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My Smart Fortwo Pure

Started by BigWarpGuy, 2008.03.28, 19:31:41

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BigWarpGuy

http://home.comcast.net/~tomleem/mysmartfortwopure.html The Smart Fortwo might be more common in Europe but it is new to the USA. I had reserved one in July 2007. It arrived here at http://www.smartcenteredison.com four weeks ago. I bought it two weeks ago. It is really neat.  ;D   8)  http://www.smartusa.com

Saijin_Naib

Haha, awesome! I want one so bad, but I am more interested in the (eventual?) arrival of the Smart Diesel/Electric hybrid, with projected milage in the 99+mpg range!

Nice color, dont see that too often. How does it drive/handle?

Robert Deed

Not a big fan of the Smart but that is a great color.. just hope no neighborhood kids decide to pick it up and drop it in a pool or something =) 

I had a friend with an original mini (the english version) and in high school we got 4 people picked it up and put it in the back of a pickup truck on it's roof.. =)

Quote from: BigWarpGuy on 2008.03.28, 19:31:41
http://home.comcast.net/~tomleem/mysmartfortwopure.html The Smart Fortwo might be more common in Europe but it is new to the USA. I had reserved one in July 2007. It arrived here at http://www.smartcenteredison.com four weeks ago. I bought it two weeks ago. It is really neat.  ;D   8)  http://www.smartusa.com

BigWarpGuy

Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.03.28, 20:54:19
Haha, awesome! I want one so bad, but I am more interested in the (eventual?) arrival of the Smart Diesel/Electric hybrid, with projected milage in the 99+mpg range!

Nice color, dont see that too often. How does it drive/handle?

I like how it handles. It is fun to drive. The automated manual transmission is unique. One can drive it as an automatic or as a manual. I got the Pure version. It will be neat to see the diesel/electric hybrid version and how they are able to put it in such a small vehicle.  ;D

Saijin_Naib

I heard that the older Smart's had issues with the Auto/Manual being really jerky/slow, is it smooth and appropriate now?

Robert Deed

Small vehicle, small battery.  I think a non-hybrid diesel would make more sense then a unleaded version, in such a small car an efficient small turbo diesel would easily get 70mpg (based on a 3200lb VW being able to get 49mpg =)

Quote from: BigWarpGuy on 2008.03.29, 00:10:11
Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.03.28, 20:54:19
Haha, awesome! I want one so bad, but I am more interested in the (eventual?) arrival of the Smart Diesel/Electric hybrid, with projected milage in the 99+mpg range!

Nice color, dont see that too often. How does it drive/handle?

I like how it handles. It is fun to drive. The automated manual transmission is unique. One can drive it as an automatic or as a manual. I got the Pure version. It will be neat to see the diesel/electric hybrid version and how they are able to put it in such a small vehicle.  ;D

Saijin_Naib

Well, the Diesel smart gets about 70+, but the Diesel Hybrid is rated for 99+, so its noticeably more efficient. Dont forget, the smaller the car, the smaller the weight that needs to be driven, allowing for a smaller battery.

Robert Deed

Thank you for repeating my post, I was saying that the diesel and the diesel hybrid should be the only models.  Not everyone wants to have to replace batteries in their car..  and some of us are concerned as well about the ecological impact of all the improperly disposed of batteries which go along with hybrids.

Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.03.29, 06:59:06
Well, the Diesel smart gets about 70+, but the Diesel Hybrid is rated for 99+, so its noticeably more efficient. Dont forget, the smaller the car, the smaller the weight that needs to be driven, allowing for a smaller battery.

Saijin_Naib

#8
Communicating poorly and then being smug about it is not the same thing as being witty, just so you know.  :-*

Sorry to repeat your post, and yes, "some of us" are. Seeing as this will become my life's work, you can be sure that I am concerned as well. However, fear of misuse of a technology should not prevent the advancement of said technology and its dissemination. Fear is the enemy of progress.

saborion2

An interesting topic/discussion indeed; re: "Thank you for repeating my post, I was saying that the diesel and the diesel hybrid should be the only models.  Not everyone wants to have to replace batteries in their car..  and some of us are concerned as well about the ecological impact of all the improperly disposed of batteries which go along with hybrids......". So, how do the family of "six" set out on their journey?  ???; and, will there be enough affordable "food" for all when they arrive at the restaurant?  :-X


Saijin_Naib

Well, these cars are not really marketed as a family vehicle, as you no doubt have noticed. They are for commutation use, and for such, they function brilliantly. A family mover would have to be a more traditional sized car, but this does not mean that they can not be efficient. Hopefully, the demand will increase and more and more manufactures will start making Hybrids/Alt-Fuels.

