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Smart Cars!!!!!!!!!!!!

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spankingman

Well-known member
Dec 7, 2008
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Had a good close up look at one of these gizmos today on the 401 eastbound.
I understand fully that we need more fuel efficient vehicles but should these type of vehicles be allowed on major highways such as the 401 etc. You get into a real bad accident in one of these they may as well bury the car with you in it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk amongst yourselves waddaya think?
 
spankingman said:
Had a good close up look at one of these gizmos today on the 401 eastbound.
I understand fully that we need more fuel efficient vehicles but should these type of vehicles be allowed on major highways such as the 401 etc. You get into a real bad accident in one of these they may as well bury the car with you in it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk amongst yourselves waddaya think?
Click to expand...

Sorry I know 3 people with them and they love them, can't wait to turn them in for the next gen.

Very quick, nimble and for a car of that size, quite safe. The car will collapse but you will survive. It's unfortunate that they've decide to offer regular gas version but that's an attempt to get into the US market. The US can't grab onto the up side of diesel engines.

They are really fun to drive.

The only thing to keep in mind is that they Mercedes Benz cars and everything is just as expensive; Service parts and accessories.

They are other micro cars that are less safe then the Smart car, but no micro will servive bumper tag with an Olds 88.
 
blackrock13 said:
for a car of that size, quite safe. The car will collapse but you will survive.
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I'm sorry but every time I see one, and read about how safe they are I shake my head. I'm not convinced.....
 
spankingman said:
Had a good close up look at one of these gizmos today on the 401 eastbound.
I understand fully that we need more fuel efficient vehicles but should these type of vehicles be allowed on major highways such as the 401 etc. You get into a real bad accident in one of these they may as well bury the car with you in it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk amongst yourselves waddaya think?
Click to expand...

Hate to say it but they are one of the safest vehicles around. Didn't watch the youtube vid but I have to assume it is the one that they run into a K rail?

And the door still opens. I don't think that'd happen with my F150......
 
tboy said:
Hate to say it but they are one of the safest vehicles around.
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I don't think they really are, they distort the tests to make microcars look safer than they are. What conventional safety ratings do not take into account is that if your F150 collides with the Smart car, the Smart car goes flying backwards, while the F150 slows down somewhat. So even if the smart had the same size crumple zone and occupant safety measures, the damage to the passengers is more severe, because the car is so light.
 
C Dick said:
I don't think they really are, they distort the tests to make microcars look safer than they are. What conventional safety ratings do not take into account is that if your F150 collides with the Smart car, the Smart car goes flying backwards, while the F150 slows down somewhat. So even if the smart had the same size crumple zone and occupant safety measures, the damage to the passengers is more severe, because the car is so light.
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Which makes a pretty good case for getting all those F150s that guys drive around empty by themselves off the road.
 
C Dick said:
I don't think they really are, they distort the tests to make microcars look safer than they are. What conventional safety ratings do not take into account is that if your F150 collides with the Smart car, the Smart car goes flying backwards, while the F150 slows down somewhat. So even if the smart had the same size crumple zone and occupant safety measures, the damage to the passengers is more severe, because the car is so light.
Click to expand...

You can think all you want but if a car has a rigid roll cage that prevents any infiltration into the passenger compartment, so what if it bounces off? The air bags will prevent any serious injury and if it happens to roll down the road 3 or 4 times it'd be quite the ride but that's it. For eg: have you ever dropped a cardboard box down a flight of stairs? The outside gets dinged up but whatever is inside usually remains intact.

Now where you might have a problem is if it go sandwiched between two larger vehicles like that test they did on mythbusters. There's no real crumple zones like other vehicles with trunks, hoods etc.

I can't see them being very stable at highway speeds though. The wheelbase is too short and it's about as aerodynamic as a brick. It'd bounce around like a go kart....
 
C Dick said:
I don't think they really are, they distort the tests to make microcars look safer than they are. What conventional safety ratings do not take into account is that if your F150 collides with the Smart car, the Smart car goes flying backwards, while the F150 slows down somewhat. So even if the smart had the same size crumple zone and occupant safety measures, the damage to the passengers is more severe, because the car is so light.
Click to expand...
The obvious conclusion is that F150s should be restricted to industrial use only.
 
oldjones said:
The obvious conclusion is that F150s should be restricted to industrial use only.
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Thankfully we live in a free country where one can drive whatever their preference is. And yes, I am a contractor and only have one because I need it for work.
 
skiierman said:
from what I have heard they are almost underivable in snow... so says a former smart car owner
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Yeah but if you get stuck you can just pick it up and put it in your pocket!!!
 
spankingman said:
Had a good close up look at one of these gizmos today on the 401 eastbound.
I understand fully that we need more fuel efficient vehicles but should these type of vehicles be allowed on major highways such as the 401 etc. You get into a real bad accident in one of these they may as well bury the car with you in it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk amongst yourselves waddaya think?
Click to expand...

There was an accident here in K-W a month ago up on University/Weber.
SmartCar vs. F150.
F150 driver = not a scratch
SmartCar driver = air ambulance
If I remember the SmartCar driver ran a yellow really late turning left and got whacked by the F150 going staight.
SmartCar's are deathtraps here in Ontario.
They are made to boot around European cities with small thin alley-type roads, very slow speed limits, and lots of traffic NOT going 130 kph on the 401.
 
vsailor said:
SMARTEST post yet on the subject!
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yeah they are perfect for booting around in the city. You can park 2 in the space of one full sized vehicle and they can do a U turn in one lane lol.

Didn't hear about the accident in KW...will have to look that up!
 
vsailor said:
The obvious conclusion is that Canada is a democracy and we can drive whatever we damn well want to!
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Howcum you and tboy didn't post that in response to the OP asking whether Smartcars shouldn't be allowed on the roads?
 
C Dick said:
I don't think they really are, they distort the tests to make microcars look safer than they are. What conventional safety ratings do not take into account is that if your F150 collides with the Smart car, the Smart car goes flying backwards, while the F150 slows down somewhat. So even if the smart had the same size crumple zone and occupant safety measures, the damage to the passengers is more severe, because the car is so light.
Click to expand...

Again, I say show me another micro car that would do better. To make those kind of scenario claims are really meaningless as it's too speculative.

Would a Versa do any better?

Would the driver survive if hit hit head on by a Hummer H3. dump truck, transport, or do a face plant of the Scarborough bluffs? The list continues. The answer is no.

Who are THEY and how did they distort the test? Back up your statement.
 
vsailor said:
The obvious conclusion is that Canada is a democracy and we can drive whatever we damn well want to!
Click to expand...

Sorry tho burst your bubble. You can't drive whatever you want. ATV's, most E-cars, motorize sofas; the list goes on. Tell me you were making a joke.
 
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