Posted on 06/23/2008 12:50:55 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
As a regular combatant in the daily grand prix on our local roadways, I have received many one-fingered salutes from my fellow motorists, all well-deserved.
But from my first joyride in the new Smart car I brought home a month ago, the only salutes being flipped in my direction are a steady stream of thumbs-ups.
It's possible that some people are waving goodbye.
Enthusiasm for the new microcar from Mercedes appears to be exceeded only by the expectation that anybody crazy enough to drive one will soon be pulverized by a passing Peterbilt.
The question about the car I get most often, in fact, is whether it's even allowed on the highway. People seem to think it might be better suited to puttering around a golf course.
Like a lot of early adopters - there are about 10,000 Smart cars on the road nationwide, and San Jose and San Francisco are among the top 10 markets - I hated the car at first.
There had been some whiny reviews in automotive magazines suggesting the car accelerates like a wind-up toy, and like so many others who have grown accustomed to driving preposterously over-powered, high-performance cars, I wanted my mojo back.
But that's sort of the point, isn't it? Who needs a car that can go from 0 to 60 in six seconds?
Power and fuel efficiency are a zero-sum equation: You can't have more of one without less of the other.
Yet nobody, including me, is eager to concede our God-given right to treat every city street like a drag strip.
I liked the idea of owning a fuel-efficient Smart car, but did it really have to take 13 seconds to get up to freeway speed?
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Try parking. In high-density cities.
The wire crates and two standing dogs do block a lot of my vision to the rear, but that's what side view mirrors are for . . . .
Roller skate is a good description.
My friend loves his SMART car, but it is not for big highway driving.
high compression ratio to increase HP. It has a better cost to MPG savings than a Prius.
You remember that old line about the "dancing dog?"
I would love to have one of those.
Before you get too smug...
The way things are going (and I don't see them being reversed any time soon), the only way you'll be able to do that in 3-4 years is if they back into you.
Just saying...
...never mind...
I know that there are jet turbines at under 100 lbs that could be retrofitted...
Who needs a car that can go from 0 to 60 in six seconds?
We always hear this sort of thing from politicians upon stepping out of their private jets, just before stepping into a 6000 lb chauffeur driven SUV.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.