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Test Drive: 2008 Smart Passion Coupe
2008 Smart Fortwo The redesigned 2008 Fortwo remains a one-box design with similar compact dimensions. Once again it is a two-colour and two-material concept with a safety-proven, "tridion" safety cell clothed in practical plastic body panels. Dent resistant, they make the Smart ideal for those around town trips when parking in crowded shopping malls and lots can make a new car look old very quickly.
The interior of the new Smart has also undergone an extensive revisit. Due to a difference in U.S. crash regulations, the former S-shaped dash has given way to straight horizontals and in particular a full-width knee pad. The twin bucket seats are also all new from the bottom-up, so to speak. The Fortwo's characteristic externally-mounted air vents and dials remain, as do the large fabric-covered areas on doors and instrument panel. The key ignition/lock still sits behind the shift lever. One of the biggest changes in the 2008 Smart is under the rear engine cover: gone is the diesel engine, for the moment anyway, replaced by a three-cylinder, one-litre gasoline engine that delivers 70 hp enabling the Fortwo to attain a maximum speed of 145 km/h. Mercedes-Benz claims this is 10 km/h faster than the previous diesel model while also consuming just 4.9 litres per 100 kms. The gas engine is linked to a new automated manual five-speed transmission from Getrag. Passive safety has been further improved to include the requirements of EuroNCAP crash standards, as well as complying with the U.S. crash regulations. Standard safety features include ESP, ABS and integrated brake assist, while the front end is designed to be more "pedestrian friendly" in a collision. New head/thorax side airbags are available as an option.
In snowy January I was able to test a very basic 70-hp, 999-cc three-cylinder "Passion" coupe with the only option being the "Dashboard instruments" (cockpit clock and tachometer) priced at $160.00 which pushed the price to $18,410 before the government rebate. The smart cars are eligible for the $2,000 ecoAuto rebate program which further reduces the already low price. At the recent Toronto auto show, Natural Resources Canada presented the Fortwo with an ecoENERGY award for being the most fuel efficient vehicle in the two-seater category. Equipped with snow tires, the rear-wheel drive, rear-engined Smart can handle snowy roads and highways easily, but it can only tackle only so much deep snow - like any small car with limited ground clearance. In "normal" winter and snowy weather, I found the new Fortwo easy to drive and I never got stuck. Equipped with snow tires on all four wheels the traction was excellent. A bonus in the Fortwo is the ability to shift into first gear via by using the stick or the paddles. (The latter is a much safer way of shifting in bad weather as you can keep both hands on the steering wheel.) Thus, in normal snowy conditions there is little chance you will get stuck. But if that does occur, you don't really need to worry. The Fortwo weighs just 830 kg, so a Herculean physique is not required to push it free.
As an owner of two classic micro cars, I wasn't surprised. Both my three-wheel 1967 Reliant Regal with its single front wheel and my Morgan trike with its single rear wheel require early, gradual, rather than sharp turns due to the micro size of the track and limited turning radius. That said, parking the Fortwo is still a breeze due to the overall dimensions and rack-and-pinion steering. (A fortwo is about 102 mm shorter than a new Mini Cooper.) The most asked question when I parked the Fortwo was, "What's it like on Highway 401?" The answer was, "Like everything else you drive!" Travelling at normal highway speeds will not make you part of the white knuckle brigade. You soon forget that there is very little car behind you and the view out the front is almost minivan-like. The Smart has a good safety record in crash tests, still, getting by 18-wheelers is not something you do leisurely. The 1-litre engine has good mid-range torque and you can blow by these rolling behemoths quite quickly. As well, you have ABS, Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Brake Assist (BAS) and an anti-skid system for any scarier moments. The new automatic transmission is better than the previous unit, but you still encounter that lurching motion as it shifts through the gears when you accelerate away. With a 0-100 km/h of just over 13 seconds, acceleration is not a strong point but I found it more than adequate. Once on the move, it's not a strain to merge easily with highway traffic.
Inside, the combination of heated seats and a strong heater ensures you are safe from the sub-zero temperatures of the Great White North. The interior is less "Lego" looking - more mainstream, but with lots of variety in the plastic textures and finishes, as well as a number of eye-pleasing design features. The new seats are firm, but very comfortable and there's good elbow room and excellent headroom. Interior storage is understandably limited, but there's the necessary water and coffee cup holders Canadians seem to demand today. The awkward-shaped door pockets don't hold much, but the rear trunk area swallows up as much as most two-seater sports cars. Access to the trunk is via the rear window hatch, or for heavier articles, a dropdown rear tailgate. The engine is under whatever you load in the trunk, and to access it, a metal panel covering the powerplant has to be unbolted - making accessibility difficult. Since its Canadian launch in September 2004, more than 10,700 Smart cars have been sold in Canada. With its low fuel consumption, manoeuvrability in traffic, ease of parking and small size, the Fortwo continues to make sense in urban Canada. With 40% of drivers commuting on their own, and the difficulty of finding parking downtown, perhaps it is time we all got a bit "Smart-er".
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