Smart Car, do/did you have one?

[Chandra]

I'm thinking of buying. I'm currently doing about 200 miles per week which gives me the perfect excuse to convince DP to get one (I have wanted one for many years)

Any clues in how to select it? particularly how different are the models (Pure, Pulse & Passion), or particularly if there is something I should avoid?

Which one are you looking at - the ForTwo or the ForFour?

I have a ForFour Passion and really like it. The Passion is the top model, so has air con, etc. I drive approx 80 mile round trip to work, 3 days a week, plus other driving (biggest car we have so use it at weekends). It is perfectly fine on the motorway. Doesn't have massive accelration but certainly performs well, and can easily hit the higher speeds when required. It has optional isofix fittings in the back.

We used to have a ForTwo when they first came out. It was left hand drive, with the small engine, again the Passion. I loved it! It was fantastic. It had automatic AND triptronic gears, but automatic was so easy in rush hour. It is the only car I have ever been sad to see go.

What do you want to know?

I think you already answered most of my questions, I wanted to know if they were good for commuting, that the aceleration was not too bad. And if there was really much difference in the petrol you spend compared to other cars.

BTW, when you had the LHD Smart, did you find it difficult to overtake other cars (in terms of visibility). We may be using it for a year or two but may end up in Spain afterwards so we were considering a LHD, but not sure how safe to vertake in small roads if you are carrying a small child.

Did you have to use the car seats sold by Smart or you can use a regular one? Can you disconect the passenger airbag if you are not using the Smart car seat?

It's a ForTwo

Many thanks

The LHD was fine and never really noticed any difference, apart from going into car parks - ticket machine always at wrong side!

We use our own normal car seats in the ForFour, you don't have to have Smart ones. The isofix is in the back only, and you can use any isofix seat, or obviously any normal car seat. The airbag in the front of the ForFour can be deactivated easily - there is a key turn thing in the front, near the glove box.

In the ForTwo the only way to turn the airbag off is to use the Smart isofix car setas (only avail in first 2 stages, not as booster seat). This seat automatically deactivates the seat. I was going to get a ForTwo convertible this time, but changed my mond as I didn't want DD on a booster seat with the air bag.

With both cars I commuted approx 80 miles a day and both cars were fine. The ForFour is more powerful and can go faster. But the automatic mode in the ForTwo was fab in heavy traffic.

Ah, ForTwo - to deactiviate airbag you must have their car seat. They don't do a booster seat or suchion though

I think they do know but will double check just in case, but compared to other car seats they don't look very comfortable.

Do you know what "cc" means? I have seen that some have 599 and others over 600 cc but not sure what this means in term of performance.

cc is the power of the engine. So it is a small engine, less than 1 liter obv. Ours was this size engine. But the car is so little ands so light, it is better performing than you first thing. And it is fun to drive.

It was only last year we checked about the car seat. Smart do do a booster seat but they don't do an isofix booster (unless changed this year). Their advice tome was to use a non-isofix booster with the seat all the way back, as you can't desctivate air bag.

IS there anyother thing, apart from the unavailable isofix booster seat, that would put you off buying one if you are going to use it mostly with a child travelling with you?

No, I did almost buy one - the Smart passion convertible. But I couldn't get my head round not being able to deactivate the airbag. I love the ForTwo! One day

hi again. Just wanted to say thanks for the information, and now I can declare myself the proud owner of a Smart Passion... Forfour!

I rang several Smart dealers and the information given about the use of stage II car seats was conflicting at best and a bit irresponsable at worst. So I decided to get the Forfour instead and I already love it to bits!

Thank you again.

P.S. But as soon as DS reaches 130cm in height I will get the Fortwo!

Same one as me then. It's fab isn't it? Glad you like it.

I want the ForTwo convertible one day!

I agree about the information regarding the car seat. I did mean to wirte a ltter to Smart to complain but managed to not get round to it. I shou;ld stilld o it really.

Yeah, I was a bit shocked about the conflicting information, at the end who provided the most "accurate" advice was one of the persons at the service desk instead of the salesmen.

I was assured that as long as the child was travelling in a facing forward car seat the bag wouldn't be a problem! . I told him it was not safe and he rang me two days afterwards to tell me that according to current guidelines it was OK but obviously he "forgot" to mention that that option is "as safe" as having a child on the backseat without a booster seat.

Another dealer told me that it wasn't possible to deactivate the bag but that they could do it in the service, although the modification would be permanent (basically ruining the bag to prevent an accident).

Another one had not even heard that Smart is now selling booster seats. Other said that smart car seats were about £400 when the most expensive they do doesn't reach the £150.

Some said the bar to deactivate the bag was included with the air carseat, some others said it wasn't needed so..... to err on the side of safety I got the Forfour.