What is Digg?Sponsored by Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City view!
rockstargames.com - Out Now on Disc for Xbox 360. Includes The Lost and Damned plus the all-new The Ballad of Gay Tony.
267 Comments
- dongiaconia, on 10/12/2007, -4/+40We don't need smart cars, what we need are smart drivers.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+27They hold up very well in all crash tests, one of the safest cars on the road thanks to that shell.
Here's a video of one crashing at 70mph into a sold concrete block.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s&search=smart%20car
There's not many cars that would look so good after such a crash.
I like these cars, great little city runners (you can park them nose to the kerb!) and they have a kind of following like the original mini. I'd buy one of thse in a flash if I had that kind of money to spend on a car, but alas pre-owned cars only for me :P - alxdman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16We've had them in Canada for, i think, 2 years now. Nothing like seeing one whip by your buddys civic, hehe
Ive seen some videos on the crash test for these, one of them was on digg a while back
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/60538/smart_car_crash/
http://digg.com/links/Smart_Car_Crash_Test_Videos - fennec, on 10/12/2007, -7/+20Quote, the Simpsons in Epcot center, riding an electric car exhib:
Electric Car: "Hello. I'm an electric car. I can't go very fast. Or very far. And if you drive me, people will think you're gay."
Gay animatronics: "One of us! One of us! " - retinaburn, on 10/12/2007, -6/+17Thus illustrating the American misconception of Price == Size.
- in4mation, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12@tacom8:
When the Smart first came out in Canada, I thought it would never catch on. To my surprise, a lot of people are buying them. Enough so for me to see a couple of them on the streets on a daily basis. And here is why:
- Parking is a joke.
- Gas (diesel) consumption is ridiculously low.
- They are safe. - cosulliv755, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14I just saw these over in Paris week before last. People were parking them sideways in parking spots. Their a great run around for the city, I'd think long and hard before putting it on the highway. Well dugg.
- mark1372, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11I drive one all the time via AutoShare here in Toronto. It's great, and it's amazing how little gas it gets. It's very roomy inside (no less roomy in the passenger cage than any other compact car), especially the high ceiling. You can also choose to drive them standard or automatic, as they allow both.
The cons I find are that it's pretty noisy (surprisingly, less so on the highway); it's bumpy, due to the passengers sitting almost over the back axle; and it's a tiny bit slippery on the slow because it's light, though nothing significantly different than other small cars.
Having the back of the car right behind your back is a trip, especially when cars behind you ride all the way up...yikes! Parking the thing is a total dream...it fits anywhere. Overall, I enjoy it quite a bit when I drive it, and it certainly attracts a lot of attention.
The cars were hugely successful when they arrived in Canada a couple of years back, so I'm sure the U.S. will also be a good market. - GodlessMonkey, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11That video was awesome. Car looks pretty dang safe to me. I don't think a hummer hitting a concrete wall at 70mph would do as well as one of these. Think about the video again. That car is hitting at 70 MILES PER HOUR! And the guy walks up, opens the door and the drivers compartment is still intact. That "Bigger is safer" stuff is just SUV hype to get knucklehead soccer moms to buy one.
- TheCheeta, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14Actually, tests show that in many cases, SUVs are /less/ safe than automobiles in a serious accident.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I can't see americans buying these. They wouldn't fit inside.
- lasermike026, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10This is a proper, economical, and more ecological form of transportation. This car just makes sense. Don't resist it. You'll be driving one soon. The oil crunch is on.
- SystemsGuy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10I live in Paris, and for city driving, they are awesome. They are very expensive for what you get, and can barely hold a weekends work of luggage for one.
Also, wonder what happens when you are on I10 in Houston, doing 85, and a huge truck comes by doing 90.. To be honest, you rarely see them outside the city here - I think everyone who has one rents a bigger car for trips.
