|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » SMART ( RSS)
-
|
Filed under: Economy , Videos , SMART , Suzuki , Motorcycles Click above to watch the video of a stunting smartabusa Stunting on a Suzuki Hayabusa is crazy in its own right, but stunting in a smart fortwo? Now that takes some real effort. While the bike's got the power to wheelie all day long and its dual front discs are more than powerful enough to raise the rear tire just as far as your guts allow, that's not really the bike's intent. Still, it's much more suitable for the activity than the smart fortwo with its lazy 70-hp three-cylinder and skinny tires, right? Well, maybe not. Take a good look at the video after the break for visual proof that the smart, when properly equipped, makes a fine stunt ride. Of course, in this situation, properly equipped equals a major horsepower infusion via the aforementioned Suzuki Hayabusa, along with some major front brake modifications. Seriously, ever see a smart fortwo perform a tail-whip? Neither had we, until today. [Source: Autofiends...
|
-
|
Filed under: LA Auto Show , Tuners , Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , SMART Click above for high-res image gallery of the smart fortwo BRABUS The BRABUS edition of smart's diminutive little fortwo is, as we like to say, officially official as of yesterday when the brand pulled the wraps off the new-for-USA model. Unlike the Europeans who have had access to BRABUS smarts for the last few years, we won't be getting the force-fed 112-horsepower three-cylinder engine here in the States, but that means we get to keep the 41 miles per gallon efficiency of the standard smart fortwo. You win some, you lose some, right? It's a nice package that definitely stands apart from other fortwo models thanks to its unique alloy wheels, monochromatic paint in either black or silver and numerous BRABUS emblems inside and out. Want one? It'll cost you $17,990 for the coupe or $20,990 for the cabriolet, which initially strikes us as a fairly steep sum considering it comes with the same...
|
-
|
Filed under: Economy , Green , SMART , Lifestyle , Special/Limited Editions Click above for more shots of the Hermes Special Edition smart Hermes has decided to continue its recent trend of modifying iconic cars and celebrating their birthdays. First it was the Bugatti Veyron Fbg by Hermes , followed by a special commemorative edition of the Citroen 2CV for its 60th anniversary. Now, Hermes has taken on the smart fortwo, issuing a special edition of the diminutive city car, which has now been on the market for a decade. As you'd expect, the Hermes fortwo sees its interior swathed in leather along with a special canvas called Toile H. These two unique textures cover everything from the seats to the car's tridion safety cell. On the inside, the Hermes signature orange is a nice color option, as are nine others including indigo, gold, lime and, uh, pink. High fashion never comes cheap, and the Hermes Smart is no exception coming in at $48,500 in U.S. dollars or 38,000 euros and on...
|
-
|
Filed under: SEMA , Etc. , SMART Click above for high-res gallery of the Black Deere smart from SEMA Tom Mutchler at Consumer Reports says his first drive in a SMART reminded him of his John Deere x300 lawn tractor. Slow and noisy, but they both fit in his garage. Apparently, Black Deere LLC had the same impression of the little car and showed up at SEMA with one in John Deere's green and yellow livery. Other than being painted to match farm machinery, the SMART ForTwo Passion Cabriolet sports four air horns and an air-compressor powered truck horn. You might not see this thing coming at you, but by God you'll hear it. Unfortunately, we can't find out much about the car's customizer, Black Deere. SEMA's information lists an inactive URL and Google turns up only the story from SEMA. Gallery: SEMA 2008: Black Deere Smart Photos copyright (C)2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc. [Source: Consumer Reports ] SEMA 2008: SMART goes John Deere green originally appeared on Autoblog...
|
-
|
Filed under: Aftermarket , SEMA , Coupes , Etc. , SMART , Celebrities Click above for high-res gallery of the Batsmart from SEMA var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Batman_Trades_in_Tumbler_for_smart_fortwo_aka_the_Toddler'; George Barris has officially gone batty. While he is one of the men generally acknowledged for creating the original Batmobile, he hasn't shown anything with those trademark wings since Joel Schumacher almost ruined the franchise. And then we passed this in the North Hall at SEMA today. Maybe it was Catwoman standing next to it, but the Batsmart instantly takes us back with those trademark high-mounted rear wings , a rear jet exhaust , roof-mounted flutes and vertical doors. We don't have many details, but we really don't need them. Just look at it - it's a smart fortwo wearing a Batmobile costume for Halloween! Maybe gas has risen to $11 a gallon in Gotham and this is the best Bruce Wayne can do. Who knows? We've actually heard that 40...
