What is it? The Smart ForTwo is an update of a tiny two-passenger car sold in Europe. Because the car is tall and has no engine in front, two tall
passengers can fit comfortably. It is less than 9 feet long, so will fit in
some parking spaces sideways (though this isn't necessarily always legal.)
The redesigned model is built to meet all U.S. safety regulations, and will
be sold in the United States.
A convertible and a coupe are available The Smart will likely be powered by a 1.0-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine
producing 84 horsepower. It is mounted under the trunk floor between the
rear wheels. The transmission is a five-speed automated manual transmission,
which proved jerky in our test of the previous version. Head curtain air
bags and electronic stability control are standard, but side thorax bags
that are standard in Europe won¹t be available here.
What is new or notable: There¹s not much that's different from the first
version of the Smart, but the car is slightly longer to meet U.S. safety
regulations.
When will it be available? In the first quarter of 2008.
CR's take: The Diesel Smart ForTwo we tested was the worst vehicle we've experienced in many years. It’s still small. It’s still funky. We just hope it’s better.
