An anonymous reader writes "ZAP'sSmart Car has officially been approved by the EPA for sale in the United States. From the article: 'It was the last major regulatory hurdle the company faced.' Finally a 60 mpg car that can go 90 mph and look cool at the same time!!"
We have one and regularly go 90 mph on the motorways here. It's fab. The only reason they don't go more than 90 is that they have a speed limiter. You can get them chipped however... http://www.smarttune.co.uk/tuning.htm
Re:90 MPH????
by
DigitumDei
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· Score: 3, Interesting
The smart roadster, while still ugly in a way, definitely looks a lot better than the normal one.
I was given one of these as a replacement car when mine was being serviced. I took it out on the motorway round Brussels and while it's a lot like driving a hair dryer it is suprisingly comfortable. I wouldn't want to do any long motorway trips in one though, but then that really isn't what the designers intended either. I'd have preferred a manual gearbox (smart forfour is the only smart with this as an option) but that won't be an issue in the US.
One thing I noticed is nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, can stand being overtaken by one of these.
Re:90 MPH????
by
golgotha007
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· Score: 4, Interesting
That said, parking is not a problem in one of them.
No kidding. One of the highlighs of this car is that it's as long as a normal car is wide.
Therefore, to park you can just pull straight in, putting the front end (or rear) of the car parallel to the street.
For urban parking woes, it doesn't get any better.
Re:90 MPH????
by
Space+Coyote
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· Score: 5, Insightful
Just wait until someone gets in a head on collision with an SUV (most of them are nearly 3 times the weight of these cars -- The driver of the SUV feels almost nothing, the accident investigators wonder what kind of car was even in the crash.
OK, here's the thing: if two SUVs hit each other head-on, everyone dies. You are arguing that a disadvantage of the SMART car is that if you get involved in a fatal car accident, you don't get te satisfaction of taking the other guy out with you?
Americans are strange.
-- ___
Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum.
Re:90 MPH????
by
animaal
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· Score: 4, Interesting
Unfortunately, you have a point.
People are buying SUVs to be a bit safer than the average car in a crash. So now everybody's gotta get one to stay safe.
Then some people start to drive small trucks to stay safer than the average SUV in a crash. So now everybody's gotta have one to be safe.
Where does it end? Everyone driving 18-wheelers?
Tax private use of larger vehicles. Either through petrol(gas) tax, road tax, purchase tax, take your pick!
In countries where it's more expensive to drive huge vehicles, people chosoe smaller ones. The average car is lighter, more efficient, and better for the environment. And people in smaller cars (or pedestrians) are in less danger in a crash. Just look at the cars in an average city in Europe!
Re:90 MPH????
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Informative
i rented the smart 4four recently, it has 4 seats which makes it actually useful and it was no problem at all to go over 190 km/h on the autobahn.
that should be fast enough for most US drivers...
it looks weak but drives surprisingly well, it's full with electronics to keep it stable - and it really feels like it.
Just wait until someone gets in a head on collision with an SUV (most of them are nearly 3 times the weight of these cars -- The driver of the SUV feels almost nothing
Just wait until that crappy SUV gets in a head on collision with a Freightliner. Only a moron would drive anything smaller than a Freightliner. Good thing the Liebherr isn't licensed for onroad use, or we'd all have to drive one of them.
Re:90 MPH????
by
Evil+Poot+Cat
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· Score: 4, Interesting
But then again I dont actually remember seeing a bend on a US highway.
hahahha, now that's funny!
What isn't funny, is that curves in the highway aren't necessary to require swerving, although I periodically hear about someone taking an exit ramp or turn too quickly.
IIRC, I've seen three SUVs roll...
two were Explorers, one was a Rover of some type.
all three were avoiding a collision, one was avoiding a stolen car chase.
all ended up on their tops
one rolled several times, lost its top completely, and spread bodies and toys across the dry highway.
one merely slid/spun on its top, and remained on the wet highway.
one rolled onto a concrete divider (12 inches wide?), slicing the cab in half.
Then, there was the Jeep Cherokee which exploded after a rear-end collision, immolating a family of 3, and the SUV of some type which tried to drive a 270 ramp at 50mph, and exploded in the trees. I didn't see those, but they do happen.
Re:90 MPH????
by
Spudley
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· Score: 3, Informative
Also, on the stability issue, Stirling Moss has one and loves it....and for all those of you who don't know, Stirling Moss is a (retired) racing driver, so he should have some idea of what makes a good car.
--
(Spudley Strikes Again!)
