The “Swatchmobile" ABANDONED by its creators. The Smart Fortwo Story
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2022
- If a car is wildly successful, it’s a recipe for printing money. If it’s an abject failure, the manufacturer licks their wounds and moves on. What’s maybe worse is when a car just does OK, especially when this car kicks off a whole new brand. Should you invest in a second-generation car, or more models, or give up? Will sales improve? What if they don’t? What to do with all those new dealerships? When the Smart Fortwo launched as the Smart City Coupé, neither of its parents were sure they should have birthed it, and that’s never a good start. Just why did the Volkswagen Swatchmobile become a joint project between Mercedes and Chinese company Geely, and just how successful was this fun little city car?
A big thanks to Techmoan for his thoughts on the Smart ForTwo: / techmoan
Optional Extra bonus video: • Smart Fortwo - Optiona...
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#bigcar - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
A big thanks to Techmoan for his thoughts on the Smart ForTwo (and for scanning some brochures for me): th-cam.com/users/techmoan
This is the cross-over episode I didn’t know I needed!
should this collab episode revolve around an actual crossover, I will christen my newborn son in the steering fluids of said car in this coming winter solstice
One thing that puzzles me about cross-over episodes on TH-cam is that every time I see one on one of the channels I follow, the other person is also one that I follow.Given the huge amount of channels on TH-cam, it is really odd that I have never come across a cross over (pun intended) where I thought "who is that person?"
Mat loves his Smart cars!
@@Colaholiker Ditto. Guess we are in a cult😋
@@zorktxandnand3774 Or it is just a proof how well the TH-cam algorithm works in predicting what we may like and therefore recommending certain channels to us.
Kinda scary if you think of it...
I've been driving a Smart Fortwo since I bought my first one back in 2008. My current one is a 2017 453 convertible. It's definitely a niche car, but for me, it was always fun, convenient, and easy on the wallet. I usually commute by myself, and my wife and I have enjoyed taking trips in it quite a bit. It's just fun. I do all my own maintenance now myself, and it's quite easy to work on. It's more of a hobby than a car - but I'm still quite fond of it!
Same here , been driving my smart car for a good few years now and will never get rid of it, i don't think i want to drive anything else 😍
love me some little cars. i drive an iQ and absolutely love it to death. i wish we had more smaller cars here in the USA.
I drive smarts since 1999. For me one of the important features is the possibility to transport a bicycle on the back. The first one was kind of the smallest possible version they had in 99. I sold it after 10 years with a loss of 7500€ and since I'm not driving a lot, tax was just 20€ a year and insurance also very low, I had it for something around 100€ per month in total. In 2009 I got a more luxury version 451 and kept it until today.
By your Screen Name I think your a Ham, N2RLD Karl here am Retired and thinking about getting a Smart car to tow behind my RV when traveling. I know they are no longer made for the US Market... But I'm looking
Mine is a 2016 elec. Smart Fortwo, takes about 3 to 3 1/2 hrs to charge. It is a fun car, true, and it turns heads, still runs good.
As a full on watch collector / geek I must say how impressed I am with your very accurate / brief summary of the Swiss watch Quartz crisis and how Swatch saved the Swiss watch industry - the watch models you showed as examples are all key pieces in that story - excellent research
It's a fascinating story!
The model looking like a misaligned color print was pretty original.
Techmoan’s cameo is lovely! It’s also very interesting in how it differs from most of his videos.
Interestingly, he shot the very funny part of himself doing some terrible karaoke with that 90s Yamaha portable machine inside his Smart, in the same place, and who knows if on the same day, in what it's his latest video at the moment of my writing this.
@@BilisNegra He used that place in several of his videos when he needs more distance for something. His video about the Sony Bluetooth microphone comes to mind.
@@Ascania Guess you're right, now that you mention.
