The Smart ForTwo has been available on the European market for a number of years now and on the Canadian market since 2006, so it is only to American’s that the micro-compact Smart ForTwo is completely foreign. That being said there are still 20,000 Americans lined up with $99/down pre-orders for the tiny ForTwo. Since the car has had some time to turn some laps on the European and Canadian driving circuits maybe there are some things that we can learn from their handling of the Smart ForTwo.
Typically the first question asked upon first sight of the Smart ForTwo is about safety. After all this is a diminutive car stepping onto an American platform that is SUV heavy. If you were to take this car on the highway just how would that Tridion impact zone and rigid frame yield? Well that is something you will just have to watch here as these daft Europeans remote-drive a Smart ForTwo straight into a 20-ton concrete barrier at 70 mph.
The video certainly raises some doubt whether a crash such as the one shown is humanly survivable in either of the test samples, but it does give some testimant to the stiff frame that supports the ForTwo. But now that we know that the car can survive a major impact (even if the driver cannot) it is time to put the car up to a speed test. To do that some modifications were done to give the 70-hp smart car a bit of umph. Some tuners have apparently gone to replacing the wee (Wii?) engine that drives the car with high-performance motorcycle engines. It would not take much more horsepower to gallop this tiny coach down a quarter mile, but does it really have the gaul to take on a true super car?
The ForTwo may not make it to 100 mph faster than the Ferrari, but it did squeek out a better quarter mile time. However, now I am curious. If there had been 20 ton concrete barrier at the very end of that quarter mile which car between the two would sustain the impact with the least damage to self and occupants? If we are going to hold the unthinkably small SmartTwo to such safety ridicule why is the same microscope not focused on some of the worlds fastest vehicles?
To see just what is coming to America go to Smartusa.com and for only $99 you too can reserve your little investment into the future.
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