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Is 41 Miles per Gallon Enough to Justify Buying a Smart?
By JLP | June 2, 2009
I was just on the SmartUSA website. I have seen a few Smarts driving around town and thought I would check them out. Their prices aren’t too bad and I think they are nice-looking cars. But, I have to say I’m disappointed with their fuel economy, which is 33/41 (city/highway). Keep in mind that those numbers are estimates. We all know how those numbers usually don’t reflect reality. In reality, you’re going to be lucky to get 30/38 (city/highway). In my opinion, that’s not good enough to justify buying an extremely small two-passenger vehicle. A Honda Civic has an estimated MPG of 26/34 (23/31) and offers seating for five—though comfort is questionable.
The Smart is hip and will get some attention but I think the Civic (or some other equitable small car) is a better choice.
What’s your opinion? Would you own a Smart? If so, why?
Topics: Cars | 19 Comments »
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Priuses aren't much more expensive and about 3x bigger inside, big enough for four adults and a kid. Unless you live somewhere where the physical size of the vehicle is an advantage (ie, you often need to park in Manhattan), I'm not sure why anyone would bother.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Good point.
I watched two women trying to put groceries into a ForTwo the other day. It was kind of funny to watch.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
For a car its size the Smart fortwo's mileage is ridiculously bad. So far the average on the self-reported fueleconomy.gov is 41MPG. That's about the same mileage I got out of my 1988 Civic 4-speed, which was double the size.
The only advantage of this car is its size. If you place a high premium on city parking it may be the car for you.
BTW, "in reality" if you get lower mileage than the new EPA estimates then you have a lead foot.
Mike
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I drive a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. (I bought before Civic Hybrids were popular!) I routinely get 42-43 MPG for mixed use driving. So my actual mileage is better than the Smart's estimated MPG. They are cute cars, but I'd worry about getting squashed on the highway.
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Buy a Ford Fusion Hybrid instead if you are driving in the city mostly, it pulls 41MPG in the city vs 33MPG for that little tin can of death.
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I personally think it would be one of the worst purchases you could make – unreasonably small (making it relatively unsafe) and the gas mileage is nothing special… definitely go w/ civic or prius instead
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I drive a 2005 Toyota Corolla and average 38 mpg. If the Smart averaged 41 mpg, then over the course of 100,000 miles you would save 195 gallons of gas. At today's prices that would be about $500 bucks. Not enough savings nor worth the trade off in both seating capacity and cargo space.
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
It makes sense if you need a small car for commuting inside the city. If you're doing highway driving, like some other commenters have noted, a Civic hybrid gets great mileage and is safer. It's also big enough for a small family car, though you're right that 5 adults is a squeeze.
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Let's face it, these "fuel efficient" cars are just not ready for prime time yet. The economics behind these cars just doesn't make sense.
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Wow, I thought they would be closer to motorcycle range mileage, since they're closer to that size than full size cars.
Definitely not worth it!
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I would never buy a car that while driving I would be scared to get hit by a bicycle in.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Watch the crash test videos of the smart car and most people would immediately discard the idea of getting a smart car.
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:45 am
Another important consideration. The Smart ForTwo requires 91 octane. At roughly 20 cents per gallon more for 91 versus the 87 for the Civic the Smart's miles per dollar increases nearly 10%.
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 am
I am glad you asked. I went by the dealer in Austin. I expected the vehicle would get 75+MPG. I was shocked when they told me the expected MPG. On a positive not, I am 6'4" and weigh 350lbs. I was surprised that I could get in the car and drive it. It was not uncomfortable for someone my size.
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:29 am
I do live in a major city. I’d never buy it. As a vehicle for doing anything other than commuting and going out to dinner, it fails to meet the needs for space inside. So a family will always have a second car so that they can do things like go shopping. For commuting, the bus and subway work as well at a better price point. For going out to dinner, just use the first car.
June 5th, 2009 at 3:43 am
There is a Mercedes dealership in my town that sells these so there are quite a few around town. My first impression is they are incredibly small. Now you tell me they only get 41mpg. No thanks…if I want to die I'll just buy a motorcycle – it gets better mileage – or a Kia cause its full sized and a few thousand less! My Acura TL (6 cyl, large enough for 5 people, and a very safe car) gets 32 mpg.
June 8th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I would echo what everyone else is saying, that for such a tiny car you'd expect much better mileage. My 99 Civic averages 38 mpg.
What no one here has mentioned is that given the new fuel efficiency mandate, my guess is there wil be a LOT more choices, be they conventional gas engines, hybrids or all-electric, by 2010. My advice would be to just wait one more year.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
The crash test ratings are not so good for the Smart. However, after viewing pictures and reading testimonials from smart car owners who have been in actual real life crashes, my wife and I now own two Smarts.
She is averaging 42 mpg mixed driving. The new Civic is rated at 36 mpg hwy. To buy a civic new with a/c and cd player would cost me around $16,000. I just bought my Smart with a/c, cdplyer w/ mp3 adapter, heated seats,power steering, and a few other things for under $15000. Granted, the civic seats five, but it’s just the two of us…
The lurching that people complain about may depend on your driving style and where you live. We live in Kansas City, Missouri. We get alot of mixed driving in,but not much rush hour bumper to bumper traffic.
If you have a large family and haul alot of groceries, this may not be the car for you. We can fit the ttwo of us and three small dogs in mine and still have room for 2 bags of groceries.
Another complaint/ concern I’ve heard is the lack of power… I drive mine in manual mode – yes, you have the option with this vehicle- and have no trouble getting up to speed on the highway. top speed is 90 mph, by the way. Is that fast enough?
December 12th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
If you have ever been in a severe accident and were fortunate to walk away, a smart car or similar sized car would never enter your mind. Saving a few mpgs is simply not worth severe injury or your life. I was very fortunate in a heavy car when rear ended by a large commercial truck, somthing to be said for raw physics…