I was fond of the second generation which I used to pick up as a rental car while visiting my home country. I was amazed with semi-auto gearbox, despite the criticism we can hear here. And nostalgic note - it was my son's first car to drive, while he was 13, at a closed parking, and he is still proud of it
One remark to the power steering: That wasn't new to the 451 Version, but also available in the 450 and 452. With the weight distribution and the narrow front wheels of the 450, it was never really needed, and only very few numbers had it installed. Also a fun fact: The claimed better high speed stability of the 453 turned out to be even worse. With the suspension being much softer than before and a way more direct steering, it runs more nervous than even the 450, with the side wind assistant often missing it's cue and a tendency to swerve to the right when breaking from high speeds. One thing that also didn't improve over the years was the boot space: Different measuring standards showed higher numbers, but the usable dimensions never went beyond the 450. Engine durability is where 451 and 453 shine in comparison, however.
The 450 is now living a lot longer than anyone expected, and without it, there wouldn't be a Smart Roadster - and I would really miss those... 😉
Excellent episode, as always exciting until the end. A side note: Switzerland is indeed famous for chocolate and cheese, but not for cuckoo clocks. You do see them in souvenir shops, but that's simply because many tourists keep asking for them. They are modelled on cuckoo clocks from the Black Forest, but probably come from China or some other low-wage country. The misconception probably goes back to the film "The Third Man", in which the Orson Welles character attributes the invention of the cuckoo clock to the Swiss. That wasn't true then and it still isn't today (still a great movie though). It should be mentioned, however, that cuckoo clocks are also made in Switzerland, but in small numbers by watchmakers who are not well known and hardly any Swiss people even know about these companies. The fame of cuckoo clocks definitely belongs to the Black Forest in Germany.
Very enlightening.......thanks for the info.
Yes definitely a Black Forest item.
Cuckoo Clock made in Bavaria Germany. The live birds really do call once an hour every hour!
I don't know much about cuckoo clocks but even I know they're not Swiss in origin. The design aesthetic has "Southern Germany" written all over it.
Famous for no questions asked when money is involved.
I moved house in a Smart ForTwo in 2020 (albeit quite slowly in each work commute). Bulletproof engines, unbeatable MPG and best parking ever. Would buy a series two in a heartbeat.
Love the Techmoan guest appearance - I would have expected him to have a 1921 steam/electric car made in Newcastle, or something similarly obscure 😂. Glad you mentioned the roadster - I have one in the same blue/silver combination. 😃
With a wind powered Hipac deck for the radio!
If you become a Techmoan patreon you will learn all about his love for small cars and his dislike of large ones including the BMW X1 he had a couple of years ago. A problem is that the first suggestion in any product planning meeting for a replacement vehicle always seems to be "lets make it bigger". The Smart #1 it probably approaching the size of an X1.
@@MrDuncl still looking for a new name how i want to call them. in the case of Mini it was easy, i call them Maxi these days.. but didnt find anything similarily fitting for smart yet...
@@unitrader403 There actually was an Austin Maxi designed by Alec Issigonis who designed the Mini. It was actually very close in dimensions to the current Mini !
@@MrDuncl
I remember thinking the new (first gen) Minis were gigantic compared to their predecessors... but driving one now a fiesta seems almost truck sized by comparison 😂
I lived in Naples in 05, and the smart was, without a doubt, the best car around to navigate the back streets. If one was parked a bit odd, four of us could move it out of the way.
@@peacelovejoyandhappiness hi Krissy. I meant Italy. But I'll bet it would be great in Florida too. Cheers
Thank you thank you.
A wonderful walk through of the history of the smart 4-2. We bought ours as soon as the rhd bigger fuel tank Mk.6 came on the market, that was back in 2002. I became quite involved in ‘the smart car scene’ and after the warranty ran out had it modified thanks to City Cars/Janspeed who achieved a similar performance to the Brabus version. With wider wheels, lowered suspension and upgraded brakes to add to the engine/exhaust mods this smart was a real pleasure to drive.
To end this lengthy post I’ll simply finish by saying that 20 years later we still have this wonderful little character 👍
i owned two city coupes and two roadster coupes. Loved them, brilliant cars
Funny that the original Smart EV had more range than the Geely version nearly a decade later.
In my city, Domino's Pizza used a fleet of the Smarts for delivery, but got sick of constant transmission issues, as well as cars being out of commission for several days every time they had a flat tire because tires had to be special- ordered [pretty sure they needed to find a tire shop who wasn't to lazy to keep a handful in stock], so they got rid of the whole fleet.
