These two pix snapped under my car tent shelter because this house lacks a garage. Trouble is, the roof vents leak so it gets wet anyway. Sheesh. I searched all over but found this only at Costco. Now I have to look again in the spring to find one without roof vents.
It's nice and sunny but almost freezing outside. The car presents a slightly larger ass end than the Mini. It's jet black with no contrasting colors. Most of the ones people buy are two-tone but I like the understated appearance.
After a few days of driving it, I find I like the semi-automatic 5-speed transmission, which I have never had before. It has no clutch pedal, but has steering wheel paddles that let me force it up and down the gears. Pure automatic feels wrong when it decides to shift on its own, but sometimes it's more convenient to use that.
Not really different to drive from the Mini wrt road monsters. It's taller and a bit wider. Through the rear-view mirror it does not look that different, either. It's like a larger car with the useless bits lopped off. You can tell that some serious design and engineering went in to this over the years since it was first proposed by Swatch. The 2008 models are supposed to be larger and faster than the previous ones, even outside the USA.
It has half the power (a three-banger 68hp) of the Mini and weighs maybe 1000 pounds less but handles very well and from the driver's seat it looks and feels much larger. It's still a good idea not to crash it, even though it was put through some serious safety tests by Mercedes. I've seen videos of them bouncing off of highway abutments and the driver (in crash helmet) getting out and walking off.
Mileage: If that's important, get a Prius or a diesel. EPA rating is 32 to 41. That's about 60% better than I was getting with the Mini. It is quite comfortable on the freeways and I have had it up to 70 so far. I think it tops out at 90. It has more room in the back than the Mini did, mainly because it doesn't have to waste space on seats.
I still marvel at how tiny it is when I get out and look at it. It sure doesn't feel that small. At a light, a large truck behind me looms pretty large, though. It would probably feel more radical if adjusting to it from a full-size sedan, though.
What I miss most about the Mini: iPod support. The Mini radio, like BMWs, has a plug that keeps it charged and lets me control it via the radio buttons. The Smart has only an audio input plug. It's possible that when there are more of these around, some radio manufacturer will make a model that fits the Smart's non-standard design.
I love the attention it gets. Just like the Mini in its early days, it has street cachet which the Mini lost when it became so common (at least in Portland).
If you want one, plan a long wait. In Portland there are a thousand orders so far, awaiting an allotment from the factory of 45 per month. I could have flipped this and made $5 grand over purchase price. Since you can order one with a deposit of $99, refundable should you change your mind on arrival, I'd recommend ordering one just because and then deciding what to do when it finally arrived.