|
-
|
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , SMART , Rumormill Chalk this one firmly in the rumormill category, but Johnathan Bodily over at Street Import Online is reporting that he's seen what appears to be an electric smart fortwo at Tesla's facility in San Carlos plugged into a Tesla-branded charging station. What's more, this particular smart differed from other fortwos in that it lacked a tail pipe. We know that Daimler has been running second-generation smart ed's (with lithium ion batteries from an unknown source) around various locations for a little while, and that Tesla has stated that it has signed a few deals to supply batteries to other companies for their electric vehicle projects. Putting this final piece of the puzzle together, it appears we have enough circumstantial evidence to conclude that the Silicon Valley company is provided the batteries to Daimler for its new electric smart cars. Hopefully, this collaboration will bear fruit in the form of both electric...
|
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Economy , Euro , Green , Daimler , SMART , Lifestyle Click above for high-res shots of Daimler's car2go service Cars represent freedom, right? Sure, but shouldn't that same freedom be available to those who can't justify purchasing their own car? Daimler thinks so, and has created a new pilot program called car2go that allows subscribers to rent a smart fortwo for just 19-cents a minute or less, depending on how long you need the car. The initial roll-out is taking place in Ulm, Germany and begins October 24. The cars can be reserved at a moment's notice from the internet, a mobile phone or in passing using an electronic chip that's given to the user upon the account's creation. There are no limits as to how far the car car be driven, and it can be parked and relocked wherever the driver's trip ends as long as it's within the city limits. At the outset, there will be 50 smart fortwo's in use by car2go. For a trial period, only...
|
-
|
Filed under: Etc. , Green , SMART In Europe, it's common to see several smart cars sharing a single parallel parking space, with their diminutive front bumpers against the curb and the rear facing traffic. Try that in New York city, and you'll likely get towed. Instead, smart fortwo owners can take advantage of Meyers Parking's half price offer: 50% off daily and monthly parking rates in the city. In a press release (available after the jump), Mike Carolan of Meyers parking said, "We are excited to offer smart owners a discount, as it seems only appropriate that smart owners pay half price since they only take up half the space." We agree you shouldn't be charged for a full space when you only have half a car. With the cost of parking in the Big Apple, this deal alone could move a few more of the colorful little two-seaters. [Sources: Gadgetell via Fashion Funky ] Thanks for the tip, Yash! Continue reading NYC garages grant smart fortwo cheaper parking rates Read...
|
-
|
Filed under: Economy , Recalls/TSBs , Safety , SMART Of all the possible reasons that a vehicle could be recalled , a poor paint job doesn't at first seem all that newsworthy. After all, cars could theoretically be recalled for exploding gas tanks, runaway engines or any number of horror-inducing problems. Bad paint? No harm, no foul -- just take it back and have it repainted properly. Unless, of course, that paint problem could lead to the loss of your windshield or roof while driving. This is exactly the worry that the NHTSA has with 43 smart ForTwo's, all sold in 2008. It seems that some adhesive was laid over the problematic paint, and if the paint lets go... so does the glue. While it's never happened to us personally, we tend to agree with the NHTSA's assessment that the sudden loss of either the glass in front of you or the ceiling protecting your dome could potentially lead to a crash. Anybody who's concerned can contact their dealer, assuming that they haven't...
