Smart Car

Cars, Autos, Horseless Carriage, Wheeled Buggy -- whatever you want to call them. Talk about them here!
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miir
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Re: Smart Car

Post by miir »

I directly linked what a 2 door passion coupe costs in my area. You want that car w/ an AC and a radio, $14,230. Maybe your area is not as starved for this car so the price is more competitive. Ohh well I guess.
http://www.smartusa.com/
Click the Build Your Four Two link:
http://www.smart.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.e ... rt_CC-Line
Base model is $11,590
The Passion model is $13,590
A base model with AC and a Radio is 12,540.... not 14,230.
I'm not making this up... it's right there on the web page.

The Passion model comes with a bunch of other add-on shit like paddle shifters, three spoke steering wheel, centre mounted instruments (analogue clock, etc), panorama roof, power windows, heated side mirriors... in other words, IT'S NOT THE BASE MODEL

I'm not talking about my area or a specific dealership... these are the folks who distribute and market the car in the USA. It's right on their web page... look it up for yourself at http://www.smartusa.com/
Seriously.
Go ahead!









If you don't know what or how a word is used, and you can't "google search" it, it does not show any type of archaic insinuation, it just means that, like this arguement, you just don't know. But swing and miss at the things you think you get and ignore the strikes down the plate you can't even swing fast enough to hit.
I'm not making this up either.
Chisler didn't come back with many hits and the vast majority of them were unreleated or misspellings of chiseler

Here's some links for chiseler:
http://www.answers.com/topic/chiseler
http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/chiseler
http://www.bartleby.com/62/64/C0246400.html

So you don't have to actually click the links...
2. Informal
a. To cheat or swindle.
b. To obtain by deception


Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
Main Entry: cheat
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: A person who cheats.
Synonyms: bilk, cheater, cozener, defrauder, rook, sharper, swindler, trickster, victimizer


noun
A person who cheats: bilk, cheat, cheater, cozener, defrauder, rook, sharper, swindler, trickster, victimizer. Informal crook, flimflammer. Slang diddler, gyp, gypper. See honest/dishonest.
I figured it was just some archaic or regional slang because I have never heard it used before.
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Truant
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Truant »

for the record, I have never heard the word chisler before.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Clatis »

I passed a smart car today in Winston-Salem, NC. It looks as if it doubles as a coffin. Thing was so short and tall that a small sidewind or the passing breeze of an 18 wheeler would have it on its side.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Chidoro »

Truant wrote:for the record, I have never heard the word chisler before.
That's terrific, I'm glad you chimed in.

As far as getting a customized base car, it's listed as such so I guess they'll offer it that way at the cost you suggest. I'm assuming there's no inventory currently so that the dealerships would be willing to customize.
Not that it really matters, it's still a car whose mission statement won't work in the US over the long term. It's still a car that isn't the best selection if you're trying to accomplish what I said in my earlier post.

I appreciate your spelling policemanwork as if it means shit to the point I was making. But hey, if you think that's worthy of sticking your chest out, god bless. I've destroyed your arguement for why the car will not work in the long run in this country based off the competing factors mentioned in multiple posts now. Address the point or avoid it since you know I'm right.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by miir »

I understand that the Smart is not a car that you personally would buy.. probably because you're not the target demographic.

People were trying to make the exact same fucking arguements as you 4 years ago when the Smart became available in Canada.

They were wrong, and you are wrong.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Chidoro »

fair enough. Keep the message available two years from now. I hope I'm wrong for our country's consumption level's sake but I really think that because of the reasons I stated I believe I will be correct. Blanket wrong/right statements don't mean a thing until it's proven or disproven.
Canada isn't the US, for better or for worse. What are the sales number of the fit compared to the smart right now? I'm assuming the fit sells significantly more but I don't know for sure. Regardless, the fit can and probably is taking sales away from smart purchases. I would like to see the monthly numbers though. My google search skills sucks a bag of dicks so I only have articles w/ generalizations.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by miir »

Fit is being outsold 3-1 by the Yaris and 2-1 by the Versa in Canada.
The Fit outsells the Smart around 3-1.
For the first 2-3 years, the Smart had limited availibility. 6-10 month waiting lists were not uncommon.
Outside of large urban centers, the Smart has very limited exposure and availibility.