saborion2

Great; but, did you miss the "will there be enough affordable "food" for all when they arrive at the restaurant?  Lips sealed" part in view of the rising world market prices are the demand for rising oil prices continue to influence this; that, along with the cost of air travel.....  :-X  Might be a good thing also if there is an "embedded" version of OS/2 aboard to aid with "navigation".  ;)



Robert Deed

As I have said before I do not believe hybrid technology is the way of the future, I believe it is a step in the wrong direction because of the money involved in its development is being taken directly from the budget to use alternate fuel sources.  It is good that it aids the development of better energy storage technologies, however I believe handheld electronics do more for that then cars could ever do.  It is a function of scale.  As cellphones and other forms of portable devices require small cells which long discharge cycles.  As the technology gets better it could be scaled up easily. 

Figure the car companies are spending money developing the technology and then they are putting a premium on the product because of it, then they are rebating in order to sell them (most cars sell for less then sticker as long as the owner haggles) They are in fact losing money on every one of these cars, which could be spent making alternate fuel a reality.

I think that the consequences of the technology and it's potential for misuse should indeed be a limiting factor of a products adoption and or use.  When compaines first started making asbestos tiles for houses (both floor and shingles) these products were the height on innovative.  They were thin, durable and insulated better then 4 inches of fiberglass insulation.  They knew when they started to sell this product of its potential health problems.  (MY house still has exterior asbestos shingles).  These are safe when they are on the house, and as long as they remain in solid form.  But if they are broken up and incorrectly disposed of the asbestos can get into water, can get eaten by animals where it is (on a smaller scale) an ecological nightmare.  They were taken off the market 15 years after their adoption for this reason.  To this day if you say the word "asbestos" to a contractor your house immediately gets covered with a huge plastic tent (another ecological nightmare.. lol) and men in hazmat suits get to remove the still safe tiles from the side of your home.

I believe the problem the "green" is the fact that people don't look at the long run with most of these products.  I am tired of watching shows which showcase the future of eco friendly products and recommend people to use electric appliances (hot water heaters, furnaces and overns).  Electric appliances and utilities are very inefficient when it comes to power to function.  Electric ovens and stovetops cook very poorly and usually take as long or longer then their gas counterparts.  Not to mention that a majority of our counties electric power comes from coal and petroleum to begin with, as too it that unlike natural gas distribution there is an inherient loss to electrical distribution, and the dangers of the distribution systems (high tension power lines). 

There is alot of ignorance which goes into "eco" products.  Don't get me wrong.. I will always buy a more efficient appliance over a lesser, I will always look for the better fuel mileage in a car which fits my needs.  I would always go for the product which is made better, will last me longer and is made in a way which it can be easily recycled.  However, most of these are economic drivers (and my own consciousness) more so then a reaction to the "green" campaign.  Which even though there have been some extreme reactionary (even conspiracy) statements made by some in these forums I believe it is to some degree a campaign by our government to distract us.  Energy prices are rising, lets blame the people and make them spend more money and stimulate the economy buying new products which they will never recoup the expense of (even though they will market them as saving you money in the first year).  Never will they blame themselves for the short sightedness which got us into this position that was just good business.  I don't believe that ignoring the future when you're trying to save it is any better then people having done the same in the past, and we can see what comes of it.

Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.03.29, 08:10:39
Well, these cars are not really marketed as a family vehicle, as you no doubt have noticed. They are for commutation use, and for such, they function brilliantly. A family mover would have to be a more traditional sized car, but this does not mean that they can not be efficient. Hopefully, the demand will increase and more and more manufactures will start making Hybrids/Alt-Fuels.

saborion2

Phew...., Guess I had to remember to breathe reading that one; anyway, re: "However, most of these are economic drivers (and my own consciousness) more so then a reaction to the "green" campaign...." Got to tell you dude I will be focusing on the Computerized (Model) for Financial, Economic and Technical Analyses and Reporting (COMFETAR) under OS/2 like a laser beam in these times.  ;)

Robert Deed

My contributions to "green" at home.. lol =)  I'm running OS/2 on a 20" LCD monitor, with a 300watt power supply, a low voltage processor =) lol

ATI and Nvidia both have video cards out now which use 200Watts alone, not to mention some of the processors top 250watts =)

Quote from: saborion2 on 2008.03.29, 17:31:52
Phew...., Guess I had to remember to breathe reading that one; anyway, re: "However, most of these are economic drivers (and my own consciousness) more so then a reaction to the "green" campaign...." Got to tell you dude I will be focusing on the Computerized (Model) for Financial, Economic and Technical Analyses and Reporting (COMFETAR) under OS/2 like a laser beam in these times.  ;)