I drove a Smart Car today

[kach22i]

I drove a Smart Car today!

It was a snappy little ride, I liked it.

I did not take any turns real fast, and no jackrabbit starts (okay maybe a little aggressive), but as a normal driver it was fine. Turns were not wobbly or tipsy; felt like a nibble small car, steering was light, I’d say right in between my Porsche and my Tracker.

It's a car, not a golf cart. You know it's not a golf cart because there is no room for golf clubs.

Full auto mode, worked just fine, although you never coast long in the car, as it will automatically down shift, but never abruptly.

When switching to manual paddle shifter mode I kept forgetting to shift when the arrow on the dash went on. The instructor said you can keep driving it that way but when in manual mode it just will not go any faster unless you shift. It’s a smart car, will not let you over rev and hurt the engine.

The lag in shifting was not annoying or even noticeable around the city blocks we drove. However on the closed street when driving back I had room to shift (speed shift/keeping on the gas) 1,2.........3 that last shift took forever, its no sports car - don't expect it to be.

The 1.1L European version is what I test-drove, the American version is supposed to have a larger engine and faster shifting.

The instructor said $14,000 including A/C and radio, but no dash dials those are extra. My car had the dash dials although I never looked at them, kept my eye on traffic and that stupid semi-invisible shift arrow. They need to add some color; black on gray does not work for me.

Someone had asked about towing, supposedly some will come with a hitch so cyclist can cantilever their bikes (and maybe town something bulky but light).

They had an engine running when I got in and an Anita Baker CD playing at low volume, plus the instructor’s walkie-talkie squawking loudly half the time. When I could hear the engine it sounded fine, don't know if they were intentionally masking it though.

If you get a chance, drive one.

http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x...i/Smart%20Car/

I'm legal:


The car I drove:


Line up:


Line up 2:


Buck:


Other stuff at the Ann Arbor Art Fair: