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Is Smarter better?
Published: Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 8:03pm
When I was in Italy last year over spring break, I started a game with my friends: count how many Smart Cars you see.
It was an easy game because Smart Cars are pretty distinctive — they’re probably the tiniest car you’ll ever see outside of your toy box. They’re environmentally friendly, and they don’t use a lot of gas (which at this point is probably a dream for a lot of people).
They’re also being released in the United States in 2008.
This is awesome — what could be bad about having tons of of cute (even the grille looks like it’s smiling), environmentally friendly cars on the road?
Despite what it may seem like, the United States is far behind many other countries in
"being green." We’ve changed the way we construct our buildings, how we use our energy, and we even plant trees every once in a while. But we still haven't changed how we travel.
If we really want to be an environmentally friendly country, we have to change more about our transportation than having the occasional Smart Car.
Imagine what would happen if an SUV and a Smart Car got in an accident. SUVs are so much bigger that they’d probably total the Smart Car.
Even though it’s great that we’re finally taking another step toward promoting a greener way of living, Smart Cars won’t be safe on the road until the huge cars that we see disappear as well.
And considering the American "bigger is better" lifestyle, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.
Comments
So cute!
You're right - if you don't buy a Smart Car for the Smart Reasons (environment, lower gas consumption...) at least get one for the adorable looks. Like the Lindt Chocolate Bunny Smart Car. The grille has whiskers! ^.^
Differences
This kind of grille completely contrasts that of the SUVs.
SUV companies actually hire psychologists (including Clotaire Rapaille) to help design SUVs to look more intimidating. And it works - many people buy them because they feel comforted by the agressive outer shell of the vehicle, and as a result, feel safer inside. Because they feel safer, they feel invulnerable, and tend to drive more recklessly.
Smart Cars are cute - but not the kind of car that you would feel totally safe in. So the owners of these cars drive defensively, and are less of a threat on the road.
Also, the design of the Smart Cars help keep them out of accidents. They're tiny (Italians would park them in the middle of the road, and there would still be more than enough room on both sides) and nimble, so they can get out of a dangerous situation quicker. SUVs don't have that kind of defense.
US version slightly different
I read in Popular Science a few months ago that the manufacturers decided to raise the 61-horsepower European version to 71 horsepower for sale in the US. I'd like to think that the extra power has some practical application, but I'm having trouble thinking of any.
The Smart Car that's being
The Smart Car that's being released in the U.S. is bigger than its counterpart in Europe, and the safety standards are more stringent. Overall it's heavier. It probably needs the extra power to get it moving.
Twikes Rule!
Another example of a smart car (and/or fully-electric car) is the Twike. My aunt who lives up in Evanston had a Twike for a while... A Twike is a "car" (If you can call it that) that seats two and runs on pedal power. You can have it run on battery alone(you plug it into the wall to charge it), you can put it into "exercise mode" and just pedal (It has two sets of pedals... one for the driver and one for the passenger), or a mixture of the two, which is easiest (I have done so). She no longer has it as she recently sold it to someone in Champaign, so if you see a 3-wheeled egg rolling around town, you'll know it's the Twike. However, it also would not survive a crash with practically any vehicle, as it was built to be light so you could pedal it around... it features a soft body/windshield and only weighs 500-1000 pounds, meaning the driver is virtually unprotected...
And I played the same game in England. They have one smart car per block there...
On the flip side of your
On the flip side of your theory of smart cars getting crushed by our SUV's. I had the pleasure..or rather displeasure of driving a Chevy Tahoe while living in Baveria for a few years. That was one of the scariest cars to drive in Europe. Its HUGE compared to any other car on the road. Not to mention I was always getting stuck on extremely tight streets where it was inches on either side of the car.
The wave of small cars in the US is coming at a rapid pace. People are slowly moving over to enjoying small cars that offer tons of room and storage space. Now its not a SUV type of space, but its plenty to get your daily things done. Take a look at the Chevy Aveo or the Saturn Astra. The American auto market is making the change. Unfortunately its not as fast as everyone would like.
Who is "everyone"? I'm
Who is "everyone"? I'm certainly not looking forward to small cars. The experience I had in France with them was hellish. If you're over about 5'8", you are practically crammed into a clown car. Personally, I like being not pressed against the windshield. SUVs suit me just fine.
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