2011 Smart Electric Drive On The Streets Of London: Driven (Page 2)

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2011 Smart Electric Drive On The Streets Of London: Driven Page 2

Antony Ingram

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Antony is an automotive obsessive: Whether it drives, sits there looking pretty or intrigues from afar, he'll talk and write about it. Automotive... More

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Smart ForTwo Electric Drive at Urban Stage, London

HI-RES GALLERY: Smart ForTwo Electric Drive at Urban Stage, London

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And, you know, it's pretty fun to drive around tight city streets--even if it's mostly for intangible reasons. There are several cars out there that are better and quicker to drive, but few have the character and uniqueness of the Smart.

The cabin is a nice place to spend time when you're at a standstill, and the high driving position puts you somewhere between regular cars and SUVs. Used exclusively in a city environment, it makes a lot of sense.

Especially in London.

All Smarts (the Brabus performance model excepted) are exempt from the Congestion Charge, meaning no £10 ($16) per day charge. They're also Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) exempt, and the electric drive takes the cost-cutting a step further, since it'll cost a pittance to "refuel", even compared to the miserly diesel model.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a car better suited to congested European streets.

In the United States? With larger and more car-friendly cities, greater commuting distances, and cheaper energy costs, the gem starts to lose its sheen. Throw in the fact that wherever you live, the Smart is lease-only with a minimum down-payment of $2,500 and monthly payments from $599, and it becomes much harder to make a case for the car.

So is the Smart Electric Drive the perfect city car?

Unfortunately, no: It isn't.

But with a new model in the pipeline that will hopefully right the current car's wrongs, and be available for purchase as well as lease, you never know--that verdict might change.

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HI-RES GALLERY: Smart ForTwo Electric Drive at Urban Stage, London

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Comments (4)

Noel Park Posted: 5/19/2011 3:10pm PDT

No regenerative braking??? What can they be thinking? Couple that with $599/mo and I'm outta the game, LOL.

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Martin Posted: 5/19/2011 5:10pm PDT

Can someone translate "nippy but not quick" into American English? I'm guessing we might say, "quick but not fast"?

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Ben Douglas Posted: 5/20/2011 6:31am PDT

In Canada, "nippy" means cold.

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Antony Ingram Posted: 5/20/2011 8:04am PDT

Ben and Martin, sorry for the confusion! One of the quirks of the language this side of the pond. Nippy means both "sprightly" and "cold" over here, though for the purposes of the article you can assume it's the former. Feel free to transpose "nippy" and "quick" for "quick" and "fast" if it makes more sense, though I'd personally describe nippy as a step down from quick, but a step above "tardy". Gotta love the language...

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