iPhone Road Test: 2008 Smart Passion Cabriolet

It's not easy to design a car that will turn heads in Southern California. Seeing a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley or other "rare" car is an everyday occurrence. You'll get a lot more attention showing off your new Apple iPhone or inviting passersby over for a game of Mario Cart on your Nintendo Wii, both of which are harder to come by. Yet neither gets you from point A to point B without a good pair of walking shoes.

But there is one car that turns heads everywhere it goes, is cooler than an iPhone, harder to get than a Wii and rarer then a Lamborghini: The 2008 Smart Fortwo, or as everyone likes to call it, the Smart Car. Smart Cars are an everyday part of life in Europe, but here in the U.S. they are part of a car downsizing revolution currently taking place that will bring more micro cars to our streets.

The Smart Car and the Apple iPhone have a lot in common. Both have good looks, do far more than you'd expect, are cool to be seen with, are sought after by Hollywood's hottest celebrities, and both are something the average person can buy (after you get through the waiting list). There are so many similarities that we decided to use an Apple iPhone 3G loaded with the recently available application "Dynolicious" to test our Smart Car -- the first full iPhone road test in road test history.

Here's the amazing part: The Apple iPhone contains highly sensitive accelerometers that, paired with the Dynolicious software ($12.99), show the iPhone to be highly accurate in measuring vehicle performance. Dynolicious is the first automotive performance meter available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Its wide range of measured performance metrics includes acceleration times, elapsed time (by distance), lateral G’s and horsepower. We would have thrown in a Nintendo Wii during the Smart Car test, but we're still on the waiting list. Speaking of waiting list, getting our hands on the Smart Car wasn’t easy due to the large demand. We are very thankful that Bosco Hathaway, LLC in Newport Beach was kind enough to provide one for us, a shiny new Smart Fortwo Passion Cabriolet convertible with only 1000 miles on the odometer.

Testing the Smart Car with the Apple iPhone and Dynolicious

It was now time to hit the road and find out how well the Smart Car does around town and on California's busy freeways. We securely mounted our iPhone to the windshield, careful to ensure it was mounted properly to achieve the most accurate readings. We ran through the Dynolicious calibration routines, entered our Smart Car's actual weight (thanks to a nearby truck-weighing station) and started our testing.

Road testing is where the Smart Car started to show signs that this may not be the smartest car available. The five-speed transmission is painfully slow when in the full automatic mode. Shifts take more than a full second each to complete, and as our iPhone test software registered, these slow shifts put the Smart Car's 0-to-60 run at 15.2 seconds with the air conditioning running. The iPhone only registered 56 hp at the wheels -- yes, the iPhone's Dynolicious software calculates your horsepower -- during this set of test runs.

I then retested the Smart Car with the a/c off, using the manual-shifting mode of the transmission. The results recorded by the iPhone where consistent with each run and showed a large improvement. The Smart Car performed the 0 to 60 run in 13.6 seconds and registered 61 hp at the wheels. Officially, the Smart Fortwo's 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engine is rated at 71 hp at the crankshaft and a reading of 61 hp at the wheels is perfectly inline (you usually lose about 13-17 percent due to the powertrain). Manual-mode shifts were still slow and added about two seconds to the 0-to-60 time, but were much improved over the fully automatic mode.

The Smart Car/iPhone Test Results

We tested the Smart Car in three different configurations. Each configuration was tested three times to ensure consistent results. The first configuration was in full automatic mode with the a/c on. The second configuration was in full automatic mode with the a/c off (performance increased noticeably). The final configuration was in manual shift mode with the a/c off -- this resulted in the best performance. The Dynolicious software for the Apple iPhone (and iPod Touch) measured consistent results and its graphing capabilities clearly pointed out the slow transmission shifts. Handling and g-force numbers were calculated on a 200-ft skidpad.

iPhone Road Test Results: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Cabriolet

Acceleration times

0-10 mph	1.3 sec
0-20 mph	2.6 sec
0-30 mph	4.2 sec
0-40 mph	7.1 sec
0-50 mph	9.2 sec
0-60 mph	13.6 sec
0-70 mph	17.6 sec

Skidpad and g-force tests

200-ft. skidpad	0.78g
Panic braking from 60 mph	0.83g
Full acceleration	0.45g

 

 

 

Driving around town, the Smart Car's transmission was very annoying; the slow shifts and non-linear throttle response made it quirky. Parking was a cinch due to the Smart Car's small size, and even those "compact" spots felt spacious. I was able to easily parallel park (driving nose-in first) in spots no other car would even consider trying. Everywhere I drove, other drivers noticed me -- many rolling down their windows to ask me about the car. I actually felt safer being so noticeable in such a small car -- why doesn't that happen when I'm in my SUV and someone is changing lanes?

On the freeway, the Smart Car was a completely different beast. Getting on freeway ramps was no problem as long as I had the transmission in manual mode and the air conditioning off. Getting up to freeway speed wasn't quick, but the Fortwo felt capable nonetheless. Once on the freeway the Smart Car felt like any other car. The noise level was surprisingly low -- I could easily hold a conversation at normal volume levels; try doing that in a Jeep Wrangler. The Smart Car did remind me of its size when large trucks would pass me at higher speeds -- the force of air would nudge the Smart Car to one side. Ruts in the road would also nudge the Smart Car from side to side due to its small wheels. But other than that, I felt like I was in a normal-sized car cruising down the freeway. Actually, I felt better than that -- everyone was looking at me, passengers pointed and everyone smiled.

