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(Wired) Amusing New Smart Car design unveiled for the American market. Honk your horn, and flip the bird to the 17 foot Smaaart   (blog.wired.com) divider line 194
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194 Comments   (+0 »)


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GaryPDX [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 12:43:16 PM  
Pretty "smart" (no pun intended). How long before Bud Light™ cuts a fat check?

 
h to the 'ojo 2008-04-13 12:43:49 PM  
www.mercedes-benz.ca

 
lcmino 2008-04-13 12:53:18 PM  
A hearse? seriously? I would haunt the fark out of anyone who shoved me in that thing.

 
h to the 'ojo 2008-04-13 01:02:21 PM  
api.ning.com
farm2.static.flickr.com

RVs are ridiculous

 
nobozo 2008-04-13 01:28:48 PM  
tbn0.google.com

We'll call it the Brilliant!

 
BobtheFascist 2008-04-13 01:47:49 PM  
I've already flipped off a few stock smart's. Damn things can't seem to get out of their own way, let alone mine.

 
unholymartiangod 2008-04-13 02:23:26 PM  
the oscar meyer weinermobile is soooo much better than this

 
studebaker hoch 2008-04-13 02:37:05 PM  
images.paultan.org

Sometimes it's not a good idea to order EVERY option with a new car.

 
jjorsett 2008-04-13 02:40:15 PM  
Actually, I think the designers are flipping the bird to the Smart car.

 
Landofmiddlegirth 2008-04-13 02:40:36 PM  
Subby: New Smart Car design unveiled for the American market.

Reality: Carbonyte UK is not known for subtlety . . .

Subby = FAIL

 
puffy999 [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 02:40:52 PM  
Red Bull gives you wiiiiiings.
And ugly caaaars.

/suck my dick
//I'm a shaaaaaaaark

 
noazark 2008-04-13 02:42:20 PM  
So, how come the company's stretch-limo Ferrari isn't called a Ferraaari..?

 
Aar1012 [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 02:42:39 PM  
I actually saw a smart car in the US a few weeks ago. Are they out yet?

/DRTFA
//Didn't have Euro plates like the other imports I see.

 
Sharkface217 2008-04-13 02:45:03 PM  
Aar1012

I saw one today. I think they hit the market now.

 
Vacation Bible School 2008-04-13 02:46:32 PM  
h to the 'ojo: RVs are ridiculously awesome

/Michael Knight wishes he could dock like that

 
betweenthenines 2008-04-13 02:47:13 PM  
Wow what a piece of shiat.

 
Vacation Bible School 2008-04-13 02:47:47 PM  
Aar1012: I actually saw a smart car in the US a few weeks ago. Are they out yet?

/DRTFA
//Didn't have Euro plates like the other imports I see.


I saw one last night here in central IL. had IL temp tags to boot.

/aboot

 
TeddyRooseveltsMustache [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 02:47:56 PM  
Aar1012: I actually saw a smart car in the US a few weeks ago. Are they out yet?

/DRTFA
//Didn't have Euro plates like the other imports I see.


They've been available since January. If someone was to order one today they wouldn't see it until 2009.

 
Je5tEr 2008-04-13 02:50:44 PM  
I've seen several of these little smart things rolling around and they seem to have one thing in common, the drivers NEVER seem to know when they have the right of way, puzzles the hell out of me.

 
puffy999 [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 02:51:44 PM  
TeddyRooseveltsMustache: They've been available since January.

They've been in the US longer, though (maybe only if you, or a company, ordered one from overseas... I'm not sure). I saw a couple in Vancouver, Washington last year.

 
MonkeyBoy666 2008-04-13 02:54:25 PM  
Aar1012: I actually saw a smart car in the US a few weeks ago. Are they out yet?

Yes, they're out... but they've got months or preorders to fill.

 
Great Janitor 2008-04-13 02:55:12 PM  
I saw one yesterday for the first time out on the road. I already hate them more than I hate Hummers. I was on a small two lane road, most of it was non-passing zones, the speed limit was 60, but cops were rarely out there, so it's common to do 80 or higher. Damned smart car could barely get above 50. It finally got out of my way when it pulled into a gas station. The whole time I was reminded of that car Steve Urkel had on Family Matters, only more retarded.

 
Englebert Slaptyback 2008-04-13 02:55:23 PM  

Je5tEr


I've seen several of these little smart things rolling around and they seem to have one thing in common, the drivers NEVER seem to know when they have the right of way, puzzles the hell out of me.


I suppose it's related to the Law of Gross Tonnage: in an uncertain situation, would you want to *take* the right of way in such a small car?



