Overview & Reviews

Usually, Italian exotic sports cars are best at getting other motorists' attention when driving down the road. But the diminutive "Smart car," as many people refer to it, turns just as many heads. But in this case, a Smart is about fuel economy and efficiency, not performance.

Smart began in 1993 as a joint venture between Daimler-Benz and Swiss watchmaker Swatch, creating a company known as Micro Compact Car AG headquartered in Biel, Switzerland. (It would later move to Germany and be known simply as Smart.) Its "city cars" would feature the build quality and engineering expertise of Mercedes-Benz, while Swatch would contribute its funky design philosophy. The resulting two-passenger Smart City-Coupe was designed for a European urban environment, with a specific emphasis placed on fuel economy and parking ease. The City-Coupe could theoretically be able to park perpendicular in a parallel-parking spot. (The wheelbase is the width of most other cars, after all.)

Because it was such a tiny car, Smart created the "tridion" safety cell (the silver or black portion of the body) to assure the City-Coupe could withstand impacts from exponentially bigger vehicles. Made from three layers of steel reinforced at strategic points, the cell was designed to absorb and redistribute crash energy away from the vehicle's occupants. Side impacts are shielded by steel door beams and reinforced axles.

Daimler-Benz bought Swatch out shortly after the City-Coupe's introduction just as the Smart started to generate hype around the world for its revolutionary take on personal transportation. Initial sales began in nine continental European countries in 1998, and the car proved popular with consumers.

This success led to an eventual expansion of the Smart car brand with the introduction of additional Smart models, including the Roadster and Roadster-Coupe in 2003 and the Forfour sedan in 2004. Reaction to these model lines was lukewarm at best, however, as consumers found them to be overpriced. This failure led to a dramatic downturn in Smart's fortunes, eventually putting it on DaimlerChrysler's chopping block before CEO Dieter Zetsche saved it with a new business model built exclusively around the City-Coupe, which had been renamed Fortwo.

More than 770,000 units and 36 countries later, the second-generation Fortwo debuted in 2006. With only a slight size increase, the general look of the iconic city car remained, but the interior and often-criticized automanual transmission received significant changes and safety was improved. The biggest news, however, was that Smart would be expanding into the United States, where rising gas prices had shifted the market toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. While there is no mainstream vehicle that embodies those two criteria better than the Fortwo, only time will tell if Americans who once laughed at Smart will embrace it the way Europeans and others around the world have.

User Reviews:

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  Expected More - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Raul Montoya - December 17 - 2:50 am

  Reading about smarts online I was very excited about the purchase. I had heard tales of astronomical fuel economy and how the EPA numbers were grossly overrated. After owning a smart for several months I can say that this isnÂ’t the case. It only gets about 2-3 MPG better than the civic it replaced. It is much slower, doesnÂ’t brake as well, doesnÂ’t handle as well, and has far less room. The build quality is also dubious with minor trim pieces breaking or feeling very flimsy. For such a small car with such a small engine and so few amenities I feel it should get much better MPG. If you are buying this looking for an ultra fuel saver spend a few dollars more and get a civic/focus/corolla.

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  Stupid Car! - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By clins - November 25 - 1:36 pm

  Had issues from almost day 1. Went through a small puddle during rain storm - caused the passenger seat airbag light to go on. Has never turned off. Barely touch the key while its in ignition it will turn the engine off. Completely unsafe when you are driving. Had it happen a few times (dog touched it). Have repeated issue with the engine not wanting to go into gear, especially reverse. Dont want to even attempt to do a u-turn because it might not go into R and you are stuck in middle of road. Goes through phases. Works for a few weeks then it doesnt. Someone suggested rain might affect it. Battery dies often too. I live on an island & to ship it over costs $400. Have not seen dealer.

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  You cant be serious - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By allan - February 24 - 9:40 am

  Transmission is a disaster and you have to be nuts to take the car on the highway. Its cute, but for its size you ought get better mileage. Car is a disappointment and am getting rid of it. People like its looks, which is basically all it has, so its easy to resell.

