Smart cars are the small, two-seat coupes of 60 mpg. They are made by a company based in Europe named Smart. And that's precisely how they got their name. Whether the car is really smart or not is out of question. The only concern is that will it suit the streets of the U.S.?
If you have watched the film "Da Vinci Code", you must have seen what the Smart Car really looks like. It is a very small car indeed, with not much leg room or space for anything else that you might be carrying other than yourself. It is a car that can contain you and one passenger, perhaps.
Smart Cars can be regarded as smart because they are relatively nifty and thrifty. You don't have to worry about high gasoline costs because this car doesn't consume twice as much as your gas guzzler. It isn't much of a headache as far as maintenance is concerned. This car is very basic in form, shape, and essence.
Parking isn't a problem with this car either. With a car as small as this, you can squeeze it even in a jam-packed parking lot without causing any problems. Merely eight feet long, you can also speed your way at one side of the road when the traffic is heavy. Of course, you still have to make sure that you're within the bounds of the law so as not to get caught by the traffic enforcers.
However, the biggest concern of Americans with Smart Cars is safety. Americans tend to drive fast and freely. And since these cars are very small, how could they fair in a crash rating system? Are there adequate safety devices in the car like seat belts and airbags? Well, this is actually one of the problems why the mass importation of Smart Cars didn't totally materialize in the U.S.
American car safety agencies require the Smart Cars of Europe be converted first to get approval for use in the U.S. highway. This is yet another hurdle that Smart Cars have to overcome in order for them to penetrate the American car market.
It was believed that Smart Cars don't offer as much protection to the driver and his passenger in cases of crashes. It's primarily because they're lightweight and small. Smaller cars tend to suffer worse impact than bigger cars. With this said, the sales of Smart Cars in the U.S. became just a vision.
Right now, the American car market is more interested in SUV's. The manufacture and importation of luxury SUV's are on a roll. Almost all major car companies have their own versions. With them standing beside Smart Cars, will you able to pick which one really is smart?
With the recent concern over high gas prices, many people here in Denver are looking for the highest mileage vehicles that they can find to drive on their daily commute. Denver has seen a boom in scooter sales and increased interest in bike commuting over the past few years. However, for those who cannot commute by bike, or do not feel safe riding a scooter in rush hour traffic, there is a better option.
The Smart Car is a radical departure from the typical American automobile. Developed in Europe where gas prices have always been high, streets are narrow and parking spaces at a premium, this car is about half the size of a typical automobile. It only carries two people and weighs close to a thousand pounds less than many of the other gas miser options out there. So, does this car's diminutive size mean that it is dangerous to drive?
Most of us assume that the bigger a vehicle is - the safer it is. This is true to a certain degree. However, safety engineers have been able to pack a tremendous amount of design features into today's smaller cars that decrease the chances that you will be seriously injured in a crash. The Smart Car is a great example of this fact.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IHS) has recently performed comprehensive crash testing on this vehicle and it fared better than most people would have expected for it's size.
In frontal and side impact collisions, the Smart Car received a good rating. This is actually the highest possible rating under the IHS standards. It received an acceptable rating in rear end collisions. IHS performs an off-set frontal crash test which simulates most real-world auto collisions. In a pure frontal impact test performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the Smart Car received a five star rating for driver protection and a three star rating for passenger protection.
You may also view a video showing the Smart Car being crashed into a concrete barrier at 70 m.p.h. through the link at the bottom of this article. While not scientific, this video dramatically shows how well this car performs in crashes.
So, it appears as though the Smart Car designers have done a remarkable job at making this car a safe choice for many drivers. If I were looking for a vehicle to be used primarily on city streets with little to no highway driving, I would consider this as an option. If I needed a car to drive on highways, or if I needed to transport more than two people, I would look at other options such as the Honda Civic, which has always maintained an impressive safety record along with excellent fuel efficiency.
Both Eric Hill & Jason Crawford are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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