And—surprise!—I wasn’t afraid. Sure, high winds combined with high speeds could create a swaying effect that was unnerving. But the Daimler designers behind the Smart cleverly crafted an oversize cabin with a lofty roof, high seating position and glassy greenhouse that makes you feel like you’re inside something far larger. It also helps knowing that you’re encased in a reinforced steel cage, surrounded by four airbags and assisted by electronic stability control.
Safety wasn’t my problem. Performance was. The car is (under) powered by a tiny 70-horsepower engine, mated to a balky “automated manual” five-speed transmission. That means it looks like an automatic (no clutch pedal or stick shift), but functions like a manual, with pauses between each gear change, which come at awkward times—like in the middle of a left turn. With help from Smart, I learned to lift off the gas at each gear change. That smoothed out the shifts, but it still felt like I needed to pedal to get up to highway speed.
That isn’t slowing Smart mania, though. Everywhere I went in SUV-loving Motown, the Smart elicited smiles. “I’m ready for that car,” said one man emerging from his big rig. Priced from $11,590 to $16,400, Smart gets 33mpg to 40mpg. You can get more car for the money and better mileage from a hybrid. But for fashion-conscious urban drivers more interested in easy parking than red-line performance, the Smart lives up to its name.
