Driving a Smart Car in Winter
On December 25, 2005 I came across this article on the msn.ca website: http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/as/minishow/article.aspx?contentID=4022661&s=WDG2005&src=minishow As these articles seem to disappear over time I am copying it to my website.
2005 Smart Fortwo Cool in Winter Too?
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With a good set of winter tires, this Smart Fortwo coupe was ready to go out and play in the snow and on the ice, since a stability control system (ESP) and full-featured ABS brakes are standard on all models. | |
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The Fortwo offers amazing room for its tiny exterior dimensions and 'footprint'. Furthermore, the seats are well-shaped and comfortable, the driving position is spot-on and control ergonomics pretty decent. | |
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The tiny Smart can certainly take the cold: its little 799cc turbodiesel engine started easily in the winter cold, but the cabin is slow to warm up and both the defrosting and windshield washing functions need work. | |
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To get to the windshield washer fluid container, you must first remove this small panel in front. The ignition key does the job well, but good luck if the panel is frozen in place. | |
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Once the panel is removed, you must get to this a filler neck tucked inside and try no to spill too much of the coloured fluid. | |
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Behind the tiny rear window and tailgate is 260 litres of neat luggage room, enough for a quartet of grocery bags, a couple of knapsacks or this handy aluminium shovel we carried to our photo shoots, just in case. | |
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The Fortwo travelled slowly but surely on this surface of glare ice covered with about four inches (10 cm) of fresh snow, its traction control system letting it make the best use of the minimal grip available. |
December 25, 2005
After thorough tests in fair weather, we venture to find out if this chic micro-car sensation can cut it in the merciless driving conditions of a genuine Canadian winter.
Overall rating : 8.1 / 10
Pros
- Surprisingly roomy cabin
- Good seats and driving position
- Fits absolutely anywhere
- Remarkably fuel efficient
- A hoot to drive
- Standard active and passive safety
Cons
- Weak defrosting
- Strong initial understeer
- Wind sensitive on highway
- Routine maintenance challenges
- No parking lock for transmission
- Where's the battery?
A Feisty Micro Runabout
Smart was the unmitigated hit of the 2004 CIAS in Toronto, when Mercedes-Benz Canada announced the launch of a first model, the 2.5-metre long, two-passenger Fortwo. Deliveries started as planned, last fall, and the smallest, stingiest, and arguably cutest car in the country has been raising smiles and eyebrows ever since.
The Fortwo's unique design and size, combined with attractive pricing - for a car that remains somewhat of a 'niche' product - has made it a hit. The select group of Mercedes-Benz dealers who handle the newest brand in the country are selling all they can get.
With the Smart Fortwo, the Early Adopter's fancy has turned from mini… to micro. And the importer has played this card to the hilt, much like its Bavarian rival with the new Mini since that car's début.
More Questions Answered
But, novelty factor aside, what is it like to drive a Smart in real life? How frugal is the tiny 730-kilogram runabout in real driving? How safe do you feel driving it, and how safe will it be in a collision? Its adaptation to city driving is a foregone conclusion, if one follows basic logic, but how does it fare on the highway?
One sure thing is that no other test car, in recent history, has turned as many heads and elicited as many questions, from such a variety of people, as the Smart Fortwo.
I conducted back to back tests of a pair of Smarts before their launch last year: a roadster and a coupe. I gleaned a wealth of driving impressions, and complete performance and braking measures.
Yet, I still wanted answers to one of the most frequently-asked questions about the Smart: How does the tiniest car sold in Canada handle harsh winter driving conditions? How indeed, on such a short wheelbase (1549 millimetres, or 61 inches), with rear-wheel drive, which runs contrary to a small-car standard that was set by the original Mini and reinforced by the first Honda Civic in 1973.
I was able to find out, at the wheel of a Smart Fortwo coupe, decked out in 'Passion' trim, and equipped with a full set of winter tires, in the middle of February.
Traction Management 101
The scenario was perfect: I rolled out of the dealer's service bay in a snow storm and immediately saw the electronic stability system light start flickering (it includes traction control), as the Fortwo rolled over asphalt covered with a thin layer of packed snow turning a bit mushy with all the salt they keep sprinkling it with.
