Get Smart? Or Maybe Not

Sure, this tiny car is cute and can park anywhere. But the Smart Fortwo isn't as inexpensive or fuel-efficient as it ought to be

By David Kiley

I'm not sure the Smart is aptly named—after driving Daimler's (DAI) odd and interesting Fortwo coupe for a few days. The model name is dead-on, as only two people can, in fact, ride in it at a time. But Smart?

I got into the little runabout and immediately felt I was in a car priced at about $10,000 and built in some Eastern European factory devoid of modern robotics. It feels a bit like a kit car, one my Dad and I might have built in the driveway.

At 106.1-in. long—less than half the size of a standard U.S. parking space, and a staggering five feet shorter than the Chevrolet Aveo or Toyota Yaris, the two smallest cars I know of on the road with backseats—the Fortwo is, as I would expect, a breeze to park and maneuver.

I set out for downtown Ann Arbor, Mich., to run some errands and get a coffee. Ann Arbor, of course, is a college town in which I have seen people driving electric cars and where it sometimes seems that every new house comes with a Prius. I have also seen a few Smart Fortwos running around and parked at Whole Foods (WFMI). So, I am prepared for gawkers and questioners.

Nose-to-Curb. Next Stop, Manhattan?

I was dying to park my Fortwo nose-to-curb. This is one of the big benefits of the car in Europe in hyper-congested cities. It is also one of the selling points to Americans who live in cities where nose-to-curb parking is permitted. See a space near the hydrant that is too small for General Motors' (GM) Chevy Malibu or Toyota's (TM) Sequoia? Pack a tape measure in your Fortwo, so you can measure the distance between your driver door and the hydrant in case you can squeeze in. I've had to drive by many a space in New York into which the Fortwo could be crammed, even after the alternate-side-of-the-street parking shift takes place in the morning and all the spaces appear to be gone.

I parked the car nose-to-curb and walked away, crossing Washington Street to Starbucks (SBUX) for a cup of Pike Place. On the way, I passed a trio of young women gawking at the Fortwo. One said: "You know…they only parked that way because they can." True. There was plenty of space for me to park conventionally, but I was out to prove the point—that I could. I really wanted to drive this thing around Manhattan.

But I wasn't so keen to drive the Smart from Michigan to New York to try it out. I did take it out on the highway on Route 94 to Detroit Metro Airport. I comfortably got the car up to 60 mph. I passed some cars going 70 mph. It was O.K., I wasn't uncomfortable, and the car didn't appear to be straining too much. By the way, my wife forbade me to take my 6-year-old son in the car. But that's only because there is no backseat, and it's a no-no to have a child that small in the front seat with a booster seat.

So, I'm down with the funky design. And I like the idea of a car that uses less gas than our minivan when we don't need all that space. What I dislike about the Fortwo is that it doesn't deliver enough given the small package and somewhat pricey sticker.

Dashed Expectations

Prices for the 2008 Smart Fortwo start at $11,590 for a base model, called the Fortwo Pure.