2016 Smart Fortwo Review - Honey, I Shrunk The car [Video]

2016 Smart Fortwo Review - Honey, I Shrunk The car [Video] -

Smart 2016 fortwo

DOHC 0.9L I3 turbocharged CRDi (89 hp @ 60 rpm, 100 lb-ft at 2500) 6-speed automated dual manual clutch 33 city / 39 highway / 36 combined (EPA Rating, MPG) 34 (observed MPG) base price: $ 15,400 * As Tested :. $ 18,680 * * Prices include $ 750 destination charge

America loves big cars, large trucks and fat crosses. If you doubt me, all you have to do is look at the top sellers of 2015. The five vehicles represent 13 percent of all vehicles sold in the US this year, and the smallest of the five is the Toyota Camry . Not so small. Check the list of 20, and the smallest entry is the Corolla that has grown so large that we called "medium" in the 80

Today we are looking at a very different kind of car: the smart fortwo in 2016 (yes, that is all lowercase for some reason), a car that is six feet shorter than the Corolla

08 was the best year in the US smart with some. 24,000 micro cheeky cars sold. Since then, sales have not been quick. annual sales figures in the United States bounce between 5000 and 14000. However, Canadians seem to love. in the North sales volumes are around half the size of the United States. Not impressed? of all Canadian sales figures on the market are " smart -sized" compared to the United States. Heck, smart outsells Maserati in Canada. Could it be that, like nationalized healthcare, Canadians are on to something good? Or, like health care, is it a good idea somewhere else, but not in the US?

The concept of Teeny two -seater began in the 1970s with Swatch want to build a car. Yes, people watches wanted to build a car. After a brief flirtation with Volkswagen, the concept has come to the door in the mid 0 'Mercedes as a joint venture. After the creation of a small car, some dubious variants, and a Euro-treasure fans, Mercedes has taken full control of the brand entirely. In case you are wondering, smart pull-called self " S watch M Mercedes ART ".

Since acquisitions have not always worked well for Mercedes, and Lilliputian 2 doors are a small segment, the Germans have teamed up with Renault to revise their teensy transport. This means that the new fortwo shares little more design elements with the outgoing model and a "job" with the Renault Twingo and the largest (and Euro only) Smart Forfour. As a matter of trivia, the car is made in Smartville, a factory in Hambach, France, which was specially designed for intelligent building. For some reason the "S" in Smartville is a capital "S". Go figure.

Exterior
From the start, the Smart Fortwo has been an uphill battle in America because of its tiny dimensions. How small are we talking about? At 106.1 inches long, the its length is shorter than the wheelbase of a corolla. Think your Mini Cooper is small? The Fortwo is four feet shorter , about the same length as a big go-kart. For reference, my first new car was a Chrysler LHS that was almost twice as long. In a week, my neighbor called the Fortwo a "rollerskate pregnant."

If there is one thing we have discovered over the years, it's that Americans do not value small . Unlike other countries, we buy based on our perception maximum load instead of buying based on the occupation of the 95th and the other 5 percent rental . If you commute in a Chevy Suburban you bought these for occasional weekends when grandparents visit, is you.

While my normal route along rural roads and spreading urban is not the target for the Fortwo, I spent a few days in San Francisco and immediately understood. While you still can not legally park perpendicular Smart, I interviewed a maid San Francisco meter on the issue. His answer: "I saw him and I have not labeled them as long as they stick more than other cars." Even if you do not want to risk the ticket, the Fortwo can make circles on your average suburban street parallel with cars parked on both sides thanks to a turning circle of only 22.4 feet. Only slightly larger than two parking spaces Midwestern strip shopping center.

The exterior of the Fortwo is a slave to the Mercedes target dimensions. The front end is flat and wide Smart giving an appearance almost "to snub" and the rear is more vertical than it appears in photos. To give the little stability of the car, the wheels are pushed in the corners, which makes the wheelbase to the ratio of very different overall length from anything else on the market.

inside
German designers Even stiffly starched need an outlet for their creativity, to be the source of the cab Mercedes not very. The dashboard, door trim and center seats are covered with a woven synthetic fabric that looks like the same material of my cross trainers. Chip corresponds to the color of fabric to the color of the body panel to the outside in most models, giving a bicolor atmosphere inside and outside. end caps lower skipping the tachometer and clock "pod" you see in the above image, which runs along a vertical axis. - So the motorcyclist in the lane next to you can check the time

Unlike the now dead Scion iQ, the Smart Fortwo is a strict two-seater; on the side, the Germans are not small people so the Fortwo was designed with six-foot-five people in mind. The front seats are surprisingly standing in the design and headroom is generous. American size people will be happy to hear the Daimler engineers added four inches wide with the new cabin.

Even if the engine is under the rear cargo area, the total cargo space is more generous than expected. My usual companions of luggage, a 24-inch roller bag (US carry-on-max domestic) and trolley bag 26 inches (the smaller of forced baggage on this side of the pond) matches behind the seats without problem. With the seats all the way back in their tracks, measures of holds 7.8 cubic feet. Thank you to the form, the cargo area is more useful than what you'll find behind the third row of the Kia Sorento for real luggage. Access to the cargo area is processed via elevator door glass or folding tailgate. This allows for a portion of light tailgate for two French models. (The weight limit is 220 lbs) Need to stuff a bodyboard inside? The front passenger seat folds nearly flat for long objects six feet in the cabin.

Training
Moving only 9 / 10ths of a liter, three-cylinder engine in the Fortwo is turbocharged default and cranks 89 horses and 100 lb-ft of torque. As you may have guessed now, he is under the trunk is smart and the only Porsche brands who sell cars to rear engine in America. (The Alfa 4C is a mid-engine design.) At the rear power Sending your choice of a manual five-speed or six dual-clutch automated manual speeds (think DSG).