Well dugg, though, and for city driving, worth looking into if you have money to burn. I though that DaimlerChrysler was loosing money on these in a major way? - ipoddj, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10For safety take a look @ http://www.funny-videos.co.uk/videosmartcar.html
- foomojive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I live in the U.S. and if there were versions of these cars available at a price equivalent to an average sedan, I would buy one in a heartbeat. If I needed a new car, that is. You can park anywhere, turn easier, handle narrow streets and parking areas easier, much better gas mileage, did I mention you can park pretty much anywhere?
SUVs are glorified station wagons. Face it. 99.9999% of them never go off road. I don't buy into this "my car is bigger than yours so I am better than you" crap. I don't care if my car has a "Hemi." I'd much rather have a compact car that's easier, safer, and cheaper to drive. Need a truck for a day? Rent a U-haul truck, it's like $20. Unless you haul junk all the time, you probably don't need them very often. - in4mation, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8They're safe:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4104261162559881379&q=smart+car - rekrapt, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I've ridden in one. They ride smoothly and are supposedly very safe. The shell of the car is very strong. I want one... but, definitely only for drive to work use... shopping and road trips are out. You can fit 2 people and a six pack in one and that's about it.
- retinaburn, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10Wow excellent analysis of the car. See picture, build assumptions, post comment. Have you even looked into any of the safety figures, movies, articles? You don't even have to google, just check this very digg that you posted so ill informed in.
Please tell me you have a blog where I can read more of your wonderful insights. - Thundercat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Yeah, but the people inside the car still die, despite the relative effectiveness of the car's structure. Internal organs don't like going from 70 - 0 mph in 1 second. That is a fact regardless of what car you're driving.
- BritOverseas, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Clarkson is 6 feet 5 so I don't think 99% of the poulation would have a problem.
- magst, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7It's amazing the amount of people here that do not read!
Every time there is something about a non-USA car here, people scream "safety" and "emissions".
However safety standards are the same or higher in Europa as are the emissions (Diesel particle filters).
Also almost all automobile tech has a German origin, so please do not think that your silly cheap trucks are safe and good for the environment.
Smart cars are safe small, and NOT expensive.
Someone wrote 20 to 40k us, but that is not correct. A base smart will set you back 9.270 Euro's inclusive 16% tax.
So without taxes as prices are done in the US it's : 7991 euro equal to 9.668 dollars.
(The dutch guy has higher prices because of the car tax in Holland..)
If they charge 15k in the USA your are paying too much.
More EU safety tests : http://www.euroncap.com/
If all US people bought normal cars instead of summer cabins with wheels, there would not be an oil problem.... - pkulak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I have a motorcycle because it's quick, easy to park, and get's 60 mpg. This has all those qualities, plus you don't get wet when it rains and you've got storage space. I think it's pretty badass. I still don't think I'll be trading in my 919 though. :D
- charlescheese, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I think it's so funny that the enviro-Nazi's on this board vote down any negative comment about this ugly...UGLY car. Anyway, I thought I'd give enviro-Nazi and arrogant Europeans another one to vote down.
Can't someone say this car is ugly? That doesn't mean it's not good for the environment, it just means it's butt ugly. In fact, it's the ugliest damn car I've EVER seen.
Not to mention that you are NOT supposed to put a baby seat in the front seat of a car. So anyone with kids, like me, can't possibly find a use for the thing. Ugly, expensive, impractical, and well...UGLY.
You get half a car at full price...YAY! I'd take a Civic Hybrid over this any day. - ashchristopher, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7But then you would have to drive a KIA! =)
- bentwookiee, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8@ spxiii: You're *way* over simplifying things. The use of conservation of momentum assumes it is a "perfect" collision with no deformation of the colliding bodies and no friction - both of which would occur in reality and would make a significant impact on your assessment. Your calculated velocities tell us nothing about the actual safety of an SUV vs. a Smart Car.
- diggerphelps, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I want one.
And SUV drivers need to stop driving like they're in Carmageddon.
Plus get off the DAMN phone. - gamekid, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11"Much of the delay involved learning how to modify the cars and tooling the proprietary Smart diagnostic system to ensure the cars meet U.S. safety and emissions standards."
