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Hi folks, Mike T here, a friend of deezle from Vancouver Island BC Canada.

I've had my smart cdi pulse cabriolet since January 8, 2005 and I've driven 91,000 km with it so far.

The lifetime fuel economy is 3.9 L.100 km (about 61 US MPG), "without even trying" as they say. In fact, my car has wider wheels and tires, and the convertible top is often down, which hits the fuel economy somewhat. About the only thing I do to keep efficiency good is drive sensibly, usually more or less at the speed limit, and anticipate stoplights and traffic conditions. I am not going to re-enter all my FE data here, but if you click on the icon in my signature, you can see all of my fuel records back to Day One.

I like the car a lot, it is fun to drive and the design is fabulous. I will be keeping it forever....well maybe one of my kids will inherit it or I'll give it to one of them sooner or later, AFTER I get another one. I have my eye on the 98 HP BRABUS version, which isn't sold here.....yet......

It is not without its flaws. I would have preferred a proper manual transaxle but that never was offered. The gearbox is the car's most annoying feature, though you can get used to it. The shifter paddles on the steering wheel make it tolerable. The ride is choppy due to the stiff suspension and short wheelbase. But that's about it for bad stuff.

The good is much better: excellent (heated) seats, fabulous convertible top, direct steering, fun to hammer around town or the twisties, very economical, adequately quick even with the standard 40 HP/74 lbs-ft 800 cc engine, safety equipment that is a decade ahead of the small car competition (I think the car hasn't any competition, at least until Toyota introduces its copycat "IQ" model soon).

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/9219/depbay1dj6.jpg

Very nice, Mike! We are delighted to have you here!

That's a beautiful car -- and the matching vest is a nice touch. ;)

I took a look at your logs -- it looks like 3.24L/100km is your best tank. That comes out to 72.6mpg -- impressive! Would you like to do even better? If so, we'd love to help you get there!

It is just too bad that car wasn't offered with a manual transmission...

how neat is that? welcome, it's nice to have someone with some real world experience with the car here. i am sure you will get a lot of questions.

Nice car and mileage. Welcome to the site.

Thanks guys.

I do have a ScanGauge, which works really well on the smart cdi (but not on the gasoline versions of the old style smart that were converted for the USA by G&K in California). If I use it for feedback, I can reduce the consumption by a bit. Right now I am driving it like a normal car because it's a tad more fun that way.

I have never had a pure highway tank of fuel, so the 3.24 L/100 km thing was probably during a fuel economy derby we had in 2005. I was riding on skinny tires (OEM for Canada) back then. My drive to work is short-ish at 26 km one way. So it's not optimal for FE, though it's not half bad either. I ride a bicycle about 50-60 times a year instead of driving.

I do have another set of alloy wheels with the OEM skinnies on them. I may throw them on for a tank and see what happens this summer. But I'll be getting winter tires for those skinny rims next fall, so then I'll not have any "max fuel economy" wheels!

I think that averaging under 4 L/100 km is pretty good as it is, the way I use the car. The law of diminishing returns kicks in not too far lower down the L/100 km scale.

We do have a Club smart Car member near deezle and I whose spritmonitor result is 3.3 L/100 km lifetime. That's about the best the CDN version of the car can do in semi-normal usage (he is retired and does not live in an urban area). A few German cdi drivers are under 3 L/100 lifetime (best one claims 2.8) but the European version has a leaner fuel map and so the CDN car is a little behind the eight ball from the get-go. 2.8 L/100 km is 84 US MPG.

Another friend in the Vancouver area has gone to Saskatchewan to test his smart's FE and he recorded a couple of 100+ US MPG fills, driving at a steady 80 km/h with 44 PSI in the tires. His lifetime L/100 is similar to mine.

I would not be into extreme stuff like pulse and glide (the car bobs around enough as it is ;)) or EOC.

My car has air conditioning, heated seats, factory cruise, heated electric mirrors and a few other mod cons and we don't shy away from using the A/C or heated seats, both of which increase consumption. But as I say, the results are entirely satisfactory as it stands.

My 19 year old daughter drives the car a fair bit and uses it for short trips on the weekend, so, again, the FE could be better if I was a fanatic and mean dad ;) But I'm not!

Here are a couple of rear shots, top up and top down.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6496/dsc05490ty6.jpg
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/5900/dsc05550ue9.jpg

Oh gee, how cute is that!!

