Making the Smart choice
Small vehicle is very big on safety, comfort
Alhouse estimated the 2016 Smart ForTwo will be at the dealership in September. She said it will come with a new body style and another transmission style.
How many times have you marveled on the roadway as the diminutive Smart Car passes and thought: “I wouldn’t want to be in an accident with that.”
Actually, according to Krista Alshouse, business development manager for Fletcher Jones Imports in Las Vegas, given all the planning, it’s nutty to consider yourself unsafe in a Smart compared with many other cars.
“Safety features in the Smart Car are pretty impressive,” Alhouse said. “It’s called the tridion safety cell, and it surrounds occupants in the vehicle and acts like the hard shell of a nut. The shell is designed specifically to react in certain impacts not to collapse in on passengers. A lot of engineering and thought was given to this because it is so small. It’s safe, and strategically so.”
Also, the wheels are integrated as a load path in the event of a collision as the front wheels are specifically supported against the sills, helping to bear some of that load in impact.
“You wouldn’t want to switch the wheels out. They’re there for a reason,” Alhouse said.
And because it’s lighter than a ton, some Smart thinking went into that aspect, as well.
Crosswind Assist is able to compensate for strong gusts of wind. When the ESP sensors detect that the vehicle is being forced off course, they automatically trigger selective braking intervention.
Alhouse estimated the 2016 Smart ForTwo will be at the dealership in September. She said it will come with a new body style and another transmission style.
Currently, a Smart carries a five- speed automatic. The ForTwo will offer that as well as an optional six-speed dual clutch, or twinamic, yielding three choices of manual: manual, dual clutch with sport shift, and paddle shifters. It tops out at 89 horsepower, 100 feet of torque and top speed of 96.
“(The Smart) has always and continues to be popular,” Alhouse said. “It seems split among the genders and has a wide age span of admirers: from college students to retirees.”
And Alhouse said they had a 6-foot-5 customer fit into a Smart Car quite comfortably.
“They’re surprised at how big and roomy it feels on the inside,” Alhouse said. “Every time we open that door and let them in, they say, ‘Wow. It’s big in
Electric’s top speed reported to be 78 mph
here.’ The way they designed the inside is so efficient there feels like so much room inside.”
You can usually judge the popularity of Mercedes-Benz’s baby Smart car by the rising and falling of fuel prices: As the cost of fuel rises, so does Smart demand, which explains why sales of the two-seater have been increasing lately. Under the hood — or more correctly behind the rear seats and beneath the load floor — resides a sideways-positioned, Mitsubishi-based 3-cylinder engine offering 70 horsepower at 1.0-liter. Top speed is 90 mph, and zero to 60 mph requires 12.8 seconds, but that’s not the point, here, is it?
At about $14,000, the base-level “Pure” model is golf-cart basic. Stepping up to the “Passion” adds climate control, power windows, heated power side mirrors, a panorama roof, alloy wheels, steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles and an audio system with CD player. At $18,700, the Smart Passion Cabriolet includes a power-operated soft top (that can be raised or lowered on the fly) and a premium sound system with multi-disc CD changer.
Normally, the Brabus name means brawn, but a brawny Smart ForTwo is a bit of an oxymoron. Instead, the Brabus option — available in coupe and cabriolet — features a sport exhaust system, panoramic sunroof, wider wheels, solid paint scheme with matching interior and special trim pieces.
For fans of amps and volts, the Smart Electric Drive, now in wide distribution and in coupe and cabriolet body styles, lists for $25,750. Thrust comes from a 74-horsepower electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged using a 240-volt outlet from depleted in six hours.
The electric’s top speed is a claimed 78 mph, with a combined city/highway range of up to 68 miles. Look for an allnew Smart to arrive sometime in coupe and four-door variants. RJDRIVE.VEGAS senior writer John Kelly contributed to this report. He can be reached at jkelly@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-0206.