PS Yes, I know the Smart cars do well in crash tests. That doesn't mean staring down a larger vehicle would be any easier.

 
allegedman 2008-04-13 02:55:33 PM  
look like a giant redbull can on wheels


FAIL

 
Sarcasm Incarnate 2008-04-13 02:56:22 PM  
Hmmm subby...I read the article then used a find...The word 'American' does not even appear on that page. Just a car conceived of, designed and built in the UK. But you left that out of the headline and threw in 'American'.

You have a future a professional journalist!

Custom cars designed for marketing purposes are nothing new, or newsworthy.

 
JonBuck 2008-04-13 02:57:13 PM  
I've seen three around here the past few weeks. A yellow/black one yesterday. A car that size should get at least 50mpg. What does it really get? 36mpg combined. I can do almost as good as that in my '05 Corolla.

 
MonkeyBoy666 2008-04-13 02:57:27 PM  
BobtheFascist: I've already flipped off a few stock smart's. Damn things can't seem to get out of their own way, let alone mine.

They can do mid-80s on the highway.

Obviously doesn't prevent retards from doing 45 in the left lane, but given that the retards around here currently do that in oversized SUVs...

 
BoronCarbon 2008-04-13 02:57:36 PM  
puffy999: Red Bull gives you wiiiiiings.
And ugly caaaars.

/suck my dick
//I'm a shaaaaaaaark


I'm a Smaaaart!!!

I'm a Smaaaart!!!

Suck my diiiick!!!

I'm a Smaaaart!!!

/so sorry.

 
Great Janitor 2008-04-13 02:58:58 PM  
JonBuck: I've seen three around here the past few weeks. A yellow/black one yesterday. A car that size should get at least 50mpg. What does it really get? 36mpg combined. I can do almost as good as that in my '05 Corolla.

36mpg combined, I'm getting better than that in my 06 Kia Rio. Also, when I park my Kia, a crowd doesn't form around me expecting 20 clowns to come piling out, which is what I expect to see everytime I see video of a smart car.

 
fendrluvr 2008-04-13 02:59:13 PM  
What's so "smart" about smart cars anyway? They look ugly, and a wee bit dangerous. I'd feel safer in the MG a friend of mine had back in highschool.

 
80smetaler 2008-04-13 03:00:14 PM  
There's a Smart dealership a few blocks from me that opened a couple of months ago. They've got a small lot full of them. Smart of Denver, S. Broadway.

 
Gimli_Gloin 2008-04-13 03:03:04 PM  
If this Smart Car is a rockin' don't bother knockin'.

 
TeddyRooseveltsMustache [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 03:03:14 PM  
puffy999: TeddyRooseveltsMustache: They've been available since January.

They've been in the US longer, though (maybe only if you, or a company, ordered one from overseas... I'm not sure). I saw a couple in Vancouver, Washington last year.


They were grey market cars back then. They were imported from Europe by an independent guy, and the old ones are really only for show. The diesel ones from Canada cannot be registered in the U.S. because they don't meet U.S. emissions standards. The new smart is actually sold at Mercedes dealers and not at independent places. The old cars are pretty much a scam because people sell them around 25,000 dollars on and off Ebay. People are receiving the new cars and marking them up as well. It's almost as if they were exotics. The cars seem to be in high demand. Orders for them go well into 2009.

 
MonkeyBoy666 2008-04-13 03:03:50 PM  
Sarcasm Incarnate: Just a car conceived of, designed and built in the UK Germany.

Unless you think stretching a car requires a ground-up rebuild of everything about the car?

Because in that case it'd mean there are Hummers that were conceived of, designed and built in foreign countries. Cadillacs too.

 
TeddyRooseveltsMustache [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 03:05:45 PM  
fendrluvr: What's so "smart" about smart cars anyway? They look ugly, and a wee bit dangerous. I'd feel safer in the MG a friend of mine had back in highschool.

If you crash them into another car the other car will take more damage. The Smart has a nascar safety cage and many other safety features that ignorant people (like yourself) are not aware of. For instance, stability control, hill start assist, cornering control, side airbags, etc...

static.howstuffworks.com

It's reinforced so the shape of the car is maintained throughout a crash.

 
felix_golden 2008-04-13 03:06:09 PM  
They are starting to pop up down here in Palm Beach. I guess people are so used to their golf carts, that this is their way of having a street legal one, only smaller.

 
Je5tEr 2008-04-13 03:06:32 PM  
Englebert Slaptyback: Je5tEr

I've seen several of these little smart things rolling around and they seem to have one thing in common, the drivers NEVER seem to know when they have the right of way, puzzles the hell out of me.


I suppose it's related to the Law of Gross Tonnage: in an uncertain situation, would you want to *take* the right of way in such a small car?



PS Yes, I know the Smart cars do well in crash tests. That doesn't mean staring down a larger vehicle would be any easier.


Yeah but if you have the right of way with 3 cars at a 4-way stop, kindly move your ass.