Re:90 MPH????
by
FyRE666
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· Score: 3, Interesting
I wouldn't be on that. In fact a program called "Top Gear" recently tested this very car in a collision test with a concrete wall at 70mph. The wall was angled at around 10 degs from perpendicular, so the Smart car slammed into it and then slid off to the side. Although any occupants would indeed be killed in such a collision, it would be due to the deceleration forces, and not any problems with the car's structure. It's specifically designed to transmit the energy of a crash up through the (surprisingly strong) roof and underfloor sections. In the test, the roof glass remained intact, and the passenger side door was still operational!
They performed the same crash test with another normal family car (I think it was some vauxhaul) and it faired no better than the Smart.
Re:90 MPH????
by
Thangodin
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· Score: 3, Insightful
SUV's do not win in accidents. They don't stop and push the other car out of the way, they push the other car down and ramp over it. The center of gravity is much too high--usually 6 inches to a foot above the bumper, which is already high enough to pass over the bumpers of most passenger cars, initiating the ramp effect.
There is even a good chance of this happening with a Smart Car. As the bumper of the SUV compresses the front end, the front end and cage of the little car will become a ramp, the tires will blow or the axles collapse, and the car will be locked in place by the sheer friction of the weight of both vehicles plus the force of lifting the SUV. The Smart Car will stop abruptly, which is bad, but the SUV will become a tumbling death trap, with 2 to 4 tons of vehicle crushing the heads of its occupants like overripe grapes.
Trust me, stopping is better than tumbling. Accidents aren't about winning. It's about how you stop. SUV's don't, and that's the problem. Even the people that make them admit that SUV's are more dangerous than standard passenger cars.
Old known in Europe
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 3, Interesting
In Europe we've seend this cars since probably 5 years ago. Right now there are getting popular the new SMART FORFOUR, which offers 4 places in an also reduced space. I think here it was distributed together with either BMW or Mercedes. Haven't heard anything about that "ZAP" thing...
Re:Old known in Europe
by
tincho_uy
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· Score: 3, Interesting
In fact, it's a joint venture between Daimler-Benz and Swatch (yes, the watch makers), IIRC.
It's got Mercedes technology under the hood, and the design is from Swatch ( check http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/05smartc abriolet.htm for the new cabriolet version)
Re:Old known in Europe
by
levell
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Yeah, I've seen them around, for some reason they really appeal to me. I have a feeling they'll be cult classics in the future like the original Mini and VW Beetle are today. I know I certainly wouldn't say no if anyone offered me one.
-- Struggling to find a day everyone can make? WhenShallWe.com
I believe it folds up into a briefcase for you to take in to the office once you finish your drive.
______
Kratos
Call that a Smart Car...?
by
Dynamoo
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· Score: 5, Funny
The FourTwo is OK, but I just got myself one of these babies.. a Smart Roadster Couple Brabus. Pretty much all of the fuel ecomomy and a top speed of 120mph. Sorted. Oh yes, you cant't get them in North America for at least a couple of years.. heheh:)
--
Never email donotemail@WeAreSpammers.com
Re:Call that a Smart Car...?
by
Dynamoo
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· Score: 5, Informative
This "beer can" has a watercooled turbo, traction control, electronic stability, tiptronic six speed gearbox, cruise control and the works. One key difference between a European car and a US car is that Europeans like to go round corners.. that the Smart Roadster is easily one of the best handling cards of it's type. A small roadster isn't for everybody, but if you're looking for a Mazda MX-5/Miata size car then it's pretty good. These little roadsters aren't designed for drag racing.. they're designed to be fun!
--
Never email donotemail@WeAreSpammers.com
Real Website
by
diablero
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· Score: 3, Informative
Sure, but it looks like ZAP are distributing them in the U.S. Or maybe they just need a funkier name - what we Brits call Vauxhall cars the rest of the world call 'Opal'.
But I don't get it: Smart are DaimlerChrysler, and Chrysler's a big US name - ?
Smart is manufactured and marketed in Europe by an unaffiliated party and made US/CA compliant by DMC.
That "unaffiliated party" is Mercedes Benz (and
hence ultimately, Daimler Chrysler). I wonder why
they don't seem to want to market it themselves,
and are relying on Zap instead. Worried about it
being a flop in the US and not wanting to damage
their reputation, perhaps?
-- "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
Nothing is then SMART
by
tid242
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· Score: 3, Insightful
Not so SMART... . . . when it meets the business end of an SUV or Hummer in an accident
Then the only "smart" thing to drive (extrapolating from your statement) would then be another Hummer or behemoth SUV, which i sure as fuck would not be driving.
Let's not be a part of the problem.
