I wasn’t thinking size, more like–
More power
More comfort
More safety
More versatility
Etc.
I can see this car as being ideal for the student who doesn’t transport his/her own belongings to campus, or the commuter. It would certainly serve my purpose, as I never buy anything huge by myself. My husband has a truck, he can haul it home.
I think I’m going to move this to IMHO, since there seems to be more opinions here than actual answers.
Bump, if anyone followed this thread to IMHO.
According to http://www.boston.com/news/daily/09/chrysler.htm we might get the Smart Car after all. Maybe $2.00 gas prices will have some benefits.
The invasion has begun! Look your doors and hide your SUVs!
I saw one the other day on the streets of Pasadena, CA. Woohoo!
Telemark asked about expected MPG. A friend of mine has one, and says he gets between 60 and 65 MPG. They are cool little cars. I’m 6’ 5" and fit in it with no problems.
60 to 65 mpg!!! Christ on a tricycle! I’ve been boasting about getting 55 mpg on my bike!
FWIW I used to drive a Chevy Sprint, and routinely achieved 50 mpg. It was a very efficient car and I eventually bought another used one. They’re long-gone now, since they didn’t last much past 120,000 miles.
I saw the Smart, and I thought it was very cool. I’ll keep my Jeep for camping and my bike for fun, but I wouldn’t mind having a Smart after I relocate.
They’d be great to have. I watch TV documentaries filmed in other nations and, aside from Germany, it is apparent that Americans just have to have enormous cars that do 500 mph, even though the speed limit is 55.
The British have some nifty little cars that just buzz around like bees on their narrow roads and hit speeds up to 125 mph and the French have some of the greatest looking little ‘vans’ and trucks that look like they’d be fun to drive.
Notice that the Smart Car has a wider rear end than front. That ought to give it some pretty good stability.
Now, if we were to shift over to small cars, the Hispanic population would riot. You do know that, don’t you? Imagine turning something the size of a Match Box Series into a tricked out low rider that bounces. Not only would the owner have to sit on top of the 15 or 20 batteries normally kept in the trunk, but bounce that front end up a few times and the car would wind up on it’s roof!!
It’s also useless to remove all of the suspension and drive along 2 inches above the road in one of those because no one would notice.
Now, if they could combine big car comfort, like how the heavier suspension smoothes out the bumps and all, with these things, they might sell. Every small car and truck I’ve driven never has a ride that matches up with the big stuff.
Not only that, but you climb into a Big American Car and you feel invincible! It’s built to feel as secure as an army tank and yards of shiny hood in front serves as a great battering ram, with all of that massive engine there to protect you in an impact.
You also have to remember that Americans like to own cars with enough horsepower to pull the Titanic up the street, even if we never get to use more than a little of all of that power.
Around here I find lots of Big SUVs and 4x4 trucks parked in lots and drive ways, all shined up, all with polished chrome, Armor All on the tires, chrome trailer hitches, tinted windows, polished roof racks and not one ever used for anything hard, or off road or tough. They get driven to work on city streets, go to the shopping mall, grocery store, dentist, doctors, book store, and schools and get parked, washed and polished.
This makes me clench my fists. I cannot afford one. I would love one for my love of camping, boating and such, but there these things sit, geared for climbing over rocks and stumps, with gas guzzling 6,000 horse power engines, wide asphalt gripping all terrane tires, suspensions designed to laugh at things like 4 foot pot holes and boulders, bumpers designed to push over trees and all they are used for is prancing around town.
BTW, anyone see the resurgance of mopeds in some European Nations? These are Not Your Father’s Mopeds either that maxed out at 30 mph. These things hit speeds of close to 100 mph!
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- Most people who own SUV’s never take them off-road. As a result, most factory SUV’s perform poorly offroad. They are usually purchased for their interior room and power, something no other commonly-available vehicle (in the US) has to such a degree.
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- I dunno about the Europe, but in the US the legal engine power limit for a moped is 2 brake horsepower, good for ~35 MPH or a bit faster down big hills. - MC
Mopeds in the Netherlands (and IIRC, these rules are at least pretty much universal in the EU) are allowed to have 49.9 CC engines. I don’t know if there are power restrictions, but they DO have a certain noise requirement, and they are not allowed to go any faster than 45 km/h (which is some 28 MPH). Of course, the youngsters do everything in their power to speed the little bastards up to ludicrous speeds, but legal 'tis not.