In other words, the Smart had to be rebuilt from scratch, so it would waste enough gas to keep ExxonMobilBPAmocoSunocoCorp from bribing them out of business.
Digg for a sane car coming to the US. - spxiii, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10These comments on safety are just way off...People are letting a crash test result override common sense, so I'll explain using physics. The brick wall in the test is equivalent to one smart car at ~30 m/s hitting another smart car at ~30 m/s head on--impressive, but the idea is pretty stupid because that instant change in velocity is gonna kill you regardless of the car you're in.
Now consider a realistic situation where a smart car, ~700kg, collides head on with an SUV of ~2500kg, both vehicles traveling at 15 m/s.
smart car momentum = -10500 kg*m/s
suv momentum = 37500 kg*m/s
Assuming total momentum is conserved after the crash:
total momentum = 27000 kg*m/s = (700kg + 2500kg) * v --> v = 27000 / 3200 = 8.44 m/s
So, the SUV goes from 15 m/s to 8.44 m/s (from 35 mph to about 19 mph) -- a good hit, but nothing compared to what the smart car gets, going from -15 m/s to 8.44 m/s -- a change of 23.44 m/s, which is like hitting a brick wall at over 50 mph.
The smart car, and more importantly the passengers, will get rocked... - Sabot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5What a total rip off: $15,000 to $25,000. In Mexico you can get cars from VW that are small and cost about $10000. They are safe and economical. We are always riped off in the states when it comes to small cars.
http://www.vw.com.mx/CWE/estudio/EST_VWDetalles_OP/0,9074,sM%253DLupo%2526iN%253D13%2526sC%253D0,00.html - ronintetsuro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Can't wait to see the Big Boys.com video of one of these shearing an Escalade in half at speed.
- HMTKSteve, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5KIA = "Killed in Action"
- CaughtThinking, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4i live in washington d.c., where there is no parking, anywhere. can't wait to get one! hehe.
- softmod, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I agree, 15-25 k is ridiculously high for a tiny thing like that!
- jsmiley17, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Believe it or not, but the SmartCar does meet U.S. safety and emissions standards. Course, I'd feel a little cramped in one, but I think they'd work in places like NYC, where there's already not enough parking!
- LordBug, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"A head on collision with an SUV, both vehicles going 60mph, would result in the Smart car going from 60mph to 40mph THE OTHER DIRECTION in a split second"
And if that SUV hit a semi (even one sans trailer) at 60MPH, the exact same thing would happen: The SUV would fly backwards. Momentum sucks that way. - mark1372, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6There is actually a lot of room in them, especially height-wise. I'd compare it to the headroom of the new VW Bugs...so, plenty. Leg room is no different than other compact to mid-size cars. It's the car that's small and there's no back seat, not the passenger cage that's small.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7at $15k they're *WAY* overpriced. They need to cost half that before Americans (outside of the greater Los Angles area) will start buying them.
- DesolataX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Don't judge a book by its cover. My Father owns a 2005 Smart Fortwo Cabriolet, and at first, I thought "Their is no was even two 11 years olds could ride in that thing," but once you get inside, it's bigger than your average sedan in terms of passenger and driver room, not good for bringing anything big with you.
Very cheap to drive, and considering how much my father drives it, it will pay itself off in 5~7 years vs his 2003 Dodge RAM 3500. Very cheap to fuel it up. Have not got a chance to drive it a long distance, but it is a manumatic or standard minus the clutch. He also uses it as an advertisement-on-wheels that EVERYONE stares at it. I have almost been in 5 accidents because people just stare and say, "What the hell is that? It's so cute! Who would want to drive that?"
If a dealership near you has one, take it for a test drive, you will be amazed.
Nice sound system too :D but needs more bass.
Don't Judge a book by its cover. - woodenspoon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/details.php?id1=6&id2=29
-There is a safety assessment of the Smart, it seems to score okay... - charlescheese, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Show me proof that it IS safe.
