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ZAP Smart Car Approved for Sale in the US
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"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." - Bert Lantz
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." - Bert Lantz
90 MPH???? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:2)
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:3, Informative)
That said, parking is not a problem in one of them.
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:3)
hehe.. out of curiosity - can you get them with white walled tyres? guess you could fit a good dozen of ppl in it and call it a taxi!
But I was under the impression that these things dont really happen that often in the US.. or..?
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:5, Interesting)
No kidding. One of the highlighs of this car is that it's as long as a normal car is wide.
Therefore, to park you can just pull straight in, putting the front end (or rear) of the car parallel to the street.
For urban parking woes, it doesn't get any better.
parking isn't a problem, tickets are (Score:3, Interesting)
Why you *HAVE* to parallel park. (Score:3, Insightful)
A friend with a BMW Isetta (the little one, not the bloated 600cc version) gets tickets in San Francisco for parking perpendicular to the curb, never mind the fact that the car is designed for it.
Isetta. Now that's a scary car. There's no crush space at all in those things, and the handling is horrible - especially the smaller 3-wheeled version. But they're a fun car - I'd love to have one because the BMW logo on it would piss off snobs.
Until the cops are clued, the law doesn't matter as long as paying
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:3, Informative)
Actually in the US it varies from state to state. The state's have different laws when it comes to driving/roads/etc. That's why the speed limit is different in different states. That's also why it is easy to get a driver's license in some states and harder in others.
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.smarttune.co.uk/tuning.htm [smarttune.co.uk]
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:4, Interesting)
They performed the same crash test with another normal family car (I think it was some vauxhaul) and it faired no better than the Smart.
Mass Always Wins, 6'4" Europeans (Score:3, Interesting)
That the collision would be between two very different cars is the important thing. It would be important in america, more and more people there are buying bigger and bigger cars. This is different from europe -- people there are more likely to own smaller cars.
We do have a lot more automotive diversity here (North America, not just the USA) than in Europe. In the US, there's more of a do-it-yourself spirit than I find in either Canada or Europe - Americans tend to enjoy working with their hands. This me
Re:Mass Always Wins, 6'4" Europeans (Score:3, Informative)
It depends on the type of collision.
I saw the result of a head-on between an SUV and a BMW Zx (1? 3? can't remember) about seven years ago. The BMW was so low to the ground that the SUV used it as a ramp, went airborne, flipped over, landed on its roof and killed the driver.
The driver of the BMW walked away.
Re:You don't understand how crumple zones work. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:4, Interesting)
People are buying SUVs to be a bit safer than the average car in a crash. So now everybody's gotta get one to stay safe.
Then some people start to drive small trucks to stay safer than the average SUV in a crash. So now everybody's gotta have one to be safe.
Where does it end? Everyone driving 18-wheelers?
Tax private use of larger vehicles. Either through petrol(gas) tax, road tax, purchase tax, take your pick!
In countries where it's more expensive to drive huge vehicles, people chosoe smaller ones. The average car is lighter, more efficient, and better for the environment. And people in smaller cars (or pedestrians) are in less danger in a crash. Just look at the cars in an average city in Europe!
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:3, Interesting)
One Brit TV program recently did a test where they recreated a fairly normal situation, trying to avoid a suddenly braking vehicle ahead of it.
The really interesting bit for the "ordinary car" (BMW!) the test was conducted by the TV presenter with no safty gear other than a seat belt.
The SUV test vehicle was driven by a professional stunt man with crash helmet and five point seat belt! They knew it was gonna role!
The SUV ro
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:4, Interesting)
hahahha, now that's funny!
What isn't funny, is that curves in the highway aren't necessary to require swerving, although I periodically hear about someone taking an exit ramp or turn too quickly.
IIRC, I've seen three SUVs roll...
Then, there was the Jeep Cherokee which exploded after a rear-end collision, immolating a family of 3, and the SUV of some type which tried to drive a 270 ramp at 50mph, and exploded in the trees. I didn't see those, but they do happen.