I've been driving smarts since 2008. Yours is the first comment I've heard about the cars needing special order tires. That's not been my experience.
@@Vector_Ze well, living in OKC area, there are plenty of Smarts around, but like I said, the tire shop must've been lazy to not have any handy.
Well, Car-Wizard, who posts here about his vehicle repair-shop in Newton, Kansas, has a video on a Smart he found difficult ro get a transmission component. He also owns a Nissan Juke that has been very hard to find parts for its' Renault engine!
@@Vector_Ze Hey, funny seeing you again. small world.
I’ve had a 2017 Smart Forfour for over 3 years and I love it! My previous car was a 320bhp Mazda 6 MPS, yes it went like holy hell but at a cost - £550 road tax, 20mpg (or Shell V-Power), shocking spare parts prices and the fear of loosing your licence every day. I commute 26 p/day and regularly travel 300+miles and my Smart has been great. I love it.
I bet you get to stretch the smarts legs virtually every journey. The 6, once in a while.
I had a 2001 City-Coupe and drove it ~253000 km in 8 years. Mostly commuting on german Autobahn. Speed was no thing, but the famous 800ccm common rail diesel engine helped me to save a lot. It was not hard to drive it with less then 3 liters per 100km. The car was indeed pretty spacious inside and up to date in terms of equipment features. I loved the car and drove it until a motor damage separated us forever.
I had one of those US 2008 models (pre-ordered on the first day). I kept it for 4 years. It was fun to drive. For the first year, a Lambrogini wouldn't have turned more heads. No one knew what it was.
I went to Rome in the early 2000's. Without exaggeration, one in five cars was a smart car.
I bought a 2009 US model, and it was nerve-racking to look to my left or right and see everyone staring at me. I drove the brakes off that thing. I put 90k miles on it in 3 years. I kept it for another 2 years, as it sat in my driveway, due to having kids, then sold it to a homeless guy (That's another story). When it hits 25 years, I might import the Roadster.
Another good video.
The Smart is like the marmite of the car world. People either love them or hate/ridicule them.
I have never owned one as always needed more than two seats, but whenever I have driven them, they just make so much sense for singles or couples. Easy to drive, economical, care in design, good visibility, and just quick enough to nip about. I just wish those that only need one seat would dump their Chelsea tractors and get stuff like this.
You mean like Toyota! Lol….
@@alanmay7929 Toyota. Great cars but the design is similar in quality to a breakfast cereal box.
In what way? They're not square and they're well built. Not sure which part you're comparing to a box?
@@marcwaller3657 How much care has gone into the exterior design. They are as exciting as mud.
I've had my fortwo for 10 years now and I still think it's one of the greatest mood-enhancing devices ever, because everything is just so… RIGHT. When I'm in heavy traffic I switch to auto mode and forget about having to change gears every time I come to an almost stop, and when the traffic clears I start using the paddles again and enjoy the nippiness. Yes, the continents move in the time it takes to change gears, but once you've made peace with that it's an incredibly FUN car to drive!
Kinda surprised you didn't cover the Tridion Safety Cell a bit more as it was a very clever piece of engineering.
It was a gimmick though
@@Rokomarn I remember 5th gear running one into a concrete block at 70mph, I was amazed that the safety cell actually held up. Obviously internal organs performing such a dead stop are likely to kill you anyways, but I think it was showing that a small car didn't mean it was a death-trap and that crash safety wasn't necessarily linked to a cars size
Currently own a 2017 model Fortwo.
Simply brilliant around town.
Turning circle is impressively tight.
It can hold its own on the motorway too.
In 2013-14, we drove a bunch of Smart cars thanks to the Car2Go car sharing system in the US. It was fantastic to be able to pick a car up anywhere in the city, and drop it off anywhere else. And they were a lot of fun to drive. I was very sad when the shut down that service.
I bought one of the 1st 2008 Smart Four Two Passions in Portland OR. What a great car! My wife put 120K miles on it before we passed in on to our 6’4” 225 pound teenage son. He loved that car and drove it for another 50K miles before it needed transmission work. It never burned oil, and was fun to drive with the paddle shifters. He had a decal on the back that said; “It takes a BIG man to drive a little car”. We were always approached by folks wanting one. We had to pick up cards & sales literature from our Smart dealership to hand out at gas stations. I never met a Smart car owner who didn’t love their little car. I would buy one now if they were still available.
