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Pre-purchase questions; feedback sought from current owners

8 posts in this topic

I test drove the Smart Passion yesterday, and am thinking seriously of buying one. However, I have a couple of reservations that I thought I should share first with community members here. Most of you are probably current Smart Car owners, with the real life, practical experience with the Smart that I lack. You can tell me if my reservations are well-founded, or nothing to be worried about.

1. Lugging. I was told that the Smart comes only with an automatic transmission, and I couldn't get it to move from a standing start on a slight grade without a few moments of lugging.

A master mechanic I'm not, but auto mechanics was a hobby decades ago. I can still hear the words of my auto shop instructor: never, never lug an engine.

Did the engine lug from a standing start because I haven't learned how to drive the Smart, or is this an issue with long-term owners, too?

2. Inadequate dealer network. If a new Toyota or Honda breaks down, I can get it towed forty or fifty miles to a dealer -- even if motoring in the boonies. Smart dealers are fewer and farther between. If my Smart car broke down in the sticks, I'd hate to have to trust repair to a garage mechanic who'd never worked on one before.

Please don't get me wrong: I liked the car, and it's high up on my 'contenders' list. But I would like feedback on these reservations before I make the plunge and become a Smart owner.

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On a steep hill, pound the gas pedal hard down and the clutch engages briskly and the car moves off well. This is not a yank tank with 95% of the accelerator action available in the first 5% of the accelerator pedal travel. I don't think you can call that lugging anyway....unless you drove manual cars such that you slipped the clutch like hell off the line, they were "lugged" by your description too. Lugging by definition is running at an engine speed and in a gear that will not allow the car to accelerate.In Canada at least, the warranty will pay for the car to be towed to the nearest dealer, even if it's 2000 km from you. Unless you live in Nunavut, I doubt it's going to be a problem. As for regular service, it's not hard to DIY.

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Regarding your first concern under "lugging". "I was told that the Smart comes only with an automatic transmission".

Let me correct something right off the bat. The smart has a standard transmission with a computer-operated clutch.

This simply means that you shift up or down using the gear shift lever (or paddles if the car is so equiped), but don't have to contend with a clutch. On the gear shift lever, there should be a button that you can press to have the car shift by itself, (similar to a 'normal' automatic) but the fun factor is gone. Even with this button pressed, the car still does all the de-clutching but includes shifting.

Once you are used to using the car, shifting in either mode becomes much smoother.

As for the lugging, the car and the computer is designed to accelerate normally under most conditions, including standing starts on an uphill.

When you are stopped (in gear) on a hill with the brakes applied, there is a very short time after you release the brake pedal before the brakes actually release. It's a safety thing to allow you time to get your foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator so you don't roll back.

As for your second concern, more and more independents are learning about the smart and there are several really good ones around. (I use one myself all the time). Mecedes Benz dealerships are around, but obviously not as plentiful as Hondas and Toyotas.

Knowing where you are (roughly) could help when looking for reliable service.

One of the perks of this site is that if you are planning a trip or even a remote excursion, mention it here, and chances are, there is someone in that area that could help, should the need arise.

Ron :bike:

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On the gear shift lever, there should be a button that you can press to have the car shift by itself, (similar to a 'normal' automatic) but the fun factor is gone. Even with this button pressed, the car still does all the de-clutching but includes shifting.

On 2008 and later models, you get a D or +/- gear selection instead of the button.

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On 2008 and later models, you get a D or +/- gear selection instead of the button.

Thanks for clearing that up Caribou. Both my smarts are diesel, so I was not clear on the shifting set up on the gassers.

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Thanks very much for the responses, Mike T. , Leadwing and Caribou.

The friendly sales woman who accompanied me on the test drive ordinarily traffics in Mercedes, and didn't pretend to know the Smart as well as the in-house specialist. It sounds like she could have told me more about the transmission. I could return for another test, I guess.

A tow to the nearest dealer! That makes a difference; I could see what the warranty offers in the U.S.

Thank you again to the three of you for writing.

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The transmission is actually a manual transmission, with an automatically controlled clutch, but I digress. What everyone else say, if you are on a hill, get your foot from the brake to the gas and get going, it'll do the rest. It has a hill holder function too, so you won't roll back.The new smart needs little in the way of service, it has a drain plug to change out the oil, so even that is an easy job for anyone at any shop.I would not hesitate to get a 451 unless you are super remote....I've owned 5 smarts, and it's a rare day for one to let you down without warning. Has happened only once in over 200,000 kms of driving, and that was on the first car with 43,000 kms at the time.

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On 2008 and later models, you get a D or +/- gear selection instead of the button.

Not sure if smart did the "2.0 update" for Canadian 08s or not; if so, then they and the 09s onwards also allow manual shifting via steering wheel paddles (not available on the Pure model) without needing to move the shift lever over to the "+/-" position. :)

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