Smart fortwo plucks the fuel-efficiency strings in many people’s hearts.  How fuel efficient is it really?  The smart fortwo models are getting pretty good mileage at 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway.  However, one could expect a little more fuel economy out of a super-compact two passenger vehicle that looks like a hatchback that has had the back half cut off.  Also, the smart fortwo is a gasoline engine, no different than a Toyota Yaris or a Honda Fit.

In comparison with sub-compact cars, the smart fortwo is equal in price, immaterially better in fuel economy, and much smaller.  An additional difference is the smart fortwo requires premium fuel whereas traditional subcompacts do not.  This reduces the overall cost savings of the smart fortwo’s higher gas mileage. In fact, when one considers the overall cost per mile for each vehicle, the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit are only $0.01 per mile more expensive to operate than the smart fortwo cars given the premium fuel requirement.

Smart fortwo is getting better gas mileage and is $0.01 per mile cheaper to operate, but there are a host of other factors to consider:

  • Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit hold five passengers compared with the two passenger capacity of the smart fortwo vehicles
  • The Yaris and Fit both have about twice the amount of passenger volume, more hip room, and include cargo volume (smart fortwo cars do not have cargo volume except for a miniature glove-box type storage bin in the more expensive models)
  • Smart fortwo cars lack many standard features that are present on the Fit and Yaris including power steering, air conditioning, and audio system

Once you have added power steering, air conditioning, and an audio system, the most affordable smart fortwo model (smart fortwo pure) is well over $13,000, which is in the same price range as the Fit and more expensive than the Yaris.  Smart fortwo is also a Daimler-Chrysler product, or what used to be Daimler-Chrysler, and this fact troubles me on another level.  Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, and myriad other brand names this manufacturer’s vehicles are sold under, are notorious for being mechanically unreliable.  While the smart fortwo is new and there are no good repair and maintenance data as of yet, I expect that this vehicle will have mechanical issues much like its larger Chrysler cousins.

All in all, the smart fortwo is a cool idea that falls a little short of my expectations.  Something as small and non-functional as the smart fortwo needs to be getting significantly higher gas mileage than other non-hybrid vehicles before it would make sense to purchase a smart car.  As it stands right now, you would be better off buying a standard subcompact because there really aren’t any fuel savings and at least you can go grocery shopping in it without the bags on your lap.

Smart For Two Pulse image courtesy of Flickr user Earl of Omniscience

Share and Enjoy:
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • Google
  • Sphinn