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:4, Insightful)
There is even a good chance of this happening with a Smart Car. As the bumper of the SUV compresses the front end, the front end and cage of the little car will become a ramp, the tires will blow or the axles collapse, and the car will be locked in place by the sheer friction of the weight of both vehicles plus the force of lifting the SUV. The Smart Car will stop abruptly, which is bad, but the SUV will become a tumbling death trap, with 2 to 4 tons of vehicle crushing the heads of its occupants like overripe grapes.
Trust me, stopping is better than tumbling. Accidents aren't about winning. It's about how you stop. SUV's don't, and that's the problem. Even the people that make them admit that SUV's are more dangerous than standard passenger cars.
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:5, Funny)
Just wait until that crappy SUV gets in a head on collision with a Freightliner. [freightlinertrucks.com] Only a moron would drive anything smaller than a Freightliner. Good thing the Liebherr [liebherr.com] isn't licensed for onroad use, or we'd all have to drive one of them.
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:5, Informative)
it has 4 seats which makes it actually useful and it was no problem at all to go over 190 km/h on the autobahn.
that should be fast enough for most US drivers
it looks weak but drives surprisingly well, it's full with electronics to keep it stable - and it really feels like it.
Re:90 MPH???? (Score:5, Funny)
I took it out on the motorway round Brussels and while it's a lot like driving a hair dryer it is suprisingly comfortable.
I wouldn't want to do any long motorway trips in one though, but then that really isn't what the designers intended either.
I'd have preferred a manual gearbox (smart forfour is the only smart with this as an option) but that won't be an issue in the US.
One thing I noticed is nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, can stand being overtaken by one of these.
Re:90 MPH???? Not so bad (Score:5, Informative)
One of the tests shown was an offset head on impact with a Mercedes S-class. Can't recall the speeds, but the combined speed was high. The front of the s-class was seriously smashed in by the smart car. The front of the smart car too was a mess BUT crucially the passenger compartment of the smart was intact and the occupants would have escaped serious injury.
However, because the passenger shell of the SMART car is so strong and stiff, some tests have shown high passenger loads due to restraints. No doubt due to the small crumple zones on the vehicle.
So I guess if you hit something in a SMART, hit something with a crumple zone that you can share!
Old known in Europe (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Old known in Europe (Score:3, Informative)
Yeah, they've been around in the UK for five years now and they're still not that common (and I get to see both the South East's countryside and London).
That's not to say they're bad cars - they're basically two-seat Mercedes A-classes, I think, and I was impressed with the A-class when work hired me one. But I'd want more room.
Re:Old known in Europe (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Old known in Europe (Score:2)
Oh, no, having checked the Smart site [thesmart.co.uk] it's actually part of Daimler/Chrysler.
Re:Old known in Europe (Score:3, Informative)
Mercedes is actually Mercedes-Benz, which was a part of Daimler-Benz, which merged with Chrysler corporation to make Daimler-Chrysler. So Maybach, Mercedes, Chrysler, and Dodge cars all come from the same parent corporation. (Don't ask about Ford, they're even worse.)
--Ender
Re:Old known in Europe (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Old known in Europe (Score:3, Informative)
for real ? (Score:2, Insightful)
it'll like 5 years old in europe, third gen model are shipping now
zap! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:zap! (Score:3, Funny)
sure, why not. [roadraceengineering.com]
Call that a Smart Car...? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Call that a Smart Car...? (Score:2)
Re:Call that a Smart Car...? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Call that a Smart Car...? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Call that a Smart Car...? (Score:3, Informative)
And although the Honda Civic EX/Type R/whatever is a decent car from a mechanical point of view, it's basically just a bland Japanese thing with zero character. If I wanted a dull car, I'd buy one perhaps. It might be fun to drive, but no-one would care.
Where the heck am I g
I've owned zap stock in my life, (Score:3, Informative)
ZAP! = Pump n Dump (Score:4, Informative)
What? If you want the car, buy some shares of ZAP! ?
What kind of nonsense is that? You must work for ZAP!
So just how MANY shares of ZAP! stock should I buy to get to the top of the waiting list to get a SMART ForTwo?
ZAP! exists not to sell cars, but to pump up their stock price.