-tid242
--
With a few exceptions, secrecy is deeply incompatible with democracy and with science. --Carl Sagan
erm ..... no
by
thempstead
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· Score: 3, Interesting
We've had these, or things that look just like these in the UK for quite some time. Looking cool in, IMHO, would not really be possible.... and of course there is the question that people ponder over about whether if one was stopped suddenly it would start rolling end of end....:)
t
Cool looking, huh?
by
cbqwinner
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· Score: 3, Funny
If this thing looks "cool" to you, I'd hate to see what wasn't cool....
Re:Not so SMART . . .
by
Dynamoo
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· Score: 5, Insightful
Actually, you'd come out of that kind of collission pretty well. The Smart's tridion safety cage is almost indestructable. I've seen this thing crash tested.. the outside of the car is the entire crumple zone, and the passengers are protected in the safety cell. No cabin instrusions, nothing. Up against a normal road car, the Smart usually comes off better.
--
Never email donotemail@WeAreSpammers.com
Re:Who needs this shit??
by
Dot.Com.CEO
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· Score: 3, Informative
Have you ever been in one? I drove one last week and it was surprisingly comfortable (I'm 1.86m, so hardly tiny).
-- Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
roll cages with covers
by
davejenkins
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· Score: 3, Informative
I have already seen some posts about how "dangerous" these cars will be in the states when sharing the road with the "killer" SUVs and such-- but let me dispell some prejudices:
1. SMART cars are essentially big roll cages with coverings for the hood, door, and roof. They are quite safe for the riders should there be an accident. Moreover, they are engineered to "bounce" away from an oncoming impact.
2. With the engines placed as they are, a front-end collision does not put the block in the drivers lap (and crush his legs).
3. I would much much much rather be in one of these than some crumplicious dwarf from Ford
Re:roll cages with covers
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 3, Interesting
WTF, are you stupid?
It's usually not the external impact that kills you. It's your organs getting bashed around inside your body. Remember, your organs are moving at 40 MPH along with your body. If your body suddenly starts "bouncing" around that's the worse possible action. A hard roll cage design just is not a good idea in low speed (60 MPH) accidents.
In a collision the vehicle with more mass wins. Even a little Ford Escort has a 2 to 1 weight advantage against this Zapper thing.
Trust me, you don't want to "bounce" in an accident. (ask any motorcycle rider who has been hit by a car) Just wait until you "bounce" into oncoming traffic.
Re:roll cages with covers
by
EnglishTim
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Well, with most other cars in the US being quite big, I don't suppose it really matters *whose* crumple zones are doing the crumpling...
Re:roll cages with covers
by
untaken_name
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· Score: 5, Informative
It's always hilarious to me how people never can seem to take the time to RTFA (or other links in the submission), but they take something a poster said (that this car 'bounces' in collisions) as not only proven but gospel truth. In fact, the manufacturer's site disagrees with you. It calls the entire body a 'crumple zone'; the front wheels are also crumple zones. This thing won't be bouncing more than any other car would, especially in front collisions, as the wheels are designed to crumple and absorb impact. Why is it that 40 people commented about how bouncing around in a roll cage is a bad thing, but not one of them could be troubled to find out if the car actually behaved that way? Shame on you lazy assholes. Also, the site specifically talks about how the wheelbase is too short for this car to fold in on itself in t-bone collisions. I wouldn't drive one of these because I'm not a techno-listening super dweeb. However, it does appear that they've gone far out of their way to ensure that these dorky little things are safe. hopefully they really *are* that safe, because I have a feeling I might have to bang my '83 Ford Crown Vic off one or two of 'em in the wild... you know, just to see if they bounce.
It doesn't "bounce around", but i think it's fair to say that it does "bounce off" the larger vehicle.
I'm sure it's survivable, but i suspect i'd be more comfortable in the larger Merc (that said, i'm a fan of the smart car concept, my main problem with it is that i think it's overpriced for what it is).
Keep in mind that in the US market small cars generally don't sell well, so nobody have wanted to push them in the US to any extent before, whereas in the rest of the world people care more about fuel consumption and don't mind (and in urban areas often see it as an advantage) if the car is small.
I hired one for a week
by
jcupitt65
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· Score: 5, Interesting
For a holiday with my missus driving around Southern Germany looking at stuff. It could cruise at 80mph, there was plenty of headroom (I'm 6'4", but had several inches spare over my head), enough room for luggage, it all felt slick and solid. I did have to ensure some scoffing about my lack of manliness from German friends though:-( I calculated fuel efficiency at the end of the week and it was ~67 mpg.
On the downside because the car is rather high and narrow (think two mopeds bolted together side by side), I'm told they can be scarey in side-winds.
Survivability
by
reality-bytes
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· Score: 4, Interesting
The Smart has actually been proven to come off very well in crashes.
