Smart ForTwo: Cars.com Worst Car of the Decade
Cars.com has released its list of the ten worst cars of the 2000s as well as the ten most-improved vehicles of the decade. The super tiny smart fortwo tops the worst cars of the decade list.
“We don’t have a problem with small cars in general (we’re big fans of the Mini Cooper), just with ones that don’t deliver on the benefits of going small. The pint-sized ForTwo sacrifices a lot of passenger space for a relatively unimpressive 41 mpg on the highway, has an SUV-like propensity to roll over, and is equipped with an aggravating sequential manual transmission. Sure, the ForTwo looks cute, but after you drive it you won’t be smiling anymore.” Source: PR Newswire
Okay, I admit the car is cute. I’ve never ridden in it as I have claustrophobic tendencies and I live in an area with a high proportion of full-sized SUVs. I’d hate to encounter one of these SUVs in a collision and so I’ve never bothered to look twice at purchasing a fortwo.
According to the safercar.gov website, the 2010 Smart Fortwo 2-Dr w/SAB scored four stars in the frontal driver rating, three stars in the frontal passenger rating, and three stars in the rollover rating. The vehicle also scored five stars in the side driver rating section but a safety concern is noted.
On paper, the vehicle doesn’t look like it is the epitome of an unsafe vehicle but the rollover rating is a little low for a passenger vehicle. Perhaps a higher fuel efficiency rating would help the smart fortwo avoid this list as the next decade comes to an end.
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[...] I discussed the smart fortwo. The little two-seater was named the Cars.com Worst Car of the Decade. In the same press release, Cars.com named the most improved vehicles of the 2000s and the Toyota [...]
It is all about values. Yours versus mine. I had a choice between a (Z4) or the smart. I am glad I went with the smart. I can “cruze” with the best. As a grandfather, I am very pleased. I have had it since last Thanksgiving. I have never ran out of space for the groceries or other supplies. I have brought home a 32″ flat screen with it. I still have to allow an extra few minutes at the store for discussions about my car. I do not see that with the other new vehicles. If I do not like a vehicle I have purchased, I will sell it. For now, this one is a keeper.
The most informative part of the post is in the second sentence - “I’ve never ridden in it.” Anyone who has sat in a smart knows they do not induce claustrophobia. How can you review something that you’ve only seen in pictures? I’ve had mine for a year now and have driven it in all types of weather and on a lot of different roads. It isn’t for everyone. But it is extremely well designed and engineered, and I’m perfectly happy with it.
As an owner of Cars.com worst car of the year nay decade I can only assume that the people testing the car were 300 pound + gorillas. At 6-3 tall, 230lbs and all legs I find more room in the little smart than most SUVS and haven’t hit my head on the roof yet! As a passenger when my wife drives(she usually does) I can even sit in the passenger seat and put my legs straight out, on the dash or even out the window.. If it sacrifices anything it is the ability to put the passenger seat down flat so one can snooze. As to their remarks on safety.. you can find on youtube where they crash it into a wall at 70 miles an hour and still open the passenger door.(Of course they’ll still be fishing your body out at that speed as sudden stops from 70 miles an hour are not reccomended. It may like in acceleration, and the autoshift is a little slow but you quite happily cruise over the grapevine at 90 miles an hour knowing no self respecting CHP officer is going to pull over a smart car for speeding!
I have actually driven my smart cabriolet…in fact have had mine for seven months and love it! You have to be able to live a 2-seater, and have to take the trouble to actually use the paddle 5-speed transmission. I drive about 15 miles to work and really like getting 43 mpg. Had no problem at all driving the 2.5 hrs on the Interstate in a rainstorm bringing my car home from Atlanta. I’m an active member of the Carolinas smart owners club, and enjoy the fellowship/activites. Show me another convertible under $20K with no costly battery to change that is such a blast!
I live in Boston. I had my little Smart for over a year, and I drive it everyday, to work, to shops, to school pick up my kid……. Love it so much. I don’t understand why the Smart been rated as the TOP worst car of the decade. Based on what ground? Just give me a list of cars that could promise at less 35mpg no matter how you drive. Smart can do. Two Smart cars can fit in a regular meter space easily. Think about it, double meter spaces in Boston Downtown? Dream on. That’s right, Smart designed as a commuter car, not a family car and not for everybody. Don’t bother if there are more than 2 people in your family, and you could afford only one car; don’t bother if you are over 300lb of weight. I’m not sure what is going to happen if a Smart head-on with a Eighteen-Wheeler at 70mph, but I feel perfectly safe when I driving it. Smart first introduced back in 1997, lots improvements in the past 13 years, from performance to safety to comfort. A European made, well designed, with a price tag starting from low $13000, not many cars could find in this range even the Korean makers. Do you want to fill up your fuel tank with half the money and goes the same distant, but never have to spend $24000 for a four-cylinder “Hybrid”?
Those of you that love your Smarts, wait until you get into an accident and we will see if you still love it or not. I just can’t imagine if I drove on one of this and got hit by a SUV.
The excuses that people here make why they bought a smart makes me cry….
If anybody could afford to drive a vehicle that goes from 13 - 23 MPG on a daily basics, and never worry about parking space, please do so. Sorry, I am not one of these people. “Money” is on the first of my list and “Safety” is only at the third. Please understand that we are not here to discus what happen if the Smart gets into an accident. Leave this to the professionals. Because I can’t imagine if I drove a SUV and got hit by something that is twice or three times more on weight & size. How about this, forget about the SUVs, everybody go buy Tanks(those use in the battlefield). Would you feel much safer right now?
I drive a smart 13,000 miles on it from Indiana to Colorado and to Atlanta. 80 miles an hour and 40 plus mpg.I got rearended by a Nissan Maxima with little visible damge to me( he did punch out my muffler). The Nissan lost his grill and bumper. I felt very safe. He got the most damage by far.