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  1. Welcome

    1. Special Announcements

      Here you can read the latest announcements of special importance. This may include notice of changes to the clubsmartcar website or very special events in the smart community. You will also find our rules of conduct and other general information about the site. Only Mods can initiate posts in this forum. (If you have an announcement talk to your local mod and ask them to post it for you.)

      356
      posts
    2. Site Feedback

      Here you can discuss issues related to the website or forums.

      5.7k
      posts
    3. Club smart Car Events

      This forum is for announcing and discussing all Club smart Car events and get-togethers, rallies, group meetups and anything else similar! Please post the City and Province in your topic title.

      112
      posts
    4. Introduce Yourself

      Come say Hi! Start your own thread, introduce yourself, post updates and pictures, check out the history of other members.

      20.2k
      posts
  2. General Discussions

    1. General Discussions

      Topics in this forum should be of general interest and directly related to the smart car community, but don't belong in one of our many specific forums elsewhere on the site. Please do NOT post topics in here about maintenance and operation, or parts, wheels and cars for sale, Those topics will be moved without notice. New and old members alike should post in the 'One-off Questions and Other Things Asked Often!' forum if just wanting to ask quick one-off types of questions, or to ask for help with something.

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      posts
    2. One-off Questions and Other Things Asked Often!

      This forum is dedicated to answering quick questions from new members and old members alike. If you have no inclination to search for answers and more thorough explanations in another dedicated forum, then this is the place to post. Must be smart car related! Inappropriate content will be deleted without warning.

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      posts
    3. Auto Talk

      This forum is for all discussions about non-smart automobiles - technical characteristics, marketing, opinions, new technology, your other cars and more!

      12.4k
      posts
    4. In News & Entertainment

      Press releases, articles, publication reviews, on television, as seen in the entertainment industry... What's being said about the smart car and by who? Find out.

      9.8k
      posts
    5. enviro-mileage

      Visit this forum to learn more about the smart car's fuel economy, emissions, and ecological impacts. Members can also share their mileage results and learn about ways of driving their smart efficiently. This is also a forum to discuss vehicle (and driver!) modifications related to improving fuel economy, and any instrumentation devices used to monitor fuel economy in realtime, such as the Scangauge.

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      posts
    6. Canadian smart production numbers

      This forum is for discussion about the production and distribution of smart cars in Canada. We maintain lists of special edition smarts, often with the VIN # when possible. 

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      posts
  3. Market Place

    1. Classifieds - Parts and Accessories

      This is the Buy & Sell forum for smart car parts and accessories including wheels and tires. Self-promotion of retail/commercial smart car parts and accessories is permitted here as of July 2024. You may also post you "Parts Wanted" topics here. Listings of smart cars for sale remain in their own dedicated forum.

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    2. Classifieds - smart cars for sale

      This is the Buy & Sell forum for all smart cars being offered for sale. If you are looking for a car, your "wanted" topic can go in here too.

      766
      posts
  4. Technical Discussions

    1. Operation and Maintenance: 450 Model, 2005-2006, diesel

      For General Operation and Maintenance discussions specific to the 450 cdi (diesel) sold in Canada as 2005 and 2006 models.

      57.5k
      posts
    2. Operation and Maintenance: 451 Model, 2008-2015, gasoline

      For General Operation and Maintenance discussions specific to the 451 Model, sold in the US and Canada beginning with the 2008 model year and ending with the 2015 model year, gasoline engine only.

      5.3k
      posts
    3. Modifications and Performance: 450 Model, 2005-2006, diesel

      For Modification and Performance discussions specific to the 450 cdi (diesel) sold in Canada as 2005 and 2006 models.

      23.1k
      posts
    4. Modifications and Performance: 451 Model, 2008-2015, gasoline

      For General Operation and Maintenance discussions specific to the 451 Model, sold in the US and Canada beginning with the 2008 model year and and ending with the 2015 model year, gasoline engine only.

