I saw a Smart Car!

[moTthediesel]

Stopped at the new Best Buy in Watertown NY on Sunday and parked right next to a brand new "Smart Car" diesel. It had Ontario plates and a crowd of people gawking at it.
I'm not usually crazy about little "Wart" cars, as my Sons call them, but that thing was pretty cool, I must say! It must have made the trip down from the border on I-81 OK, does anyone know how fast they can go? I'll have to do some research, even though I'm sure they'll never be allowed to be sold here in the United Snakes   :evil:
moT

[wyldman]

They must be selling quite a few of them,as I've seen a lot of them on the roads lately.

[LeeG]

There are lots of them in the Vancouver BC area.  They seem to be able to hold 120km/h ok and accelerate good enough to keep up to other traffic.  Sound kinda buzzy on the highway, like they are wound out a bit at 120.

[A Guy]

Theres' a tonne of them in Ottawa.  We usually pass at least one on our way home in the eve and I see them all day around the market.  THey seem to sit around 115-120km/h on the highway. Like the previous post said - buzzy at highway speed.  The trade off is there amazing on fuel and there's no problem finding parking
I'd like to see what one looked like after it had been in a highway accident.  I think there a great grocery getter.  I saw the new one...looks like a crx but deisel and more of a drivers car... now that would be interesting
out.

[BlackTieTD]

:? there are about 3 in the parking lot outside the window here. at least 1 CDI. i flew past one on the 401 yesterday... haha funny little things to see on a highway. i thought my rabbit was small.

[LeeG]

There are various crash test vids on the 'net.  Google it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5217861/ is a promotional one.  Watch it closely and you will see that the Smart comes to a stop and starts to rebound just before they cut the scene.

There is another non-promo test video out there somewhere, shot outdoors, between a Merc. and Smart and it clearly shows the Smart bounce backwards, about a foot in the air.

The accupant compartment is protected, but would you survive the deceleration?  I certainly wouldnt want to run into anything big with one.  In my book, they are an alternative for someone that would be willing to ride a motorcycle on public roads -something I once was willing to do but no longer.  Jetta is as small and light as I am willing to go.

[HP]

I see those everyday  

[mainer]

I've seen on here in western maine. The thing was a diesel, and quick. I waching it pull out of a fuel station. I dont think I would ride in one, not to safe IMHO.

Coop
_________________
Mercedes Benz 600

[Traktor]

A short video of a Ford F150 crash test at 40mph for comparison followed by a longer vid of a Smart car crash test at 70mph.

http://www.progressive.com/video/40F-150.mpg

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6605730767077503480

[Traktor]

OK, I can't get it to work now. Was a very good vid with a commentator who travelled along beside the smart as it accelerated then smashed into a concrete barrier. It bouced quite a ways up and back but the cab was in remarkably good shape, the passenger door still opened and closed neatly. If someone else can find it please post.

[wyldman]

Try this http://www.metacafe.com/watch/60538/smart_car_crash/

[vwmike]

I think I'd rather be in the smart car. You'd be less likely to be injured. One thing most people don't think about in crash scenarios is that a large vehicle such as the truck can be worse. The inertia is that much greater leading to further collapse of the cabin area which would be much more likely to cause serious/fatal injury than being thrown around inside the car. At least the airbags would be deployed to cushion you. Another thing is that a non-unibody vehicle derrives much of it's strength from the frame and contact above the frame can skewer the cab off like an egg off the griddle.

[LeeG]

large vehicle such as the truck can be worse. The inertia is that much greater

Having interia on your side in an multi vehicle accident is beneficial.  There are accident statistics to prove that you are much more likely to be injured/die if you are in the lighter of 2 vehicles involved in a crash.  Inertia (force) = mass * velocity right?  

The principle behind seatbelts/ airbags, crumple zones, bumpers is energy absorption & disipation.  They all act to spread out the time that your body is subject to deceleration.  Too much deceleration, even if the cabin stays intack results in broken necks, arotas ripped off, internal injuries, brain damage.  Picture yourself falling backwards onto a mattress vs a concrete floor.  One doesnt hurt, one may kill you, your body had the same energy (inertia) in each case but the mattress decelerates you gradually.

OK, soin a similar speed crash between a Smart and a rail frame 1/2 ton pickup in a headon, the Smart is going do expend all its energy without expending all the pickups and bounce backwards.  Case in point:  My mint '61 chrysler 4 dr (driven by my sister) hit LF corner with RF corner of a mid '80s civic that turned left on a red light.  Civic driver left the scene in an ambulance, sister and boyfriend unhurt.  Crysler didnt even have seat belts.

Different if you run a vehicle into an imovable object.  The Smart probably absords its own energy better than any half ton pickup can.  But I wonder if the above crash video would have been survivable in any case...it was a heck of a impact.

Sorry to ramble on so long.

[zyewdall]

Yeah, in a two vehical collision, the bigger is "usually" better off, unless it squishes into the passenger compartment too much.  Recently here there was a case where a schoolbus t-boned a suburban that turned in front of it.  Killed a few people in the suburban, and only minor injuries in the school bus.  So even a big SUV won't always save you.

But probably half of the accidents I see around here are single vehical accidents -- alot of going off the edge of the road into the creek in the ice type stuff.  If I'm driving in city traffic, bigger might be better to fend off other cars careening into me, but on a snowy mountain road, I'd prefer something smaller and more nimble to avoid flipping it in the ice.

[Hillshy]

i had a smartcar up until sept last year, i had owned it for 5 years, the best car i have ever owned, family life forced sale, their lots of fun, nippy and a totally loaded small car. i still miss, the thing i lov'd bout it, mine was tuned with big alloys, so it was fast and stuck well, lots of hot hatches didnt have a chance as there so small and agile. i put 60k on it too and no problems.

there's loads here on the uk, but have only ever seen one or two diesel smarts in real life, they are few and far between.

hillshy