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  58000mile valve job - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By notsmart - November 17 - 1:14 am

  58000 miles and had to replace fuel injectors..now it needs a valve job. 58000miles????? are they kidding me. every time i bring it to smart they break something. changed a tire and they broke the sensor. had an oil change and they broke the valve. got it back from service and they forgot to put on the engine cover. now it took them more than 2 hours to diagnose low compression in #2 cylinder..remove engine and try to do a valve job. with out changing the guides. now they want to replace the head because they dont know how to redo the heads. is this on the jobs training with my car. also had the no reverse shift problem in the past. smart does not want to help. buy a new one ..yeah right!

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  I hate this car so much... - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By foxmajik - February 22 - 2:24 pm

  Ive had to take this car in for work more than my used 92 Mazda Protege. For various reasons, from plastic pieces falling off the interior to the air dam in the front snapping off and dragging on the freeway. The gas mileage is atrocious for a car this small (around 25 mpg). The transmission is a confused and nervous little curmudgeon that cant decide what gear it wants to be in when youre under 15 mph and keeps jumping back and forth between 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear. Every time the gear shifts the car lurches back and lunges forward like Ive slammed on the brakes. And this is normal for smart cars, every one Ive been in does it, even after having the transmission firmware upgraded.

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  Lies and and verbal promises - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By michael - October 29 - 10:00 am

  We were one of the first people (71/72nd) in Florida to buy this car 28 months ago. We bought the convertible with all the extras 24k total from the start we started having mechanical problems. We also bought an extended warranty $1400. Time after time the car was having to be towed and it wasnt just one thing. It was the shifter twice the engine twice the a/c and it goes on and on. The car is now broke and sitting in our yard with 30k miles. The warranty doesnt cover transporting the car after 24k. This was after a sales person assured us the if anything go wrong including the tires for 70k miles it will be towed and fixed at no cost.

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  Smart Car - a Dissappointment - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Walter Martin - May 29 - 10:00 am

  Very dissatisfied with our smart car. The transmission is a joke with very rough head snapping gear shifts, which, because there are five gears, seem to happen all the time in city driving. (At one point our transmission failed to be able to go into reverse. The merecedes dealership fixed this for no charge saying there were "thousands of smart cars with the same problem." If thats the case mercedes should do a recall and fix them all.) The suspension is rough with even minor bumps being uncomfortable. The car was so uncontrollable on ice that special winter tires had to be purchased for it. With the winter tires it is about the same as any car on ice with summer tires. Costly mistake

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  Best of no world - 2013 Smart fortwo
  By fazdaz - May 21 - 1:09 am

  My first impression of this car was that it will be fuel efficient which I can now assure you that it is NOT. I had read reviews that this car isnt really efficeint so I convinced myself by telling myself that Im buying a quality product. It has been six months and take my word on this. Its not efficient for its class. Its a tiny car, with very little power, you would think it gives twice as much mileage as a car like Corolla but it gives same result at the gas station. I had a flat tire at 2000 miles from a tiny piece of metal and Roadside assistance took 5 hours to arrive in rural area near a smart center. Inefficient and uncomfortable. I dont know how I got fooled into this.

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  fortwo Hates Winter - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By UncyHerb - April 4 - 1:26 am

  Skinny front tires and auto trans makes ABS come on with every stop in snow. The rear wheels are always trying to drive forward as you come to a stop, so its up to the fronts to stop the car AND the motor. Ive gotten in the habit of popping it into neutral as Im stopping. I have no confidence in slippery stopping times. Roads made bumpy by frost heaves and potholes make for a punishingly harsh ride. The suspension must have only a couple of inches of travel because it doesnt take much to jolt the whole car on a bump. But when the roads are dry and smooth its fun to drive. Nice around town.

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  You will forever regret this! - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Robert_Kern - April 17 - 4:46 pm

  I have had my smart for just under 2 years now. At first it seemed perfect for New York. 150 Dollar Parking per month, fits in tight places, etc. Very quickly however did I find out what an unreliable, terrible little car this is. It has broken down multiple times due to computer errors, failing transmission, clutch, etc. It shakes everything lose on the car whenever you hit the slightest bump. Even a sewer lid produces a noisy thump and a jolt. The car shakes at highway speeds and now my roof is starting to crack. And where is smart? They dont want to have anything to do with the car, the service departments dont know very much about it, the customer service is horrific!