[pabianice]

“Are you a pizza or were you just in a micro car headon collision?”

[ovrtaxt]

[BurbankKarl]

A five star side rating is hard to get

[arthurus]

I think I would have to have flashing lights all over it. Visibility would be as bad as for a motorcycle. Some drivers won’t seei. Some won’t want to see it. Some will seeit but think it has no right to be on the street and will run over it.

[Old Sarge]

Wii would like to play...

[OB1kNOb]

33/41 mpg? Shoot, I use to get 47-50 mpg in my Geo Metro back in the mid 90’s.

[Sender]

I can’t wait to see what teenage tuners do with this car. There’s room for two people and two subwoofers.

[TWohlford]

The car got a 5-star side impact rating... and the headlines scream that the car’s unsafe?!?!?!?

(shaking head)

I guess that “safety doesn’t sell” newspapers?!?!?

[jdm]

If this thing doesn't get you laid, nothing will.

/sarc

[MHGinTN]

Saw one on the road just the other day! Wondered what it was because I could use something like that to pull behind my little Minnie Winnie. Think I’ll look into them. ... Price?

[Izzy Dunne]

I was in Italy last June, and saw these all over.

Your chances are better there, since more people have them.

Here, if you get into a collision, it's more likely with a F150 or Buick, and you're toast in a tin can.

[nascarnation]

For those not familiar, they are mfg in France by a Mercedes affiliate, and Roger Penske has the USA rights to sell them. They’re not terribly cheap at 15 grand or so.

When you see one on the street it’s definitely a shocker because of the tiny size. If I lived in a city like Chicago or NYC and never went on the freeway, it might make sense, more because of the ability to park and maneuver than the actual gas mileage.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Smart cars have been very popular around here for a few years. There have been no real safety issues. The big advantage is parking.

BTW, the diesel versions got a lot better fuel mileage.

[upchuck]

"Given the amount of attention on smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in general and this vehicle specifically, we wanted to try to get the vehicle tested and the results out there as quickly as possible, even if we had to fudge the results a little." Tyson said.

[upchuck]

I want the red car...

[Myrddin]

One of these smart cars was traveling southbound on I-15 on Valentine's Day. My wife and I saw it a few times as we made the trip from Pocatello to San Diego. It didn't seem to have any problem zipping along at 75 MPH with the rest of the traffic. It's the first one I've seen in the U.S. There were lots of them in Rome in March 2005 when I visited to present a technical paper.

[Repeal The 17th]

Nah, looks perfectly safe to me . . . NOT !

[RightWhale]

The car might not be safer than a bicycle, but these safety people could find a dozen safety concerns to a dirt shovel.

[Ole Okie]

LADEEZ AND GEMPMUMS:

Behold the future!

[backhoe]

I actually ran across one of these things a few weeks ago, and was so startled, I took a few pictures for Miss Emily to see:

Whilst doing this, the owners- a very pleasant older couple, came up, and let me sit in the car, study its controls, and so forth.

It's surprisingly large inside, and very comfortable.