2008 Smart Fortwo Passion on 2040-cars

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1,207 Smart ForTwos parade around Budapest

Daimler's Smart division partied down with the Smart ForTwo cult by staging a parade late last week that totaled 1,207 vehicles. In all, about 2,500 people showed up at Budapest's Heroes' Square to listen to music and party like rock stars in tiny cars. The parade, which included what was undoubtedly a romantic cruise along the Danube River, was set up to commemorate the 15th anniversary of an early, large gathering of Smart enthusiasts. The timing was auspicious, since Daimler is readying the second generation of the two-seater that is slated for the 2016 model year. Daimler unveiled the 2016 Smart ForTwo last summer. The German automaker managed to keep the notably short length the same, though it did widen the vehicle by four inches. The model will debut in North America later on this year with an 89-horsepower engine. The car still weighs less than 2,000 pounds and approaches a top speed of 100 miles per hour for anyone intrepid enough to try to hit those speeds. Take a look at Daimler's press release about the Budapest parade below, and check out our First Drive of the 2016 Smart ForTwo here. smart times 2015 in Budapest: 2,476 smart fans in the Hungarian capital Stuttgart/Budapest, Aug 31, 2015 On 28 and 29 August 2015 2,476 smart fans from around the world came together in the Hungarian city of Budapest for this year's smart times. Historic Heroes' Square in the city centre was the venue for the 15th anniversary of the world's largest international gathering of smart fans. For the first time the smart times participants had an opportunity to tour the city on the Danube by night. A total of 1,207 vehicles participated in the final parade on the Hungaroring and through the city. The new smart fortwo cabrio was a special highlight, on show before its presentation at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. smartxchange discussions with smart experts When the event kicked off on 28 August the participants were able to enjoy all the different items on the agenda. The smart Club Village celebrated its premiere as a tent village for the best known smart clubs worldwide and formed the setting for the individual stations and stands on the extensive site. smartxchange was presented as a new interactive format for direct communication with smart fans. For the first time questions could be put to smart experts on the stage who offered interesting insights into the world of smart behind the scenes.

Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Quick Spin Review | The saddest way to spend $25,000

I went into my weeklong loan of the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive expecting to dislike it. Seven days later, I didn't find anything that had changed my mind. But before I get into all the reasons you shouldn't buy an electric Smart, I think it's only fair that I offer up some positives. First, like all Smart ForTwo models, the ED is extremely maneuverable and has the best turning radius in the business. Second ... well, that 22.8-foot turning radius is really something special. For $24,650, the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive — I'll decline to make any jokes about the ED initials of early electric Smart models, but know that the humor is not lost on me — offers up a range of 58 miles on a full charge of its 17.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. We'll get back to that little specification shortly. What little forward thrust is available comes from a three-phase synchronous electric motor that produces 80 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 takes 11.4 agonizing seconds, and the top speed is mercifully limited to 81 miles per hour. My test car was equipped with a few options that pushed its price up to $29,810 and added an ironic "Passion" script just ahead of the side-view mirrors. We'll address the elephant in the room right now. For $30,875, the 2018 Nissan Leaf offers more range — in fact, at 151 miles, almost three times as much range — more power, more seats, more cargo room, and it's more fun to drive. For $37,495, the Chevy Bolt is better still, and its range of 238 miles on a full charge means it could be a legitimate primary vehicle for the vast majority of Americans. There are two seats in the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive. In front of the driver is a gauge binnacle that houses a speedometer along its outer edge, and an electronic display that can show things like current state of charge, available range, or an energy flow gauge that helps you keep tabs on how efficiently you're driving. Oddly, there's another gauge pod atop the left side of the dash with gauges that mechanically duplicate state of power and the percentage of power currently being consumed. The rest of the interior is made up of an assortment of plastics, some optionally colorful and others various shades of black, and none of it feels worthy of a $30,000 sticker price. In our last test of the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, we called the interior finishings "a tragic universe of mismatched petrochemical schmutz." That just about sums it up.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.