I hear they just squeaked by in crash safety. How smart is that, huh? Huh?...
Being 6'4" means I could never fold up into one anyway. It was bad enough driving an Escort around for five years.
I've seen them on 65 MPH highways. Scary.
I had to comment to clear up some misconceptions...
I dated a guy who crash-tested and test-drove the SmartCars before they OK'd by the EPA, etc. to import to the US.
First, the smart car cage (nicknamed "the walnut") was INTACT after being hit at 65 mph by a semi truck. Only a few cars, Mercedes, I believe is one, can boast that the passenger carriage maintains integrity under those conditions. What was making the smartcar raise eyebrows was the charging connections for the electric model. They didn't comply with US standards. (mostly plug config was converted from Euro set up to US and it was a crappy/hack way to do it.)
Second, I think top speed is 85 or possibly even 90 mph. The boyfriend commented it had about as much pick up (acceleration) as an compact Honda, and was better than most American-made compacts for acceleration.
The car imported is a hybrid, not full electric model. Due to heavy restrictions for user safety (regarding the plug configuration, shock grounding, etc.) the full electric won't be available until the charging mechanism is modified to comply with US safety standards. The Tesla (an electric sport coupe made in California) has specially designed grounding and shock/hazard safety features designed in that have passed US testing standards.
Oh, and this guy, was 5'10" and his buddy who was also doing the crash-test/road-tests was 6'2". He (bf) commented that the interior was roomier than he thought.
In "The Pink Panther" Steve Martin drives a smartcar. Steve is 6' according to his bio. There is even a line in the movie joking about how the inspector thought it seemed much smaller on the outside or something like that.
Of course, simply none of these reasons would make me buy a smartcar. It simply looks silly. The Tesla, on the other hand, is one heck of a car. Too bad it costs too much.
Here's an idea... Tesla, make a sporty compact under 30K. That would make me consider electric.
A.