Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Neat, Trim, Appealing And Sophisticated. In A Word: SMART

Earlier this year, Ed and I went to check out the Smart Car, made a reservation and placed our order - white with the silver frame thingy (not the official name of the silver thingy). Isn't it freakin' adorable??

Well, yesterday we got to test drive one!! I found it amusing when the Stick Figure who went with me on the test drive tried to explain how difficult it was for her to get used to shifting, despite the fact that it has no actual clutch and only five gears which can be operated by the paddle shifters on the steering wheel; she assured me I'd have it down in no time at all. Ya think?

When I told her I drive an 18-wheeler (well, how could she have known?) and didn't think I'd have any trouble with the shifting, she looked at me like I told her I just flew in from Mars.

"Really??" she squealed, "that's so cool! You mean, like, one of those big trucks??"

"Yep, like one of those big trucks. I'll show it to you when we take the car back to the dealership." I said.

"OK, cool!" she said. I thought she was going to pee her pants the way she was twittering. And pee in this small a space would not have been a pleasant thing.

Stick Figure didn't know much about the car, other than the pretty colors it comes in, but I didn't really ask too many technical questions; that's Ed's department. Although, I did find it amusing that one of the upgrades is a backing camera.

I'm thinking, if you can't back up a car whose exterior you can reach out and caress on all four sides without moving from your seat, then maybe you shouldn't be driving anything at all. I think stick figure probably needs one of those backup cameras. Me? I'll just turn my head a few inches.

Despite its size, the car felt surprisingly solid on the road and was quite roomy. It feels just like a regular small car, but the zippiness of it makes you acutely aware that it's much smaller. This is exactly the reason we want one; our plan is to take it with us everywhere we go (on our trailer) so we'll always have a car at our disposal.

Click
here to check out their web site and drool at their cuteness. And maybe even order one for yourself!!

5 comments:

Gil said...

Taking it with you sounds like a good use for Smart car. Driving it along some of our Interstate highways mingling with the Gals & Guys with 18 wheels would scare me. I can just see running I-81 (?) North from the deep South to PA or running East or West through Nebraska or Texas!!!

I'm sure that you guys will be happy using it instead of the Frieghtliner around town.

Ask the stick figure how to check the: oil, water, etc. If the Smart car in the US is the same as in Italy you need a screwdriver to remove a cover on the passenger side of the front of the car to access the engine.

Anonymous said...

Cool idea! But I watched a smart car on I-80 here in Pa get passed by an 18 wheeler and it got sucked right in. I think around town its the coolest but not for highway driving! Good luck- I love the white!

Saretta said...

Those are so cute! And what a difference in size from the 18-wheeler!

The Daily Rant said...

Gil and Susan: We'll stick to the truck when on the Interstates, the Smart Car is going to be used for all those places we can't get the truck into (San Francisco, quaint downtown areas, cities that don't have truck parking, etc.)

Saretta: It IS a difference! It's VERY weird going from sitting several feet above most cars to sitting lug-nut level to a big truck. Scare-E.

Javi said...

It will be like the "Knight Rider",going out from the truck,we need pics of that!!

Great idea!!