New smart's in San Francisco?

[saronian 0]

Hey, I just drove past the smart/Mercedes dealer here in San Francisco and they were unloading 4-6 new smart cars in their parking lot. These had no plates and were being parked with the other new Mercedes cars. Where are these coming from?I'll have to stop in and check this out at lunch. They also appear to have a couple in the showroom.Wonder if they're here for the big Auto Show in 3 weeks?Scott

[eqwalker 0]

WOW, are they the real US versions or still the Euro models?

[saronian 0]

I got such a quick look that I couldn't tell for sure if they were US Spec cars. I can't get by until after 5PM, but I'm dying to find out some more details on what these are doing on their lot.I'll try and post some pictures tonight.

[mixed 1]

Yes we like pictures..............

[runner33 0]

They also have some or one at he MB in San Diego. Not sure if they are the US specs or not but will drop by over the weekend and see. I already scheduled a test drive.

http://www.imakenews.com/mbsandiego/e_arti...Wnmt,b7rj8Sr0,w

[saronian 0]

Didn't learn much from a visit to the SF smart dealer. Unlike a typical car dealership, I couldn't find anyone free to help me. A dozen salespeople, all helping prospective Mercedes buyers.

An unfinished smart showroom was upstairs on a split-level floor, the stairway blocked with a "Not Yet Open" sign. One new yellow pure was up there and out of reach.

The fortwo's I saw being unloaded earlier were not to be found, except for one new US spec red passion cabriolet, which was downstairs with it's big brothers and sisters.

I snapped a few photos but nothing new. The derided P-R-N-D shifter, 100mph speedometer, and "This Car Not For Sale" sign. The car had vinyl lettering on the driver's door which told a story about all the rigorous testing that had been done on US roads. It sounded like a sales pitch.

Even if ownership is months away, it was exciting to see a finished US model in a showroom.

Scott

[MikeT 747]

Thank you for the excellent photos! It looks as though the cars will have all red rear turnsignals and two reversing lights, just like the CDN 450s. No rear fog light.....Thanks especially for the VIN shot, I will try and do some tracking based on that....

[MikeT 747]

Well that car did not come over via Wallenius-Wilhelmsen, so it seems. I may not be able to figure out how to track US smarts after all.....

[rrrucke 0]

Thanks for posting the pixs. On my end, that red came out looking very orange (inside and out). I'm so glad I opted out of that fugly color. Nice car though!

[eqwalker 0]

Yes, I'm glad I did not decide to go with red. Maybe they will offer a different red in the next year.

[brucei1951 0]

Lord love a duck! Is the interior red really that orange?

My eyes! My eyes!

I hope my dealer will let me swap out of my red/silver/red now!

[saronian 0]

I was so excited to see it up close that the color didn't bother me as much as it did during the test drive. It was also a close match for the classic 1959 SL parked in front of the fortwo.The interior was very orange, although tempered by all the neutral black and grey interior accents. If you want bright, then yellow is the way to go.The way they had signs all over the place saying "This Not For Sale," I got the feeling these are going to move as fast as they can get them, no matter what the color. It was ironic since those signs are usually on the $200K+ cars.

[mkt 0]

I did two quickie VIN checks and nothing turned up

[Razorback 0]

The interior color of your posted picture reminds me more of the exterior (tomato red) color of the car I seen at the road show here in HamptonRoads, VA a while back.

[PassionforPassionCT 0]

I really dont get why all the Euro manufacturers are helping bad DOT regulations and allowing their cars to still have red turn signals. I really dislike it and think that Amber is much safer. Wouldn't using euro lenses also be saving money as well. I am sure its easier to retrofit current ones with reflectors than it is to build a totally new lamp unit

[Diesel Dave 11]

I don't know why you don't like red turn signals. I think the amber belongs on the front and the red on the back. Rear amber lenses tend to mess up an attractive row of lights on the back of a car and are much too bright and startling when signaling. It could also cause confusion if a car had it's four ways on at night. Traditionally in this country, it has always been the cheap, junk autos that had the amber in the tailights. I'm glad there has been a shift back to red.