Oh, and when a moped can honestly hit 100 MPH, I think it’s fair to call it a “motorcycle”. There’s no way in hell you can make a 50 CC moped go THAT fast. I used to own a German spec Vespa scooter when I was 16. This was an (illegal in Holland) 80 CC engine, tuned to the max, and it would work its way up to MAYBE 55 MPH. On a good day. Granted, Vespas don’t have the most aerodynamic shape, but for 100 MPH, you’d need at least a very well tuned and very aerodynamic 125 CC motorcycle.
Most SUVs have independent front suspension, which imporves on-road comfort but reduces off-road ability. (Yes, I know Hum-vees have IFS, but they also have offset axles to keep the diff. from getting bashed.) Jeeps have solid axles, which allow them better articulation in the rough. If you want a reasonably-priced 5-passenger SUV with a solid axle, you’d better hurry. The Cherokee is being discontinues and its replacement, the IFS-equipped Liberty (which reminds me of a chunky PT Cruiser) is appearing on the lots.
And they get taken off-road, they haul camping gear, they tow boats and camping trailers, they transport construction supplies… the list goes on.
I went to a Dopefest-like gathering of some So. Cal. Jeepers, and all of their rigs were immaculate. Yup, all shined up, polished chrome, tinted windows, roof racks, etc. And guess what? These guys actually do take them off-roading! They just wash them afterwards. I’m not a hard-core off-roader, but I do get the Cherokee out occasionally. I wait until the cheap day at the car wash to get the mud off, so it stays muddy for three or four days after I take it out. Not good for the finish to leave it that dirty that long, though. But the guys with “built” rigs tend to wash them when they get done playing. Just because you see a shiny SUV doesn’t mean the owner doesn’t go off-roading. Or camping, hauling, etc.
There are threads in The Pit if you want to get into SUV bashing. FWIW, I used to sneer at people who drove their SUVs around town – as I was driving my SUV around town – saying to myself, “Look at that! They’ve never seen so much as a gravel driveway!” But then I don’t know what they do on weekends. They probably sneer at me and think the same thing. Hey, they don’t know that I off-road sometimes. They might use their SUVs for all sorts of recreational activities, but I only see them on the freeway. While I would not be surprised to learn that few people tow trailers, go camping, or otherwise use their SUVs for their intended purposes, I’m not psychic. Who knows what people do when you’re not watching them?
All you Yanks who want one (well, both of you, anyway) look like your going to get your chance. Clickez ici, s’il vous plait.
“your” = “you’re”, of course, heheheh…
those are so cuuuute! I bet I could fit one INSIDE my van! I’d have to take out the sofa bed and the captain’s chairs, but then I bet it would fit!
In the UK mopeds have a specific meaning, below 50cc and restricted to 30mph, but there is a lower class still, 25cc which you can ride having only done Compulsory Basic Training, without being forced to take an exam within the two year period that all other motorcyclists do.
Cagiva makes a 125cc bike that looks similar to Ducati 916, and it can be derestricted to achieve 100mph but no way is it a moped. They also make the Cagiva Planet which is quite mad, 125cc, 7(yes 7!) gears, each and every one of which is needed to get the bike up to the 100mph mark.Those who ride these are mad as it becomes a matter of principle never to brake since it takes so long and so many gear changes to get back up to speed.
Honda did make a 50cc 6 cylinder grand prix bike that could get up to 140 mph, tiny little 2-stroke screamer that revved to around 20k! Never went on the streets though.
The little Honda monkey bikes are a cult in Japan and you can easily spend £15000 on one with the cost of all the nice exotic bits. Tweaked, bored out to a mighty 110cc, tuned with a double DOHC cam conversion these things can hit over 80mph but you really would not want to go that fast with your knees sticking out like frogs legs and your arse so close to the ground.
I notice that Americans claim they have very fastest cars yet I’d doubt that it true for production cars, even the average European saloon has no trouble getting to 100mph and plenty will easily achieve and maintain 140mph.
The are not too many American sports cars sold worldwide, simply because if you have the money for speed then European sports cars are the way to go, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW M types, Mclaren, Lamborghini, TVR etc.
…and now… the Smart car!!!