smart fortwo Jatropha and micro-hybrid drive Review
17 Jan 2009|14,689 views
On the other hand, lacking in height doesn't necessarily equate to lacking in beauty. Eva Longoria and Carmen Electra are two fine examples of "short and sweet" (or "short and sexy"). Longoria may be the taller between both of them, but even 1.57 metres isn't really our idea of "tall".
Half the people on the street they pass by would probably turn their heads for a second look. And that includes ladies, too. So even though they're relatively small, they're still pretty attractive. And that is exactly what I thought of the smart car by Daimler.
Small and smart
First introduced in 1998, the Smart fortwo coupe targeted Europeans who were desperate for easy parking and good fuel economy. Its 2.5-metre length meant that it could fit in straight and perpendicularly towards kerbside while the other cars had to parallel park. On top of that, you could also leave it in much smaller spaces while regular saloons couldn't.
It proved to be pretty popular in not just Europe, but around the world. Just in November last year, 10,100 smart cars were sold. For some reason, though, their cars weren't very popular in Singapore.
For less money, one could have a Toyota or a Honda to run around in. Compared to the smart which only seats two and has a small boot, those offer more space and practicality.
So it's an exceptionally tiny car that doesn't have many impressive figures to boast about, and it even costs more than other more popular options. Which doesn't sound too good.
Except, you'd also be totally missing the point. These cute little cars can't be compared to the Japanese ones. In the first place, they were designed for very different purposes.
Its relatively miniscule proportions mean that you don't have to pre-empt yourself for a heart attack every time traffic gets heavy and road space gets cramped. In fact, the car is so small, we managed to fit two of them into a single parking lot. So does that mean that it is a brilliant package for urban commuters like us? Yes.
But more importantly, we have never had so much fun in any other car while driving around. And even more unbelievably, between the smart Jatropha diesel and the petrol-powered micro-hybrid-drive we tested, it was the diesel we fell in love in. More on our insanity later.
Image counts
We, being males, don't really find any appeal to the description "cute" if it's about a car. Cute girls, yes. But cute car? We'd have to be fruity. At best, we'd say that the smart is a good looking car.
Inside the Jatropha, we were greeting by a bright scarlet interior. Almost everything from the dash, to the doors and seats were wrapped in that brilliant colour. At first, we'd thought, "Oh dear. This is definitely going to get us even more weird looks." But it didn't take long before its daring attitude grew on us and we finally gathered the courage to drive it.
With a 660 cc diesel engine that's only 90 percent powered by the smelly fuel, it produces a measly amount of horsepower that's barely capable of getting our adrenaline to rise. The other 10 percent, however, is a mysterious concoction from a plant called Jatropha.
It's a tough little plant which grows in India, Africa and North America. They're resistant to drought, pests and it produces seeds containing about 40 percent oil. They look relatively harmless, but ingest a few seeds and you will die. Australia banned it in 2005, but in Gujarat, India, Daimler was researching methods to harvest its fruit to produce bio-diesel that could be used in vehicles.
So, the little smart fortwo, filled with whatever was converted from poisonous oil, was not only saving the planet by being eco-friendly. Requiring the fuel from Jatropha plants also meant that the people in Gujarat would have economic gains from a plant which they once grew to keep random grazing animals away. In more ways than one, this little car was making many people happy.
Mind you, all that tree-hugging has an effect on performance, and in the smart fortwo Jatropha, it was pretty obvious. But after a while, we really didn't bother.
Think of it this way: you're out on a date with a supermodel and it's pretty obvious that she likes you. You're starting to like her too, but when you walk together, she really takes her time to saunter about. Is that really going to make you like her any less?
The fact is you're still going to enjoy yourself tremendously because of the company, because it's so much fun and because you're out with someone like that and not an accountant or a librarian.
But having said that, despite the lacklustre performance, we must point out that the smart fortwo diesel we drove returned excellent mileage.
Leaving performance figures out of this, practicality would be the next most likely issue. The boot takes in up to 220 litres and its rear tailgate opens up as a little platform. And it seats two. There, it really is for urban commuters.
Having its wheels at the corners of the car also has its advantages. Apart from providing more space, it allows the car to grip and turn very well, despite its slightly-worrying perceived centre-of-gravity. But we're happy to report that unless you try to use the car for anything other than its main purpose, maybe by bringing it to a skate park or off-roading, there is hardly a chance you will ever find it unstable.