I‘m 6‘6 and my first car was a 2010 Smart as well. It just offers a lot of space for the driver and is practical inside and out.
Techmoan's on the cars, watch out Doug Demuro.
Techmoan "I had a BMW X1 and it was far too big " (fact).
Doug Demuro " Thiiiiiiiiiis is a BMW X5 and it is a tiny sub compact SUV for people who don't want a full size one fitted with a tiny 3 litre engine with just six cylinders. It produces just 335 HP so is clearly aimed at people who are more interested in fuel economy than performance" 🙂
@@MrDuncl haha accurate
One if my cars is a Smart Fortwo and I love it. Fantastic for commuting to work
I have more than 30 cars from ferraris to amg's...but my Smart Brabus is my favorite...
Both my girlfriend and I have a 2nd generation electric Smart and we really LOVE IT !!! It is sooooo neat to drive, so practical, so quiet, you get so much stuff in, seats are comfy and spacious, you plug it in at night and for only 2€ on the electric bill you can go yet another 100 kilometers. Parking is so much easier - the perfect car for crowded French cities. And yes, for the last 30.000km I spent 12€ on maintenance: a new pollen filter.
The problem always was its price: for almost 30.000 bucks you get a car with a 100km range? Not very attractive. It's the classical conflit: low sales cause a high price. And because the price is so high, sales are low. I think one could have broken this vicious circle with a daring investment and just putting it on the market for let's say 15.000€ - as it was the idea of the Swatch CEO and inventor of the project. Yet conservative Mercedes management never went with his inventive ideas and hence the project somehow withered along. Too sad. Now they are building SUVs - how stupid...
Had all models. I’m so glad they stayed the course to the latest version; wonderful vehicle.
I have watched dozens and dozens of Smart car story videos and I must say this video is the best of all of them. Brilliantly put together and pristinely narrated. For me it just doesn't get any better than this.
Fun fact, in order to "sell" the smart EV concept to Mercedes, when the Germans showed up in California to discuss the things Tesla had already built an electric Smart (despite the fact that Smart wasn't being sold in the US at that time, they had to go to Mexico to buy one) To create the thing, Tesla had simply put the Tesla Roadster drivetrain into a Smart. The thing was supposedly extremely fast, doing burnouts and donuts in the parking lot. And supposedly, since the thing was so light in the front, it could lift the front wheels slightly during acceleration. The Germans were very impressed, especially since they thought the only thing they would get to see was a power point presentation (and according to Elon, Mercedes had no interest in doing EV's at the time and were only doing so to satisfy legislators)
Great story! I wish Tesla would build a city car today.
Great story indeed. That is worth a new video of Big Car!
@@jamesengland7461 The long awaited "Model 2" would do well in Europe. I know a Tesla Model 3 owner and she wishes it wasn't so big. The problem is Americans think the Hyundai Kona is a tiny vehicle (see Doug Demuro's review).
I bet musk personally installed it with a sweaty upper body while singing a jaunty tune with the staff as he trolled his own fanbase of zoomers
@Retired Bore Daimler back then had absolutely no long term plans for EVs. The idea that they've been "waiting" for the "batteries, semiconductors and motors" to come together is laughable. Is Daimler EV's today even somewhat impressive compared to other manufacturers? And I don't quite understand what you mean Musk wasn't around at the time, he's been with the company from the start.
Lovely surprise to see Techmoan on a Big Car vid :)
He was very nice to do that. Been a Patron for a while.
@@BigCar2 It makes me so happy when two of my longtime subscriptions cross over like this. Thank you!
@@BigCar2 Excellent collab. I was half expecting to see the puppets!
I'm sure he changed all the belts himself and cleaned all sensors with alcohol and a cotton bud.
@@axelvetter He doesn't use a rev counter, he has a wow and flutter meter...
Very nice episode, it is kind of sensible car when, for a lot of people, they drive alone and pretty short distances for most of the time. Great to see Techmoan collaboration too, the first channel I ever subscribed in the early 2010's.