These cars are imported by a Registered Importer [gnkauto.com] and converted to US Standards for resale to US Citizens. Overseeing the import and conversion is a company named "Smart-Automobiles LLC" which has NO CONNECTION to Mercedes Benz / DaimlerChrysler.
They have to buy these things RETAIL in Europe, bring them over to the US, convert them, then ZAP! sells "dealerships" and "franchises" across the country and then the "dealer" takes his cut. No wonder the price is so high.
ZAP! exists merely to sell franchises and dealerships [zapworld.com] for a brand they do not own the rights to.
You cannot buy a Smart ForTwo from ZAP!, you can only buy a dealership.
Despite their advertising claims, ZAP! does NO CONVERSIONS, they are nothing but a bunch of marketing droids in an office trying to get people to think they are a "real" company that actually produces some sort of product.
Here is a conversation [fark.com] on FARK where a few people (including a former employee apparently) pull back the curtain on ZAP!
Here is one quote from the conversation:
MB / DaimlerChrysler plans to introduce the SMART BRAND to the US with a 2006 model that is a small SUV,built in Brazil called the ForMore, from that point they may introduce a re-designed version of the ForTwo for the US / World market.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the "real" [smart.com] SMART Brand comes to the US and whether all these ZAP! dealers get hit with a restraining order to cease advertising or dealing a Brand they do not have the rights to.
Re:ZAP! = Pump n Dump (Score:3, Interesting)
occasionally, they sent me snail mail spam that included shareholder only discounts on their products.
it was a 'green' smidge in my IRA that cost me about 150$ total.. I don't however work for them- or have any connections with them whatsoever... nor do I know that such is still a practice with them.
Other considerations (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Other considerations (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Other considerations (Score:4, Informative)
Ahem.. you do realize Europe contains, for example, Germany? Where the Autobahn has no speed limits whatsoever, and the traffic flows accordingly? And the most common maximum highway speed limit in other European countries is, in my experience, 120 km/h, which is 75 mph.
Re:Other considerations (Score:3, Interesting)
I've driven across many of the states in the US, and I've yet to find any place where there aren't Semi trucks on the road, going slower than the rest of the traffic.
In CA it's de jury, but most everywhere else, they just can't get up to 75 with all the weight, up a slope, into the wind, etc. It's a miserable experience to be behind a couple trucks as one decides to go into the open lane an gradually pass the other truck
Real Website (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Real Website (Score:5, Insightful)
Sure, but it looks like ZAP are distributing them in the U.S. Or maybe they just need a funkier name - what we Brits call Vauxhall cars the rest of the world call 'Opal'.
But I don't get it: Smart are DaimlerChrysler, and Chrysler's a big US name - ?
Re:Real Website (Score:4, Insightful)
"Zap"??? (Score:5, Informative)
That "unaffiliated party" is Mercedes Benz (and hence ultimately, Daimler Chrysler). I wonder why they don't seem to want to market it themselves, and are relying on Zap instead. Worried about it being a flop in the US and not wanting to damage their reputation, perhaps?
smae 'SMART' as the one sold by Mercedes (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:smae 'SMART' as the one sold by Mercedes (Score:4, Interesting)
erm ..... no (Score:3, Interesting)
t
Cool looking, huh? (Score:3, Funny)
In a Yugo.... (Score:2, Troll)
Can't Honda bring something like the CRX back? Didn't those get like 55mpg, while being a halfway substantial car (albeit for only two people)?
As for its appearance, "cool" is a very subjective term.
roll cages with covers (Score:3, Informative)
1. SMART cars are essentially big roll cages with coverings for the hood, door, and roof. They are quite safe for the riders should there be an accident. Moreover, they are engineered to "bounce" away from an oncoming impact.
2. With the engines placed as they are, a front-end collision does not put the block in the drivers lap (and crush his legs).
3. I would much much much rather be in one of these than some crumplicious dwarf from Ford
Re:roll cages with covers (Score:3, Interesting)
It's usually not the external impact that kills you. It's your organs getting bashed around inside your body. Remember, your organs are moving at 40 MPH along with your body. If your body suddenly starts "bouncing" around that's the worse possible action. A hard roll cage design just is not a good idea in low speed (60 MPH) accidents.
