New owner, moved up from a smart car.

[applezz13]

Aren't smart cars the ones with the automated manual transmissions, how did you like that?

It was fine once I got used to it. It could be jerky but as long as you let off on the gas at the shift point wasn't that bad.

[skyblue]

It was fine once I got used to it. It could be jerky but as long as you let off on the gas at the shift point wasn't that bad.

What are the revs like on the highway 110kmh/70mph?

[foama]

That Smart engine was initially designed to be simple and cheap to replace, but is quite uneconomical as far as fuel consumption goes. In Europe they try to sell them as a second or third car to usually wealthy Daimler/Benz owners through essentially the same sales organisation. Nothing for me, I consider it as quite unsmart!

Btw, The junk yards are full of them, mostly with big holes in the lower forward section of the rear wheel arches and other places too.

[Cobrajet]

That Smart engine was initially designed to be simple and cheap to replace, but is quite uneconomical as far as fuel consumption goes. In Europe they try to sell them as a second or third car to usually wealthy Daimler/Benz owners through essentially the same sales organisation. Nothing for me, I consider it as quite unsmart!

Btw, The junk yards are full of them, mostly with big holes in the lower forward section of the rear wheel arches and other places too.

Agreed. I always thought a car that required premium fuel, only got 35 mpg, and was the size of a phone booth was kinda dumb!

[MetroMPG]

Belated welcome, applezz13.

There are more than a couple of former Smart owners on the forum here... which is interesting.

I've only driven one: a diesel first gen cabriolet that an acquaintance bought on a whim as a second car. That little diesel was capable of phenomenal mileage... I guess not surprisingly considering the specs (799 cc, 3-cylinder, 40 hp). I saw 60+ MPG (US) / 3.9L / 100 km in gentle sub/urban driving.

It also had the automated single clutch manual, which car reviewers hated even more than the Mirage's CVT. I knew what to expect, so didn't mind it. I didn't think the upshifts were terrible, and it had the option of a "manual" mode, which improved the driving experience a little.

The downshifts, however, were pretty bad. Mostly because they took way too long. It felt like ~2 seconds from request to delivery. Wow. You'd get used to it and compensate, of course, but wow.

It was, of course, pretty slow. Which is saying a lot considering the cars in my ownership history. Not a problem in normal driving, though I didn't do any freeway on-ramps, just city use. But a diesel Smart makes a Mirage feel like rocket ship - something like 20 seconds to get to ~60 mph / 100 km/h.

--

PS: consider making a garage page for your daughter's Mirage...

Garage empty: add car