Lifting the foot accelerator slightly cured it. Even though the weight of the Fortwo's 799cc, 40-horsepower, three-cylinder, turbodiesel engine is placed directly over the driven rear wheels, it certainly does not have monster traction in such conditions. The fact that it delivers it 74 lb-ft maximum torque at only 1,800 rpm also makes its rear wheels spin with very slight provocation.
You quickly learn to modulate the throttle, since the standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP) won't allow even the slightest bit of wheelspin anyway. Contrary to most vehicles, you cannot turn the ESP off on a Fortwo. A good thing, mostly, with a car this short, no matter how good a driver you are. Even on the slipperiest surface, you cannot spin out in this Smart by applying too much power, because the ESP is standing guard.
In fact, it's hard to imagine driving a Smart Fortwo during the cold season without the combined assistance of ESP and the best set of winter tires you can get. My test car had been fitted with ContiWinterContact tires (by Continental) in the following sizes: 145/65 R15 in front, and 175/55 R15 in the rear.
Our photo shoots were conducted on a frozen river surface, with about 10-15 centimetres (4-6 inches) of snow on top of glare ice. We brought a shovel - just in case - but the Fortwo simply chugged away, calmly using all the available traction, however limited.
When we got back onto packed snow, it gained speed merrily, to the happy 'Tasmanian Devil' growl of its three-cylinder diesel engine. I even tried to get it stuck by driving into a foot-deep snow bank lining the sidewalk in front of our editorial offices, but the Fortwo shrugged it off, and clawed its way out again.
The car's exceptional lightness is certainly a factor in its ability to maintain forward motion.
Tiny Winter Cruiser
Minutes after leaving the dealership, snow still falling insistently, the Fortwo was gliding down the highway, easily keeping pace with surrounding traffic. I was impressed by its excellent stability in these inclement conditions. The front tires, notably narrower, 'sliced' through surface snow and slush, keeping the car well-planted and yielding a nice weight and plenty of feel to the steering wheel. They also prevent hydroplaning impeccably, but the frozen gumbo displaced makes quite a racket inside the thin wheel wells.
Once you have reached your chosen cruising velocity, the Fortwo just whisks along. The greatest limiting factor is a strong sensitivity to side winds. The car does react sharply to the strongest gusts, but its overall stability is not affected as much as it would be in many a small car with soft suspension.
Handling-wise, the Fortwo has plenty of understeer when you turn into a corner: Giving the wheel a good quarter turn is not unusual. But once it takes a set, body roll is well-controlled. Once you get used to this routine, the tiny Smart is great fun to drive on any road. Slightly more so the Coupe, I found in earlier tests, thanks to its better overall structural rigidity.
Dialling out much of the front wheels' on-center responsiveness was the engineers' answer to concerns over such a short and tall little car's propensity to tip over. I would be quite curious to drive a Smart with properly sharp steering feel and action, since ESP is always there to detect and control any sudden and exaggerated body movement anyway. Heck, it won't even allow an innocent handbrake turn on snow.
This said, it's too bad you cannot get a Fortwo with cruise control either, because I see no reason to avoid driving long distances in this little car, if you are travelling relatively light (and on dry roads, of course, if cruise control was available).
The Smart is surprisingly roomy, even for two full-size passengers. Its tall seats are nicely sculpted and quite comfortable. There is a solid, flat dead pedal, and control ergonomics are generally pretty good, although most levers and buttons have a rather 'plasticky' feel.
There is 260 litres of luggage space in the rear, enough for several grocery bags, or a couple of stuffed weekend bags. You can add optional accessories such as a $21 luggage fastener or a $79 trunk tray to make things more practical inside. You can also go for the $316 roof rack and clip on either the $88 ski rack, or the $167 bicycle support.
In this test car, I missed the frog-eye like clock and tachometer, a $240 extra for the pair.
Its Wintry Ways
The Fortwo can be great fun in winter, but all is not perfect. The diesel engine itself is fine. It starts without a hiccup, the 'glow plugs' needing about 12 seconds to warm things up in the combustion chamber in a -6C degree cold start. The typical diesel racket disappears quickly as you drive off, but the interior is slow to warm up on a cold day (heated seats, a $350 option, help you wait).