Even at speed, though the wind noise can be a bit intrusive, it somehow never failed to keep its occupants happy.
The Jatropha comes with a retractable soft-top which can either be opened like a sun-roof or like a regular convertible. But you would need to get out and move the roof pillars on your own if you'd want that. And you probably would, because it adds to the fun factor.
And that's also why I was admittedly a little disappointed when I got into the micro-hybrid drive version. Called the "smart fortwo micro-hybrid drive" or "fortwo mhd" in short, the car features a start-stop function.
Inside, it wasn't nearly as cheerful as the Jatropha. The fabric was black and hardly anything stood out. And other than the fact that it had the start-stop capabilities, there wasn't really much else to smile about. No retractable roof, no ostentatious orange seats and not even a proper sun roof - just a huge transluscent plastic roof panel.
Whenever the "ECO" mode is activated, the micro-hybrid drive shuts down its engine when the driver is slowing down and the speed falls below 8 km/h. Lift your foot off the brake pedal and the 71 hp 999 cc engine jumps to life instantly. There's no spending a few seconds trying to crank the car to life.
It's especially useful if you regularly have to sit in traffic jams and the sort. One problem, though, is that when this system is being used and the engine is turned off, the air-con isn't cooling anymore - it just becomes a fan.
The petrol-powered sibling seems the livelier one between the two and it produces a slightly more pleasing note than the diesel. And it should, because it's running on petrol.
But for some strange reason, though, we could not get our petrol-tainted hands off the Jatropha.
It was just a lot more fun. Everything about it (except its engine) was mysteriously charming. And we wouldn't put it down to the shocking scarlet interior, nor was it the fact that we could drive it around topless (the car I mean, not us).
Being a very environmentally friendly car definitely had a positive effect on our conscience, too, but it's not as if we would feel the same if we drove a Prius.
It's quite like the times when people tell you they like someone so much, but could never really explain why. There's an inexplicable force of attraction and it's just so strong. It may not be the most practical choice or even the best looking car ever. But just like with Miss Longoria, even if it meant having to sacrifice a bit of comfort or convenience, it wouldn't make us like her one bit less.
On the other hand, lacking in height doesn't necessarily equate to lacking in beauty. Eva Longoria and Carmen Electra are two fine examples of "short and sweet" (or "short and sexy"). Longoria may be the taller between both of them, but even 1.57 metres isn't really our idea of "tall".
Half the people on the street they pass by would probably turn their heads for a second look. And that includes ladies, too. So even though they're relatively small, they're still pretty attractive. And that is exactly what I thought of the smart car by Daimler.
Small and smart
First introduced in 1998, the Smart fortwo coupe targeted Europeans who were desperate for easy parking and good fuel economy. Its 2.5-metre length meant that it could fit in straight and perpendicularly towards kerbside while the other cars had to parallel park. On top of that, you could also leave it in much smaller spaces while regular saloons couldn't.
It proved to be pretty popular in not just Europe, but around the world. Just in November last year, 10,100 smart cars were sold. For some reason, though, their cars weren't very popular in Singapore.
For less money, one could have a Toyota or a Honda to run around in. Compared to the smart which only seats two and has a small boot, those offer more space and practicality.
So it's an exceptionally tiny car that doesn't have many impressive figures to boast about, and it even costs more than other more popular options. Which doesn't sound too good.
Except, you'd also be totally missing the point. These cute little cars can't be compared to the Japanese ones. In the first place, they were designed for very different purposes.
Its relatively miniscule proportions mean that you don't have to pre-empt yourself for a heart attack every time traffic gets heavy and road space gets cramped. In fact, the car is so small, we managed to fit two of them into a single parking lot. So does that mean that it is a brilliant package for urban commuters like us? Yes.
But more importantly, we have never had so much fun in any other car while driving around. And even more unbelievably, between the smart Jatropha diesel and the petrol-powered micro-hybrid-drive we tested, it was the diesel we fell in love in. More on our insanity later.
Image counts
We, being males, don't really find any appeal to the description "cute" if it's about a car. Cute girls, yes. But cute car? We'd have to be fruity. At best, we'd say that the smart is a good looking car.