 
MonkeyBoy666 2008-04-13 03:07:01 PM  
fendrluvr: a wee bit dangerous.

I'd feel safer in one than an SUV.

You know that SUVs don't meet passenger vehicle crash safety regulations, right?

 
TeddyRooseveltsMustache [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 03:08:30 PM  
Sarcasm Incarnate: The word 'American' does not even appear on that page. Just a car conceived of in Germany, designed in Germany and built in the UK France.

FTFY. I love it when people claim to know more than they actually do.

 
Englebert Slaptyback 2008-04-13 03:10:52 PM  

Je5tEr


Yeah but if you have the right of way with 3 cars at a 4-way stop, kindly move your ass.


Well, of course. I'm just guessing at the thought process that could be at work here.

 
YouPeopleAreCrazy 2008-04-13 03:11:15 PM  
Aar1012: I actually saw a smart car in the US a few weeks ago. Are they out yet?

Yes. I saw one here in coastal VA. 30 day plates.
Dealership in Virginia Beach, I think.

 
PsychoPhil 2008-04-13 03:11:38 PM  
Add me to the lit of people who don't get the Smart. It gets pretty lame mileage, can't keep up with traffic, has no room. I've heard it rides like crap and can't handle, either.

I've heard they've not been a moneymaker, either, and they've lost popularity in .eu, also (where the market's full of slightly larger and much much better cars, anyway).

It looks like a bad attempt at a Kei car. I doubt they sell it in Japan anyway...

 
Je5tEr 2008-04-13 03:13:18 PM  
Englebert Slaptyback: I suppose it's related to the Law of Gross Tonnage: in an uncertain situation, would you want to *take* the right of way in such a small car?

Ah, I found my answer, its French made.

 
fendrluvr 2008-04-13 03:15:39 PM  
MonkeyBoy666: fendrluvr: a wee bit dangerous.

I'd feel safer in one than an SUV.

You know that SUVs don't meet passenger vehicle crash safety regulations, right?


Good thing I don't drive an SUV.

 
TeddyRooseveltsMustache [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 03:15:49 PM  
PsychoPhil: Add me to the lit of people who don't get the Smart. It gets pretty lame mileage, can't keep up with traffic, has no room. I've heard it rides like crap and can't handle, either.

I've heard they've not been a moneymaker, either, and they've lost popularity in .eu, also (where the market's full of slightly larger and much much better cars, anyway).

It looks like a bad attempt at a Kei car. I doubt they sell it in Japan anyway...


The Smart gets 45 MPG highway when properly broken in, what does your POS get? It has a top speed of 90 mph, I've ridden in it and the ride is fine. Handling is also not a problem. See the problem is idiots like you who don't know their car's limitations. I've seen videos of people on youtube who are probably pretty similar to yourself trying to push an economy car to it's limits and breaking the car in the process. If you don't like the car nobody's putting a gun to your head to buy it. Go back to waxing your Escalade, jackass.

 
puffy999 [TotalFark] 2008-04-13 03:15:58 PM  
TeddyRooseveltsMustache: It's reinforced so the shape of the car is maintained throughout a crash.

Did you know that you can still die in a crash, even if the frame of your vehicle stays intact? Impulse is a hell of an equation. Ask Dale Earnhardt.

 
YouPeopleAreCrazy 2008-04-13 03:17:55 PM  
TeddyRooseveltsMustache: If you crash them into another car the other car will take more damage.

Um, no. I take it you missed the Top Gear test of exactly that.
Smart vs Mercedes, head on. The Merc just stopped (badly dented), the Smart bounced back about 20 feet, and almost turned over (even more dented). The cage allows the doors to open after a significant crash. So they can pull you (the part that exists above the knees) out of the car. From the knees down, well...we'll just leave that part of you in there.

Yes, it does well, for a car of its size. But unless we have rewritten the laws of physics, it will not do well against anything substantially larger.

Don't get me wrong...I *like* the Smart. But let's not delude ourselves into assuming that is uber safe out on the public roads.

 
califacondor 2008-04-13 03:18:23 PM  
@ Teddy: I already WAS waxing my 'Escalade' (if that's what people are calling it nowadays).

 
Laoise 2008-04-13 03:18:26 PM  
Sharkface217: Aar1012
I saw one today. I think they hit the market now.


I saw one yesterday parked in downtown Boston. Must be out here.

 
castufari 2008-04-13 03:20:34 PM  
JonBuck: I've seen three around here the past few weeks. A yellow/black one yesterday. A car that size should get at least 50mpg. What does it really get? 36mpg combined. I can do almost as good as that in my '05 Corolla.

There is a guy here who has one, said he gets around 40. A shame since a Mini will seat 4 and will get mid 30s, a diesel VW nearly 50. I don't see the push for Smarts when their mpg isn't all that impressive considering their size.

 
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