In fact I have a keyring mini videocamera charging now from my computer USB port, after being years unused. Inspired to buy it about 10-11 years ago by watching Techmoan reviews about it, hopefully it still works :)
Depends on if you want to live in a crash. They are tiny and have no crumple zones and are build like a tank as a result but that means there is nothing to absorb the impact and they come to a dead shop when they hit something solid xbox that's why they got such a poor ncap rating.
I loved my little Smartie.
I had it just under 18 years until some stupid c+w pulled out of a junction and left me no where to go.
She died that day because she was so old there were no parts available to repair her.
Still miss her.
I daily a 2013 for two in Canada for the last year. It’s like driving a Ferrari with all the attention you get. It’s also amazingly good on snow, which really surprised me. Great vid, I really enjoyed it!
2 ppl & 2 crates of beer?
that's good enough for me!
This was the video which I have been waiting, thx! I was truly amazed when I first time ever sat down on smart for two on the local Mercedes dealer 1 year ago. I was really shocked the inside roominess how it felt like a big suv car. Let’s hope smart for two will get a 4th generation and also a little more electrons for the battery.
The Smart For Two is one of those cars that as an EV would make a lot of sense for me but (as a delivery driver) I would need to double that 80 mile range to 160 miles just to make it usable. Even then I would be giving it a full recharge every other day.
geely announced two new models of smart cars. rumors say, that we might get a new fortwo smart in 2-3 years. hopefuly they increase the EV range (and not the size, like smart #1)
I used to drive the first generation smart fortwo... was a great car to drive around and was quite fun in the winter...nearly felt like it was driving above the snow with how light it was. Plus with the fold down seat, I was able to grab a few pieces of furniture from ikea and fit everything in the car. I really wish I still had it today
I absolutely love your videos .. they are always so well researched and excellently presented... always a good watch!
I absolutely adore my 451 cabrio. It costs nothing to run, is easy to maintain, and is just huge fun. The gearbox is admittedly not the best part of the car, and takes quite a few miles to 'learn', but with familiarity, it really is nowhere near as bad as reviewers would have you believe, invariably after their too brief tests. My wife and I have done a few long trips, with luggage, and it takes about four hours before discomfort sets in. I should add that the 130bhp which I now have, brings out the hooligan in this 72 year old !
My first smart was in 2006, a used 2004 smart. I passed this on to my daughter in 2009 when I bought a new diesel passion.
I was disappointed with the fuel economy being around 270 miles to a tank. I was told this would improve. I still love this car and generally does 500 miles to a tank with a couple of litres left.
Just had all the shock absorbers replaced.
I owned 2 Smart cars. Loved both of them. Drove them all over the U.S.
Panto will forever be one of my favorite cars in gtav. This trully pays a tribute
Man, I never realised that Techmoan's style would transfer so well to car reviews. Totally gave me an English Doug Demuro vibe.
Also, unsurprisingly, this video was fantastic. I had no idea that the Smart brand had such an interesting and storied history.
He has done car reviews in the past! And motorcycle reviews. And lots of spy camera and dash cam reviews.
@@SianaGearz I actually found him through a motorcycle review funnily enough
@@kaitlyn__L same probably. Or one of those scooters with twin front wheels
There was a car-pool service in Stockholm serviced entirely by Smart Cars at some point. I loved the idea of Smart and it was a comfortable car for driving around the city... But the gearbox, oh...the gearbox. I actually reported it as a fault on the car when I first drove one as I would never have thought it could have been designed this way. Basically, in first gear, the car would rev upto 4-5000 revs, wait a few seconds, then with a shudder, switch to second gear...and so on. Comfortable driving position, steering, road holding.... but who ever signed off on that gearbox ??
THE BEST Smart video of the brand and it’s evolution EVER. Thank you for doing such an amazing job!
The Smart Fortwo is one of the coolest cars for me! Everytime I see one in American roads I geek out!
I owned a Roadster and an old girlfriend had a Fortwo that I used to drive occasionally. I loved them both. The roadster especially was the most fun car I've ever driven and the only car I ever regretted selling.