There is no engine in the front of a Smart to be pushed into the passenger compartment (preventing leg injuries etc.)
A UK TV show demo'd the Smart being crashed into a solid concrete wall at 70mph. Amazingly, the tridion safety cell preserved the shape of the vehicle sufficiently that the doors would still open/close. Another bonus is the low mass and hence inertia of the Smart which means you can litterally 'bounce-off' solid objects while dissipating crash energy in a safe manner.
The Smart also features high-quality airbags to prevent neck/back injuries.
Furthermore, the Smart is pedestrian-friendly, once-again, the hapless would-be road-kill bounces off the plastic panels and there are no suspension turrets to impale them.
-- Ripping an new rectum in the fabric of spacetime.
In Canada, Mercedes isn't even marketing them - there's a long waiting list, without them even spending a dime on advertising.
Re:Not so SMART . . .
by
Maddog+Batty
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· Score: 5, Insightful
On channel 5 in the UK recently they showed Smart cars being driven into various other large cars. It came off very well. To do a final test they drove a Smart into a concrete barrier at 70mph to see what would happen. The car come off fine. Both doors would open and one would even shut again.
Unfortunately, anybody in the car at the time would be dead due to internal injuries. No amount of safety cages, seat belts and air bags will stop your guts from going splat internally when decelerating from 70mph to 0 in about 1 meter.
-- wot no sig
Re:smae 'SMART' as the one sold by Mercedes
by
nordicfrost
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Yes, it is Smart. It is a truly cool little car but sadly not very good in our (Norway) winter conditions. A coworker had the terrifying experience of sliding down a loooong hill sideways on snow with this baby. And winter tyres.
To counter the negativty...
by
mccalli
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· Score: 4, Interesting
I can see a lot of negative comments at the moment, so I thought I'd add my own (UK-based) opinion.
I've always been an in-principle fan of these SMARTs. I haven't driven one, but I've been inside one at various motor shows and there's plenty of space for two plus shopping or weekend luggage. You're not going to go trans-America with it, but to think about in that way is missing the point.
It makes an excellent city car. There are a decent number kicking around in London, and I seem to remember seeing even more when I was Hamburg a few years ago. In the city, you don't care about 90mph, you care that you can pull out nippily, find a parking space and turn round. This is the best answer I've seen since the original Mini (or maybe the Renault Twingo - never did understand why that didn't make it to the UK).
I'm actively considering swapping a Jaguar X-Type for one. Reason? My car mainly drives me to the train station in the morning and back, and a Jag is total overkill for that. We have an S-Type also for weekend trips or serious travel...why have two cars that do the same job? Only thing holding me back at the moment is a concern about its ability to cope with bad weather.
No, I'm seriously interested in these.
Cheers,
Ian
Re:To counter the negativty...
by
aug24
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· Score: 3, Interesting
I recommended a couple I know to try these out a few years ago, on the same 'in principle' bit as you. They tried it (Frank was very sceptical), loved it (the bit where he changed his mind was doing a U turn in a normal road instead of a 3-point), bought one. Then his bro and bro-in-law got one. Then some friends... you see where I'm going.
They are every bit as good as you think. They are totally stable, comfortable and customiseable, safer than many other 'normal' cars both for those inside and any peds you might hit, and you get big smiles from people - tops!
Justin.
-- You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.
Lanky geek fits, with space for warm beverage.
by
ear1grey
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· Score: 5, Informative
Having owned one of these for a few years, may I suggest a few plus points, tailored for slashdotters.
0. the cup holder is large enough for a thermally efficient coffee mug.
1. the boot area is large enough for two laptop rucksacks and an overnight bag, perfect for commuting.
2. the passenger seat can be folded flat, providing enough space to easily transport both a 22" monitor and an Extended ATX case.
3. with the iMove centrepiece, you can plug your iPod into it.
4. the soft top has a remote control.
6. this lanky geek (196cm 98k) finds it spacious - more roomy than say a Ford Mondeo (IIRC called a Galaxy over the pond).
7. it can be powered down in the tiniest of spaces
-- I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid
by
2$+Crack+Whore
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· Score: 5, Informative
Here in Europe it has been possible to buy 60mpg cars that will do 90mph+ for years...I really don't see how this is a revelation. Most new hatchbacks (especially the turbodiesels) can do this. Hell my 15 year old Peugeot 205 can do 55mpg.
This is not a troll but it would be really nice when certain parts of the world realise that having a 2.5 tonne behemoth that barely can get 5mpg is just not a smart idea.
