How bad are Smart fortwos really?

So as title says how bad are the smarts really? I seem to remember a lot of complaints about the gearbox. 

I can't comment on the ownership experience, but I test drove one when they first came out and I was quite underwhelmed. The automated manual gearbox was clunky and slow to shift. The car, despite being rear engine/ rear drive, was very unexciting. I'm sure the Scion iQ competitor is not a bag of fun either, but perhaps the reliability is better?

Paging Ottawa...

I forget who it was, but someone here on the board had one for quite a while and as I recall their experience was mostly positive.  At one point I remember reading they were going to sell them with a full manual gearbox, but I don't know if any of those were actually sold in the US before they switched to all electric and then ultimately left the US market.

remember engine has to come out for basically most services, it is also a modern mercedes product so take that how you will.

Erich said:

I can't comment on the ownership experience, but I test drove one when they first came out and I was quite underwhelmed. The automated manual gearbox was clunky and slow to shift. The car, despite being rear engine/ rear drive, was very unexciting. I'm sure the Scion iQ competitor is not a bag of fun either, but perhaps the reliability is better?

I've always been curious about the iQ although never enough to actually test drive one because I know most likely it'd be an underwhelming experience.

Cygnet though?

YOWZA!

This lil' rowdy thing would get the blood pumpin'!

The transmission is not clunky if you are accustomed to driving a manual trans.

Just drive it as if you were in a manual trans car and you have an imaginary clutch pedal and shifter.  It shifts up when you let off the throttle as if you were about to shift yourself.  It's pretty smooth and seamless that way.

If you drove it in a point and grunt, mash the throttle and let the computer figure it out, kind of way, it might be clunky.

OK so we owned a used Smart for a couple of years and I have some strong opinions to share:

1. Very inexpensive to buy but the oil changes required a oil extraction tool that only MB had, so prepare for some possible tool expenditure if doing your own maintenance
2. The gearbox has a crappy slow-to-shift behaviour and provides a terrible test drive, but maybe its a bit like the EV single pedal thing that once you get used to working with it (not against it) you don't really notice, I mean I have had cars w/o syncro so I had to learn to double clutch and this is much less intrusive
   [Edit: exactly as Pete. (l33t FS) said above]
3. They are crap in heavy snow, yes you would think rear engined RWD with snow tires would be fine but the traction control system cuts throttle on slippage and cannot be overridden so in the snow if it loses traction it just comes to a stop, there is no disable TCS button (since then awesome drifting and spins would ensue quickly)
4. For a sub-compact they are not that slow and can maintain 60 MPH speed or more, noisy but still stable, I also learned that passing pickups with a Smart car really annoys them
5. They are a very roomy two-seater, the cabin is so open that you forget the car stops right behind your seat, they never feel cramped it makes you think you are in a 'normal' car
6. They are awesome to park in a dense urban environment, literally if there is half a parking spot left you can fit
7. I had no real maintenance issues in my time of ownership, but it didn't like being left parked for extended periods as the battery drained and the brakes would seize so it needed to be kept in semi-regular use
8. The plastic panels are great for not picking up door dings, they aren't painted the panels are that colour all the way through so again very handy as an urban beater
9. They turn a single parking spot into a Smart+Miata parking spot
10. I didn't regret owning it for a bit, it was an interesting little bit of European quirkiness

I hope that helps a bit

In reply to Ottawa :

There is a drain plug, although they probably don't want you using it because Mercedes procedures.

Oil changes and winter tire changeovers are pretty much all I've ever had to do, as well.  And one set of spark plugs.

I had read there was an upgrade to the transmission software at some point. Where yours pre or post that?

Winter tires not really a worry in Alabama. I have no idea why I am even thinking about one tbh.

It hasn't been mentioned, but the peddles are hinged from the floor. I absolutely hated the ergonomics and the brakes felt like garbage. Of all the of city cars the U.S. got (Fiat, the short lived toyota IQ), the smart car was by far the worst of the lot.

They make great push cars at the drags and general transport to and fro from the track...

It's the best golf cart ever, and I really liked tooling around town in the loaner we had. One problem: The transmission drives like you have a student driver shifting for you. But yeah, you get used to it after a few miles and it becomes less annoying. 

Anecdotal, but most of the local ones on marketplace have engine problems, but still seem like they want too much money for them. 

Ottawa said:

 

They are crap in heavy snow, yes you would think rear engined RWD with snow tires would be fine but the traction control system cuts throttle on slippage and cannot be overridden so in the snow if it loses traction it just comes to a stop, there is no disable TCS button (since then awesome drifting and spins would ensue quickly)

This is disapointing, I always wanted to try doing donuts in the snow in one of these.

​​​​​​Ottawa: They are crap in heavy snow, yes you would think rear engined RWD with snow tires would be fine but the traction control system cuts throttle on slippage and cannot be overridden so in the snow if it loses traction it just comes to a stop, there is no disable TCS button

That reminds me of when we received 4' of snow in less than 24 hours. Very few people went into work, the city asked everyone to stay home. My wife's coworker's car was stuck in the parking lot at work. She called her husband and asked him to come pick her up. She assumed he'd bring their truck, but instead he brought the Smart car. He was a smart car fanatic, drove cross country in it, went to Smart meet ups in distant places, etc.