In a collision the vehicle with more mass wins. Even a little Ford Escort has a 2 to 1 weight advantage against this Zapper thing.
Trust me, you don
Re:roll cages with covers (Score:3, Insightful)
What it lacks are crumple zones which reduce the deceleration rate.
The ideal design for a safe car is a large crumple zone (=length) with a ridged cage to protect the occupants.
Re:roll cages with covers (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:roll cages with covers (Score:5, Informative)
Re:roll cages with covers (Score:3, Interesting)
They are not designed for high speed highway use, they are urban cars where a 75mph crash isn't likely to happen. The vehicle may survive them, but its a fallacy to think that a driver may be safer in
Re:roll cages with covers (Score:3, Interesting)
It doesn't "bounce around", but i think it's fair to say that it does "bounce off" the larger vehicle.
I'm sure it's survivable, but i suspect i'd be more comfortable in the larger Merc (that said, i'm a fan of the smart car concept, my main problem with it is that i think it's overpriced for what it is).
Re:roll cages with covers (Score:3, Interesting)
Comparison... (Score:3, Interesting)
Compare the Zap to Honda's Insight
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/mode
60/66 mpg city/highway
(I can't view the Toyota Prius because of evil plugin-requirements.)
Honda, has a proven track record of quality automobiles.
Zap, in Europe? I don't know. Colour me ignorant.
Re:Comparison... (Score:5, Insightful)
Otherwise known as Daimler Benz [thesmart.co.uk]; been making quality automobiles [mercedes-benz.com] since 1886. So, not much track record there.
I hired one for a week (Score:5, Interesting)
On the downside because the car is rather high and narrow (think two mopeds bolted together side by side), I'm told they can be scarey in side-winds.
Very Popular (Score:5, Interesting)
To counter the negativty... (Score:5, Interesting)
I've always been an in-principle fan of these SMARTs. I haven't driven one, but I've been inside one at various motor shows and there's plenty of space for two plus shopping or weekend luggage. You're not going to go trans-America with it, but to think about in that way is missing the point.
It makes an excellent city car. There are a decent number kicking around in London, and I seem to remember seeing even more when I was Hamburg a few years ago. In the city, you don't care about 90mph, you care that you can pull out nippily, find a parking space and turn round. This is the best answer I've seen since the original Mini (or maybe the Renault Twingo - never did understand why that didn't make it to the UK).
I'm actively considering swapping a Jaguar X-Type for one. Reason? My car mainly drives me to the train station in the morning and back, and a Jag is total overkill for that. We have an S-Type also for weekend trips or serious travel...why have two cars that do the same job? Only thing holding me back at the moment is a concern about its ability to cope with bad weather.
No, I'm seriously interested in these.
Cheers,
Ian
Re:To counter the negativty... (Score:4, Interesting)
They are every bit as good as you think. They are totally stable, comfortable and customiseable, safer than many other 'normal' cars both for those inside and any peds you might hit, and you get big smiles from people - tops!
Justin.
Lanky geek fits, with space for warm beverage. (Score:5, Informative)
0. the cup holder is large enough for a thermally efficient coffee mug.
1. the boot area is large enough for two laptop rucksacks and an overnight bag, perfect for commuting.
2. the passenger seat can be folded flat, providing enough space to easily transport both a 22" monitor and an Extended ATX case.
3. with the iMove centrepiece, you can plug your iPod into it.
4. the soft top has a remote control.
6. this lanky geek (196cm 98k) finds it spacious - more roomy than say a Ford Mondeo (IIRC called a Galaxy over the pond).
7. it can be powered down in the tiniest of spaces
Used as a Police car (Score:3, Funny)
It drove past me once as I was walking to lunch in the city, the sight of two cops in this thing made me and a lot of other people piss ourselves laughing :-)
You could tell the cops felt like dicks in it, they just had these sheepish grins on their faces...
City Driving (Score:3, Interesting)
Personally, I think they are great. I probably wouldn't have one as an only car, but have it as a second car for city driving only.