@@a1c3c3u correct assumption. I just miss the car 😜
My wife only had Smart cars. She was tempted by the Toyota iQ, but the interior was terrible with zero practicality. She now drives an electric 453 and I was never a big fan of Smart cars, mostly because that gearbox is dreadful, but the electric version is a joy to drive. And the range is more than enough for city driving, we only plug it in every 4 days.
They were never very frugal for the size, but do make great city cars and are very reliable.
Techmoan on Big Car? Good day indeed.
I was a Contractor for Daimler Chrysler in Europe around the early SMART days, It was a dark time.
My Dad lost both his legs due to Diabetis. We used to fix cars as a hobby, but with him nog wheelchair bound, the Saabs and VW's are now too unwieldy parts wise.
He's still allowed to drive with his prosthetics, but only cars with an automatic gearbox... So he bougth a cheap Smart 450 on LNG conversion as a fix-up-er. Now he's got a couple more (convertibles, 0.6l and 0.7l ones.)
And he's quite happy with them. Keeps him mobile and busy, So I'm really glad they exsist.
I was ready to buy in 2008 for the advertised price of 12 grand. When the cars finally showed up around here the stealerships marked them up past 25 grand. Dealerships killed the smart fortwo in the U.S. because people might have bought a fun little go cart for 12 grand, but no one was going to buy one for what they marked them up to. I finally was able to afford one in 2018 when I got my hands on a 2015 smart fortwo passion with only 14500 kilometers on it for 7400 U.S. dollars. My 2015 looks just like the 2008, I don't like the way the newer ones look.
this is the collab of the decade
I think the main reason for sales remaining low was the price. Compared to "real" cars, the SMART always appeared to be too much money for too few car. This is a shame, taking into account that it always has been a clever vehicle.
Bit like diamonds small but expensive.
The Smart cars that people put Hayabusa motorcycle engines in are an absolute riot. Way more fun than stock!
The Toyota/Scion IQ seems like a much better thought out car than the Smart ForTwo. It's only slightly longer, but has four seats, and much greater cargo capacity with the rear seats folded. It also has much better performance.
Excellent documentary. Thanks for your research and hard work!
Great to see a collab between two of my favourite youtubers!
Great appearance of one of my other favourite TH-camrs!
And I love the Fortwo, even though it's a bit clunky compared to a Twizy ;-)
I’ve owned over 40 cars and I won’t lie smart was one of my favorites. It was a street legal go cart smiles per miles. My favorite part is I would literally back it to the curb like a motorcycle parks. always find up close parking because there’s always that one guy that has to park leaving not enough room for a car behind him
I remember back in the 90's when Saturn had cars with plastic panels and the 80's with the Pontiac Fiero
also all Corvettes
Well, I'm glad that some of your viewers enjoy their Smarts, and have apparently had good results in terms of reliability and so forth. To each their own, this is why ice cream comes in more flavors than vanilla...
However, I drove one here in the US fairly extensively ( it belonged to a friend who developed health issues, and insisted I use her car to run errands for her, etc. ). It was undoubtedly one of the most wretched automotive experiences I ever had....and, trust me, after 40 years in the car business I had driven some real dumpsters.
And I'm no car snob...I drove a Renault R5, for example, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Smart was underpowered, had tragicomic handling and stability, and provided unimpressive fuel economy. Perhaps worthwhile as a city car, but in suburban USA, completely appalling.
Great video, thanks.
Went to Europe in '06; saw my first Smart in Paris & had pic taken next to it - I though it was sooo stinking cute! Fast forward to '11 (my 50th b-day) I purchased one. Sent pic to son - who mentioned it is exactly like the one I had my pic next to! I am not a 'car' person (have only owned 4 total cars in my life) but I fell in love with this Smart! BUT, I knew what I was getting - it is not a muscle car, no big, high powered engine, it has a quirky attitude and you do have to actually 'drive' it - which is what I enjoy; I wanted a smaller commuter car as my 'other' vehicle is an F150 averaging15 mpg .. my Smart has averaged 44 mpg and is my 'daily driver.' Is it speedy? Gets to legal speed fast enough for me ( '0-60 in 2.3 miles' ... or '0-60 eventually'! Drove it 10 years with basic maintenance (recently had work done) and have 116K miles now.
