TEST DRIVE , SMART FORTWO

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By RICHARD WILLIAMSON Scripps Howard News Service

Published Friday, June 20, 2008

Pump prices have risen nearly 35 percent since the last time I drove a Smart car. And that was just seven months ago.

With gasoline now averaging more than $4 per gallon, automotive impresario Roger Penske’s decision to import the micro-car looks increasingly prescient.

The Smart is not just an affordable form of transportation. It’s also a fashion statement and surefire way to meet like-minded people.

I had just pulled into a restaurant parking lot the other day when I suddenly became aware that another Smart Fortwo was parked right next to me.

"Yours is the first one I’ve seen in town since I got mine in January," said the driver, Charlotte Perez of Dallas, whose appropriately tiny dog rode shotgun. "My husband and I ordered it before we even drove it."

Perez said she and her husband, empty nesters, fell instantly in love with the Smart Cabriolet, despite the car’s awkward automatic transmission, its minimal cargo capacity and the inordinate amount of attention it attracts.

It’s never safe to generalize, but you can be pretty sure that anyone driving a Smart is fairly outgoing, fairly adventurous, somewhat interested in fashion, environmentally conscientious and generally positive in outlook.

The last time I drove a Smart in October, it was part of a press tour around Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area. In addition to adjusting to the car, I was also trying to follow a course map on unfamiliar streets. On my home turf, I could pay closer heed to the car without worrying about making a wrong turn. Knowing that the little coupe would pause between shift points on the "automatic manual" transmission, I found myself anticipating the sensation a little bit better.

The experience proved a lot of fun, particularly on a lightly trafficked toll road late at night, where the Smart had no trouble cruising at 70 mph. The top speed is electronically limited to 90 mph. Yeah, you really have to restrain that 3-cylinder, 1-liter engine.

Drivers whose top priority is safety will probably not even consider the Smart, but the little two-seater has scored well on crash tests.

Weighing about 1,800 pounds, the Smart is the smallest car on the American road, more than 3 feet shorter and almost 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper.

The most affordable Smart, dubbed the "Pure," is priced at $11,590. They call it the Pure because it hasn’t been tainted by features such as air conditioning and power steering - until you add them as options. I drove the "Passion" coupe, which at $13,590 is loaded with luxury amenities such as a radio, air conditioning, rear window defroster and remote keyless entry.

The little fuel tank only carries 8.7 gallons, so you might want to keep an eye on the posted prices and be ready to top off when you see a good deal. Things are sure to get worse before they get really bad.

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[amyrob 0]

"but you can be pretty sure that anyone driving a Smart is fairly outgoing, fairly adventurous, somewhat interested in fashion, environmentally conscientious and generally positive in outlook. "I can live with that!Fits me and Marta to a "T"