smart fortwo News
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Smart's tiny Fortwo city car is being replaced in early 2014, and more details are emerging on the next generation small car. Changes include new engines, new transmissions and a size increase--but partner Renault will no longer be producing its own two-seat equivalent. CAR Magazine reports that French carmaker Renault has abandoned plans to produce its own version of the Fortwo, though it isn't clear whether the two companies are still collaborating on the next-generation Smart ForFour and Renault Twingo subcompacts. Despite this, the 2014 Fortwo will still use Renault-developed powertrains...
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How Do You Make An Electric Car? Smart Shows You
If you read our reviews a few months back, you'll be aware that the 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is a much better car than its predecessors. In third-generation form, it's quicker and has a greater range, but is now available to buy as well as lease--and it's the cheapest electric car on sale...
Antony Ingram -
Dealer Discounts 2012 Mitsubishi 'i' Electric Car To Smart Level
For a time, the 2012 Mitsubishi i was the cheapest electric car on sale in the U.S. When smart announced its third-generation Electric Drive would retail from $25,750 for the coupe model, it made the $29,975 Mitsubishi look a bit expensive. Even if it does have two extra seats. Now, Town &...
Antony Ingram -
Ultimate Guide To Gas-Sipping Minicars On Sale In The U.S.
Which side are you on? Bigger is better? Or perhaps 'No replacement for displacement'? Or do you think more along the lines of 'small is beautiful' and 'good things come in small packages'? If it's the latter, then you may also be a fan of the smallest cars manufacturers have to offer. And if you...
Antony Ingram -
That Smart Electric-Car Fire? Never Mind; It's Not Electric At All
Our hearts sink a little every time we discover news of an electric car fire. Will others also go up in flames? Will the media turn it into an anti-EV frenzy, like they did with the Chevy Volt? Reports of an electric Smart ForTwo going up in flames at a home in Florida brought all those thoughts...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Smart Electric Drive: Better Than Earlier Electric Smarts?
Smart's third-generation Electric Drive model might look similar to the car it replaces, but it's a very different vehicle under the skin. To discover just how different, our latest drive in the new electric Smart let us compare with our experiences from the previous model--and the differences are...
Antony Ingram -
Hey Chevy, listen up: Aliens in electric car ads don't have to be annoying--just ask Smart. The maker of diminutive city cars has ditched all references to performance, specifications and efficiency in its latest ad (via Autoblog) for the third-generation Fortwo Electric Drive, instead giving us a one-minute cinematic experience. We'll let you watch it all the way through rather than giving away the ending, but it's certainly a unique, funny way to promote the car. The car itself isn't bad either, and you can read why in our recent first drive report. Smart has made several changes to the car...
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2013 Smart Electric Drive Test: Lowest-Priced Electric Car In U.S.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Smart took that advice to heart; its 2013 Smart ED3 is the third generation of its all-electric version of the two-seat ForTwo minicar. And it's the first one that's really a viable car under normal driving conditions. It's also the least expensive...
John Voelcker -
2013 Smart ForTwo: Strong Enough To Wear A Full-Size SUV As A Hat
You either like the 2013 Smart ForTwo minicar, or you don't. Few are ambivalent to a shape and a concept so divisive as the Smart, but U.S. sales would suggest that rather more people dislike it than appreciate its cheeky nature. One popular misconception about the ForTwo from those rather less...
Antony Ingram -
Next-Generation Smart ForTwo Caught Testing In Spy Shots
The next generation of Smart's ForTwo minicar can't come along too soon. The current model is out of its depth in the U.S. and even getting a little long-in-the-tooth in its European homelands, so the 2015 model, expected to go on sale in 2014, is eagerly anticipated. Caught here in spy shots by...
Antony Ingram -
Fun Cars With Good Gas Mileage To Suit Every Budget
It's not difficult to find cars with high gas mileage these days. Car manufacturers have made a stirling effort in recent years to push economy up, without sacrificing performance or equipment. So if you're in the market for a new green car, but want a little fun every time you drive it, what are...
Antony Ingram -
Portlandia Steps Up For Electric-Car Sharing: We're Not Surprised
You've probably heard about what a model green city Portland, Oregon is, or how Portlanders shy away from car ownership—and, perhaps, how they can be a little uncomfortably earnest and politically correct. Is that how it really is? In short, yes. Now Portland, Oregon residents have another...
