The Smart Fortwo is the smallest production car sold in the United States. With just two front seats and a tiny gasoline engine, the Smart Fortwo became available to U.S. buyers in 2008. In Smart's first year of U.S. sales, the company sold more than 25,000 cars in the country. With a maximum speed of 90 miles per hour, the Smart Fortwo was designed to be a safe and convenient subcompact car for urban dwellers.
History
The Smart car company began in 1993 as a collaboration between Daimler-Benz, owners of Mercedes Benz, and Swatch, a Swiss watch making company. The manufacturer first produced a subcompact car in Switzerland, which was sold only in Europe. In 1998, Daimler-Benz bought out Swatch and expanded the company, adding multiple Smart car models to the line up. Smart began selling cars in the U.S. in 2008.
Types
For the 2008 to 2010 model years, Smart has produced the Fortwo model for sale in the U.S. The Fortwo is available as a coupe or a convertible. The base model Fortwo is known as the pure model. The pure Fortwo comes with a five-speed transmission that can be switched into an automatic or manual mode. Standard equipment includes a central remote locking system, a two-spoke leather steering wheel and a tire pressure monitoring system. The upgraded passion model adds extra equipment including a stereo, air conditioning and power windows. Smart also produces a Fortwo BRABUS model, which includes performance upgrades including an improved chassis and stiffer suspension.
Features
All Smart car models from 2008 to 2010 come with a 1-liter, 70-horsepower, 3-cylinder engine. The Smart Fortwo is a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive car that produces 68 pound-feet of torque. Edmunds.com claims the Smart Fortwo gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 on the highway. The Smart Fortwo accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 14.1 seconds.
Size
The Smart USA website states that the Smart Fortwo is 106 inches long. The Fortwo has a wheelbase of 73 1/2 inches and the base model weighs 1,800 pounds. The fuel tank holds just over 8 1/2 gallons and passengers in a Fortwo have 40 inches of headroom and 41 inches of legroom. The Fortwo's trunk has 8 cubic feet of storage space.
Safety
All 2008 to 2010 Smart models received ratings of good, the highest rating available, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in frontal side offset, side impact and roof strength tests. (See reference 5.) The Smart Fortwo includes standard safety equipment including four airbags, electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes. (See reference 6.)
Member Comments