Smart car as commuter

ScoobyDoo69 · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:21

Anyone else read "smart car as computer" ??

rG-tom · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:22

> sell your c2 for market value

> buy another c2 for market value

> get better fuel economy for no cost

Or even better sell it and get something not french or a smart car. i would NOT like to be doing >60 miles a day in anything smaller than mondeo sized tbh.

KaneStatton · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:22

ScoobyDoo69 said:
Anyone else read "smart car as computer" ??

Yes

and get this:
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...cleYearOfManufacture=2007&vehicleRegLetter=07

Hxc · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:22

Mum was driving me to school and back 20mile on the duel carriageway. Felt fairly composed although a little loud. Much more comfortable at speed than the mini is

GeX · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:33

Duke said:
You won't get that MPG on the motorway or similar as the sewing machine engine will be revving so high.

Also as they are so small, you will certainly fold up inside if you hit anything at all.

most un-informed post i've seen on here for a while, made of assumptions by an idiot

The_Dark_Side · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:49

Janesy B said:
WHY is the M3 being mentioned?

60 Miles a day in a Smart car would drive me to suicide, they are cramped, noisy and the suspension is rock hard. Try and find a small diesel alternative.

You've obviously never been in one then.
They're NOT cramped (one inch less legroom than an E class Merc), neither are they any noisier than the competition.

The_Dark_Side · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:57

Duke said:
You won't get that MPG on the motorway or similar as the sewing machine engine will be revving so high.

You've just summed up why the gearbox was invented.

Duke said:
Also as they are so small, you will certainly fold up inside if you hit anything at all.

You should do some research before posting comments like the above.

Peerzy · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:58

The_Dark_Side said:
You've just summed up why the gearbox was invented.

Won't the gearings be set up to handle town driving and not motorway cruising, meaning 70mph might be 4k RPM in top gear?

Hxc · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:02

Not sure what rpm it is but 70mph in sixth certainly didn't sound like 4k.

Mum gets about 54mpg from mix of B roads, A roads@70 and city driving.

The_Dark_Side · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:12

Peerzy said:
Won't the gearings be set up to handle town driving and not motorway cruising, meaning 70mph might be 4k RPM in top gear?

I used to car share with a colleague who owned a smart.
The truth is it was fine. Not something I'd buy but it was far from lacking. I'm 5'9 and I couldn't touch the end of the footwell with my legs stretched out and I found the car to be no more noisy than it's competition.

IIRC 70mph was acheived with something like 3200-3400 RPM.

Dogbreath · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:03

They are certainly not cramped, in fact they are surprisingly spacious and comfortable for such a small car, but there is no way I would contemplate doing 30k a year in one.

The_Dark_Side · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:10

Dogbreath said:
They are certainly not cramped, in fact they are surprisingly spacious and comfortable for such a small car, but there is no way I would contemplate doing 30k a year in one.

Definitely, but then they're designed to be a city commuter so that's to be expected. With such a short wheelbase they can be a little bouncy at speed, but as a commute they're perfectly acceptable. I seem to remember the fuel tank was really small on them though. Something like 19 litres or so?

[TW]Fox · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:37

rG-tom said:
Or even better sell it and get something not french or a smart car. i would NOT like to be doing >60 miles a day in anything smaller than mondeo sized tbh.

Bizarre thing to say for somebody who has put 15k in 9 months on a little 3 Series, which is smaller than a Mondeo :confused:

Janesy B · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:52

I have driven one. It's the size of a shoebox and is about as comfortable as one. If I had to do 5 miles a day and lived in London with a tiny parking space it makes perfect sense,
doing 60 miles a day in one makes no sense at all.

The_Dark_Side · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:54

Janesy B said:
I have driven one. It's the size of a shoebox and is about as comfortable as one.

You're either eight foot tall, or wrong.

Hxc · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:58

It's perfectly comfortable even for long trips, no idea where you get that from.

[TW]Fox · 26 Mar 2009 at 20:05

There is no way somebody who only gets 30mpg from a C2 would get 80mpg from a Smart thing.

Hxc · 26 Mar 2009 at 20:28

Didn't notice you were getting that low from a C2! You must be really thrashing it, or it is a bit broken! I get more than that on the run with a rattly old 1.3 A-Series screaming at 4000rpm at 70~

Janesy B · 26 Mar 2009 at 20:30

Hxc said:
It's perfectly comfortable even for long trips, no idea where you get that from.

Come off it, you drive a mini, of course a smart is going to feel ok. I PERSONALLY felt it to be cramped, just like how I find my Fiesta cramped. It's a tiny car and while it makes the most of humble interior I would not like to spend any extended period of time in one. It's a city car and that exactly where it should stay, doing 60 miles a day in one would be a pain. I have driven across london in one and it is brilliant in town, as soon as I hit the A40 it was noisy and uncomfortable, just like 99% of small cars with small engines.

Hxc · 26 Mar 2009 at 20:33

Are you a giant? I'm 6ft and there is PLENTY of room in there. I don't even have the seat all the way back and I'm fully stretched out and comfortable. Fine on all sorts of road from experience...

Seats are supportive and alright, little hard but nothing awful.

Noisy on the motorway, I'll give you that. It's quite a bit louder than Mum's old Tigra and obviously even more so than the Jeep Grand Cherokee we have. (not comparing to the mini, not worth the words

).

Standard sound system is also woeful, but that's another story!