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid
by
CdBee
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· Score: 3, Informative
Audi's A2 has a 3L model which is so named as it can do 100km on 3 litres of fuel - it's a 1.2 litre turbocharged 3-cylinder diesel. The Volkswagen Lupo is available with the same engine. Both are more substantially-built cars which feel safer than a Smart - although Mercedes-Daimler-Chrysler's marketing shows that the Smart may easily be as safe in an accident - refer to earlier posts with more detail.
The only real innovation of the 2-door Smart is that its an efficient Petrol car (overcoming a seeming aversion to Diesel in the US market) and is much easier to drive in tight spaces.
-- I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid
by
Johnny+Mnemonic
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Americans are adverse to diesel, even TDI, for historical reasons. There's been some talk that they're going to try to reintroduce "next-gen" TDI cars in the next few years; how they do in the US market will determine how many more diesels are marketed here in subsequent years.
So the closest we can get to 60mpg is the Prius, which is selling like hotcakes. I think the Smart Car will have a specific demographic, but will do well in those markets: I forsee a lot of them going to big metro areas. But they probably won't do so well in Texas.
--
-- $tar -xvf.sig.tar
Re:60mpg? 90mph? Old news I'm afraid
by
Dread_ed
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· Score: 3, Interesting
I work in a MINI Cooper dealership in Texas and I can definitely say that the Smart Cars will do quite well here.
There is a huge backlash against SUVs in Texas, and not by those granola munching tree huggers that everyone hates to stand next to on the bus, but by the much maligned Soccer Moms and Neo-yuppies that have kept the SUV business growing over the last few years. It seems that people that live in urban areas and that have owned a SUV would rather not have one again. I can't tell you how many people trade in F250 crew cab trucks, Suburbans, etc. here for MINIs.
Personally, I think that the fact that everything in Texas is so spread out and requires so much driving to get to will accelerate the demand for smaller more fuel efficient cars here, especailly when coupled with the rising cost of fuel.
I can cite a couple of things to back this up: A two to three month wait for a new MINI in Texas, a 8-10 month (maybe!) wait for a new Prius in Texas. In addition, I talk to quite a few people each week that not only know about the Smart cars but who also want to own one.
I will concur that in the more rural areas you won't see many of these, but that will be common to all places, not just Texas.
-- When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
Re:Other considerations
by
OblongPlatypus
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· Score: 3, Informative
Perhaps in Europe
Ahem.. you do realize Europe contains, for example, Germany? Where the Autobahn has no speed limits whatsoever, and the traffic flows accordingly? And the most common maximum highway speed limit in other European countries is, in my experience, 120 km/h, which is 75 mph.
-- -- If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide --
Re:90 MPH???? Not so bad
by
technogogo
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· Score: 5, Informative
The main motoring TV program in the UK, Top Gear recently showed crash tests involving the SMART car, which is designed with a one piece, very strong passenger shell. The car stood up very well in these tests.
One of the tests shown was an offset head on impact with a Mercedes S-class. Can't recall the speeds, but the combined speed was high. The front of the s-class was seriously smashed in by the smart car. The front of the smart car too was a mess BUT crucially the passenger compartment of the smart was intact and the occupants would have escaped serious injury.
However, because the passenger shell of the SMART car is so strong and stiff, some tests have shown high passenger loads due to restraints. No doubt due to the small crumple zones on the vehicle.
So I guess if you hit something in a SMART, hit something with a crumple zone that you can share!
Cost.. Cheap. Easy to look up on the net. Yes, I've driven one. One of my friends owns one, and I was sceptical about it when I first saw it.
After getting in, it feels very spacious, and comfortable. Quite zippy for the engine size. Everything is well laid out. Stable on corners, good acceleration, and good braking.
Superb city drive, although I prefer my Saab 9000 for motorways and long drives, but, when in the city looking for somewhere to park, or just counting petrol costs for start/stop driving, you can bet that I'm missing that smart car.:)
ZAP! = Pump n Dump
by
microcars
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· Score: 3, Informative
"if you want a smart car, I'd buy some shares"
What? If you want the car, buy some shares of ZAP! ?
What kind of nonsense is that? You must work for ZAP! So just how MANY shares of ZAP! stock should I buy to get to the top of the waiting list to get a SMART ForTwo?
ZAP! exists not to sell cars, but to pump up their stock price. These cars are imported by a Registered Importer and converted to US Standards for resale to US Citizens.
Overseeing the import and conversion is a company named "Smart-Automobiles LLC" which has NO CONNECTION to Mercedes Benz / DaimlerChrysler. They have to buy these things RETAIL in Europe, bring them over to the US, convert them, then ZAP! sells "dealerships" and "franchises" across the country and then the "dealer" takes his cut. No wonder the price is so high.
