Friday, February 29, 2008
A snippet from Edmunds:
- The 2008 Smart Fortwo has the highest SPM (smiles per mile) factor of any car we've ever driven. We spent a week behind the wheel of the world's shortest production car, but it took only about 20 minutes to realize that it would be hard to do wrong in a car that seems to make everyone happy.
Read:Edmunds InsideLine Full Review
The media is already reporting that will most likely hit $4 a gallon by summer. What else is new? Gas peaked at $3.79 in the San Francisco Bay Area. I assume we will be way above the national average. My guess, $4.30.
This is good news for smart car owners.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
CNN reports a few problems for those lucky smart fortwo owners. Expect your commute and travel times to be a bit slower. The suggestion is you need to plan ahead. Why? Read on.
It's not that the car is slow. The problem is that every time you take it out, a mass of people appears with a lot of questions. Or they'll just stand in front of it to take their pictures.
On the highway, you'll need lots of extra time to change lanes. Other drivers will drive up next to you and gawk at your little car. So you'll slow down. Then they'll slow down. Then you'll speed up. And they'll speed up. You'll wave your arm to tell them to slow down or speed up so you can get over before you miss your exit. They'll smile and wave back.
Link: CNN
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
US News reports that Laura Bush's chief of staff, Anita McBride just got her cabrio.
- And Mrs. Bush is a fan. "I think she'll be very proud of the fact that I'm driving a fuel-efficient car," says McBride. "It's the talk of the White House."
Read: US News
Friday, February 8, 2008
The best way to evaluate fuel economy is to determine how many miles you can get per dollar.
MSN has an article that highlights the MPD winners.
- For decades, miles per gallon — mpg in its familiar shorthand — has been the only way for consumers to understand how much gasoline is going into their tank, and what it really costs. But mpg isn't cutting it any more.
The smart fortwo is the best non-hybrid that gets you 12 miles per dollar. A SUV like the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG gets you 4 miles per dollar.
With a 30 mile commute, you are spending roughly 2 bucks and change when driving a smart. That SUV would cost you $ 7.50.
In one year the SUV would cost $1,950 vs $650 with a smart fortwo.
Vehicle Combined MPG Fuel Price Miles Per Dollar
Toyota Prius 46 $3.00 15.33
Honda Civic Hybrid 42 $3.00 14.00
smart fortwo 36 $3.00 12.00
MINI Cooper 32 $3.00 10.67
Toyota Yaris 32 $3.00 10.67
Spend more, drive less. . .
Vehicle Combined MPG Fuel Price Miles Per Dollar
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 12 $3.00 4.00
Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG 12 $3.00 4.00
Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG 12 $3.00 4.00
Dodge Ram 1500 14 $3.00 4.67
Lincoln Mark LT 14 $3.00 4.67
READ: MSN
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
In Europe, smart has produced some gimmicky 'virtual' goggles/glasses that let you simulate driving a smart fortwo. They took the low-tech approach. It is made out of cardboard:
More:
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Friday, February 1, 2008
It was inevitable that people have started flipping their smart cars for a profit. Check out this one Flickr photo:
Notice how the owner replace the MSRP price with his own scribbly handwriting?
More. Here
