Seen a Smart Car?

I have noticed a lot of small cars recently and I thought these were European cars which were imported in. Well, I learned a few days ago that they are called Smart Cars and I finally, I got to touch and sit on one!

The Smart Car is obviously small. They're cute and as Janice, the lady owner above said "be prepared to be a spectacle" or what this other owner calls "smiles per mile":

It's officially called smart fortwo - of course, because it is designed to carry 2 persons only. From the inside though, it does not feel like it is a small car andit is actually surprisingly relatively (did I just use 3 adverbs???) spacious for a car its size!!! It's got some cargo space - and I mean, just probably some 8 cubic feet. That didn't stop impresarios from fitting in much more people into it though:

I'm very sure they are not going anywhere at all!

Anyway, the Smart Car is sold at a base price of $12,000. With a couple of upgrades, it could easily go up to $17,000 - almost as expensive as the bigger Honda Civic.

It definitely has high mileage at 45mpg. Assuming 10,000 miles per year usage, that translates to about $2000 savings per year versus a Honda Civic though. So, the Smart Car may definitely be an alternative cheaper way to commute.  

The Smart Car is made by Mercedes. So yes, it is indeed a European car and it can do a lot of fancy moves. Check it out!



And being Mercedes-made, one expected its passing crash tests with flying colors at 30 mph. Here's another version at 70 mpg though:

I think the Smart Car is good for normal city driving and I'm sure that this is the perfect car for some people. In fact, it seems it is developing a cult... uhmmm... enthusiast following already.  There is a waiting list to get it and a $99 reservation fee, too! 

As for me, I don't think I am ready for the Smart Car. I like my cargo space to be larger than its 8 cubic feet capacity. We do a lot of out-of-town driving so I feel safer in bigger cars. But that's just me. 

Have you noticed these small smart cars in your streets recently? What do you think of them?