Actually i have driven one. We bought one for my wife to use as her DD last Sept. She has wanted one ever since our oldest son spent a month in Germany in 2000 and brought back pictures of the original smart(the 450). When we heard they were going to be sold here, she put down a deposit and ordered one in Sept 2007. It arrived at the end of August 2008. What we get here is the much improved second generation smart(the 451)
So far it has a little over 10K miles on it. I put about 1,000 of those miles on it, so i have some behind the wheel experience. I will address some points made in this thread based on that experience.
Shifting: The smart uses a Getrag built 5 speed automated manual trans. The computer controls the clutch engagement and shifting. It defaults towards economy, so if left in “automatic mode”, it will shift early for max economy. To some it feels "retarded’ becasue they expect it to feel like an auto tranny when it shifts. It doesn’t because it’s a manual. I prefer to drive it in “manual mode”, where i can use steering wheel mounted paddle shifters to up/downshift myself, while modulating the throttle to smooth it out. I would have preferred a regular manual tranny, but since this car is used mostly for urban stop and go in europe, Daimler decided this tranny was the best compromise for that.
Styling: As always, styling is subjective. The reaction i hear most about the smart is that it’s “cute”(mainly due to it’s size, approx 8.5’ long). But different people have different tastes. For example, i find the Honda Fit to be fugly. Others love it. A large component of the styling of the smart is functional. It looks the way it does for safety and space utilization.
Safety: Mercedes engineered this car. It has earned crash ratings equal or superior to cars in its class(which are all larger). As subcompact cars go(as a category), the smart is as safe or safer than any of them. They cannot change the laws of physics. If you get hit head on by an excursion doing 70 while driving your smart, you are going to die. If you get hit head on by an excursion doing 70 while driving your Honda Civic, you are going to die. I guess you could argue that you would be less dead in the Civic?:dunno:
POS?: Not so far as i have seen. It is a solid well built and well equipped car. No problems have appeared in the 11.5 months that we have owned it. It has a lot of features for the money. Side air bags, ABS, Stability control, traction control, brake assist, power windows, locks and keyless entry, AC, 6 disc changer MP3 stereo, alloy wheels, plus a bunch of other crap i can’t remember right now. You can tell this is a M-B engineered car when you close the door. Solid feel and sound. Same with the interior feel and materials. Not cheap at all.
Driving one: Lee brought up space and comfort. One of the comments i hear most often when someone gets behind the wheel of the smart is “damn, i didn’t think it would have this much room.” The car has plenty of head and legroom for two passengers. I am a big guy so the shoulder room is a bit tight, but for average sized people it wouldn’t be. The seats are very comfortable. Once you start driving the car, you forget how small it is. it doesn’t drive like you would expect. It doesn’t “feel” tiny. The ride is a bit harsh, mainly due to the short wheelbase. It corners well, but i wouldn’t try autocrossing it. Acceleration is what you would expect from an 1800# car being pushed by 70HP. It’s not quick. In mixed city/highway driving my wife has been getting 42-44 MPG. It does run well on the highway. My wife goes up and down 28 at 70+ with no problem. Car tracks smooth and stable and is not bothered by crosswinds any more than any other car. It can carry more cargo than you might expect. I took it grocery shopping once and put an entire cart full of groceries in the back with no problem.
Owning one: Pretty much everywhere you go, people will approach you with questions and want to get a closer look. 95% of the reactions are positive. This car gets a lot of attention and a lot of thumbs up. It can be entertaining. Park it in a mall parking lot, then whenever someone tries looking in the windows, hit the panic button on the emote and watch them jump. Great fun and cheap entertainment!
As for me, i wouldn’t want one as my only DD, but my wife loves it.