      2k
      posts
    5. How-To: 450 Model, 2005-2006, diesel

      How-To Technical Articles specific to the 450 cdi (diesel) sold in Canada as 2005 and 2006 models.

      9.1k
      posts
    6. How-To: 451 Model, 2008-2015, gasoline

      For General Operation and Maintenance discussions specific to the 451 Model, sold in the US and Canada beginning with the 2008 model year and ending with the 2015, gasoline engine only.

      712
      posts
    7. Electric Drive

      A forum to discuss the smart Electric Drive and its technical aspects

      4.3k
      posts
    8. Fortwo 453 - 2016 and newer

      A forum for discussions surrounding the 453 model smart fortwo and its technical aspects

      372
      posts
  • Recent Posts

    • Congrats on the new car. I'll be hoping to see it on Spritmonitor.   Here's mine on Spritmonitor: https://www.spritmonitor.de/en/detail/1645350.html 
    • With the 2022 Corolla gone from the driveway after getting rear-ended and it being written off, the replacement after a number of test drives on new and used Toyotas at two dealers is going to be a brand new 2026 Rav4 LE, which is a "base model", and for Canada, that means it is hybrid (not plug-in) and AWD.   There are no more gas only Rav4, and FWD are not available in Canada.   I would say we were "fortunate" to get one for pretty much immediate delivery, with no price gouging, dealer installed this or that, "diamond kote", mandatory this or that, or simply outrageous fees. Lower than Toyota website suggests. $45 out the door, cash.   Only four "colours" offered in the LE, we will have the white. You could also get "Storm Cloud" which is a blue/grey of sorts, a "Midnight Black Metallic", and surprisingly, not a silver, but actually a light sand colour they call "Brown Sugar Metallic". None anywhere anyway, so moot point, just saying... We tested in an XLE Storm Grey. Could have bought that demo for approx. $6,000 more with a few dealer installed items.   Anyway.... all that aside.   We had driven these:   2026 C-HR BEV, FWD Would have been less than the Rav4 with current offer and federal rebate. But have determined full EV not for us currently. Explained below. Drove nice though! Would have been white, a demo with a couple hundred kms. Would have been about $43 out the door. The taxpayer funds $5000 incentive, plus Toyota is discounting $5,000.   2022 Rav4 LE AWD, 48,000 kms, non-hybrid This was NOT enjoyed. lurchy, shuddering 8 speed auto (known issue) which presented it's personality a few times on the test drive. I do not enjoy this generation Rav4 driving experience at all. Have previously been out in hybrid, and did not enjoy that either. Only thing better there, the CVT doesn't have a shudder. The road noise and jarring pavement feel is "bad". Yes, this was also a white one. Wife thought it was "okay". It was the cheapest option at $35 out the door.    2026 Corolla Cross, LE, FWD Finally a colour and drive that put a smile on wife's face. It leaves the impression of driving better than the 2022 Rav4 by a country mile. Cavalry Blue! Great colour. Why is this not used on the Rav4? Anyway. $37 out the door, but, they cannot sell this one. We can get one in 10 weeks. Hmm... Hey, AWD is literally just $1010 more plus tax. Oh, that will be at least 5 months. Okay..... I guess not. Drives like a Corolla. Bigger wheels. Sits higher. US made. Okay, do we wait for a $38k spend getting 7.5/100 average fuel economy? No. The math here is wrong.   2026 Prius e-AWD. This was in lieu of testing a plug-in SE which was being considered. Nice. I really liked it. Sharp angle on A pillar, and feeling closed in on a bit inside. Wife? HATED IT. Big spend for A-B. I will consider a used plug-in of this gen to replace the current daily 2007 RHD Prius in the future, but this is not for now. The plug-in SE would be about $40 out he door. Also subject to arrival and wait, time not discussed. Maybe 6-8 weeks? The taxpayer funds $2,500 incentive here, plus Toyota is discounting $5,000.   We departed that dealer, considering the Corolla Cross as a contender. But the wait, the price, the lacklustre fuel economy... Hmm. Oooh, but the colour! Cavalry Blue! So pretty!   