Curiously, this engine was not designed by Mercedes and Renault directly but Renault low-cost subsidiary Dacia. In Europe, you will find almost the same engine powering the Dacia Sandero, the same Dacia frequently lampooned on Top Gear. Although not as smooth as the 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-banger in the Fiesta, this engine Romanian / French / German is smoother than 1.5 liters of BMW triple in the Mini Cooper.

player
You should probably know that the end of 07 I put a deposit on a Fortwo Cabrio. Gas prices in the Bay Area and I climbed quickly got memories of a Smart diesel I drove in Europe with a brilliant one-off manual conversion, so I put $ 99 down and waited. After several weeks, a US-spec smart arrived for a test drive. I asked my $ 99 back. The size of the car was not the problem, nor the price tag. The main reason I left was the transmission. He moves like an old drunk 14 year old who had never driven a stick before. Starts were rough and late, speed changes have a small eternity, and on the steep slopes of the transmission would sometimes change his mind mid-shift and return to the lower speed. The experience was so infuriating that the dealer was told people to manually switch instead of letting the electronics do the work. The 2016 model is night and day different. The new dual-clutch six-speed unit is now tied with dry clutch DSG of Volkswagen in terms of finesse, although in first gear launches are a bit slow.

With a little less than 0 ponies under the hood, the 60 t0 acceleration takes 10.3 seconds with the DCT and a bit less with the manual for the computer does not like much slip clutch first. This represents a significant improvement over the last generation and is in line with entries such as the Prius C. That number does not communicate is the power of mid-range of small engine cranks. Thank you to the generous torque, Smart has no fifth or sixth hill climbing problem.

Regarding the dynamics, the Fortwo has something in common with the 911 and the Alfa Romeo 4C: weight distribution. Like the majority of his books on the rear axle and staggered tires (185 / 60R15 front and 165 / 65R15 at the front), the front feels light and ready to run. Speaking of turning the front wheels to contort almost a 45 degree angle to an incredibly small turning radius of 24 feet. Although the steering is now standard, there is the slightest suspicion steering feedback. The Fortwo is - dare I say - fun to drive on a winding mountain road. Out on the open road, the refinement in this generation is immediately evident. The latest generation Fortwo felt "twitchy" on the highway, but through better programming and management an extra four inches wide, the smart feels much more stable when passed by large trucks and SUVs.

When you start pushing Smart on the highway, you will discover that this suspension is ideal for the small car. With a wheelbase of this short you get some interesting body movements on the floor washboard, but it is much more civilized than expected. While the rear suspension is an independent design, it is not a solid drive axle either. The reason for the design "of Dion tube" is that it allows the engine to be "sprung weight" while deliberately keeping the dynamic and effective packaging of a rigid rear axle.

Push the smartest of 8 / 10ths and you will soon realize that Mercedes programmed stability to intervene early and aggressively. It is a pity because there is a spark in the chassis that really wants to dance. Unfortunately, the stability control can operate at substantially all speeds and even cut the power output when the wheels are at full lock. This means you can not get too crazy in the car park with 45-degree angle of the front tire -. And forget Smart-drift

A 36 mpg combined with the six -speed DCT, the fuel economy of the Fortwo has not changed since 08. With one foot heavy duty, I averaged 34 mpg during my week. This means that the Smart is less effective a Toyota Yaris or Scion iA and about the same as a Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta SFE or Honda Civic. Much of the reason is aerodynamics: the short and blocky design simply takes more effort to push through the air as the wedge shape of the Toyota Prius. Another thing worth mentioning is the Fortwo still has an appetite for gasoline. If you are looking for a small car for "save gas," you'll need to look elsewhere.

I had not expected to bind with the Fortwo during my week, given my history with the last bullet. However, after a week with the wee rollerskate, I must say that driving it made me smile. I also thought of inserting a joke about the Scion iQ is a smart purchase that Smart. Then I discovered that Toyota iQ killed. This means that the kind of experience you get in the 2016 fortwo conduct can be found in the smart dealer - or your spouse local indoor go-cart

Speaking of karts, if you think your Mini drives like one. go-cart, you need to try one of these. With your rump almost over the rear axle, the rear engine, go-karts turning radius would be jealous of, and rear-wheel drive, you can tell the fortwo would be a hoot without stability control. I want to see someone run inside a Smart-kart series with these babies.

The biggest problem with the fortwo is that most Americans think small equals inexpensive and, in general, Americans are not small fans. Priced at $ 16.650 to about $ 20,000 for the petrol model, you can buy a variety of four- and five-seat vehicle with a similar or better mileage for the same or less. Why is it not the cheapest chip? Simply put, building a small car can save on materials, but the rest of the cost structure invariably becomes more expensive. With a large amount of unique pieces, in Europe manufacturing and the need for a high percentage of solid steel for crash safety, it should not be a surprise that the Versa can be made for 30 percent less. This means that the Smart Fortwo is and will remain a niche car. It is a graceful landing in a small plane to ginormous airport . Unlike Europe, there are few places in the US that "need" Smart. New Yorkers and people in San Francisco who want a little weird car with driving dynamics go-kart will love the Fortwo. The rest of America is likely to go over for a Honda Fit or Toyota Prius.

Dear Mercedes, if you bring a roadster, the stability let his hair control program down and up the boost to 150 ponies, I'll put another deposit on a smart AMG. It will not be more convenient, but it would be a heck of a lot of fun. Oh, and think that Smart-kart series ...

Smart (Mercedes-Benz) provided the vehicle and insurance for the review

Specifications as tested

0-30: 3.5 seconds

0-60 10.3 seconds

1/4 mile: 17.4 sec @ 83 MPH