|
-
|
Filed under: GMC , SMART One of the cooler aspects of the Woodward Dream Cruise is that its completely open and unmoderated. It's the ultimate "run what you brung" event. Hundreds of thousands of people sit along the edge of the road and watch everything from bikes to trucks go by and the juxtaposition can be fascinating. Seeing a giant yellow high riding pickup truck with the front end of a Chevy Kodiak bearing down on a custom vinyl wrapped Smart is definitely an interesting sight. Gallery: Woodward 2008: Smart vs Really big truck! Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: Economy , Euro , SMART Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart fortwo Limited 2. A very limited car is now available in a new limited edition. The smart fortwo Limited 2 is the sequel to the 2006 original. The only significant mechanical change from a regular passion Coupe or Cabrio is the addition of six-spoke alloys with 15-inch rubber. The rest of what makes this city car "limited" is cosmetic. The pale blue metallic paint changes color depending on the angle of the light and the interior is swathed in a cognac brown leather meant to impart luxury on this tiny machine. If all that isn't enough, buyers can add electric power steering, an upgraded audio system and locking glove box. The 71-hp three-cylinder engine retains a 59 mpg highway mileage rating. The Limited 2 coupe has a starting price of $18,363 while the open top model pushes that to $22,100. Those prices both seem a tad steep for a car of such limited capability. UK buyers can pick one up...
|
-
|
Filed under: Motorsports , Economy , Euro , Green , SMART Click image to enlarge The Cannonball Run that takes place every year in Europe dpesn't have much in common with the Hollywood comedy it takes its name from. In fact, the goal of the modern-day race is not to finish in the least amount of time possible, but to finish with a specific average speed; 61 miles per hour, in the case of the 2008 event. So, while it may be initially shocking to hear that this year's race was won by a BRABUS smart fortwo, it actually makes sense considering that the smart was able to run the entire race averaging 35 miles per gallon. Therefore, while the other high-powered competitors were constantly stopping to refill their gas tanks, first-time competitors David Ward and Adrian Hull of the U.K. were able to motor along and wave as they gingerly passed them by. Score one for efficiency! [Source: smart via AutoblogGreen ] Continue reading Hold on a sec... BRABUS smart fortwo wins European Cannonball...
|
-
|
Filed under: Economy , Etc. , SMART , Celebrities , Humor Standing seven feet and one inches tall and weighing in at 375 pounds, Shaquille O'Neal is one big dude. Must drive a big 'ol car then, right? Umm, not exactly. The Phoenix Suns star center has recently been spotted in his newest automotive purchase, a smart fortwo. Seriously. And, surprisingly enough, he fits! Don't believe us? See above for photo proof. Well, so he sorta fits. It's a good thing that Shaq opted for the convertible, as his head comes up several inches over the top of the windshield. Oh, and we can find no real proof that the door has ever completely shut with Shaq inside. Just sayin'. [Sources: TMZ via MyRide.com ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: Green , Daimler , Mercedes-Benz , SMART When it comes to increasing fuel economy, turbochargers are the replacement for displacement. The combination of highly efficient snails and smaller engines provides the power people expect, while reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. Like other automakers that have realized that forced induction is a suitable stop-gap for improving fuel economy, Mercedes-Benz is in the process of developing turbo'd engines that will proliferate throughout its lineup in the next two and a half years. Thomas Weber, a Daimler board member in charge of research and development told Automotive News , "All our vehicles will have turbocharged engines in series production by the end of 2010 at the latest." Mercedes is joining BMW and Audi by investing heavily into forced induction, primarily to cope with new fuel economy standards in the U.S. and Europe. But turbos are only going to take them so far. Mercedes plans to introduce hybrids into...
|
-
|
Filed under: Green , SMART The already fuel efficient Smart fortwo will soon become even more stingy with the petrol when start-stop technology is employed fleet-wide beginning in October. The start-stop technology, which is called "micro hybrid" by Smart, works by cutting off the engine during braking when the vehicle speed drops below five mph. According to Smart, the engine restarts immediately when the brake is released and the technology will result in a fuel savings of 8 percent, bringing consumption in the US EPA cycle to about 44 mpg on the highway and 36 mpg in the city. CO2 emissions will also be reduced by 9g/km, now netting 103g/km. The technology will also be available on the CDI Smart when it hits production next year, but as of right now, the diesel fortwo isn't coming Stateside. [Source: Autocar ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|