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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  Love it, Attention getter, Best so far - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Mel - February 26 - 12:23 pm

  If someone wanted to trade me, title for title, Mercedes, corvette, etc... and I could not sell there trade, would not trade. Love it, fun to drive, S A F E. Read the info, published, go to a smart car dealer and look at the frame.

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  Run About - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By Mark C - February 25 - 12:34 am

  Great Car for the West Coast; Never a parking problem. Always able to fit in somewhere. Easy in & out. Non-electric maint., I bought it five years ago from the original owner. Love this car. It is a convert. Brabus 2009. UPDATE; 7/3/17, Yes I still have the car. It is not my daily driver. I have a 3/4 ton truck for my daily work. I still enjoy this little guy after all of these years. If I decide to sell it? Its not b/c I dont like it. I might just want to try something else. Going out to dinner downtown. We take the Smart and leave the BMW at home. Why? So easy to PARK and get in & out of. When you are inside, it feels much bigger than it looks like from the outside.Update; 1/7/18 Yes, I still have and am Happy with it. Sorry I dont see more of them around. Much better than an electric or hybrid car.

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  GOOD THING COME IN SMALL PACKAGES - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By SMARTALEC - February 24 - 8:40 pm

  Wanted one as soon as they hit the US market. This car is the bomb. Shifting a little strange at first, but after a couple says you get in "sync" the car. Nimble, quick as it needs to be, great at highway speeds.

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  My Rollercoaster Ride - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By LouG - February 18 - 9:06 pm

  I have owned this car for 9 months. I cant wait too get rid of it!!!! Yeah its cute but it isnt all that its made out too be. The gas mileage is good only if you drive like an old person, A car this small should get better MPG. The transmission is the worst, annoying, uncomfortable feeling I have ever exp, even with the trans software update. It is soooo annoying if you get stuck in traffic, Shifting from 1st to 2nd constantly up and down will make you want to vomit. This is the main reason I want too sell it. Gas gauge still wont read rt, even after 5 times back too the dealer, Mercedes should be ashamed to hsve there name linked too this car. THE LITTLE HERKY JERKY ROLLERCOASTER RIDE..

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  More attention than a cute puppy - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By Craig - December 7 - 3:40 am

  This car is great. I just bought it and the transmission must be shifted by hand. In the automatic mode feels sluggish. But I never have bought an automatic in my life. I have ridden a motorcycle my for most of my life and driven everything including tractor trailers. The entire roll cage cabin makes you feel safer than a NASCAR. When gas hits 5 bucks a gallon (and it will) the salesmen will have to hold buyers off with a whip and a chair. Forget those stupid electric cars for now. They are 10 years away. We plan a country wide, east of the Mississippi trip this summer. I will write a Smart car blog...warts and all.:>)

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  Fantastic Car - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By Sobe - December 4 - 1:03 pm

  I wish I had owned this car years ago, but being in the US I had to wait. I fell in love with it since I first saw it in Milano, Italy. I now own this car and I adore it.

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  BB! - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By leeleeph - November 28 - 5:01 am

  I just got this car a few days ago & it was used, with 20,000 miles on it already.It still looks brand new though and works like a charm! I have heated seats with black leather interior and my smart car is yellow with black panels.I absolutely love it! I couldnt think of any other car to satisfy my every need on the road.I have yet to drive it on the highway, but im sure that day will come sometime soon! I recommend this car to EVERYONE.Unless driving small, cool, and fun just isnt your style.This car is for someone who isnt much of a business person.But It is overall and amazing car.Im glad i purchased it.

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  Get Your Info From OWNERS - NOT Writers - 2013 Smart fortwo
  By penndriver - November 20 - 2:05 am

  It exceeds every measure of what anyone should reasonably expect! During my 55 years of driving I have owned quite a few of those "highly recommended" status symbols. In quality and reliability my smart car is equal to or exceeds every one of them! The writers REALLY blew it on the smart car. Do you believe a magazine writer knows more than the engineers at Mercedes? Rate the car for its intended purpose! Dont get out of your manufacturer provided 455hp sport car and say the smart car lacks acceleration! My advice, if you truly want to know about any car, talk to an owner. Forget the writers getting paid by the manufactures to write about their "phenomenal new engineering creation."

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  Driving a Smart Car - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Herb - November 17 - 12:43 am

  The somewhat leisurely acceleration is expected and can be circumvented by flogging the engine in manual mode using the paddle shifters. Initial fuel economy was disappointing, but rapidly improved after putting "Sea-Foam" fuel system cleaner in the tank. Am now getting 38.5 mpg in city driving. The local Smart dealership was very friendly and reprogrammed the transmission to largely eliminate the 1-2 shift lag in my 2008 as part of a no-charge update to 2009 standards. This made a huge improvement in driveability! Highway stability in cross-winds is somewhat squirrely, but I had no trouble keeping it in the lane even when x-winds topped 35 mph on a fast causeway.

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  See for yourself! - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By mipod - November 1 - 10:50 am

  Driving is a fun pleasure.Inside is roomy and one sits higher than most mid-sized cars. Engine has a bit of a lag if you drive other cars as well,but you adjust quickly. Going on six months now and I look forward to driving it more and more.