That said, the Fortwo needs work in the defrosting department. In one instance, I needed to alternate between the defrost and instrument panel vent positions, blower at full force, to keep the long windshield and big side windows frost-free in -8C temperature. Still, we needed to scrape the side glass.
The standard wipers are also long and flimsy-looking. In addition, the triple-jet windshield washer nozzles are not very powerful and set too close to the base of the windshield to cover it fully, even with a long squirt.
Then, you face the challenge if replenishing the windshield washer fluid reservoir. One first needs to unlock and remove a panel just below the right-side wiper (I used the ignition key). Good luck if everything is frozen in place. Then, you need to aim well, because the filler is small and tucked in low inside. Bottom line: the Fortwo's Canadian Winter-readiness could be much better.
All this glass surface pays off, though. On a sunny winter day, the fabulous panoramic view to the front and sides turned a simple drive on a country road into a truly joyful experience. No kidding. A Smart will do this to you, repeatedly.
Vital Numbers
Earlier performance measures, conducted on dry asphalt, produced a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 20.51 seconds with a Fortwo coupe. It also covered the quarter mile in 22.21 seconds, hitting 101.5 km/h at the timing point.
Yet, the Fortwo doesn't feel slow in normal driving, especially in the city. Be prepared, on the other hand, for a top speed of about 140 km/h (indicated) on the highway, at best, which gets rolled back to about 120 km/h with a headwind. The sequential manual gearbox (clutchless) even suggested a downshift from 6th to 5th gear in such conditions…
In simulated emergency braking tests from 100 km/h, the coupe stopped straight and true, in 43.1 metres. Braking is excellent at all times. Pedal feel is firm and consistent, and the ABS is both quick and effective. Brake assist and electronic braking force distribution are also included.
As for fuel economy, I averaged about 5,7 litres per 100 km (50 mpg) while driving quite enthusiastically, mostly around the city, in cold winter weather. Thankless conditions for a fuel economy evaluation. By comparison, I got 3.9 litres per 100 km (72.4 mpg) from the Fortwo Roadster, after a relaxed country drive in May. Your results may thus vary.
Conclusion
There is nothing like the Smart Fortwo on Canadian streets and roads, and this could remain true for quite a while. The base price, for this top-of-the-line Passion coupe model, is $19,200. The Pure coupe starts at $16,500 and the Pulse at $16,500. These prices, for a unique, ultra-chic, two-seater micro-car that you can trim out exactly to your taste, are tempting, and business is justifiably brisk.
The Fortwo also happens to be the most fuel-efficient street-legal four-wheeler in the land, and it has established a solid reputation for reliability and durability in Europe since launch, more than six years ago.
All models are built around a high-tech, steel safety structure (the 'Tridion' cell, built by Magna) that makes them as crashworthy as many larger cars, their passive safety enhanced by standard frontal and aide airbags. They all come with standard ABS, stability control, power windows, an AM/FM radio with CD player and more. My Passion test car also had AC as standard equipment.
For all these reasons, and in spite of its wheezy defrosting, lazy turn-in and other minor foibles, the Smart Fortwo is just about peerless, and darn irresistible.
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I have a 2006 Smart car and have found that it performs very well in Alberta's cold winters. It is an absolute must to get a set of winter tires or you won't get anywhere! I also always plug in the block heater when it gets to -15C. Like Elizabeth I've also had horrible service experiences with Hyatt. For the past couple of years I've taken it to Lone Star and found that their service is outstanding (much cheaper, more reliable, and excellent technicians). I've only had one really weird thing happen with this Smart car. One day I tried driving it and found that the wheels had 'locked up' because water had formed a tight seal with the brake pads. Don't be afraid to give the car lots of gas (diesel actually) again and again and again to 'break the seal'. It worked for me! This has only happened once in 3˝ years of driving but I've heard that it is not uncommon.
I agree with the comments about Smartcar service in Calgary. I am NOT impressed by the service at Hyatt in regards to Smartcar. I had to leave it with them for 7 days over Christmas 2008 (no loaners for Smartcars!), rent a car for that period, only to find out there was nothing wrong with my car except that a tiny light was on for no reason. Then when I went to pick it up, they had left it outside in -30 and it wouldn't start. Then they handed it back over to me filled with snow from their boots!