--des

Mike,
That's a sweet car, man. I really like it-Told my wife I may purchase one someday, though I think that when the "Fit's" service is through there will probably (hopefully) be many really FE vehicles to choose from. Welcome to the site. It is nice to have someone here (as previously stated) who's driving one.
brian

Myself and the kids USED to call those "Not So-Smart Cars" because of their size, and laughability. But I gotta tell you, since I've been reading up on Hypermiling and recently got on the quest to the Perfect Tank, I'm not laughing at those cars anymore.

Looks like a sweet ride, and congrats on the FE. Looking awesome.

Hi Mike T:

___I like the Smart Fortwo but really really love the Smart Fortwo with the CDI! Boy would your little beauty be fun to drive for a week just to see :)

___Want to see it hit the home page as Ride of the Month (or week given the last one was less than a week ago ;)) since your pics and vehicle are so hot?

___Good Luck and nice ride indeed!

___Wayne

WOW Nice car. I had not seen any close up pics of the smart before. It really looks cool.

Thanks guys, I do enjoy looking at it. The worst thing about driving one is you never get to see it when it's being driven ;)

Here is a shot of the car from February 2007, when we visiited a fellow on the Olympic Peninsula in WA, who has a G&K converted gasoline smart. Both cars are within one parallel parking space. This raised a few eyebrows....by the way, the restaurant behind (Oak Table) is fantastic....but I can't remember if it's in Port Angeles or Sequim.
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5492/dsc05565px5.jpg

Here is a photo of a friend's smart cabriolet, right after we had changed their body panels from the original silver to the rare and psychadelic "numeric blue" that smart once sold as a factory option. They have their winter wheels on in this photo, hence the hubcaps.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8832/dsc05595jh6.jpg

My girlfriend and I went by the local Smart dealer yesterday on our travels. Sadly they were closed, so I could look, but not play :(

Try it, you may just like it!

Well if things go as planned and we end up married, I'll give up the Accord for a Smart easily enough. I don't think I can ever get rid of the S2000, so I'd need her around to have the one 'practical' car. ;)

Well, best of luck to you, Adam! The SMART looks like a cool car to work with -- I just wish it was available with a standard transmission....

Nice car! I have a soft spot for that color, its remarkably similar to the color of 'Olaf', a 1967 Volvo 122 Station Wagon that I once owned (one of my favorite vehicles...)
A SMART could be a good car for my daughter, I'm going to encourage her to save up.

-- I just wish it was available with a standard transmission....

RLC: It ONLY comes with a standard transmission. There is an optional electronic shifter that can be engaged with the flick of a button, but every smart has a standard 'shiftable' transmission.

Deezle, I meant with a manual transmission in the US... we can only get them with the automated manual transmission here. I'd rather have full control myself as I can wring way better mileage out of a car with one. That's aside from the fact that we can't get the diesel engine here... :(

There is no room in the footwell for a clutch pedal. The gearbox is the weirdest thing about this car, but you get used to it, and can come to appreciate it. I am a 100% manual driver too, my new B 200 has one, as do my two other cars.

Deezle, I meant with a manual transmission in the US... we can only get them with the automated manual transmission here. I'd rather have full control myself as I can wring way better mileage out of a car with one. That's aside from the fact that we can't get the diesel engine here... :(


Right Lane Cruiser, fear not---it IS a manual transmission, but with an automatic clutch and electronic shifter. You can choose whatever gear you want and hook up your scanguage to show you how you're doing. It's an unusual transmission---the best thing is to just go to a dealership and spend some time with one--- but I think you will have pretty much all the control you want over your rpm's and driving style (except perhaps pulse-and-glide).
BTW, the U.S. and Canadian smarts being sold now are identical--- the diesel version is no longer available here.

Deezle, I'm aware of how it works but P&G is one of those things I just can't live without for pulling the most out of a vehicle. I'm sure I'd do well but that last bit of optimization just isn't there... largely because you can't bump start. :(

You can't get the diesel there anymore?? That's terrible! :eek:

Can't bump start? Huh? What are you on about?

Cool car and so right for the times! Congratulations and welcome!

Saw my first Smart Fortwo in the flesh today - the driver was pulling into the parking deck at work. It was a hardtop and was a real head turner in a snazzy red/orange color.

Mike, I get a lot out of my cars by turning the engine off and coasting whenever possible (FASing). When I want to get the engine going again most of the time I can "bump start" (also known as "clutch start") it. This is not possible with the automated manual in the SMART because there is no way to manually modulate the clutch.

