<p>My current car is developing some troubling electrical issues and I’m beginning to think about a new car purchase. I’m eyeing the Smart Car, but I’m concerned about safety, especially at high speeds. My drive to work includes a segment on a high speed interstate with heavy traffic including trucks.</p>
<p>Will a Smart Car be buffeted around by wind or trucks passing?
What if someone hits me? (Hasn’t happened yet, but…) Small crumple zone…</p>
<p>Does anyone drive a smart car? What has your experience been?</p>
<p>From everything I’ve read, the Smart Car is a poor choice for freeway driving and is indeed affected by buffeting from wind and trucks and the extremely short wheelbase makes it have a rough ride on a freeway. It’s not even a good choice for rural highway driving for the same reasons. It was designed for congested city driving - think Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, and other congested city driving where speeds are low, parking spots are scarce, wind/trucks don’t matter, and a short wheelbase is an asset rather than a liability.</p>
<p>They don’t get particularly good gas mileage either given their diminutive size (38mpg hwy) either. There are much better choices if you’re looking for a smaller car that has reasonable comfort on a freeway and longer commutes and still get decent mileage - better mileage than the Smart Car.</p>
<p>I got 38mpg or better in my Honda Fit (now daughter’s college car). As a long distance commuter (highway) I would not dream of driving a Smart Car or similar. My daughter wanted a more cultish car (Fiat 500, Mini) but we settled for the Fit. No regrets, it is awesome (for four people in the city or 2 in highway) but not as cute as the 500/Mini…</p>
<p>Edit: an amazing car in the class - Mercedes A-class. Had it in Germany for a couple weeks, just amazing. Tho taking it on the Autobahn was not for the faint at heart…</p>
<p>I get 35 MPG highway in my Focus station wagon, so going to a Smart Car for an additional 3 would not seem wise, unless one lives in a place where the small size is a big advantage. On the other hand, my elderly neighbors who own and run an apple orchard bought one, and they tell me they have driven it to Boston (about a 2-hour drive on major highways). I am not one of those people who are obsessed with driving a tank–never had an SUV–but the idea makes me shudder. When we had a neighborhood party, they were able to drive their little car the short distance to our house–they have some mobility issues these days–and easily park it on the grass next to the driveway.</p>
<p>All I know is I was parked next to a Smart Car at Target yesterday while drive my Acura MDX. The Smart Car could have fit inside my SUV, and I don’t think mine is that big !!</p>
<p>I would never drive a smart car on the highway. To me, it’s nothing more than a moped with an outer shell. Can you imagine trying to pass an 18 wheeler on the highway in a smartcar?
Imagine driving over a bridge on a windy day in that tiny thing? OMG–the thought of it makes me break out in a sweat.</p>
<p>Sigh. Maybe when I retire to a small island somewhere, I can get by with the Smart car and the Vespa. Meanwhile, it’s probably going to be another boring sedan with good gas mileage.</p>
<p>If you’re looking for good gas milage and a car that’s not the size of a Hot Wheels car, check out a Toyota Prius. I love mine. It gets around 55mpg.</p>
<p>Don’t be fooled by individual crash tests, which compare cars to others in the same weight class only. The picture can and does change dramatically when you pair a micro or mini car in a collision with a mid sized sedan. From a few years ago - not sure if they have done this again recently, but the premise remains the same: </p>
<p>The website informedforlife.org also attempts to address this gap, compiling statistics from both the major testing agencies , IIHS and NHTSA. They then weight results according to likelihood of death or injury from frontal vs. side vs. rollover and also take weight of vehicle into account in a way that does not defy the laws of physics. They place the Smart car in the bottom 10% of cars for safety for the 2012 and 2011 model years, with incomplete data for the 2013. </p>
<p>The other issue is that of crash avoidance, which includes good handling. Since the laws of Physics still apply last time I checked, any evasive maneuver to avoid an accident with a Smart sized car is likely to have ‘meh’ results. </p>
<p>I’m not a race car type driver (I leave the task to Mrs. Turbo) but I understand what handling is all about. For that matter, if money is no object, it’s a dual no brainer, VW Golf GTI or Mini S. If money is an issue, there’s a good selection of $15k mini-cars (Fit, Sonic, Accent, Yaris…) and pick your favorite. Safety is good for all of these (for the most part) but handling varies wildly, so make sure you’re comfortable with it.</p>
<p>I think with the size / MPG / Price that Smart Cars are more of a fad than a value. </p>
<p>With so many great proven cars in the category seeing someone in a smart car just makes me think that they were taken for a marketing ride. Bought my last Toyota Corolla for under $15k and the Yaris is even lower. The Ford Fiesta is less than $14k and gets around 40 mpg…
PS: I love and used truecar . com and saved thousands on my last deal (hope that helps more than my criticism of the Smart Car idea).</p>
Why? How about a convertible? Or maybe a Jeep? Or a sports car? Or whatever will provide at least some level of excitement but still get you from point A to point B safely and with reasonable (if not the absolute best) gas mileage?</p>
<p>I don’t know what the most important factors are in your search, but we have a 2010 Toyota Yaris we bought used with about 4000 miles on it for $11,000. The car is amazing for its size and gas mileage. I rode in the back seat yesterday for 80 miles round trip and couldn’t believe the amount of room I had. The gas mileage is great at about 40 mpg with a standard transmission.</p>
<p>It is really my H’s car that he uses. It’s the hatchback and he can fit all kinds of stuff in there! Consumer Reports doesn’t seem to be a fan of the Yaris, but anyone we know that has one loves it. We were going to look at the Fit, but the Fit was much more expensive.</p>
<p>mamom: how’s that Prius in the snow? I also drive over 500 miles a week mostly highway and have driven both the Prius and the Insight. After gas mileage, my priority is safety and stability in the snow (price point goes without saying).</p>
<p>^Archie, Hard to say. I bought it used last fall. I was concerned about snow too, especially seeing as I was going from a 4WD SUV to this much lighter car. We really only had one big storm in the Boston area all winter. I didn’t have any problems in that storm, but it is only one data point.</p>
<p>Mamom: I’d be going from a 4wd SUV as well. I know that my driveway can be a challenge, but can always park down by the road. And my husband would be using my current car so I can always plan to swap cars if I know the weather’s going to be bad. Just concerned about being caught at work and having to make the commute back home in snowy/slushy weather. Thanks.</p>
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