I think that the smart car mandates premium fuel, which would be fine since the mpg almost negates that extra expense.

What is the top speed? Have you actually taken it on the highway? How are the safety ratings?

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First, Peace, it *is* spacious. When you get inside it feels like a normal size car.
It does suggest premium fuel but you're right - the gas savings makes it nearly painless. (Plus, many smart owners use the mid-level gas - which is what almost all new cars take - without any problems.)

I drive it up to the Poconos every weekend easily. I've had it up top 90 mph without any problems but it seems to be most comfortable around 75

And it received the highest crash test ratings.

I honestly love the car.

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---Shosh

I see them on the Blue Route while I'm commuting. They terrify me.

That's awesome! I do worry about wind, though....I remember the stories of the Yugo going off the Mackinac Bridge when a big gust hit it.

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But it's a one person car right?

I am not knocking it-I've always been fascinated by them- I just thought it was a one person car (or perhaps 1.5 person if you have two people the size of Verne Troyer- aka 'Mini Me')...

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Two person car; the front seat is like any other two-seater (or the front half of a sedan).

As much as I love the car (and I do), I have no problem admitting that it isn't perfect.

Yes, you sometimes feel the wind; this is not a car that will necessarily hold a straight line if you take you hands off the steering wheel. However, you also don't have to grip the wheel so tight that you lose circulation in your fingers.

The other downside is that because of the small wheel base and, quite frankly, the lack of room under the car (since that's where the engine is), there's nothing even approaching a smooth, shock-absorbed ride; it isn't a Lexus. You do feel every bump in the road.

But other than those two things, it's really a great car.

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---Shosh

The Smart smug is far worse than the Prius smug. See below for proof.

Smart ForTwo has 7 cubic feet of cargo space total. The Prius has 14 cubic feet of cargo space and a full back seat that hold a few humans (or stuff) at the same time. Also, the Smart is a trendy car in Europe...and nothing is worse than a car considered trendy in Europe

If you kept reading, I acknowledge the car isn't perfect. And of course I didn't mean "spacious" as in "U-Haul Truck." I meant "spacious" as in -- the front seat is full size, and you can fit pretty much anything you need for daily life (groceries, luggage, etc.) in the back.

And the car isn't "trendy" in Europe -- it's been in Europe for 10 years and is pretty much a yawn there now.

But, um, yeah, when I pull into that half-a-parking space right in front of my house, while my neighbors circle a 10-block radius looking for a space.

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---Shosh

I'd like to at least try it out sometime...

Also, purely electric cars, the Tesla, and Chevy Volt, as well as a Prius solar model...

It will be interesting to see how this all develops in the next few years...

Also, I think there is enough public interest and demand that alternative energy cars won't be killed this time around:

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Peace,

John

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No need to get sarcastic on me. Unfortunately, my job's in the suburbs, too. In fact, I have never had a "real" job in the city in my life. This is a symptom of what is wrong with how blind automobile dependence moved many of the jobs to places that can only be reached by car.

What's extra-stupid about where my current job is located is that the property it is on is adjacent to an active rail line. One that goes directly to Center City. But it doesn't have any passenger traffic! Old passenger stations alongside it show it used to, but that doesn't help me now. I would never drive the car to work again if I were able to take advantage of that line!

Not disrupting the kids' lives is a big consideration, to be sure! No doubt you're doing what you have to.

BTW, I never suggested that everyone should go car-less. I have trouble fathoming how much I would be limiting myself by not having even a single car in the household. Even with services like Philly Car Share available. The last time I lived without any access to a car was way back in college, and it was miserably inconvenient. I would not willingly sign myself up for that again!

What I am saying is that the exuburban McMansion phenomenon of building housing where a household of 2 parents + 2 teenagers = 3 or even 4 cars in the driveway to be even remotely functional is irresponsible and unsustainable. It simply doesn't have to work like that.

I admit, I have trouble drumming up sympathy for folks who fit that exurban mode, have 3 giant SUVs, commute alone in them to work 40 miles round trip suburb-to-suburb, and now are complaining about gas prices and the related expense of heating oil to heat 3000 sq ft in the winter. (AKA, "heating the outdoors", since these things don't share walls with neighbors.) No one set them up for that failure but themselves. But this is getting a little off-topic from whether people like hybrid cars.