Common Questions Asked About The Smart Car

Q: How roomy is it?

A: It's surprisingly roomy. Two full size adults can easily fit inside with more leg room and head room then many large SUVs. There is some storage space for groceries and such, and the passenger seat folds flat to provide even more room.

Q: Are you afraid to drive it on the freeway?

A: Not at all. I was worried about getting up to freeway speeds as well as being surrounded by all the large SUVs and trucks, until I drove the Smart Car. It has enough power to get onto the freeway onramps and merge into traffic. Once in traffic, you quickly forget how small the Smart Fortwo is. The high seating position really makes the car feel larger.

Q: How many miles per gallon does it get?

A: Like the transmission, this is one area the Smart Car doesn't perform well. While its mpg average is in the mid-30's, we expected it to do much better for its small size.

Q: Can I live with a car this small?

A: I like big cars and drive an SUV every day. I would never have expected I could live with a car this small, but surprisingly, I have to say yes. I quickly got used to the Smart Fortwo's size -- it never ran out of room for my daily drives to work, the gym and errands. Speaking with a neighbor whose son had just purchased a Hyundai Accent 4-door, I started to question why we have so many large cars in the U.S. The Smart Car really is enough car for so many people, and moving up to a car like the Hyundai Accent is probably enough for someone like me. I actually started to wonder why I had such a large SUV.

The Smart Car Inside & Out

From the outside, the Smart Car looks tiny -- so tiny you wonder if it could even drive on the highway with the big SUVs and massive tractor trailers hauling dog food. The exterior offers a two tone color combination that you can change easily if you get bored -- just like changing to a new colored case on an iPhone (see the similarities). The Smart Car looks very narrow, but is only five inches thinner than a Honda Fit. The real downsizing comes from the length. At 106.1 inches long, it is over 51 inches shorter then the Honda Fit. You can almost park three Smart Cars in the same space it takes to part just 2 Honda Fits -- that's convenient in cities where parking is a premium.

Getting inside the Smart Car is where the magic really starts to happen. The seats are positioned up high, giving you a view of the road similar to an SUV. Two adults fit easily inside with lots of head room to spare, even for those of us who are on the taller side. My long legs had plenty of room and I could still slide the driver's seat back further if I wanted. When riding with a passenger there wasn't much extra elbowroom, but the Smart Car never felt cramped. The dash was an example of simplicity, everything was easy to find, each button or switched worked exactly as you would expect it to and was clearly labeled. The interior was very smart, very Apple iPhone-like.

The well-designed interior included comfortable seats that would have felt right in a small sports car -- very supportive with plenty of side bolstering to hold you in place during aggressive driving -- exactly how I like it. The dash was partially covered in a matching cloth that really added a nice touch of style. The best part of the interior of our Smart Car was a little button next to the automatic gear shifter -- pressing it once would quickly and silently opened up the cloth roof. Pressing the button again opened up the rest of the cloth roof and tucked it down in the rear, revealing a large opening to enjoy the sun and stars. The design of the power top allows you to open and close it at any speed -- even driving on the freeway at 70 mph. With the Smart Car's power top open, you can easily remove each of the side roof beams above each window and store them in the rear hatch -- giving the car a very fun and open-air feel. This design for a convertible is very smart -- pun intended!

And the Final Question

Q: Would I buy a Smart Car?

A: While I really liked parking the 2008 Smart Passion Cabriolet (which starts at $16,590), enjoyed all the attention it got, and loved its well-designed convertible top, I would not purchase a Smart Car for myself. I believe a better value could be found in a Hyundai Accent, Honda Fit or other similar small car. These alternatives would also provide a longer warranty than the Smart Car's 2-year/24,000-mile warranty, more service locations, and nearly as good gas mileage for thousands less. That said, if I was single and wasn't on a budget, the Smart Car is one way to turn heads and meet a lot of people.

As far as the accuracy of the Apple iPhone using Dynolicious software as a road-test instrument goes, it's very accurate, and very easy to use. If you're the kind of iPhone or iTouch owner who likes to test for yourself, no matter what you drive, Dynolicious could be the smartest $13 you ever spent.

2008 Smart Passion Cabriolet

Price as Tested (w/ $645 destination):	$17,620
Major Options:	Red metallic paint ($225), Anti-theft system ($160)
Engine:	1.0-liter Inline-3
Horsepower:	71 hp @ 5,800 rpm
Torque:	68 lb.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm
Transmission:	Five-speed automatic with manual gear selection
Curb Weight:	1,852 lbs.
EPA Fuel Economy:	33 city/41 hwy
Observed Fuel Economy:	35 mpg
Length:	106.1 in.
Width:	61.38 in.
Wheelbase:	73.5 in.
Height:	60.71 in.
Leg Room (front/rear):	41.2 in.
Headroom (front/rear):	39.7 in.
Max. Seating Capacity:	2
Max. Cargo Volume:	7.8 cu. ft.

By James Fabin
Photo credit: Oliver Bentley and James Fabin

• Read the Review: Smart ForTwo
• Get Info and Pricing for the 2008 Smart ForTwo