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Puresound

What would you like to see in the next major Smart release?

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Yes, yes…I know this car is perfect in every single way, but the other day I was trying to come up with some improvement points and the only one I could think of is the manual transmission. I did not own this car long enough to make an educated suggestion. Try to be realistic, so things like "fully automatic transmission" might not be possible because of it's size it is impossible to fit it into smart. Who knows, may be we can submit it to MB as a suggestion later on ;) P.S. I am sorry of this is a repetitive post; I could not find anything under search function.Puresound

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I don't know if they can do much about this, but better stability in wind gusts would be really nice. Driving down the highway on a windy day can be scary!I don't mind the manual mode; it's a fun compromise between the two transmission types. I wouldn't mind ditching D altogether because it sucks, and it makes car reviewers think it's just a lurchy automatic. :D

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Just my .02 but just about everything suggested on various similar threads will, IMHO, lead to a car that is not a smart as we know them now. That may be inevitable, given the Daimler/Renault partnership on the next gen fortwo and the major design change in the new A-Class concept car. If the smart gets longer, lower, wider, heavier & with auto trans, premium interior, some sort of M-B "sync" system etc., what's the difference between it and a Ford Fiesta, for example? No idea where M-B is headed with the fortwo or what will happen to it if the rumo(u)rs of the new A-Class coming to North America turn out to be true. :)

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I'd like to be able to sleep in my smart. This wee car fills near all of my needs, but it would be really handy to be able to overnight on long journeys.Bil :sun:

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The CDI back in Canada! Then and only then would I consider another smart. The automatic transmission is a bad idea IMHO, they are such an efficiency loss that it doesn't work with the smart concept. I wouldn't have considered a smart to begin with if not for the phenomenal economy, go with a gas engine and an automatic and where is the benefit that outweighs the expensive service, lack of back seats and anemic performance? Performance even worse with an automatic, BTW, the efficiency loss can also be stated as HP loss.On a purely personal note, I love the wonderful curvy dash of the 450, I found the 451 to have lost considerable charm and become rather bland and Toyotaish.

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Direct injection, turbo charged, 6 speed gear box, return of the curvy dash, no creep feature, no PRND shifter, ESP off button, cruise control and paddle shifters, Roadster like proportions, LED lighting.

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The next one will have a dual clutch automated manual.

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[*]More horsepower mated with a better, faster clutch.

[*]Locking service panel.

[*]Plastic wheel bolt covers.

[*]Jacking points with a small, flat surface area instead of a thin lip.

[*]More serviceable location for the battery.

[*]Fix whatever is causing headlight bulbs to burn out prematurely.

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Mike T wrote ""The next one will have a dual clutch automated manual.""Hope it's like the '05/06 CDI transmissions, a sequential manual with an automatic function... ONLY FASTER!!Lost of cars now are up-shifting in well under ½ second, while automatically 'blipping' the gas during downshifts to match engine revs while saving clutches.Wish list...Seats... 6-way adjustable (to/fro, height and tilt) with inflatable lumbar support and recline. Possibly on both seats. Possibly a drive's side power option.Steering Wheel... radio controls. Maybe programable controls as option.Fan... blow more air (I want to part my hair!). The more air movement, the quicker to cool off a hot interior and defrost all windows on cold days.Cruise Control... factory 'package' option, maybe with 6-way power driver's seat and programable steering wheel controls. Combine everything above and call it a 'COMFORT OPTION' or how about a 'COMMUTER OPTION' or a 'HIGHWAY OPTION'.

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The 450 blips the engine on downshifts too, if you keep the accelerator pedal slightly on, it rev-matches exactly.

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Wow, everyone is making such valuable suggestions. The other one I thought (which might not be possible) is being able to adjust the steering wheel at least a little bit higher. I am constantly hitting my knees when I'm getting in or out of the car.

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Just my .02 but just about everything suggested on various similar threads will, IMHO, lead to a car that is not a smart as we know them now. That may be inevitable, given the Daimler/Renault partnership on the next gen fortwo and the major design change in the new A-Class concept car. If the smart gets longer, lower, wider, heavier & with auto trans, premium interior, some sort of M-B "sync" system etc., what's the difference between it and a Ford Fiesta, for example? No idea where M-B is headed with the fortwo or what will happen to it if the rumo(u)rs of the new A-Class coming to North America turn out to be true. :)

+1

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High on my wish list for new smarts would be the return of the CDI and a return to the curvy dash. Also, having the DRL's coming on at between 50% to 25% of their full intensity. By doing this, they could change the DRL's to the high beams. This might save a lot of blown low beam bulbs. I don't know if they fixed the problem on the 451's or not, but on the 450, when the dash lights are dimmed with the switch, the radio backlight comes on brighter. Someone goofed when setting up the dash light dimmer.Also, a side view mirror on the passenger side with a better convex shape to it to allow more viewing coverage on the passenger side.Ron :bike:

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to comment on the transmission debate, I honestly don't like the CVT's but I could see how one would work well in the smart for fuel economy and even performance. That being said I do not now how large they are and if there would even be room for one. I had orginally thought that a manual shifter and clutch would be nice, but being a bit taller (6'2" 220lbs) and getting someone of similar size in the car I would see it being a bit of an issue shifting gears with the limited space between people.Personally the main thing I would change about these cars would be their reliablilty, between door handles breaking, egrs plugging, IC's rubbing holes, A/C leaks, ABS reluctor rings cracking, headlights blowing, etc I would be happy if the car could go more than 10K without any issues. most of these are design faults, so just fix them and I would gladly buy another

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Personally the main thing I would change about these cars would be their reliablilty, between door handles breaking, egrs plugging, IC's rubbing holes, A/C leaks, ABS reluctor rings cracking, headlights blowing, etc. Most of these are design faults, so just fix them and I would gladly buy another if I needed one.

+1 ...... Particularly the door handles and A/C issues.

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A faster shifting transmission with a return to the diesel engine, and AC that doesn't leak.A CVT could be a solution to the troublesome automated manual....

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The next one will have a dual clutch automated manual.

Thank GOD!!!!! The biggest drawback of the cars is the tranny!!!

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A faster shifting transmission with a return to the diesel engine, and AC that doesn't leak.A CVT could be a solution to the troublesome automated manual....

Echt! I would much rather have the current tranny than a CVT in there. For me, CVT's eliminate any possible fun in any car.

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The CDI back in Canada! Then and only then would I consider another smart. The automatic transmission is a bad idea IMHO, they are such an efficiency loss that it doesn't work with the smart concept. I wouldn't have considered a smart to begin with if not for the phenomenal economy, go with a gas engine and an automatic and where is the benefit that outweighs the expensive service, lack of back seats and anemic performance? Performance even worse with an automatic, BTW, the efficiency loss can also be stated as HP loss.On a purely personal note, I love the wonderful curvy dash of the 450, I found the 451 to have lost considerable charm and become rather bland and Toyotaish.

Couldn't agree more. I just bought an 06 as it was still the diesel, I would not consider buying a gas one.

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The new transmission needs 6 gears, not 5.Adjustable steering wheel, a bit more adjustment on the seat if possible and a few more built in storage cubbies... these are conveniences that would go a long way.

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How about a Hyabusa with a six sp manual.CDI, manual transmission, cruise and reliability. Reasonable parts cost.

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Good comments. I'd like to see a sixth gear and a tilt wheel. The transmission gets the most negative comments I've read in reviews. I've adapted to it so it doesn't concern me anymore. A female friend with a ten year old Honda Civic she purchased new wanted a Smart so badly but couldn't accept the transmission. That was a one issue lost sale.

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