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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  Disapointed Owner - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Rob - July 18 - 12:13 pm

  The car is fun to drive with the exception of the transmission. You never know when it is going to hesitate, sometimes it take 3 to 5 seconds for the computer operated clutch to decide what it wants to do. This is dangerous when trying to pull out into traffic. The gas mileage in the city is only 25 to 30. The car has not lived up to my expectations.

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  Mercedes Should be embarrassed! - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By scott - September 6 - 1:43 am

  What a shame! Great concept - horrible car to drive. I have 5 drivers in my house and after the initial novelty period passed, no one wants to take this car. It drives so poorly. I wont drive it anymore as its jerky ride makes me wish I has an air sickness bag in the car. Gas mileage is disappointing, car is woefully underpowered and the silly transmission should cause me to get my money back under the lemon law, the dealer keeps saying that it is supposed to work the way it works. Shame on Mercedes. I feel bad that a company like them has to be affiliated with such a joke of an overpriced car. I cant wait to sell it to some hyped up fool who falls for this scam of a car!

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  horn & door problems lies on extended warranty - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By kulumao - April 27 - 4:14 am

  I love my 2008 Smart passiion. I have less than 12000 miles on it. The first time i had to use the horn, it does not work, the plastic part on the door hinge is missing. I bought a platinum ext warranty at the time and was told it covered bumper to bumper for 5 years. Now they told me the horn problem is not covered and the door hinge missing part is not covered either. what a rip off, never buy any ext warranty from mercedes benz again. I wont touch any MB either, Lexus gave much better service and had no problems.

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  Not What I Was Expecting - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By bikerchick3 - September 1 - 6:56 pm

  Rides horribly. Faulty transmission has left me stranded a couple of times and the dealership wont do anything about it. original battery was "bad" and left me stranded, but they replaced it. Gas mileage in the city is only ~25 mpg., much less than I was expecting.

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  Dont buy a 2008 dealer buyback = LEMON - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Cindy - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Really disappointed with this car. Yes its fun to drive, great to put the top down, and yes its cute- however when I went to trade it in- it turns out that a dealer buy back = LEMON in the car world. Thus- hideous trade in value. Shame on you Annapolis Smart- Mercedes. Buy back = Lemon- run dont walk from the 2008- check the title history, if you see dealer buy back look elsewhere unless you plan on keeping it forever.

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  Not a smart decision - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Steven Sound - April 17 - 12:33 pm

  Yes this car will get you attention but once this fad wears out, it will be nothing but a joke. After driving this car for 4k miles I have gotten mixed reviews, some laughs and some positive remarks. I average 31 MPG but when I drive on the highway at 70 MPH it drops to about 26 and it has zero power for passing. The transmission shifts very hard and abruptly from 1st to 2nd gear. The ride is rough but it is fun to drive a small car. The 2 year warranty is a joke. Every trip to the dealer costs $100 just to look at the car. As I said the car is fun to drive for a few weeks but exhausting to own and no worth buying if you need a reliable, fuel efficient car. A Honda Fit is a better value.

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  2008 Piece of Junk - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By dispshannon - July 1 - 9:26 pm

  I purchased this vehicle new and within 1 year was having trouble with the transmission ...Wont go into reverse. Dealership says nothing wrong. 1 year later..NO WARRANTY and now it wont go into reverse or forward. How do you drive a car that wont do forward or reverse..YOU DONT...

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  smart EV - 2013 Smart fortwo
  By luvmysp23 - July 1 - 7:54 am

  I would only recommend this as a strictly commuter car if your commute is 5-10 mi each way. Parking is a breeze in NYC where parking in anything larger than a smart is a nightmare. However, when the weather is below 35 degrees, the cabin is always cold (even with heated seats) and the heat robs 20-40% of your range if you use it consistently. The 70hp boost they claim rarely kicks in when you step on the pedal. Ive had the car for 4 mo now (since Nov 13) and range anxiety has been a major problem during the polar vortex days. My commute is only 15 mi each way and I always get home with just 20% of power from a 100% charge. If the range would be 100 mi with heat/AC on, this would be perfect

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  Ideal Key West Car! - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Tom Lavender - February 27 - 10:00 am

  I have a very early 2008 Passion Cabrio. Really enjoy the car, but its 150 miles to the dealer. Have had many driveability problems. It took Smart 2 1/2 years to figure what the backup problem was. I had cruise control installed, the dealer blamed the backup problem on the cruise. I had the cruise uninstalled still had the problem. I truly love the car but just dont understand Smarts logic as to marketing and service. Im out of warranty and ready to trade cars Smart Weston acts like they dont want my car back. It is a wonderful car, would be even better if the dealer wasnt 150 miles away. They need better warranty and better service centers.

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  Cant get out of its own way ! - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By TriCounty - March 4 - 9:46 am

  Has no power. Has a hard time getting up a hill. If you live in an area with hills and mountains dont even think about this car .