The arrival of a SMART car
Made popular by a chase scene in the movie "The Da Vinci Code," the SMART car made by smartUSA, a division of Mercedes-Benz LLC, may soon be more accessible to consumers. The company Zap is seeking interested people for dealerships in the United States.
Some details of this tiny car:
--60 hp, 3-cylinder, rear-mounted turbo engine
--sequential 6-speed transmission
--automatic or manual mode selectable
--Tank Capacity: 8.7 gallons
--Weight: 1588 lbs
--Length: 8'2.5"
-- Width: 4'11.5"
--Height: 5'
For it’s weight and size, it’s supposed to be pretty crash worthy. "The tridion safety cell forms the core element of the body of each smart car. It is manufactured exclusively from high-tensile steel and creates a cage-like safety structure for the occupants. The tridion safety cell makes the smart city-coupe one of the safest of small cars with regard to its crash safety characteristics. This has been confirmed by numerous crash tests conducted in Europe."
What I find surprising is that the car only gets 40mpg considering it’s size and weight.
A blog entry from Harrisburg during the ZAP Across America Rally
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Stacey · May 23, 2006 9:23 PM
Maybe this would soon be included in Most Wanted Vehicles lists. Too soon to tell, though.
paul kuehnel · May 24, 2006 9:30 AM
It does have a visual appeal... like the Mini Cooper... old VW bug... Cult car kinda stuff... I want one with 75 mpg !!
KenBob · May 25, 2006 1:50 AM
Here's a related article that you all might find interesting about the Smart Car and one man's struggle to obtain one... http://wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=800848
I too find it amazing that my much bigger and more powerful Prius can run circles around the Smart Car in the fuel economy department. In fact, I find it amazing that I can best most motorcycles' mpgs. Just goes to show you how much room there is for improvement.
paul kuehnel · May 25, 2006 9:05 AM
Interesting article... I notice the article says 50 mpg and the manufacturer says 40 mph.
You bring up a good point with the motorcycle, but for the most part motorcycles on the road are way overpowered for their weight ratio...
I think you have inspired another post here.
aj gilbertson · July 11, 2006 6:45 PM
The Smart Cars are already available in the US from ZAP www.zapworld.com ZP (NYSE). A California based company who is also planning on brining a Brazilian made car to the US, the Obvio! 828, that is a hybrid that can run on any combination of ethanol and gas. Zap is also the only car company who is selling a Chinese manufactured car in the US the 100% electric Xebra city car.