Seemingly the majority of cars caught speeding in London are Smart cars. Only in the UK and here they are Mercedes Smart cars (designed by the Swatch people, no less).
T.
Gotta chime in (Score:3, Informative)
They're superbly well made, very very quick off the mark. I grew up driving Minis (proper minis, not those funny BMW things) and this Smart is the logical progression.
On the bad side, they're noisy when you stick your foot down hard, the traction control is a bit keen in places, and the standard stereo system blows.
Other than that, I could not be happier. Please take one for a test drive before you judge!
60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid (Score:5, Informative)
This is not a troll but it would be really nice when certain parts of the world realise that having a 2.5 tonne behemoth that barely can get 5mpg is just not a smart idea.
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid (Score:3, Informative)
But I do think that Honda will sell turbodiesel-powered small cars here in the USA by 2007. Imagine a second-generation Honda Fit powered by a 1.4-liter I-4 i-CTDi turbodiesel engine getting 60+ miles per US gallon fuel efficiency! =)
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid (Score:4, Informative)
The only real innovation of the 2-door Smart is that its an efficient Petrol car (overcoming a seeming aversion to Diesel in the US market) and is much easier to drive in tight spaces.
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid (Score:3, Informative)
maybe i'm a rouge environmentalist (or maybe i don't fit a box) -- i think diesel technology is great. the problem is the fuel. removing sulpher from petro diesel allows catalitic converters to be used while biodiesel closes the carbon cycle -- it doesn't put any more carbon into the air than was removed from the air by the organisims that created the fuel.
traditionally, biodiesel has focused on was
Re:Diesel is the way of the future (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid (Score:4, Interesting)
Americans are adverse to diesel, even TDI, for historical reasons. There's been some talk that they're going to try to reintroduce "next-gen" TDI cars in the next few years; how they do in the US market will determine how many more diesels are marketed here in subsequent years.
So the closest we can get to 60mpg is the Prius, which is selling like hotcakes. I think the Smart Car will have a specific demographic, but will do well in those markets: I forsee a lot of them going to big metro areas. But they probably won't do so well in Texas.
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid (Score:4, Interesting)
There is a huge backlash against SUVs in Texas, and not by those granola munching tree huggers that everyone hates to stand next to on the bus, but by the much maligned Soccer Moms and Neo-yuppies that have kept the SUV business growing over the last few years. It seems that people that live in urban areas and that have owned a SUV would rather not have one again. I can't tell you how many people trade in F250 crew cab trucks, Suburbans, etc. here for MINIs.
Personally, I think that the fact that everything in Texas is so spread out and requires so much driving to get to will accelerate the demand for smaller more fuel efficient cars here, especailly when coupled with the rising cost of fuel.
I can cite a couple of things to back this up: A two to three month wait for a new MINI in Texas, a 8-10 month (maybe!) wait for a new Prius in Texas. In addition, I talk to quite a few people each week that not only know about the Smart cars but who also want to own one.
I will concur that in the more rural areas you won't see many of these, but that will be common to all places, not just Texas.
Cute yes, but... (Score:3, Interesting)
Especially with Honda about to introduce the Honda Fit here in the USA within next 18 months.
For those who don't know, the Honda Fit (known as the Jazz in Europe) is an very small car that has just as much interior room as a Honda Civic sedan and is quite a bit more fuel efficient than the Civic, especially when powered by the 1.3-liter I-4 i-DSI engine. Honda has publicly said that they will sell a car smaller than the Civic in the USA market soon, especially since Honda will design the next-generation Honda Civic due in September 2005 for a more upmarket type of buyer; the Honda Fit will fill the gap for first-time Honda car buyers here in the USA. However, note that the Honda Fit Americans will get will NOT be the current model sold in Japan and Europe, but a slightly-larger second-generation model designed with larger-sized American passengers and side-curtain air bags in mind; that new model is supposed to be unveiled in Japan this coming summer.
how long until.... (Score:3, Funny)
Alternatives? (Score:3, Interesting)
Neither look as lame as the smart car IM.
you're safer in a compact car than in an SUV (Score:3, Informative)
Nothing is then SMART (Score:4, Insightful)
Then the only "smart" thing to drive (extrapolating from your statement) would then be another Hummer or behemoth SUV, which i sure as fuck would not be driving.