Have you tried one? The car can be "bump started" if the battery is nearly flat, as the clutch engages automatically at about 5 km/h. It says so in the owner's manual.

Back on topic, my car got treated to some new front fenders that I had bought a year ago in Germany (well actually my German friend picked them up for me and stored them at his place for a year in the attic), when I brought them back as checked luggage in the plane a just over 2 weeks ago.

The difference between the new and the old ones is that the side marker light that was cut into the fender for Canadian certification is missing, replaced by a more subtle but still visible indicator repeater/side marker. I like the look a lot better - compare it to the photo on the first page of this thread.

The rear fenders were also changed about 2 years ago, for the same reason....

The green panels on this car are all coloured-through plastic, so rock chips may "chip" but there is no change in colour at the chip site. Quite nice. My 3.5 year old original fenders had a few tiny rock nicks in them, nothing worth mentioning.

The coloured-through panels were discontinued by smart shortly after this vehicle went out of production, at the end of 2006...now they only supply flat black ones that require painting. I'm glad I have coloured-through spares though, even with the Canadian modifications to them.

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7696/smartb200011ct8.jpg

Have you tried one? The car can be "bump started" if the battery is nearly flat, as the clutch engages automatically at about 5 km/h. It says so in the owner's manual.

Really? Is it only when the battery is low? Is this only at low speeds? I ask because I'm always using bump start at speeds over about 8mph to bring the engine back online from a FAS -- often in my P&G routines. That's the flexibility I'm after.

Sadly, I've not yet had the opportunity to drive one of these cars, though I did sit in one!

By the way, I agree on the marker lights. You car looks really sharp! :thumbs_up:

It can be bump started if the battery is good too, but I said "low" battery because the car does need the electronics to engage the clutch at 5 km/h.

You ought to test drive one and try out your somewhat interesting techniques on it. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

About the side marker lights, you should have seen the original Canadian market ones. Huge orange reflectors instead of the clear LED thing I replaced it with. The CDN smart club refers to them as "orange slices"...

The European side marker/repeater is the best look for the car, of course. In Europe these are only turn signal repeaters but on my car it's both a side marker and a turn signal repeater.

At nearly 98,000 km, it's time for another service. I do the A Services myself and the B services I take it to the dealer. This time the coolant needs changing, after nearly 4 years, and I may get the external belts replaced too.

My car requires either an A or B service every 10,000 km, based upon how I drive (the car has a variable service interval), which is 6300 miles. The new gasoline version has a less frequent service interval, 9300 miles apart.

Well my daughter took the cabrio over the 100,000 km threshold last week. It's been a total gas to own and drive! Its 4th birthday is coming up on November 4th, so we'll have to buy it something nice.

123,000 km and counting as of today.

We're sure racking up the distance. It should accelerate in the fall when my daughter starts commuting about 800-1000 km a week (living on campus costs too much). Should hit 160,000 km (100,000 miles) in under a year. Scary!

What did I buy the car for its 4th birthday?..........hmmmm...........a new fog light to replace a damaged one, yeah! but it was after I gave a Ford F 250 a love tap on an icy road, so that doesn't count. I guess the days of buying $1600 accessory wheels and wide tires as "car gifts" are over now that it's getting old!

Hi Mike,

Glad to hear your smart is still going strong - it should make a great commuting vehicle for your daughter. Tres chic.

Did you ever find a way to bump start the smart at speed? I know the usual method for bump starting from a standstill, but I've never come across a method for restarting the engine while in motion (with or without using the starter motor).

-Simon

I would never cut the engine while moving, it's too dangerous. Using the fuel cut-off that the car comes with, wisely, does enough to maximise fuel economy for me. People I know elsewhere in Canada can get 2.6 L/100 km or less just by driving super-carefully with no tricks.

Mike ,when are the diesel's comming back? Hal

123,000 km and counting as of today.

Hi Mike;

Nice to hear from you again... and also good to know your Smart is adding them up quite well. :D

Cheers;

MSantos

Mike, when are the diesel's coming back? Hal

Never, would be my guess.

I think we'll be getting the gasoline mhd soon, and the ED version in a couple of years, but I can't see the diesel being re-engineered for North America considering that they'd probably only sell 6000 a year between Canada and the USA combined. The margins on this car are too slim to justify the expense of re-engineering the emissions control.