I really believe MB missed a prime marketing opportunity - rural America! (as in "... its not just for city driving ...) Out where I live the miles add up - 34 miles one way from my house to a town with real amenities and Jr College - 64+ miles to a bit larger town. I see many large SUVs with 1 person traveling to and from work (34+ miles one way) putting $100s in their gas tank. Glad I kept my Smart! $45 to fill up for a week - not to mention most of my miles are 'highway' miles. This would also be fine for small town young drivers as they cannot haul a bunch if distracting friends.
Only real issues I have now are 1) trying to get it repaired/serviced. Only 1 MB dealer within reasonable driving range (2+ hours away) will even look at Smarts any more and then, not the EVs. I have found a good 'European' car mechanic a bit closer so I'm happy about that and 2) crazy costs of said repairs. A/C compressor went out - man that was expensive!!
Conclusion - there are Ford and Toyota dealers/repair places in almost every little town - not so MBs .... that may be a big issue for sales as I've had enough trouble with that, that I almost sold it for a Ford (until they stopped selling cars) .... I spoke to MB guy this week and he said, "... there are two types of people - either you love or hate the Smart ... and those who love them are crazy in love with that little car!" .... I couldn't agree more!
In the UK I stopped going back to smart. I take my car to a small local garage for servicing. I can't see me getting rid of the car, it's road tax free in the UK being very low emissions. Hope you're able to find a small local garage like I have.
I remember the early version was often seen as advertising billboards since they attracted so much attention. Latest version is longer and wider, I wonder if it eventually will grow into a large car, as happened with the Honda Civic? The car is quite heavy for its size, or perhaps because of its size; to provide enough protection.
the current japan only version of the daihatsu copen uses the replaceable panels method - the old version released in the uk didn't however. i think the main issue with this car is it doesn't look good - few people will buy a car that looks like that even if they would buy a more traditional looking one with the same tech specs. also calling it a mercedes might have attracted some badge snobs.
I have a 2013 Smart. Lived in Manhattan and found a parking spot on my block at work and home 95% of the time. Got envious looms everytime I parked. Now in LA, it is hopelessly powerless to keep up with the speeds and hills of LA. Love it alot none the less, helps with high gas prices. Did 95 mph on the NJ turnpike once....never again.
You’re a brave man !
I owmed an early smart car. Really good fun to drive. It felt like a big car on the interior but on the road it was like a road legal go kart. Gear changes were always a giggle.
The roadster was great fun to own felt faster than it actually was. It had a good exhaust note thanks to its three cylinder engine. It was highly manoeuvrable and rear engined with good breaking. People loved it. It wasn’t a cheap cheap car to run, it was better taken to a specialist, independent not MB! As was said a surprising solidity and quality in the driving experience. Semi auto gearbox was the not quickest but you learned to live with it. Character in spades. Used to race along in the mountains at Snowdonia national park Wales UK most weekends. It was a very low reclining seating position which was extremely comfortable on long journeys surprisingly and a dynamic sporting feel. The feedback from the road and driver connection to the vehicle was excellent.
Dang chill out b
The specialist part is what made me sell my Brabus coupe. The nearest one to me involved a 60 mile round trip and every feckin thing required it to be hooked up to mercedes star diagnostics plus parts were not cheap. It was good fun though.
@@S-Ltd1000 Yes, I used to spend the day in Birmingham each year while they worked on it. Sometimes I had to take the train home and come back. I spent way too much on it really.! They made a packet out of me, wished they had said get another one up front.
I wish car companies would be brave enough to develop cars like the Smart and Smart Roadster again. We owned a Smart for about a year. Fun, practical, economical cars. Always an adventure to overtake trucks on the autobahn, though ;-)
The Smart Roadster was the best handling car I ever had by some way. I miss it :(
@@BigCar2_ no because you are a fake bot!
Thanks for ForTwo episode, bro!!!!🥰🥰🥰🥰 FYI, this car very expensive in Malaysia when it was new.
Very nice video once again, quite thorough and in depth. A couple of extra facts that you might like.
- The roof panels on the side of the Smart ForTwo cabrio can be stored in the bootlid itself to save space in the boot.
- Smart was the first car manufacturer to fully switch from ICE to Electric powered cars.