They are commonplace in downtown Toronto and the outlying suburbs.
When I took the Smart I was using outside of the city and suburbs it got a lot of funny looks (and laughs)... and even some ignorant comments (like Clatis') about it's safety.




Smarts sell roughly the same numbers as Minis in Canada.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Chidoro »

Sounds promising. I was thinking about the Yaris hatch as a real competitor to the smart as well because of it's "good enough" gas mileage while offering a little utility. The Versa surprises me a little but it shouldn't, I test drove it and thought it was a pretty good car, much larger than the Yaris hatch as well as a far "gutsier" engine.

The fit sold a little over 8k for the month of May. I don't think the smart will sell 1/3rd of that amount once they have gotten past the initial folks buying-in. And to reflect a little on the US market, it looks as if the Yaris sold about 14.4k for May. So it's a huge success in the US but it's not close to the 3-1 ratio over the fit experienced in Canada. I don't have to explain that while the Yaris provides more utility than the smart, it's nowhere near the utility of a fit. It's pretty much why I believe that the US needs some form of utility/refinement moreso than other countries.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Funkmasterr »

Bottom line is that people like myself want a sporty, fast car with a nice interior. There are lots of people like me.. I would love to drive something more economical, but I am not willing to sacrifice any of the luxury or horsepower my car has, period. Gas prices are not high enough yet to change my mind. I think this is a major hurdle for these cars to be anywhere near common in the US..

Say whatever you want about me for wasting fuel and causing teh warmingz, it will change nothing :)
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Aardor »

[quote="Funkmasterr"]There are lots of people like me../quote]
Jesus fuck, I hope not.

Okay, that was too easy =).
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Funkmasterr »

Aardor wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:There are lots of people like me..
Jesus fuck, I hope not.

Okay, that was too easy =).
Ok, I'll give you that one :lol:
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Winnow »

Cool stuff!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/08/08/air.car/index.html
106 mpg 'air car' creates buzz, questions

(CNN) -- You've heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, "Fill it up with air."

That's the idea behind the compressed air car, a vehicle its backers say could achieve a fuel economy of 106 miles per gallon.

Plenty of skepticism exists, but with many Americans trying to escape sticker shock at the gas pump, the concept is generating buzz.

The technology has been the focus of MDI, a European company founded in 1991 by a French inventor and former race car engineer.

New York-based Zero Pollution Motors is the first firm to obtain a license from MDI to produce the cars in the United States, pledging to deliver the first models in 2010 at a price tag of less than $18,000.

The concept is similar to how a locomotive works, except that compressed air -- not steam -- moves the engine's pistons, said Shiva Vencat, vice president of MDI and CEO of Zero Pollution Motors.

Gas still plays a role

The six-seater planned for the U.S. market would be able to reach speeds of more than 90 mph and have a range of more than 800 miles thanks to a dual energy engine, Vencat said.

The design calls for one or more tanks of compressed air under the car's floor, as well as a separate tank holding at least 8 gallons of fuel.

Whether the engine uses just air or both air and fuel would depend on how fast the car is going. It would run purely on compressed air when driven at speeds less than 35 mph, Vencat said.

Since the car could only go a short distance when using just air, fuel is needed to get the full range, he explained.

"Above 35 mph, there is an external combustion system which is basically a heater that uses a little bit of gasoline or biofuel or ethanol or vegetable oil that will heat the air," Vencat said.

"Heating the air increases its volume, and by increasing its volume it increases [the car's] range. That's why with one gallon of gasoline or its equivalent we are able to make over 100 mpg."

