Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 14 of 14

Thread: RIP Smart Fortwo in North America

  1. #11
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    SW, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    7,402
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 2,688 Times in 2,106 Posts
    We live in a part of the world where the top 3 selling vehicles are the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, and Dodge Ram.

    In 2018, 909,330 Ford f-series trucks were sold in the U.S.

    Smart Fortwo sold a whooping 1,276 in the U.S. last year.

    During the month of March, 86,467 Ford F-series truck were sold. Meanwhile, 90 Smart cars were sold. Different ends of the spectrum aren't even close in sales or profits.

    I never took much interest in the Smart Fortwo, because it was never that economically competitive. Why bother?



  2. The Following User Says Thank You to Mark For This Useful Post:

    MetroMPG (05-01-2019)

  3. #12
    Hubcap Enthusiast Scratchpaddy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Phoenix
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    192
    Thanks
    21
    Thanked 122 Times in 60 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by DonkeyPal View Post
    Before Smart cars came to the US, I remember the reports that they would get 70 mpg, and that was supposed to be on gas, not diesel.
    I hear a lot of talk about little cars in Europe that get MPG numbers unheard-of in the US. What people don't realize is the European test cycle is much easier than the EPA's, and an Imperial gallon is substantially larger than a US gallon.

    For example, The Honda Fit is sold as the Jazz overseas. The Sport model, with the 1.5L motor (the only motor also available in the US), is rated for 48mpg in the UK. Here in the US, the exact same car is good for a mere 36 mpg. Plus, you can buy it with a smaller motor across the pond, good for 61 mpg (imperial)!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    I never took much interest in the Smart Fortwo, because it was never that economically competitive. Why bother?
    Interest in the Smart depends on where you have to drive, and where you have to park. Out in the suburbs, with vast boulevards and sprawling acres of asphalt to park in, a lifted F-250 Super Duty seems like a fine way to carry a small load of groceries to most Americans.

    It's in cities far too dense to waste entire lots on parking where the Smart makes sense. Turning radius and parking footprint are a huge deal in places like San Francisco. I have an elderly uncle who lives in the Bay area. He collects 50's and 60's Chryslers and Buicks, the kind of cars he dreamed of as a kid. But, his daily driver is a Smart ForTwo. He loves it. Or at least, he loves parking it. It sure beats a '61 Imperial in that category.

  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Scratchpaddy For This Useful Post:

    Eggman (05-01-2019),Fummins (05-01-2019)

  5. #13
    Senior Member Dodge Aries K's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    IL
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,181
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 383 Times in 265 Posts
    I drove a few smart cars in the past. That god awful transmission makes it damn near undrivable to me. It's the worst shifting automatic transmission I have ever had the displeasure of driving (yes I know it's an automated manual... but still... eww) and shouldn't have made it past the QC stage.
    -Karl B. No Mirages currently...

  6. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Scratchpaddy View Post
    I hear a lot of talk about little cars in Europe that get MPG numbers unheard-of in the US. What people don't realize is the European test cycle is much easier than the EPA's, and an Imperial gallon is substantially larger than a US gallon.

    For example, The Honda Fit is sold as the Jazz overseas. The Sport model, with the 1.5L motor (the only motor also available in the US), is rated for 48mpg in the UK. Here in the US, the exact same car is good for a mere 36 mpg. Plus, you can buy it with a smaller motor across the pond, good for 61 mpg (imperial)!
    Good point. I talk about fuel economy with people sometimes, most people old enough to be my dad still use imperial gallons. Trying to compare numbers between our trucks always involves an argument then a calculator. I use l/100km or just US mpg. The fuelly app works pretty good to compare numbers too.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •