Smart Takes Aim at Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
Pictured to the right is the Smart ForTwo car. Smart isn't an editorial adjective of my choosing; rather "Smart" is the name of the manufacturer, a subsidiary of Daimler. These just started to go on sale state-side in January, and they are beginning to show up in traffic with some regularity, at least out here in the Land of Fruits and Nuts.
It looks small in the picture, but when observed on the road, it seems even smaller. A Mini Cooper or Toyota Yaris will dwarf this vehicle. Side by side with the Smart car, something as big as a PT Cruiser will look like a Hummer, or a yacht.
As unique as this car is, there is something undeniably familiar about it. The slope of the roof-line, the mis-proportion of the size of the wheels to the body - we've seen this before. Many, many times in fact. It is obvious upon closer inspection that the would-be breakthrough design queues of the ForTwo are heavily inspired by none other than the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. Yes, take a look at the them both, and the resemblance is clear. Stuff a bear in the trunk of the Smart car, and the two are almost identical. Maybe the name can be changed to Grand Cozy Coupe, and instead of dealerships, Daimler can make an arrangement with Wal-Mart to stock these in the section of the store near the swing-sets.
The Cozy Coupe wins the battle for fuel efficiency, with its Flintstones-style propulsion system eliminating the need for fill-ups. The Smart is not nearly as good in this area, and in fact, may disappoint. One would expect Vespa-esque mileage numbers from a such a goofy looking car, but not so. The 2008 EPA numbers for the ForTwo are 33 city, 41 highway. In a recent Car & Driver magazine test, they reported an average of 32 MPG. All of these numbers are comparable to those of my 10-year-old Civic, which incidentally holds five passengers and looks much less like it belongs on the streets of Toon Town.
So the moral of the story is that the ForTwo might not be as smart of a car as it appears, even with rising fuel prices. Maybe some people will actually like it, but my opinion is that the Smart ForTwo, much like soccer, should have just stayed in Europe.
7 comments:
I agree with all of the above, except I must object to your car NOT belonging in Toon Town, or else Mario World.
Why didn't your ancestors stay in Europe too? I think if you do some technical comparisons instead of just looking at the shape of the vehicles you'll find enough differences.
Clearly you won't be buying one but better get used to them, they're here and they're not going away.
My ancestors left Europe because they were so cool. I'd put in an emoticon here to ease the tension, but I don't use emoticons. They belong in Europe.
It is a good thing nobody cares about your opinion....
I care! haha.
oh...and the mileage is ridiculous!! lol. If I was going to drive a car like THAT, I would at least want better mileage than a normal economy car.
I agree. I used to live in Europe in saw these things everywhere. In fact, the "dealerships," at least in Austria, resembled building-sized vending machines - no joke.
Anyway, I'm definitely up for conserving gas. Prices are just way too high, but this car's mileage is the same as my 2000 Civic. So why the hell would I sacrifice two seats for and overpriced, undersized civic?
We need to get better mileage, but Smart isn't the answer. I'd rather get an old diesel beater and use vegetable oil.
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