Still, I reached out to two more dealers to see what Cross they had coming in - nada - or yes, but not a desired trim/colour.  The math is really looking bad here. This is not happening. Wife grumpy. Just wants a car now. LOL.   One advisor on Jul 30 was sharp enough to say "hey - would you consider a 2026 Rav4 LE in white" for immediate delivery?   Uh, well, we've done out homework, except on that one! Couldn't even drive one previously (no demo that day).   Alright, we're heading into town.   3ish hours later to downtown Vancouver and then an hour more waiting with wife getting grumpy again, we finally went on road with a demo.   What a freaking difference versus previous gen. Toyota fixed so much. Huge improvement. Now this is worth the spend. Okay, not a plug-in, but we can actually HAVE this one.   Or the Storm Cloud one in XLE. Hmm..... Okay, took the LE. Wife choice. She did not like the Storm Cloud as a colour anyway. It does have some cool features, and the seating is better material, but..... custom seat covers are "cheap". And I like 17" wheels versus 18" any day of the year, so there's that.   Fuel economy is ridiculous.   5.5 combined. Okay, not zero. Not 1.5 with PHEV support... but economically speaking, pretty awesome.   $10 to drive 100 km.   A full EV at 18-22 kWh/100 on a road trip will be the about the same or likely more, especially outside of BC. Maybe 15-16 with ME driving, charging at home for $0.15 kWh comes to $2.50/100, which if I kept it up with no expensive road trip charging, I could break even on the $12500 extra cost some 167,000 kms later. (Yes, I used a calculator for that comparison. PS, don't forget to factor in the government subsidy in your future tax bill, lol)   Not to slag full EV though, just to say, I think this is a solid path too. The Gen II Prius has been fantastic over 65,000 km and 3 years and appears to have massive life left in it. There's the eco-advantage - drive it til it dies.... Lifecycle cost.   So, the Rav4 is made in Canada. (Only the Plug-In are Japanese)   Lots of people would brag on that, and perhaps we should, but not for the obvious reason. Toyota had a record year in 2025 building in Canada, over 537,000 vehicles, mostly Rav4 and some Lexus. 80-85% of the Rav4 are exported to the USA. We have a ONE YEAR wait for Rav4 in Canada at many dealers. They are literally gouging in the resale market, flipping our LE base model for $48k plus tax at other dealers. (a half dozen on FB Marketplace right now.) The reason this plant did so well was because of a cooperative free trade agreement. Toyota builds one model in Canada for sale in US/Can mainly, and then imports many other models in lieu for sale in Canada. What's the issue? It was a sound business decision for Toyota to manufacture in Ontario. They've done a heck of a job.   The USA just started building Rav4 in June, in Alabama I think. They might hit 80,000 in the next year. It's all for the US market to try and keep up with surging demand. Short supply there too.   Even bigger picture:   We build approx. 1.3 million vehicles a year in Canada, and we purchase about 1.9 million. We are a net importer overall.   But....   Canada exports more cars TO the USA specifically than we import FROM the USA. Maybe it's a million we send them, and we take 750,000 back. Approximately.    I wish it were simple enough to say, let's "equalize" at least for the USA (will that make you happy?), send them 250,000 less, sell those here instead, and take 250,000 less from Japan/Mexico/Korea/China/Europe etc.... I certainly could make the case for more Honda/Toyota on the road than other brands.   But. it doesn't work like that.   Can someone please tell Donald?        
    • “The wise man does not grow old, but ripens.” Victor Hugo - poet  
    • “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” John W. Gardner - author  
    • I got my fill of roadster driving in 2005 in France and that was more than enough for me. The blown engine repair suggests there is a world of hurt waiting for the new owner.
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