You cannot buy a Smart ForTwo from ZAP!, you can only buy a dealership.
Despite their advertising claims, ZAP! does NO CONVERSIONS, they are nothing but a bunch of marketing droids in an office trying to get people to think they are a "real" company that actually produces some sort of product.
Here is a conversation on FARK where a few people (including a former employee apparently) pull back the curtain on ZAP!
Here is one quote from the conversation:
The SMART car may be a good idea, but don't buy it from ZAP. They exist for the sole purpose of pumping up their stock price so a few big investors can dump them before any serious shareholders know what happened.
MB / DaimlerChrysler plans to introduce the SMART BRAND to the US with a 2006 model that is a small SUV,built in Brazil called the ForMore, from that point they may introduce a re-designed version of the ForTwo for the US / World market.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the "real" SMART Brand comes to the US and whether all these ZAP! dealers get hit with a restraining order to cease advertising or dealing a Brand they do not have the rights to.
Re:Not so SMART . . .
by
pyat
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· Score: 5, Informative
> Unfortunately, anybody in the car at the time > would be dead due to internal injuries. No amount > of safety cages, seat belts and air bags will stop > your guts from going splat internally when > decelerating from 70mph to 0 in about 1 meter.
Are you sure about that?
say we start at 70mph, which is u=70*1800/(60*60)=35m/s.
Assume the deceleration is uniform, then we can say v^2=u^2+2as, now say that the final velocity, v, is zero, and the displacement s is 1.0m, the acceleration a works out as a=(35**2)/(2*1.0)=612m/s^2 or about 62g
The duration of the impact will be (70*1800/3600)/612=0.06s
Table 2.6 gives tolerable x direction accelerations of 45-85G depending on whether it is +x or -x direction with times between 0.04 and 0.1s. the earlier charts give similar information.
So even if we do come to a dead (hopefully not literally!) stop from 70mph in one metre, it is very severe, but it is in the range of accelerations that can be survived. The difference between survival and death is likely to be down to the quality of the restraint system "safety cages, seat belts and air bags".
you're safer in a compact car than in an SUV
by
mishmosh
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· Score: 3, Informative
While you'd be more protected in a crash in an SUV than in a compact, SUVs are far more likely to get into an accident in the first place due to reduced maneuverability and larger size. Also, some SUVs are classified as trucks, which means they don't have to meet the auto body safety standards of passenger vehicles.
"Drivers of the tiny Jetta die at a rate of just forty-seven per million, which is in the same range as drivers of the five-thousand-pound Chevrolet Suburban and almost half that of popular S.U.V. models like the Ford Explorer or the GMC Jimmy." --Malcolm Gladwell, http://gladwell.com/2004/2004_01_12_a_suv.html, which also includes a full chart of fatalities-per-million drivers of the most popular cars in the US.
Slashdot Mirror
After seeing that car, I don't think I would want to go 90MPH in it....
Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
In Europe we've seend this cars since probably 5 years ago. Right now there are getting popular the new SMART FORFOUR, which offers 4 places in an also reduced space. I think here it was distributed together with either BMW or Mercedes. Haven't heard anything about that "ZAP" thing...
I believe it folds up into a briefcase for you to take in to the office once you finish your drive. ______ Kratos
The FourTwo is OK, but I just got myself one of these babies.. a Smart Roadster Couple Brabus. Pretty much all of the fuel ecomomy and a top speed of 120mph. Sorted. Oh yes, you cant't get them in North America for at least a couple of years.. heheh :)
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Smart car are made by Smart
-- Et Dieu dit "M-x lumiere" et la lumiere fut. --
That "unaffiliated party" is Mercedes Benz (and hence ultimately, Daimler Chrysler). I wonder why they don't seem to want to market it themselves, and are relying on Zap instead. Worried about it being a flop in the US and not wanting to damage their reputation, perhaps?
"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
Then the only "smart" thing to drive (extrapolating from your statement) would then be another Hummer or behemoth SUV, which i sure as fuck would not be driving.
Let's not be a part of the problem.
-tid242
With a few exceptions, secrecy is deeply incompatible with democracy and with science. --Carl Sagan
We've had these, or things that look just like these in the UK for quite some time. Looking cool in, IMHO, would not really be possible .... and of course there is the question that people ponder over about whether if one was stopped suddenly it would start rolling end of end .... :)
t
If this thing looks "cool" to you, I'd hate to see what wasn't cool....
Actually, you'd come out of that kind of collission pretty well. The Smart's tridion safety cage is almost indestructable. I've seen this thing crash tested.. the outside of the car is the entire crumple zone, and the passengers are protected in the safety cell. No cabin instrusions, nothing. Up against a normal road car, the Smart usually comes off better.
