The highest-MPG Honda was the two-seat CRX HF. In 1989 it had a 62 HP engine, manual transmission only, needed 12 secs to go 0-60, and EPA estimates were 49 MPG city/52 MPG highway.

Hmmm, let's see, 2008 - 1989 = 19 years ago. And I know for a fact, the '89 CRX HF weighed more than 1,080 pounds.

The Smart car is the exact opposite, it should be called the Stupid.

 

X Million times

The new generation Honda fit is way better. It even has 4wd option.

http://www.honda.co.jp/Fit/

 

 

I recently had a chance to check out the 1st Fit, and I have to say, I was blown away!

I still can't stop thinking about the pure elegence of design in regards to the way the rear seats fold down into the floor, making the back one huge space, with a perfectly flat floor. Brilliance!!!

 

i think somebody transposed numbers... the Smart weighs 1808 lbs ... not 1080 ...

im a little disappointed in you Rai... for someone who claims he hasnt driven over 100mph, your sure caught up on speed... lets be honest... i have been behind numerous vehicles, sedans and pick-up trucks with hundreds of HP and torque that merge onto interstates at 45mph... in-fact they slow down at the point of merge just to cause chaos for the intersate traffic... its the driver thats causing the unsafe condition... not the vehicle... i think the Smart is Smart enough... but its most American driver's that are definitly stupid...

 

I just can't agree.
The Smart is a complete failure for 2008.
What was it designed to be, a small urban commuter car?
Great, that's a solid idea, but execution wise pathetic.
The MPG rating should be nearly double of what it is, considering what it is you are actually getting for 12 to 15 grand.

This is where I stand:
2008 Smart FourTwo
Smart Fortwo is lovable, but not the wisest choice
By Dan Neil / Los Angeles Times
There are three strong, perhaps insurmountable, objections to the Fortwo: First, the price. The base model (Pure) will run about $12,000; the Passion will run about $14,000. Unfortunately, in the time it's taken to get this car to the States, several other bigger, better-equipped cars have come in at around those price points -- e.g., the Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris and Chevy Aveo (which, not irrelevantly, got a five-star frontal crash rating from the government).

Second, the Fortwo's greatest asset, its size, doesn't really have much of a payoff on America's broad boulevards and avenues. Unlike the back streets of, say, Siena, American cities are scaled to accommodate much larger vehicles.

Last, fuel economy: The 1-liter car gets less than 40 miles per gallon in mixed driving -- good but not great, considering that the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius return about the same mileage in much larger, more usable cars.

The Smart was a revolutionary idea in the 1990s, but the revolution has swept past. It's winsome and fun and -- as I discovered -- a shameless chick magnet. But in the rapidly diversifying market, you can get more car for less.

Smart, on the other hand, offers you less car for more.

Thus as I said before, the Smart car should just be called the Stupid.

 

I C

~1800 lbs which explains the slow acceleration times but still a Legacy wagon weighs almost 2x as much (not 3x as muchas I said before). I rewound the tv program and they said 1080 lbs so the much have mixed up that's why I said I was going on what they said.

 

I know you are just kidding around. For the record I said I have not driven over 110 mph.

110mph is twice the old national speed limit. That's not considered solw by me.

Main point is I do not like to get a big speeding ticket or get thrown in jail.

I could work around a 99 mph speeding ticket but not a 149 mph ticket it's a world of difference.


So me saying I have never driven over 110 mph is not a big deal IMO. Cars can be driven quick enough to a speed and then it's time to back off.

I won't say it's ONLY Prius drivers that drive like mopes, I mean I could be behind a C6 corvette that accelerates 0-60 in 10-12 seconds.

My point is the Prius that would be considered going quick. In other words ALL Prius drivers drive slow and a lot of them drive slower than I would think is possible for a human to drive on a public road.

I would just put the Smart in that category meaning tractor tralors and Huge 40 ton dump trucks and Prius, if you are behind one you know it's not going to accelerate for shit.

I would not say I am a slow driver. Just I am not a reckless driver. I will drive 0-60 mph less than 6 seconds in my S2000, if merging on the HW I'll be at 90 in the time a Prius driver is at 40.

What bugs me about slow drivers is they will see you coming and still they will pull out in front of you and then drive sub-speed limit. I'm going speed limit +8 mph it's like a 16 mph difference. Dumb. Today a slow driver pulled out in front of me, if he had waited 8 seconds there was a a mile of clear road behind.

 

Zero to 60 in 12 seconds is not any different than the Geo Tracker I had ten years ago. Yeah it was slow, but so slow to cause danger to others would be a stretch.

I think the smarts are a neat concept, but given the weight, size, and power, the economy of the thing is quite dissapointing. The Mini is close in size and milage, but far more useful and quick.

 

It takes me way more than 12 seconds to get up to speed, in a vehicle that can do it in some 7-seconds. But I have to feed the monster 300+ hp and 400+ ft-lb V8, so I choose to go very easy on the gas pedal.

If you are behind me and don't like it - TFB.