Smart Cars Are Stupid

In the past month I have seen about a dozen Smart Cars zipping around the Denver Metro. While they look like little death traps next to the SUV's that still dominate the roadways, I thought that maybe the Smart Car would be perfect for someone worried about conservation and economy. But upon further investigation I was disappointed to find the Smart Car is neither a thrifty buy nor is it particularly impressive when it comes to conservation.


With new Smart Cars in the US selling for over $13,000 starting price, you are getting no real bargain when you can buy a new Corolla for about $2,000 more and actually own what has historically been the best compact ever made. Then there is the fuel economy of the smart car 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway. Sure that mileage is fantastic if you are bumping up from the 11 miles per gallon you were getting driving your suburban around town, but compared to the Geo Metro's achievement of 38 mpg city and 45 mpg highway for nowhere near the equivalent of a $13,000 price tag back in the 1990's it really is not that impressive. The aforementioned Corolla boasts 27 mpg city and 35 mpg highway, which is a far cry from the Smart Car, but you can actually comfortably fit 4 people in the car with trunk space to boot.

For such a small vehicle, I would have hoped that modern engineering would allow the smart car to do more than simply match the highway gas mileage of a hybrid such as the Prius with its 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway. The Smart Car came to America thanks to an investment by DaimlerChrysler. Why is it that when it comes to new car technologies American companies are more about gimmicks than they are actual progress in conservation and lessening the dependence on foreign oil? The first major hybrids for Ford and Chevrolet were the Ford Escape SUV and the hybrid Chevy Tahoe. You have to be fricken kidding me. You take the most heinous gas guzzlers on the road and develop them to the point of mediocrity. Meanwhile Japanese car makers took vehicles that were already more efficient and more reliable and were the first to market with hybrid vehicles in the US. It is not anti-American for me to say that Ford deserves to be getting its ass kicked. They would rather lobby to prevent higher fuel efficiency standards than to just build their future through progressive thought. Henry Ford should be turning in his grave.

The good news is that Smart Car is developing some really interesting new electric cars and hybrids. They will be very expensive when they hit market, but with some more staggering mpg's maybe then I will be impressed. For now the Smart Car is just a trendy overpriced micro-car and disappointment comes standard.