Inside the Jatropha, we were greeting by a bright scarlet interior. Almost everything from the dash, to the doors and seats were wrapped in that brilliant colour. At first, we'd thought, "Oh dear. This is definitely going to get us even more weird looks." But it didn't take long before its daring attitude grew on us and we finally gathered the courage to drive it.
With a 660 cc diesel engine that's only 90 percent powered by the smelly fuel, it produces a measly amount of horsepower that's barely capable of getting our adrenaline to rise. The other 10 percent, however, is a mysterious concoction from a plant called Jatropha.
It's a tough little plant which grows in India, Africa and North America. They're resistant to drought, pests and it produces seeds containing about 40 percent oil. They look relatively harmless, but ingest a few seeds and you will die. Australia banned it in 2005, but in Gujarat, India, Daimler was researching methods to harvest its fruit to produce bio-diesel that could be used in vehicles.
So, the little smart fortwo, filled with whatever was converted from poisonous oil, was not only saving the planet by being eco-friendly. Requiring the fuel from Jatropha plants also meant that the people in Gujarat would have economic gains from a plant which they once grew to keep random grazing animals away. In more ways than one, this little car was making many people happy.
Mind you, all that tree-hugging has an effect on performance, and in the smart fortwo Jatropha, it was pretty obvious. But after a while, we really didn't bother.
Think of it this way: you're out on a date with a supermodel and it's pretty obvious that she likes you. You're starting to like her too, but when you walk together, she really takes her time to saunter about. Is that really going to make you like her any less?
The fact is you're still going to enjoy yourself tremendously because of the company, because it's so much fun and because you're out with someone like that and not an accountant or a librarian.
But having said that, despite the lacklustre performance, we must point out that the smart fortwo diesel we drove returned excellent mileage.
Leaving performance figures out of this, practicality would be the next most likely issue. The boot takes in up to 220 litres and its rear tailgate opens up as a little platform. And it seats two. There, it really is for urban commuters.
Having its wheels at the corners of the car also has its advantages. Apart from providing more space, it allows the car to grip and turn very well, despite its slightly-worrying perceived centre-of-gravity. But we're happy to report that unless you try to use the car for anything other than its main purpose, maybe by bringing it to a skate park or off-roading, there is hardly a chance you will ever find it unstable.
Even at speed, though the wind noise can be a bit intrusive, it somehow never failed to keep its occupants happy.
The Jatropha comes with a retractable soft-top which can either be opened like a sun-roof or like a regular convertible. But you would need to get out and move the roof pillars on your own if you'd want that. And you probably would, because it adds to the fun factor.
And that's also why I was admittedly a little disappointed when I got into the micro-hybrid drive version. Called the "smart fortwo micro-hybrid drive" or "fortwo mhd" in short, the car features a start-stop function.
Inside, it wasn't nearly as cheerful as the Jatropha. The fabric was black and hardly anything stood out. And other than the fact that it had the start-stop capabilities, there wasn't really much else to smile about. No retractable roof, no ostentatious orange seats and not even a proper sun roof - just a huge transluscent plastic roof panel.
Whenever the "ECO" mode is activated, the micro-hybrid drive shuts down its engine when the driver is slowing down and the speed falls below 8 km/h. Lift your foot off the brake pedal and the 71 hp 999 cc engine jumps to life instantly. There's no spending a few seconds trying to crank the car to life.
It's especially useful if you regularly have to sit in traffic jams and the sort. One problem, though, is that when this system is being used and the engine is turned off, the air-con isn't cooling anymore - it just becomes a fan.
The petrol-powered sibling seems the livelier one between the two and it produces a slightly more pleasing note than the diesel. And it should, because it's running on petrol.
But for some strange reason, though, we could not get our petrol-tainted hands off the Jatropha.
It was just a lot more fun. Everything about it (except its engine) was mysteriously charming. And we wouldn't put it down to the shocking scarlet interior, nor was it the fact that we could drive it around topless (the car I mean, not us).
Being a very environmentally friendly car definitely had a positive effect on our conscience, too, but it's not as if we would feel the same if we drove a Prius.
It's quite like the times when people tell you they like someone so much, but could never really explain why. There's an inexplicable force of attraction and it's just so strong. It may not be the most practical choice or even the best looking car ever. But just like with Miss Longoria, even if it meant having to sacrifice a bit of comfort or convenience, it wouldn't make us like her one bit less.
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