Bengt Halvorson -
Sometimes, the search for greener cars might lead you down the path to smaller cars. After all, with less weight to carry, smaller engines and usually fewer power-sapping accessories, small cars should be the gas-mileage champs. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. We've rounded up five small cars that fall into the "must do better" category for economy. We're not saying they're bad cars--just that they really ought to sip less gas than they actually do. 2013 Smart ForTwo The unfortunate fortwo crops up in these lists quite frequently, which may seem unfair given its 36 mpg combined and...
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Top Down, Tunes Up: Five Summer Cars With High Gas Mileage
As anyone who owns one will tell you, there's nothing quite like driving with the top down on a sunny day. It may be clichéd, but having the wind in your hair, sun on your face and experiencing just a little more of the world around you, really does make every journey a little more fun...
Antony Ingram -
2013: Smart ForTwo Iceshine Brings Exclusivity To Niche Market
How do you make a niche market car with low sales figures more attractive to buyers? By releasing a limited-edition, of course. Enter Smart, Mercedes-Benz’s microcar devision, and its plans to follow its summer-themed Smart ForTwo Sharpred Special Edition with a winter-themed special edition...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Smart ForTwo Electric Production Starts, Due Q4, 2012
Earlier this week, Daimler started production of the 2013 Smart ForTwo electric drive at its Hamback, facility in France. The third-generation all-electric Smart ForTwo, the 2013 model is the first electric Smart that will be sold as well as leased. Unlike previous versions, which we felt were...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
New European Trend: Renting Tiny Cars...By The Minute
We're all familiar with daily car rental. Even hourly car rental is becoming a growing trend, with car-sharing services allowing you to pick up a car somewhere in a city and deposit it somewhere else, paying for the hours in between. In Europe, things are taken one step further, with rental by the...
Antony Ingram -
Will Open-Air Renault Twizy Electric Car Threaten New Smart ForTwo?
Smart might have just unveiled the 2013 Smart ForTwo, but it doesn't take a genius to work out it's little more than a facelift with some new trim materials. While the car is gaining evolutionary improvements, Smart really needs the next generation of ForTwo, currently being co-developed with...
Antony Ingram -
Most car companies really suck at Twitter. There, we said it. For every company using it as a glorified advertising platform there's another trying to get 'interactive' in a way that's so hideously over-friendly they're like the attention-seeking kid at school. Some, however, get it right. Smart of Argentina is one of those, sticking by the mantra "Keep It Simple, Stupid" with its Twitter feed (via TheNextWeb). There's no cheesy hashtag here, no endless retweeting of sycophantic fan comments nor any questions asking what you'll be doing with your "insert vehicle name here" this weekend...
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2013 Smart ForTwo: Fresh Styling, New Electric Drive Model
The Smart ForTwo minicar has had a rough ride in the U.S. of late. After debuting to stupendous sales in 2008, as gas prices soared, its sales have plummeted to just a few thousand a year. But the little Franco-German two-seater is being lightly refreshed for 2013, under new distribution through...
John Voelcker -
2013 Smart ForTwo Facelift: Will It Help Sales?
It's hard to believe, but the current Smart ForTwo has been soldiering on in the U.S. North American market for five years now. Mercedes-Benz offshoot Smart has never enjoyed much popularity in the U.S. The concept makes less sense than it does in its native Europe, where gas is more expensive and...
Antony Ingram -
To Idle Or Not To Idle? What's Best For Car, Gas Mileage?
There are two kinds of traffic, neither of which is particularly pleasant. The first is moving traffic. It's slow, tedious, and something many of us are unable to avoid on our daily commutes. Movement is movement though, which makes stationary traffic a hundred times worse. Not only are you not...
Antony Ingram -
Next-Generation 2012 Smart ForTwo Electric Car Delayed
Earlier this year Daimler unveiled the third generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. Offering much improved acceleration, range and charging capabilities on the previous generation Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, it has the potential to be the first truly...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Rinspeed Dock+Go Concept Adds Versatility To Smart Electric Drive
Rinspeed's latest concept would add both range and functionality to the Smart Electric Drive.
Kurt Ernst