Recently I have been very conscious of my heavy carbon footprint and decided to do something about it. So I have traded my sporty Ford Fiesta for a new Smart car and I'm in love.
The Smart car is a two-seater coupe and you can choose from different standards, there is even a sporty version on the way. Not being a car junky I choose a Smart For2, the Pure, which is the basic package. It is semi-automatic so is ideal in traffic and is absolutely wonderful for parking.
No need either to surrender performance and safety to economy: there are two full-sized airbags, a safety shell, safety seats, crash sensor and crash elements front and rear and a solid roof. Quoting from the brochure the Smart has hydraulic dual-circuit brake system with servo assistance, hydraulic brake assist. It has everything you need from adjustment headlights, electric tailgate, CD and radio to a petrol tank which locks in the central locking system. My version runs on unleaded petrol but I believe it may be possible to have an electric one soon.
You can of course upgrade to include more features including electric windows, alloy wheels, sunroof and so on. Personally buying a functional car for running around in I couldn't see the point of the extras but then I use a car as a tool and not a toy.
Saying that - it is fun. Each panel is detachable so if you have a bump it simply unbolts and a new panel is bolted on. I believe some people have two sets of panels, one in bright winter colours and the other in cooler summer ones. It looks smart and quirky and sits much higher off the road than my old car.
I confess I was a bit wary before I took a test drive. I have always had a car with a little oomph - I like to know there is something under the hood when I pressed the accelerator to overtake slower traffic. How good could a 1000 cc engine be? The answer to that is... very good. I zip along, cruise easily at 70 mph and overtake with no problem.
Inside it is spacious for driver and passenger. Other small cars I have driven give little headroom and can feel as if you are driving in a coffin. Granted there is only a small boot but that could be overcome and how much does one person need to carry at any one time? The passenger seat folds flat to allow for through carriage. I have a fold-up massage couch and it fits nicely into the space behind the seats.
I don't care my friends are dubbing it "arfur" for half a car. While I pay £35 per year road tax they are paying in excess of £165. I wave as I pass them stopped at the petrol station, my trusty steed giving me in excess of 60 miles per gallon. In conclusion, this is a wonderful car for one or two people who do mostly urban driving.
