Smart test drive

[scwmcan]

Well I finally did it, after wanting to since they came to Canada I finally broke down and tested a smart car last night, I was hoping to test both a coupe and cab. but really only had time to test the coupe. I only tested the 450 (used diesel) because I would want the max fuel economy (even though they did have a 2008 there). I found the car to be very comfortable, There was more than adequate space inside. The ride was stiff, but not significantly worse that my Mazda (and much better than the protege 5 that we had before the 3's). I found it quite comfortable over some bad roads and did not find it overly harsh at all (perhaps because I am more comfortable with a European ride anyway (from my volvos etc.) (though of course Mike T with his peugeots would disagree on the firmness of European cars, they have a ride quality all their own). I would have to guess that complaints about the ride quality must come from those used to the more american type of ride.I found the power to be adequate and certainly not scary at all (again having started driving in old Volvos (the 140's and 240's might have something to do with that), there was certainly adequate power to at the minimum keep up with traffic (and I feel maybe more I wasn't flooring the throttle by any means). There was enough power to easily merge onto the highway as well. I would have no qualms about driving the car on my commute from St. Catharines to Stoney Creek (on the QEW) every day (and this would one of the reasons why I would purchase one). I found the car handled very well on the highway, it was stable and not overly affected by some gusting wind that was occurring at the time, and it took the off ramp at speeds that I would probably not use all the time. I have had cars that were much worse in cross winds that the smart (having been pushed into another lane by the wind when driving on the highway (the winds were extremely high at that time (and thankfully the roads empty)) I know what it feels like to be pushed around, the smart felt pretty good to me). Again I am not sure where the comments that the car is very nervous on the highway come from, to me it was not a concern at all (able to comfortably drive with on hand on the wheel (and yes I know that isn't how you are supposed to drive, it just happens).I also did not feel unsafe at all in the car, it would take a little getting used to when backing up that the car ends right at the back of the front seats, but that wouldn't take long, and would end up being an asset in my opinion. There was adequate storage and the car was well put together (it had 40,000 km on it and no rattles etc.).As for noise it was fairly loud on the outside, but I did not find it bad at all inside (my partner would disagree found it too loud inside) and if I had used the stereo would have had no problems hearing it and the engine noise would have faded away (to me at least), but since it was a test drive wanted to hear the car, we were able to have a conversation at highway speeds without raising our voices so to me not too loud at all.As for the transmission, I don't know that if it is because I have read so much about it, or because this particular car was really good, but I had absolutely no problems with it, I shifter in manual mode (no paddles unfortunately) and was able to shift smoothly and quickly without and problems from the first (the salesman was a bit surprised by this actually, said it usually takes people a little while to figure it out, maybe I'm just talented ), the only place where it hesitated at all was after I stopped on a hill and started up again, and even there I didn't think it was bad at all.All in all I was very pleased with my test, the only complaint I have is that I didn't do this last year when I bought the Mazda would have made more sense for me to test it then, now I have to look into my finances and see if it makes any financial sense for me to get one right now, I have a feeling that I will be saving my pennies for a little while though to make it work Again wish I had tested a smart before buying the Mazda, don't know what I was thinking (actually for some reason we had decided that we needed two cars with seating for four, can't remember the logic behind it now though, oh well, live and learn). I guess I will have to look on the bright side, if I can't buy one now, maybe the 2009's will have the diesel option again and I will be able to by a brand new smart for myself (otherwise it will be an even older by that time 450 diesel).Thanks for readingScott

[Guest kwaldron]

Again I am not sure where the comments that the car is very nervous on the highway come from, to me it was not a concern at all (able to comfortably drive with on hand on the wheel (and yes I know that isn't how you are supposed to drive, it just happens).

I suspect those comments come from the white knuckle drivers who grasp the wheel with fists of steel and react to the slightest yaw. Any car with a good suspension benefits from a light hand and recognition that the car will take most bumps and the wind in stride correcting most deviations through designed stability rather than a tight-fisted driver. Edited April 10, 2008 by kwaldron

[swl]

I suspect those comments come from the white knuckle drivers who grasp the wheel with fists of steel and react to the slightest yaw. Any car with a good suspension benefits from a light hand and recognition that the car will take most bumps and the wind in stride correcting most deviations through designed stability rather than a tight-fisted driver.

Couldn't agree more. Very easy to overcontrol this car. Sit back and relax and the car will take care of you.Scott, I think you assessment is pretty much right on. Not often someone can 'get' a car as well as you have in a single test drive.On the topic of harshness of ride. It is indeed a firm ride - sports car like - that's a good thing. It does however have some unwanted harshness at the extremes of the suspension travel. Hit a pothole hard and you could loose a filling. A progressive spring rate package would be really nice. I hope to justify a better suspension when the shocks need replacing.Noise. The engine cover is very hard to close properly. As a result there are a lot of 450's driving around sounding much noisier than they should. If you can notice the turbo whine without really listening for it then check the engine cover - chances are it's not closed right.I applaud your desire for the diesel. It really makes a difference in the milage. I wouldn't hold my breath though. MB doesn't like to certify a low volume config (why is there no diesel B class in Canada!) so my bet is that the will only see the gas model from now on. All of us need to do a little politicing there whenever we are in the showroom/service area. "Naw - I'm not interested in the gas smart - I'll wait until the diesel's back"

[spinner]

As for noise it was fairly loud on the outside, but I did not find it bad at all inside (my partner would disagree found it too loud inside) and if I had used the stereo would have had no problems hearing it and the engine noise would have faded away (to me at least), but since it was a test drive wanted to hear the car, we were able to have a conversation at highway speeds without raising our voices so to me not too loud at all.

Did you hear low-frequency "booming" at lower RPMs (1500 to 1800)? Its volume is proportional to engine load on the diesel, and the driver's position is more likely to hear it than the passenger. It's some kind of resonance thing and only happens within the cabin. If you notice it, the next question would be, is it annoying?

[scwmcan]

Spinner,No I can't say that I noticed any low frequency booming, the noise level from the engine seemed to remain fairly consistent in tone, it was a bit louder in the city (when accelerating of course) and was to my ears fairly quiet on the highway, no booming or any other uncomfortable frequencies that I noticed. As I said I could quite comfortably live with it for everyday driving. I would have to drive it farther to know if there was anything that would rule the car out for longer trips, but I think with two people in the car it could make weekend trips easily (longer duration trips would probably require more luggage room for two people). All in all I can see a smart as my next car, but again can't do so until it makes a bit more financial sense (anyone want to buy a 2007 mazda 3 sport for a bit more than it is worth? LOL). swl,Thank you for your kind words about my test drive, I think part of my getting the car is not expecting the car to be something it isn't. As for the ride harshness, I did hit a pot hole on the highway and still didn't feel that it was all that bad, but maybe it was no as big as the ones that jar your fillings, and it was on St. Catharines streets which are a bit (but not by much) better than the Hamilton streets that I would be driving on to get to work. I think I could live with the ride harshness. It may also be that my test car has fewer KM's (or lived in an area with fewer pot holes) than your car and that the ride deteriorates with time until I get one and live with it I won't know for sure.As for the diesel, I won't by a smart unless it is one, so as I said MB will have to bring the 451 diesel here, or I will be buying a used 450, I can live with either though (but maybe MB can't, they don't make money on used cars after all). I think the only hope for the 451 diesel for us is if they bring it to the states, if they don't bring it there I'm afraid we won't get it (and I'd like to see a B-class diesel here too, my partner really likes the B-class and if it had a diesel with really good milage then I think we would buy one of them to replace the other mazda 3).Scott