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Have you ever been in one? I drove one last week and it was surprisingly comfortable (I'm 1.86m, so hardly tiny).
Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
I have already seen some posts about how "dangerous" these cars will be in the states when sharing the road with the "killer" SUVs and such-- but let me dispell some prejudices:
1. SMART cars are essentially big roll cages with coverings for the hood, door, and roof. They are quite safe for the riders should there be an accident. Moreover, they are engineered to "bounce" away from an oncoming impact.
2. With the engines placed as they are, a front-end collision does not put the block in the drivers lap (and crush his legs).
3. I would much much much rather be in one of these than some crumplicious dwarf from Ford
davejenkins.com |
Keep in mind that in the US market small cars generally don't sell well, so nobody have wanted to push them in the US to any extent before, whereas in the rest of the world people care more about fuel consumption and don't mind (and in urban areas often see it as an advantage) if the car is small.
On the downside because the car is rather high and narrow (think two mopeds bolted together side by side), I'm told they can be scarey in side-winds.
The Smart has actually been proven to come off very well in crashes.
There is no engine in the front of a Smart to be pushed into the passenger compartment (preventing leg injuries etc.)
A UK TV show demo'd the Smart being crashed into a solid concrete wall at 70mph. Amazingly, the tridion safety cell preserved the shape of the vehicle sufficiently that the doors would still open/close. Another bonus is the low mass and hence inertia of the Smart which means you can litterally 'bounce-off' solid objects while dissipating crash energy in a safe manner.
The Smart also features high-quality airbags to prevent neck/back injuries.
Furthermore, the Smart is pedestrian-friendly, once-again, the hapless would-be road-kill bounces off the plastic panels and there are no suspension turrets to impale them.
Ripping an new rectum in the fabric of spacetime.
In Canada, Mercedes isn't even marketing them - there's a long waiting list, without them even spending a dime on advertising.
On channel 5 in the UK recently they showed Smart cars being driven into various other large cars. It came off very well. To do a final test they drove a Smart into a concrete barrier at 70mph to see what would happen. The car come off fine. Both doors would open and one would even shut again.
Unfortunately, anybody in the car at the time would be dead due to internal injuries. No amount of safety cages, seat belts and air bags will stop your guts from going splat internally when decelerating from 70mph to 0 in about 1 meter.
wot no sig
Yes, it is Smart. It is a truly cool little car but sadly not very good in our (Norway) winter conditions. A coworker had the terrifying experience of sliding down a loooong hill sideways on snow with this baby. And winter tyres.
I've always been an in-principle fan of these SMARTs. I haven't driven one, but I've been inside one at various motor shows and there's plenty of space for two plus shopping or weekend luggage. You're not going to go trans-America with it, but to think about in that way is missing the point.
It makes an excellent city car. There are a decent number kicking around in London, and I seem to remember seeing even more when I was Hamburg a few years ago. In the city, you don't care about 90mph, you care that you can pull out nippily, find a parking space and turn round. This is the best answer I've seen since the original Mini (or maybe the Renault Twingo - never did understand why that didn't make it to the UK).
I'm actively considering swapping a Jaguar X-Type for one. Reason? My car mainly drives me to the train station in the morning and back, and a Jag is total overkill for that. We have an S-Type also for weekend trips or serious travel...why have two cars that do the same job? Only thing holding me back at the moment is a concern about its ability to cope with bad weather.
No, I'm seriously interested in these.
Cheers,
Ian
Having owned one of these for a few years, may I suggest a few plus points, tailored for slashdotters.
0. the cup holder is large enough for a thermally efficient coffee mug.
1. the boot area is large enough for two laptop rucksacks and an overnight bag, perfect for commuting.
2. the passenger seat can be folded flat, providing enough space to easily transport both a 22" monitor and an Extended ATX case.
3. with the iMove centrepiece, you can plug your iPod into it.
4. the soft top has a remote control.
6. this lanky geek (196cm 98k) finds it spacious - more roomy than say a Ford Mondeo (IIRC called a Galaxy over the pond).
7. it can be powered down in the tiniest of spaces
boakes.org
Otherwise known as Daimler Benz; been making quality automobiles since 1886. So, not much track record there.
I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
Here in Europe it has been possible to buy 60mpg cars that will do 90mph+ for years...I really don't see how this is a revelation. Most new hatchbacks (especially the turbodiesels) can do this. Hell my 15 year old Peugeot 205 can do 55mpg.
This is not a troll but it would be really nice when certain parts of the world realise that having a 2.5 tonne behemoth that barely can get 5mpg is just not a smart idea.