[eqwalker 0]

Same here. I have never liked the rear amber turn signals and even went as far as not buying a vehicle that has them unless they can be changed back to red. The amber turn signals practically blind you at night, especially in the rain, because some of them are so bright. I, for one, am glad they have the rear turn signals in red.

[PassionforPassionCT 0]

well I would think that its the point that they are obvious. They are safer IMO because of their different colors and cant be mistaken for anything but. And in regards to looks, take a look at some new cars like the Cadillac CTS and actually the 451 in Europe, they conceal the lens quite well. The only real reason red is allowed in North America was DOT regulations that caved in to automakers who wanted to save money. Take a look at this pride and joy of red tape buracracy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHTSA Tradition isnt always better.

[MikeT 747]

There is no reason to go red, so far as I can tell....all the Mercedes sold here have amber turn signals.....

[Guest kwaldron]

I like the red because I then know in the dark whether I'm coming up on someone going in my direction turning. With all ambers there's no indication (my direction?, opposite direction? I think that's a crucial bit of information when driving in the country. It's not about style, it's about safety.

[eqwalker 0]

Yes, kwaldron, that is the comments that I have heard as well from a lot of people about amber turn lights on the rear of a car. Some time ago a friend of mine was ready to replace his Chevrolet Silverado (on his farm) with a new one but was upset about the amber turn signal lenses on the rear instead of red. He complained to them about it. Luckily, he was able to switch out the lenses with a previous model (they happen to be the same) with red ones. Now, GM has went back to red on their new ones.

[smart142 605]

well I would think that its the point that they are obvious. They are safer IMO because of their different colors and cant be mistaken for anything but. And in regards to looks, take a look at some new cars like the Cadillac CTS and actually the 451 in Europe, they conceal the lens quite well. The only real reason red is allowed in North America was DOT regulations that caved in to automakers who wanted to save money. Take a look at this pride and joy of red tape buracracy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHTSA Tradition isnt always better.

I read through that and I think this is the pertinent section:''The world's first halogen headlamp bulbs, high-performance designs known as H1 and H3, were introduced in Europe in 1962 and 1964, respectively, and quickly became standard the world over, but they were not permitted in the US until 1997. Likewise, the first two-filament high/low beam halogen headlamp bulb, another high-performance design called H4, was introduced in Europe in 1971 and immediately became the world standard, but was not legalized in the US until 1992. Other lighting-related lags speciously attributed to cost-effectiveness regulations selectively obeyed by NHTSA are evident in US regulations; for example, virtually every country in the world has since at least the early 1970s required rear turn signals to emit amber light so they can immediately be discerned from adjacent red brake lamps. US regulations still permit rear turn signals to emit red light, citing the same cost-effectiveness regulations.''''There are nominally strict cost-benefit ratio requirements for every safety device or system NHTSA mandates for installation on vehicles. That is, the device or system must save more money than it costs, or must cost no more than a specified amount of money per life saved, or it may not legally be mandated.''

[PassionforPassionCT 0]

Well i guess it has become a matter of taste, but I still feel its safer, especially on such a small car such as the smart. It looks like it will be easy enough to switch it out for euro lenses though, hey... at least I will be different!

[PassionforPassionCT 0]

There is no reason to go red, so far as I can tell....all the Mercedes sold here have amber turn signals.....

Many other European car companies have switched to almost exclusivly red, BMW and Audi are examples. Come to think of it Mercedes still hasn't, on any model at all. Must be their dedication to safety. For sure PAG had a say in this descion. I guess I should stop complaining as its easily fixable, and thank god they left in the repeater..... which is another thing I think should be on all cars.

[MikeT 747]

I would bet that the turn signals are wired up like the ones in Canada, meaning that putting amber lenses in would probably result in amber brake lights......