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The 40 mpg Cars of 2013

2012 Smart fortwo

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Overview

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2012 Smart fortwo Review

By Zach Vlasuk

KBB Expert Rating: 3.6

In America, fads come and go as quickly as reality TV stars. When the news of Smart's stateside arrival reached the eyes and ears of Euro-loving Americans, the subsequent waiting list presaged a bright future for the Mercedes-Benz subsidiary. With over 40,000 pre-orders, Smart experienced the automotive equivalent of crazed shoppers camped outside a local retailer to be among the first to get their hands on the latest Apple product. In the years following the brand's initial success, dwindling sales indicated that predictions for the unstoppable microcar revolution might be a bit premature. And while the 2012 Smart Fortwo returns adequate fuel economy figures, slightly larger 5-seat competitors like the Ford Fiesta, Kia Rio and the Nissan Versa deliver comparable fuel efficiency and superior driving characteristics for a similar price.

You'll Like This Car If...

The Smart Fortwo's tidy dimensions make it the ideal choice for inner city dwellers faced with daily parking challenges. Additionally, if you're a thrifty open-top enthusiast searching for the most affordable convertible available, look no further than the Smart Fortwo Cabriolet.

You May Not Like This Car If...

Between the Fortwo's nervous highway manners and the irksome shifting behavior of its automated manual transmission, driving becomes a chore rather than a privilege. Unless you are married to the Smart's unique European charm, the market offers a crowd of alluring subcompacts with exceptional road manners, additional standard equipment and five seats.

KBB Expert Ratings

Overall Rating

3.6
Driving Dynamics

1.8
Comfort & Convenience

3.6
Design: Interior & Exterior

4.2
Value

5.2
Safety

7.9

How It Ranks

#4

out of 4

MPG

#4

out of 4

Horsepower

View all rankings

Consumer Rating

8.4 out of 10

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consumer ratings

What's New for 2012

The Smart Fortwo receives a modest aesthetic refresh for the 2012 model year along with a newly available navigation system.

Driving the fortwo

2012 Smart fortwo Front angle view photo

Driving Impressions For a vehicle with a tremendously short wheelbase, we found the 2012 Smart Fortwo's ride surprisingly comfortable. The faster you go, however, the more skittish the Fortwo becomes, and we...

eventually grew tired of constantly making steering corrections to stay on course. Similarly, the automated manual transmission swaps gears with all the grace of a farm tractor. On the other hand, the Fortwo reigns supreme in parking lot maneuverability, where the car's micro measurements and sub-30-foot turning radius combine to deliver an almost comical sense of low-speed agility. Although the Smart Fortwo's 90-mph top speed and 13-second 0-60 mph acceleration qualify it as one of the slowest new vehicles on the road, the silver lining is that you get to "floor it" on a regular basis, and no self-respecting cop would ever pull you over.

Favorite Features

TRIDION SAFETY CELL
With American roadways chock-full of overweight vehicles, compact car owners are subjected to an elevated level of danger every time they get behind the wheel. Much like a roll cage protects a racecar driver, the 2012 Smart Fortwo's Tridion Safety Cell distributes energy over a wide area of the car for greater impact resistance.

CONVERTIBLE ROOF
To the frustration of countless drop-top devotees, some modern convertible tops are inoperable when the vehicle is in motion. With the Smart Fortwo Cabriolet, you can let the sunshine in – or shut the rain out – even when traveling at highway speeds.

2012 Smart fortwo Details

2012 Smart fortwo Dashboard, center console, gear shifter view photo

Interior

We've all heard the old adages, "Never judge a book by its cover" and "Looks can be deceiving." When it comes to the Smart Fortwo's deceptively roomy cabin, these redundant clichés hold equally true. There's more than abundant headroom and legroom even for the long of limb in this 2-seater, and the unique floating design of the dashboard further conveys a sense of spaciousness. While the cargo area is quite a bit smaller than a traditional subcompact, it is large enough to accommodate a bag of golf clubs. And if you frequently travel solo, the passenger seat folds flat for additional cargo space.

Exterior

More than just a pint-sized economy car, the Smart Fortwo looks like nothing else on the road. The body panels are made of dent-resistant plastic, and the design element running from behind the front wheels up to the roofline is actually Smart's patented Tridion Safety Cell: a high-strength steel shell that's available in black or metallic silver. To help combat the Fortwo's obvious weight disadvantage in a collision, Mercedes-Benz engineers developed an interconnected steel shell that distributes impact energy rather than absorbing it.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

If you thought the 2012 Smart Fortwo's enticing starting price was too good to be true, you were right. The aptly-named Pure model conspicuously excludes an audio system, air conditioning, power windows, cruise control and power mirrors. "Luxuries" provided at base price include power locks with remote keyless entry, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Opting for the Passion trim adds most of the creature comforts one would expect in a $15,000 new car. Because safety is on the mind of every prospective Fortwo owner, the 2012 model offers eight airbags, front and rear crash boxes for low-speed-collision protection, and a full serving of electronic stability systems.