Perhaps in Europe
Ahem.. you do realize Europe contains, for example, Germany? Where the Autobahn has no speed limits whatsoever, and the traffic flows accordingly? And the most common maximum highway speed limit in other European countries is, in my experience, 120 km/h, which is 75 mph.
-- If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide --
One of the tests shown was an offset head on impact with a Mercedes S-class. Can't recall the speeds, but the combined speed was high. The front of the s-class was seriously smashed in by the smart car. The front of the smart car too was a mess BUT crucially the passenger compartment of the smart was intact and the occupants would have escaped serious injury.
However, because the passenger shell of the SMART car is so strong and stiff, some tests have shown high passenger loads due to restraints. No doubt due to the small crumple zones on the vehicle.
So I guess if you hit something in a SMART, hit something with a crumple zone that you can share!
Cost.. Cheap. Easy to look up on the net.
:)
Yes, I've driven one. One of my friends owns one, and I was sceptical about it when I first saw it.
After getting in, it feels very spacious, and comfortable. Quite zippy for the engine size. Everything is well laid out.
Stable on corners, good acceleration, and good braking.
Superb city drive, although I prefer my Saab 9000 for motorways and long drives, but, when in the city looking for somewhere to park, or just counting petrol costs for start/stop driving, you can bet that I'm missing that smart car.
What? If you want the car, buy some shares of ZAP! ?
What kind of nonsense is that? You must work for ZAP!
So just how MANY shares of ZAP! stock should I buy to get to the top of the waiting list to get a SMART ForTwo?
ZAP! exists not to sell cars, but to pump up their stock price.
These cars are imported by a Registered Importer and converted to US Standards for resale to US Citizens. Overseeing the import and conversion is a company named "Smart-Automobiles LLC" which has NO CONNECTION to Mercedes Benz / DaimlerChrysler.
They have to buy these things RETAIL in Europe, bring them over to the US, convert them, then ZAP! sells "dealerships" and "franchises" across the country and then the "dealer" takes his cut. No wonder the price is so high.
ZAP! exists merely to sell franchises and dealerships for a brand they do not own the rights to.
You cannot buy a Smart ForTwo from ZAP!, you can only buy a dealership.
Despite their advertising claims, ZAP! does NO CONVERSIONS, they are nothing but a bunch of marketing droids in an office trying to get people to think they are a "real" company that actually produces some sort of product.
Here is a conversation on FARK where a few people (including a former employee apparently) pull back the curtain on ZAP!
Here is one quote from the conversation:
MB / DaimlerChrysler plans to introduce the SMART BRAND to the US with a 2006 model that is a small SUV,built in Brazil called the ForMore, from that point they may introduce a re-designed version of the ForTwo for the US / World market.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the "real" SMART Brand comes to the US and whether all these ZAP! dealers get hit with a restraining order to cease advertising or dealing a Brand they do not have the rights to.
I like microcars
> Unfortunately, anybody in the car at the time
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> would be dead due to internal injuries. No amount
> of safety cages, seat belts and air bags will stop
> your guts from going splat internally when
> decelerating from 70mph to 0 in about 1 meter.
Are you sure about that?
say we start at 70mph, which is u=70*1800/(60*60)=35m/s.
Assume the deceleration is uniform, then we can say
v^2=u^2+2as,
now say that the final velocity, v, is zero, and the displacement s is 1.0m, the acceleration a works out as
a=(35**2)/(2*1.0)=612m/s^2
or about 62g
The duration of the impact will be
(70*1800/3600)/612=0.06s
Now, to judge how deadly this is, we look at some data:
http://www.vnh.org/FSManual/02/03ImpactAccelerati
Table 2.6 gives tolerable x direction accelerations of 45-85G depending on whether it is +x or -x direction with times between 0.04 and 0.1s. the earlier charts give similar information.
So even if we do come to a dead (hopefully not literally!) stop from 70mph in one metre, it is very severe, but it is in the range of accelerations that can be survived. The difference between survival and death is likely to be down to the quality of the restraint system "safety cages, seat belts and air bags".
While you'd be more protected in a crash in an SUV than in a compact, SUVs are far more likely to get into an accident in the first place due to reduced maneuverability and larger size. Also, some SUVs are classified as trucks, which means they don't have to meet the auto body safety standards of passenger vehicles. "Drivers of the tiny Jetta die at a rate of just forty-seven per million, which is in the same range as drivers of the five-thousand-pound Chevrolet Suburban and almost half that of popular S.U.V. models like the Ford Explorer or the GMC Jimmy." --Malcolm Gladwell, http://gladwell.com/2004/2004_01_12_a_suv.html, which also includes a full chart of fatalities-per-million drivers of the most popular cars in the US.