- jamesthejust, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I own one (UK). I get roughly 85mpg (CDI model). It's 2 seats have more space/ leg-room than any other car i've driven.
- roguepirate, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Well, this is just in time for the release of The Da Vinci code film, which im sure is going to push some sales of Smart cars, in the same line as what Italian Job did for the MINI Cooper. Those who read the book will know what i mean.
- tacom8, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@in4mation
I am also in Canada (Edmonton) and yes i do see them quite often on to and from downtown. i agree they are safe and reliable and cheap to drive. So make no mistake i agree IT IS a great car and great concept that i really hope catches on.
Its just that when i think commuter car like something i will only drive to an from work, i sure don't think 20k, the car would sell phenomenally well at the 10k price bracket where there are already cars (mind much crappier build quality)
I did in fact consider this as my next car, as that's all i need is a grocery getter or to work sort of car, but at that price why not get the civic, aveo, yaris, swift etc..?
Its just that i think the pricing has more to do with maintaining the Benz image (they are sold at Merc dealers) more then the actual cost. There is nothing really luxury about them to justify the price in my opinion that's all. This car just screams mega mass production car of the future, but they just forgot to invite everyone to the party.
or i dunno like you say they are selling well hence the American launch now. lets hope so - boxabirds, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I can only assume it's taken this long for them to get into the US because in the US they like big cars right? And with gas going up so much recently the market has grown. But I'd have always thought cities like NY would be a place for such things. When I was living in Barcelona back in 2000 they were quickly becoming very popular -- and they do accelerate fast. I rented a Smart fourfour last year which was a lot of fun too.
- mark1372, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Remember also that they take diesel gas, which means that the car requires no modifications to use bio-diesel (not east to find yet, though). I drove one on the highway for three hours starting with a full tank and then filled it up to see how much gas it used, and it was only about $3 (Canadian).
They're made my Mercedes-Benz and are positioned as a premium car (like Apple products), so it costs a little more, but you also are paying for the amazing Mercedes four-wheel suspension system and the higher costs of a niche product. Many people will have no problems paying for the "privilege" of owning such a conversation piece. IMO, It's worth every penny in the gas you save...test drive one for a while and see. People who need a Navigator for only driving around the city are dumbasses.
By the way, it also gets much more expensive when you start adding things like seatwarmers, cabriolet, etc. - ashchristopher, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Um... the Prius and the Honda Civic hybrids are NOT similarly priced!
They are quite a bit more, however, it would be nice to have 4 seats.
The smart car that is coming to the states is the Smart Car 4-2, there is a 4-4 (which is 4 door) that is coming to Canada next year which presumably would go to the states next. Then of course there is the Smart Car roadster, which is similar in performance to the Mazda Miata but with MUCH better fuel efficiency. - Kitsune818, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Great! The Smart Roadsters are awesome little cars.. I've been wanting one since I got to check one out in Amsterdam.
These things whip all over London and Paris, I've always been a bit jealous.. In Italy, I've seen them stacked up in cubes at a dealership with some sort of conveyor type thing to move them around. The dealership is essentially vertical.. and if I remember right, you can snap on a new set of colored panels if you get bored with the color.
So, now that they are bringing them stateside, I expect it wont be long before they've got a 4 door, stretched "luxury" edition and a mini-van model getting 25 mpg and seating 8.
When can I buy my own (US legal) VW Polo, or Fiat Panda, or Renault Megane? That's what I want to know. - Giddygoon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I was in Germany a few years back and my friend pointed out a Smart Car dealership. It had a large tower that 'shelved' the cars and he explained that you would go and pick out the color and options, and they'd have a fork truck pull out your car from the shelf.
I hope we get that in the US. I'd like to see that up close. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I truely cant see many people buying this. At $25K it's way overpriced, and even at $15K they'll have a hard time getting them out the doors.
- bloodguard, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I think I'll stick with my 4 door Jetta TDI.($20K) It gets about 55MPG Highway on BioDiesel. I'll sacrifice 5MPG just so I don't get laughed at. Or blown off the road in a high wind.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 267 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is