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• Thursday, July 3, 2008 03:46 AM

  US version of the Smart apparently shoots itself in the foot

  Judging from the reviews and the letters from those who have actually driven the US version of the Smart Fortwo, it seems Mercedes made some dumb decisions in adapting it for the US market. Was it due to regulations? Expectations about Americans not being able to use a manual shift? I don't know, really, but I do get the distinct impression that the Smart Farhad tested and the ones I've driven here are two different cars.

  OK, they are.

  For one thing, the standard Smart here tends to use a diesel engine, and also has a manual shifter (since almost all cars in Germany have manual transmission, this isn't an issue. Germans prefer direct control and turn their noses up at wimps who can't handle shifting gears). But I am not surprised, since a few years ago I had read reports that Mercedes was designing an SUV variant because they thought that was all Americans wanted. So I blame the managers at Mercedes for crippling the design.

  Still, I expect the Smart to do well, precisely because it is a good little one-person vehicle that saves fuel not so much from mileage, but in less time spent looking for a valid parking space. I notice this in my Fiat Panda as well, how I can exploit spaces the Audis and BMW limousines have to pass up on. Once the "size=safety" mentality fades, I think the Smart, the Mini and perhaps the new Fiat 500 may become more common on America's roads.

  —Saint Fnordius Read Saint Fnordius's other letters
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