Vencat said an on-board compressor would refill the air tank while the car is running, or owners could refill it by plugging it into a power outlet for four hours.

Is it for real?

Experts aren't sure Americans will be zipping around in air cars and getting 106 mpg, or more than twice the fuel economy of hybrid-electric vehicles such as the Toyota Prius.

It is possible to power a car with compressed air, but the mileage claim is "at the edge of possibility," said John Callister, director of the Harvey Kinzelberg Entrepreneurship in Engineering program at Cornell University's College of Engineering.

He noted such dramatic fuel efficiency is associated with tiny experimental cars, not bigger mainstream ones.

"No one's really proven a six-seater passenger car [can get] any better than 75 miles to the gallon. So this would represent a big step forward," Callister said.

"They would have to prove that before they can throw rocks at the Prius."

Another expert expressed concern about the amount of energy it would take to generate the required air pressure: 4,500 pounds per square inch, or more than 120 times the pressure inside the tires of a typical four-door sedan.

"That is above what you normally find even in an industrial setting," said William Bulpitt, senior research engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology's Strategic Energy Institute.

"That takes quite a compressor to do. ... It takes horsepower to compress the air up to that pressure."

If you count that energy, it's hard to believe the car would be that much more efficient than an electric vehicle, Callister said.

India shows interest

The compressed air car will get a chance to prove itself next year when it competes for the Automotive X Prize. The multimillion-dollar award will go to the team that "can win a stage race for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 mpg equivalent fuel economy," according to the X Prize Foundation.

The air-car concept has also drawn the interest of Tata Motors, India's largest automaker. The company announced an agreement with MDI last year to further develop and refine the technology.

However, the cars have yet to hit the streets in India or anywhere else in the world.

"The project is under progress. We do not yet have any timeframe for launch," said Debasis Ray, the head of corporate communications for Tata Motors.

Only prototypes exist at this point, Vencat said.

Light design

The body of the car planned for the United States would be built with fiberglass and injected foam. The chassis, composed of aluminum rods, would be glued together, not welded.

The design allows the car to be as light as possible, Vencat said.

For anyone who has doubts about its safety, he insisted computer simulations show the vehicle would pass crash tests and meet all U.S. safety standards.

"Do you think somebody would actually put millions of dollars into making a car that will not pass safety regulations? There's no point in doing that," Vencat said.

Callister pointed out there haven't been any lightweight, 100-plus mpg cars to pass crash tests, but said it could be done through a "very clever design" of a lightweight frame.
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A good prototype could dispel many of the doubts about the compressed air car, he added.

"I don't think we should discount this advance if it happens," Callister said.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Fash »

I'm going to fart in your air tank.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by rhyae »

My mom bought a smart car. She waited about a year before hers was available. She said she doesn't get blown around by trucks, but the suspension will beat you to death over rough roads.
Also not a lot of power pulling uphill.
It's also got a narrow enough wheel base that it doesn't fit into the ruts that are worn into the highways, which annoys her.
Otherwise, she loves it, it's exactly what she wanted. And it sits up high enough that getting in and out isn't hard on her replaced hip-joint. She got the loaded one, with comfort package (heated seats and A/C etc,).
When riding in it, it doesn't feel like a small car, but you can tell it is because of the high number of people staring at you.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Xatrei »

A guy that I used to work with got one recently. He's a big, country-type guy, and was a major in the Army (maybe the air force) during Vietnam and basically the last person in the world I'd expect to see sporting around in one of these. I haven't had a chance to talk to him since he got it, but have heard through others that he likes it. I've thought about getting one myself, but the lack of power going up hills will probably have me looking at other options. The area I live in is pretty hilly and that would be a real drag. The wheels on my current truck haven't fallen off yet, so I've got a while to find something that suits me better.
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Re: Smart Car

Post by Spang »

With no Funkmasterr moderating this place anymore, the Cars forum has gone to shit.
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