Optional Equipment

Passion and Cabriolet trims offer practical niceties such as cruise control, electric power steering and center-console storage. Tech options include a touch-screen navigation system, Bluetooth and a 7-speaker audio system with a subwoofer. Since playing dress-up isn't just for little girls anymore, the Fortwo offers a multitude of interchangeable body panels and a sporty Style Package, complete with retro 3-spoke alloy wheels, ambient interior lighting, dashboard gauge pods, and LED daytime running lights.

Under the Hood

Tipping the scales at just 1,800 pounds (nearly 600 pounds less than a Honda Fit), the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive 2012 Smart Fortwo is able to make its way in the world by means of a 3-cylinder Mitsubishi engine matched with a 5-speed automated manual transmission. Instead of a clutch pedal and a manual shift lever, the Fortwo electronically manages the manual gearbox. On the road, it becomes painfully clear that it is perhaps the most unrefined transmission ever affixed to a modern production vehicle.

1.0-liter inline-3
70 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
68 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 34/38 mpg

Pricing Notes

The 2012 Smart Fortwo Pure carries a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of around $15,000. Begin checking option boxes and a fully-loaded Passion trim with metallic paint approaches the $20,000 mark. Before heading to a dealer, be sure to check Kelley Blue Book's Fair Purchase Price, which reflects what others are paying in your area for their Smart Fortwos. The latest addition to the microcar segment is the 2012 Scion iQ, which undercuts the Fortwo's sticker price by a few thousand dollars, while 5-passenger subcompacts like the Kia Rio, Chevrolet Sonic and Nissan Versa share a comparable price point with the Smart Fortwo along with higher retained values.

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2012 Smart fortwo Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

8.4

Out of 10

Based on 174 Ratings for the 2008 - 2013 models.

Review this car

Value

8.7/10

Quality

8.7/10
Reliability

8.9/10

Performance

8.2/10
Comfort

8.4/10

Styling

9.0/10

My Screaming Yellow Zonker Smart Car Dazzles....

By Silver Fox (TX) on Tuesday, July 09, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 51,000

10 8.0

overall rating 8 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 6/10
Styling: 8/10
Comfort: 5/10

Pros: "Fun, driving with an attitude, gets attention...."

Cons: "Automated manual transmission could be better...."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"When I pass Mercedes-Benzs vehicles at 94 mph (limited top speed), they look at their speedometers, tilt their heads, and again look at their speedometers. They start thinking, 'How fast is that dude peddling anyway?' A niche car that gives me 41 mph on the highway at 65 mph and is a real attention getter. I have 50K miles on the clock and it has not missed a beat over four very full years. Being a Screaming Yellow Zonkers color, it is a collectors item because they do not import those into the States since 2008.... Nice little hot-rod that has the name 'Screaming Yellow Zonkers'."

2 people out of 3 found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? yes | no | report abuse

My Screaming Yellow Zonker Smart Car Dazzles....

By Silver Fox (TX) on Tuesday, July 09, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 51,000

10 8.0

overall rating 8 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 6/10
Styling: 8/10
Comfort: 5/10

Pros: "Fun, driving with an attitude, gets attention...."

Cons: "Automated manual transmission could be better...."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? yes | no | report abuse

My Screaming Yellow Zonker Smart Car Dazzles....

By Silver Fox (TX) on Monday, July 08, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 51,000

10 8.0

overall rating 8 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 6/10
Styling: 8/10
Comfort: 5/10

Pros: "Fun, driving with an attitude, gets attention...."

Cons: "Automated manual transmission could be better...."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"When I pass Mercedes-Benzs vehicles at 94 mph (limited top speed), they look at their speedometer, tilt their heads, and again look at their speedometer. They start thinking, 'How fast is that dude peddling anyway?' A niche car that gives me 41 mph on the highway at 65 mph and is a real attention getter. Have 50K miles on the clock and it has not missed a beat over four very full years. Being a Screaming Yellow color, it is a collectors item because they do not import those into the States any more.... Nice little hot-rod that has the name 'Screaming Yellow Zonkers'."

Was this review helpful to you? yes | no | report abuse