular Package
True, I just found this random pic on the Web. The one I saw was also perpendicularly parked but the back facing the street instead and, actually, the front wheels were over the curb, so no sticking out. It is weird because in that neighborhood everybody needed to park the car OVER the curb. You know, some European streets are so narrow so it did not seem legal, but NOT illegal either (even for the square minded German Polizei)
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- 2008 Mazda5 5MT Sport w/ Popular Package
Here you go, much better (Google rocks). Please note the other cars are also parked OVER the curb. dang Krauts (lol2)
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- 2008 Mazda5 5MT Sport w/ Popular Package
Smart ForTwo crash tests done by the IIHS
Not bad for a piece of car...
The Smart ForTwo earned top marks in side and front crash tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Source:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/05/14/cho.smart.car.crash.test.cnn
Not bad for a piece of car...
The Smart ForTwo earned top marks in side and front crash tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Source:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/05/14/cho.smart.car.crash.test.cnn
ugly but have good gas mileage. I've seen a few around here. Its funny to see them flying down the highway at 75 mph.
for their size and weight they don't; Toyota Yaris is bigger and heavier and it gets better mileage than the Smart.
