Prodigal child of the auto industry
DON'T ALLOW IT TO LOOK FOR YOU with excellent performance on a modern road - the ForTwo minibus is just over 8 feet long, less than 5 feet wide and 5 feet high. Weighing 818 kilograms and 3 feet shorter than the Mini Cooper, these Vikings have roll-up cells similar to race cars, anti-lock brakes (ABS), advanced electronics, microprocessors, and excellent transmission that provide better stability, braking and overall comfort. It has luxury enhancements such as GPS navigation, reverse sounding, night vision, auxiliary parking, climate control, smart card and remote voice control. Of course, the smartest car is one that is fully automated and controls itself.
The smart car is a mini-compact two-seater with modern electronics and a microprocessor that are ideal for crowded places and driving around the city. The first prototype, known as Micro Compact Car (MCC), was developed in 1994 by Swatch and Daimler-Benz, and this “Swatchmobile” was exhibited at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997. In fact, the word “Smart & comes from the collaboration between Swatch and Mercedes: Swatch Mercedes ART. The updated ForTwo Smart was released in 2008 in the USA.
What is so good about it?
The idea of building a small car came with Nicolas Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch. He wanted to make a small car that would be economical, environmentally friendly and easy to park in a confined space. Today, his offspring in the intellectual division of DaimlerAG and other automakers, such as Renault, and General Motors (GM) offer cars with electric motors or hybrid engines and are economical and environmentally responsible.
Although initially people did not dare go to mind, now the news is changing. To date, more than 750,000 ForTwos have been sold in Europe and Japan. Subcompacts also pay great attention to this trend. The waiting lists and advance bookings for Tesla and Chevrolet Volt show that people are more concerned about fuel economy and the environment. The smart line conveniently positions itself among the elite segment of design and technology, which is focused on the urban middle class, especially the younger generation.
These mikroavtomobili small in growth, but large in terms of efficiency. Compared to the 7-foot wide Hummer H1, the ForTwo is only 5 feet wide. In real life, this means that Smart Car can return straight to the curve instead of parallel parking in line with other cars. Two or three Smart cars can park in the same parking space. In fact, Swatch wanted to make such a car initially for the United States and the European market, where parking space and gasoline receive an award. Cars are ultra-maneuverable and fast - it can even surpass many supercars when it comes to accelerating urban traffic. Due to its diminutive length, the ForTwo can turn in a steepness of 22.8 feet, compared with 35.7 feet from the Honda Civic.
With its security protection, Tridion in front of the Smart also handled the security issue well. This rigid structure activates the collapse zone of the collision vehicle, which creates a safety bubble around the passengers. The second generation ForTwo was awarded 4 of 5 stars in Euro NCAP Adult Occupancy Protection.
ForTwo is one of the most economical four-wheeled vehicles with a conventional gasoline engine on the market. Obviously, it cannot compete with a hybrid when it comes to numbers per gallon, but it has an elegant design and is certainly easier to park than a regular four-wheeled bicycle. It can automatically pry the last parking spot anywhere and comes with huge color options for your device and the Tridion Safety Cell. From an environmental point of view, Smart is the most promising four-wheel vehicle. Since it is controlled by an electric drive, it does not cause environmental pollution.
However, in the case of price, Smarts are not so smart and never have been. The basic price of the ForTwo automatic drive is $ 20,640 and $ 19,650 in the European market, not to mention the price of $ 28,750 for the all-electric ForTwo Cabrio (smart ED). Buyers looking for fuel efficiency are also looking for a bank account efficiency, and they can find a small ordinary car with decent mileage a few thousand dollars less than the cost of ForTwo.
The electric power steering provides very little tactile feedback to the road surface, which makes ForTwo an excessive jump on the roads. Disc and drum brakes also seem artificial in the hands of experts.
Smart is also slow when it comes to speed and mileage. Despite the speed of the line, the latter ForTwos Cabrio can reach 0-60 mph in 10.2 seconds, compared to the 5-7 seconds needed for most ordinary sedans. Its maximum speed was limited to only 81 miles per hour, since excessive speed drastically reduces mileage and electrical range. A projected 70-80 miles of one range is also impractical when it takes 3 hours of charging through a 240 volt output or 16.5 hours through a 120 volt home power plug.
Even smarter
DaimlerChrysler debuted the all-electric version of the Smart Car, the ForTwo EV, at the British Auto Show in July 2006. Now, in 2018, if the ForTwo Electric Drive offer is a dodgy hatchback with a price and cost of $ 24,550, an 80-horsepower electric motor that runs 70 miles with one charge. The latest ForTwo Cabriolet is a convertible. version of the quintessential electric drive. Like its predecessor, the Cabriolet is also equipped with an electric transmission and a surprisingly spacious cargo room.
ForTwo is not the only one in the Smart-line. The Toyota Scion iQ was a worthy competitor who kept most of the smart cars until its demise in 2015. Now ForTwo faces tough competition with the Mitsubishi I-MiEV and Fiat 500e. Honda Fit and Chevy Volt may not be the smallest cars on the market, but when it comes to hybrid powertrain, automotive intelligence and fuel economy, these cars boast good competition in the Smart segment. The Mini Cooper is another challenger that offers stylish but tough features. All of these cars are designed to maximize passenger space while minimizing external length. ForTwo also has cousins from the Smart segment in Mercedes - the Smart Roadster and Forfour. The latter is being rebuilt to offer a 4 x 4 pint-sized SUV for the American and Brazilian domestic markets. Hyundai is currently building completely independent cars for the next generation, and Samsung is developing an infotainment system for cars. Both firms compete in the industry to introduce hyperhighway cars.
Although it is obvious that this Smart is an excellent choice for a city car, it is even less clear whether it will completely replace conventional gasoline-powered cars. Only time will give us the answer. But when fuel prices at historic heights and environmental restoration are a burning problem, it's time for car makers to offer and consumers to use more economical and environmentally friendly Smart cars for daily relocation.