It’s a shame the Smart never really caught on. Maybe it was just too far ahead of any legislation that would’ve made it a more attractive proposition. Maybe it was just a bit too trendy for the average car buyer. Or perhaps, in a world full of people driving around in monster SUVs, it felt just a little vulnerable. I think there’s still a market for cars like this, they just need to be “encouraged” out of their thirsty Chelsea tractors.
Nice cameo from Techmoan, too! I’ve noticed this with a lot of my favourite TH-camrs, they all seem to collaborate at some point
I recently bought one of the early original Mercedes powered editions, branded ‘Bad Girl’. It is an amazingly innovative car. Real art! I love it. Off course I am an architect.
I loved Smart: the brand; the dealerships; the car. That is, until I drove one.
Excellent and thorough research very well presented
Another excellent well researched video. One thing that the Smart never got much credit for was its body Tridon cell strength despite the plastic panels. Might be worth comparing the success of Smart with that of the Wuling Mini and its semi-clones.
I have 450 City- great and SO ADORABLE car !
They're great fun these videos. Keep up the good work!
When I originally saw the smart car I was visiting Frankfurt Germany a couple years later they started to come to the US I seriously considered buying one until I was talking with the salesman who not only did not know where the windshield washer tank was but had no idea how to refill it at that point I walked out of the showroom and never ever looked back!!
Great video! Been waiting for this one for a while. Thanks!
Congratulations.. excellent...the full story... regards from Athens Greece..
I had a Smart Roadster, and it was brilliant... wish I still had it.
I had a Smart Brabus that eventually had just over 100 bhp,it was bloody mental!The only 2 downers were changing headlight bulbs that constantly blew and the Cabrio roof it being a gamble as to if it would close after opening it.
I've got a 2008 ForTwo Pure with Brabus bodykit and wheels, little flying machine. I bought it in 2012 and can't think of ever letting it go. Fun Fact: The 'city' photo used at timestamp 7.17 is Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Loved the Techmoan collaboration, great presentation! Keep up the brilliant reviews. When are you appearing in Techmoan videos?
Not sure he'd want me to look at old audio stuff. I did offer him my Clarion Auto PC from the 1990s, but it would be hell to get to him.
auto manufacturers like Mercedes Benz & TOYOTA know what they're doing because they're committed . . . the super stiff yet flexible Tridion monocoque safety cell of the Smart fortwo was one of the safest by far even compared to present day cars of similar specifications . . .
Very professional presentation! Thanks!
I really like this channel. Great
Glad you enjoy it Dennis!
Great video, and as someone from Northern Ireland, I never expected to see a picture of 90s Lurgan pop up in a Big Car video
When you need a royalty free image, Lurgan delivers!
Big Car/Techmoan collab? My week is complete!
I wonder if Techmoan installed an 8-track Tape Player on his smart! Ahah
Great video as always!
I love the ISS on the shelf - very cool!😊
I thought the paddle shifters were standard on the standard model as well…
Worked on a few as a mechanic. Thing didn’t even properly fit on my lift
Love the crowded city picture at 7:18. A small town called Lurgan in Northern Ireland !
I have gen 2 with diesel!
Just shy of 33 liter diesel, this car takes me all the way from inside the norwegian border to an hour or two driving inside Germany.
Gen 1 and 2 is not just a city car, it eats distances like nothing else🤩👌
the roadster was incredible but i was told they stop producing it ,it had a 1.0L engine but was fast as hell
i really don´t know how fast is hell
Here in Australia they were stupidly expensive cars to buy. About twice the price of say a yaris. I recall them asking over $42 or $45k for them.
Hello from Poland!
Back in the day we use to have the first gen ForTwo with 64hp petrol. It was a great car, very practical in towns and cities. I use to park it like You show in the film very often in Kraków. It honestly didn't need power steering, as the fron wheels were very narrow. But there were drawbacks.
It was not fuel efficient. It used around 6,5-7 liters for 100km, which is identical to a full size city car such as I gen. Yaris. It running cost was similar to an A-class Mercedes, what You would not expect from a car half the size of an A-class. We generally use to cal it "Half-a-car", as it was just ahlf of a regular car.
Cheers from Poland 😀
This is a great, Great Channel!