Let's not be a part of the problem.
-tid242
Re:Nothing is then SMART (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not so SMART . . . (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not so SMART . . . (Score:5, Insightful)
Unfortunately, anybody in the car at the time would be dead due to internal injuries. No amount of safety cages, seat belts and air bags will stop your guts from going splat internally when decelerating from 70mph to 0 in about 1 meter.
Re:Not so SMART . . . (Score:5, Informative)
> would be dead due to internal injuries. No amount
> of safety cages, seat belts and air bags will stop
> your guts from going splat internally when
> decelerating from 70mph to 0 in about 1 meter.
Are you sure about that?
say we start at 70mph, which is u=70*1800/(60*60)=35m/s.
Assume the deceleration is uniform, then we can say
v^2=u^2+2as,
now say that the final velocity, v, is zero, and the displacement s is 1.0m, the acceleration a works out as
a=(35**2)/(2*1.0)=612m/s^2
or about 62g
The duration of the impact will be
(70*1800/3600)/612=0.06s
Now, to judge how deadly this is, we look at some data:
http://www.vnh.org/FSManual/02/03ImpactAccelerati
Table 2.6 gives tolerable x direction accelerations of 45-85G depending on whether it is +x or -x direction with times between 0.04 and 0.1s. the earlier charts give similar information.
So even if we do come to a dead (hopefully not literally!) stop from 70mph in one metre, it is very severe, but it is in the range of accelerations that can be survived. The difference between survival and death is likely to be down to the quality of the restraint system "safety cages, seat belts and air bags".
Re:Not so SMART . . . (Score:3, Interesting)
People would call it a deathtrap, freaked out when I mentioned that their armrest was the gas tank, and ignored that it recieved one of the highest safety ratings of all the sports cars of it's size and was very high in safety rating for all cars of that time.
These are also the
Survivability (Score:5, Interesting)
The Smart has actually been proven to come off very well in crashes.
There is no engine in the front of a Smart to be pushed into the passenger compartment (preventing leg injuries etc.)
A UK TV show demo'd the Smart being crashed into a solid concrete wall at 70mph. Amazingly, the tridion safety cell preserved the shape of the vehicle sufficiently that the doors would still open/close. Another bonus is the low mass and hence inertia of the Smart which means you can litterally 'bounce-off' solid objects while dissipating crash energy in a safe manner.
The Smart also features high-quality airbags to prevent neck/back injuries.
Furthermore, the Smart is pedestrian-friendly, once-again, the hapless would-be road-kill bounces off the plastic panels and there are no suspension turrets to impale them.
Re:Survivability (Score:3, Insightful)
70-0 mph in less than 0.2 of a second is not easy to support by the human body...
Re:Survivability (Score:3, Interesting)
Curiously enough, this is because they don't have anti-roll bars. If you throw one into a roundabout at 50mph, it will roll from side to side alarmingly but it will *never* *ever* lift a wheel off the road.
Re:Not so SMART . . . (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Who needs this shit?? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Who needs this shit?? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:ZAP? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:MSRP? Better than an Insight? (Score:3, Informative)
There are a few posts here talking about support too, saying the Honda Insight is a better purchase because of proven track record. The Insight is battery electric that needs to be completely replaced after 6 years, it also is a VERY expensive car $36,000 for what you get.
This vehicle will most likely be serviced at Mercedes or Chrysler dealerships and runs on ordinar
Re:Cost? (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, I've driven one. One of my friends owns one, and I was sceptical about it when I first saw it.
After getting in, it feels very spacious, and comfortable. Quite zippy for the engine size. Everything is well laid out.
Stable on corners, good acceleration, and good braking.
Superb city drive, although I prefer my Saab 9000 for motorways and long drives, but, when in the city looking for somewhere to park, or just counting petrol costs for start/stop driving, you can bet that I'm missing that smart car.
Re:A single collision with a Chevrolet Suburban... (Score:3, Insightful)