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About Me
As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never.
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Turn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us!
 Dear Dub,
I know you're not crazy about the smart, but the crash test results are out and it scored very well. I know that you think because it's so small that it's automatically unsafe and you'd be the loser in an encounter with an 18 wheeler.
But in the event of an accident, it’s also important to consider the effects of weight, design, and the effects of kinetic energy. At just over 1,800 pounds and with it’s Tridion safety cell, the smart may very well bounce off the front of that 18 wheeler rather than crushing as many 5,000+ pound vehicles with less structural integrity might do.
So, for safety, give me a smart.
Isaac
Well Isaac, for being named after Newton you seem a bit confused about physics.
Assuming your smart actually did bounce off the front of the truck, all the energy of the crash would be transferred to the occupants of the vehicle. So it's important to remember that those crash test ratings are simply relative within the group that a vehicle fits into. A 5-star rating for a smart doesn't make you safer than a 4-star rating in a larger vehicle.
But hey, at least you'll go out with your smart "boots on".
Here lies Isaac
He thought it would bounce
So we made up this stone
His death to pronounce
 Never let it be said that imagination is dead. Somewhere, someone will always nail together two things that nobody ever considered nailing together before.
The Smart Forfun has the body of a normal Smart Fortwo mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406.
Greek rally champion Stefan Attart designed and developed the 12ft-tall vehicle, implanting a six-cylinder 5.7l diesel engine.
Is this the solution to the smart maintaining speed on hills?
 The ultra-tiny Smart ForTwo earned top marks in side and front crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Wednesday.
Not surprisingly, the president of Smart USA thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread.
"This is important news for consumers who are looking for vehicles that offer both excellent fuel economy and safety," Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA, said in a statement. "IIHS tests are very stringent and highly regarded as indicators of actual crash performance on the road, and we are very pleased with the results."
In the NHTSA front crash test, the ForTwo earned the top rating of "Five Stars" for driver protection, but just "Three Stars" for passenger protection. Few vehicles today get ratings as low as three stars in NHTSA's front crash tests.
So while a lot of folks like to tout these crash test results, and worse yet, some people feel like because something got a top crash test rating that nothing can happen to them in their car, color me as a realist who sees that I'd be in a world of hurt if I got into a serious situation in a smartfortwo.
Read the entire article at CNNMoney.com
 Dear Dub,
After seeing the Da Vinci Code and seeing how the Smart car performs I REALLY want to get one. That thing looked really snappy and in the movie it said the car travels 100 kiliometers per liter of fuel. What do you think of the Smart?
Jack Slater
Well Jack, I can pretty much assure you that getting your car information from television shows and movies is generally going to lead to disappointment on your part. Didn't you learn that when your Dodge Charger didn't jump like the General Lee even though you painted it orange and everything?
Come down to earth and think about it when someone throws numbers at you too. 100 kilometers per liter is around 239 miles per gallon.
As for what I think of the Smart, I did get invited to Europe to take the car out for a spin and put it through its paces. I thought it pinched a bit on my instep. Maybe I should have worn thicker socks!
 The smart car is set to go even more green, as Daimler makes plans to bring out an electric version sometime around 2010. Before this, though, London will get its hands on 100 prototypes for use in a huge four year trial.
Not that I want to short circuit the enthusiasm over elctric vehicles, but hype aside, we are still a long way from them being practical.
The electric smart claims a range of 65 miles, and a three and a half hour charge from empty. And while that sounds impressive, the segment of the population whose transportation needs are going to be met by the smart is very small.
And I keep getting the impression that people feel like electricity is free and green. The basics of supply and demand and the limitations of the power grid can't be ignored. Start plugging in large numbers of electric vehicles and what do you think will happen to the cost of the electricity that you currently use? And all that power has to be generated somehow.
Don't you love the law of unintended consequences?
Keep dreaming the dream
Have to push the envelope
Progress in small steps
Read more at smartplanet.com
 As noted on StraightLine, Smart USA Distributor LLC, announced the pricing of the all-new smart fortwo models that will be sold in the United States beginning in the first quarter of 2008.
The base model will be priced at $11,950, a "passion" trim level that starts at $13,590 and adds a standard panoramic sunroof, alloy wheels, air-conditioning with climate control, a three-spoke leather sport steering wheel, paddle shifter and a CD player, and a cabriolet version that has an automatic adjustable soft top and a premium six-CD sound system and starts at $16,590.
While many people are passionate about the smart, I can't help but look at the smart and compare it to my 2007 Nissan Versa. I paid $13,675 for my 6 speed Versa, I don't have a sunroof or alloy wheels, but I do have A/C, CD player, and side curtain airbags. Plus I can comfortably fit four adult sized adults with their week’s worth of vacation luggage. I can fit a fifth body with three in the back seat. I've had a double bass inside the Versa with three people and nothing sticking out through windows. I moved my daughter into her dorm room, taking all her stuff in one trip. With the smart getting an average of 40mpg, it has an edge there as I'm only averaging about 33 mpg combined with my Versa.
Like Maxwell Smart's portable cone of silence, it seems the smart may be good at what it does, but doesn't seem all that practical. The limitations on space in the smart would seem to limit its appeal to those who always have to be in on the latest fad and what certainly will be a passionate group of smart enthusiasts.
I can tell you with confidence that the first smart I see on the roads here will be adorned with the name of some local business, restaurant, or sports bar. It happened that way with the PT Cruiser, new MINI, new Beetle, Honda Element, Hummer, and almost every other vehicle that has had a unique look in the last 10 years or so. And I think that the pretentious "hey look at me" aspect alone can keep vehicles like that from becoming as common as Camrys.
Can it meet my needs?
So sorry about that chief
Clever, not so smart
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