I test drove all the little cars of that era and ended up in a iq which I loved. The iq is a car that you can use, the smart is a city    use only car. . 

93EXCivic said:

I had read there was an upgrade to the transmission software at some point. Where yours pre or post that?

Mine was post-update, again its a clutch-less manual so no matter what there is a pause and if you keep on the gas there will be RPM mismatch when the shift completes and the car will jerk forward, you simply can't drive this as you would a car with a torque converter, which is the mistake people make.

adam525i said:

This is disapointing, I always wanted to try doing donuts in the snow in one of these.

I know right! I watched videos of the traction control disabled and it could spin fast enough to get quite tippy on that short wheelbase, so I can see why the lawyers made them implement it this way.

Snrub said:

That reminds me of when we received 4' of snow in less than 24 hours. Very few people went into work, the city asked everyone to stay home. My wife's coworker's car was stuck in the parking lot at work. She called her husband and asked him to come pick her up. She assumed he'd bring their truck, but instead he brought the Smart car. He was a smart car fanatic, drove cross country in it, went to Smart meet ups in distant places, etc.

Well I did say if it loses traction, if it doesn't get stuck its not a problem. My issue was a very steep hill with a light at the top, if the Smart lost momentum going up it (due to stopped traffic) it had a very hard time getting going again. I could take the long way home around that hill, but the point was it caused me some grief. I drove a Panther and RWD Tahoe through the same winters/hills with no issue.

To be clear I could have kept the Smart, like I said it was easy to live in almost all other respects, and the snow thing alone was not why I sold it.  I take advantage of having multiple vehicles by trying out different cars in the fleet to see what ownership is like, I have no Smart car regrets.

wearymicrobe said:

I test drove all the little cars of that era and ended up in a iq which I loved. The iq is a car that you can use, the smart is a city    use only car. . 

I see them on the highway all the time. In fact I see more there than anywhere else

Are the Canadian market cars different than the US market cars?

EDIT: Wow they're cheap. I can't believe I've never looked at one. I guess it's the Mercedes stink on it that's kept me away

Mr. Peabody said:

I see them on the highway all the time. In fact I see more there than anywhere else

Are the Canadian market cars different than the US market cars?

EDIT: Wow they're cheap. I can't believe I've never looked at one. I guess it's the Mercedes stink on it that's kept me away

I don't think there was any difference between Canada/USA market models other than I think they were available longer in Canada (2004 to 2020) vs. the USA (2008-2017) so there were models (like diesels) that were available in Canada that were never offered in the USA. Also since 2017 Smart has only been selling EV version of the Smart.

Hmm, I wonder how cheap the used gasoline models are going for....

I owned one for 3 years and then my daughter took over past 150,000 miles.  There has been some misinformation in this post which I think has been cleared up but I'll add my 2 cents.

Oil change, total diy, no special tools.  My daughter changed her own oil the whole time she owned it.

Snow, didnt have as much of an issue with traction but the front was too light so it would plow instead of turn

Top speed. Drove it at 80mph daily on my hour commute, over 90 when being stupid.   It doest start to feel very light in the front past 80.

Transmission, its already been said, stop trying to drive it like and auto and drive it like a manual and its perfectly fine.  

Engine does need dropped for some things although the only one I ever found was replacing the AC compressor.  Its 4 bolts to drop the engine cradle enough to do any work you need.  Theres even a long bolt kit which lets you drop it but keep it mounted so you arent figuring out how to support it.

Overall not a bad car.  Daughter moved up to a Soul but recently asked me to keep an eye out for another Smart for her.

My wife, then girlfriend, bought one in 08, the first model year they were available here. Right now it has around 175,XXX miles on it. Mostly just oil changes, spark plugs and front brakes. Been in for software updates several times which seemed to greatly improve the transmission; as best as I can recall this is a MB dealer only thing. Only major issue I had was the stupid PCV valve. Part was too expensive for what it was (~$35) and was an engine out affair. Had to drop the rear subrame and pull the complete intake tract and manifold. Replaced a water pump and belt tensioner recently. All of it was accessible. When the clutch goes, I will most likely let the car go at that point.

Overall ownership experience has been very positive. I mostly use the flappy paddles and have adapted to the sluggishness of the gear changes. We've taken it on several longer trips and would absolutely replace it with another one if they were still available and fit our current family situation.

I've found it to be a beast in modest snow; we don't really get the heavy stuff here in Kentucky. Solid in rain, you definitely feel strong winds but it is manageable. Would recommend if it fits your needs.

JThw8 said:

Oil change, total diy, no special tools.  My daughter changed her own oil the whole time she owned it.

I stand corrected, perhaps it was the early diesels that had that, apologies for the misinformation.