When I call to ask questions about it over they phone the service people have either been snotty about my questions or have given me misinformation.
I have grown up in Alberta all my life and I live in both Edmonton and Calgary... and all I can say is wow... you guys are real hicks... Secondly, it makes a difference in starting your car at -40, whether your car is diesel or gas... Gas will not start in -40, diesel on the other hand will. Also, if you live here in Alberta you should have thought about the block heater before purchasing your vehicle (granted your dealership should have explained this). Don't knock a good car because you didn't do your research.
If you live in Alberta buy a diesel and get some winter tires!
We decided to buy out the lease on our 05 Smart Pure. We have a nissan 4x4 pickup for the baby seat but couldn't justify a full size second car. The smart fits the bill perfectly - allowing me to take it to work in town while saving on fuel that the truck would otherwise gulp down (comparatively speaking).
We've had some pretty cold mornings (-15 c.), though the car has been able to handle starting without major difficulties. We're due for a spell of -20 to -25 over the next few days, so it will be interesting to see what transpires.
Handling in the snow and ice is surprisingly good, though it's imperative that you invest in good winter tires - we went with Blizzaks (there's only two manufactures that make winter tires for Smarts). One thing that I can't figure out is the block heater...
Ours is equipped with one, but for the life of me I don't notice a difference in starting or the speed at which the vehicle heats up with or without it plugged in (?!). I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar experience or can comment.
Also, when the heat slider is moved all the way over to the extreme hot side a little switch is activated and indicated with a little 'heat' graphic on the dashboard. I also have no idea what this feature does. Funny thing is, sometimes the control lets me activate this 'feature' and sometimes it switches itself off and refuses to activate. I thought that it was some sort of defrost feature but it doesn't seem to change the speed at which things heat up.
In all, I can say that we're pretty happy with the little scoot - as a second car.
I've also gone on three hour (one way) highway excursions and find it pretty sure footed for such a small vehicle. So far - so good. Now, if only their service were a little bit more owner friendly (I don't mind doing my own oil changes and other preventative maintenance but these cars make that venture all but impossible).
We have a new 2008 smart and live in Cochrane. It won't start and we are told they don't make block heaters for the 2008. If we put in an oil pan heater, they say they'll void our warranty. It has driven for a week at -30 weather. Its ridiculous. Teresa, have you had any problems this year? Has anyone come up with a solution?
I have a 2008 gas engine Smart car and it was fantastic this winter. I drive in from Canmore to Cochrane for work and have not had a problem. Even when it sat for a day at minus 25 it still started - grudgingly, but it did start. The only comment I can make on highway driving is that the Bow Valley winds keep me constantly in the moment, no daydreaming when it is blowing out. My son spun out once and hit the ditch and thought it was very cool that he could push the car out by himself. I myself have had no traction problems on the snow or ice.
Another Calgary Smart left on the street for a week - in winter it is useless. Will not start under -20. Block heater was NOT an option at time of purchase and now they want $800 - yes, that's $800!! Mercedes basically told me "too bad" and then charged me $150 for the tow. Mercedes service, certainly with regard to Smart cars, is garbage. MY SMART HAS ONLY 16,000KM ON IT AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE GARAGE 6 TIMES - 6 TIMES WITH 16K! wHAT A PIECE OF C**P!
DO NOT BUY A SMART CAR IN WESTERN CANADA A YOU WILL NOT GET SATISFACTORY SERVCIE WHEN ITR WON'T START.
Kathy should have invested in the block heater. I own a 2006 coupe and aside from the weak defrosting, I had nothing but fun this winter in my Fortwo
SMART in Calgary winter. This is the first year I have my SMART in Calgary...maybe it's just my car and maybe it's a lemon but it doesn't start AT ALL in anything under -15C. I'm disappointed and since this is the car I rely on to get me around town (like today where I can't do groceries, won't be able to go to work tomorrow due to lack of a car). I'm EXTREMELY disappointed and once my lease is up this car is going back and I'll buy a proper Canadian GM vehicle.