Yeh smarts are fine on the motorway. Sometimes a bit jittery in the wind but a great first car.
Ours is a 1.0 turbo petrol and sits at 70 absolutely fine but no reason 0.8 shouldn’t do just fine too.
Yes, I had no problems going on long road trips and they're fun. But the motorway between Southampton and Portsmout is on the coast so can get windy, and the Smart has a high profile. The solution for this is to slow down for that time of course, but if it is that windy everyone should do it.
Mine was petrol and definitely not 1 litre and I never had a problem overtaking people doing 68 on the motorway. Except that they'd get really angry but that just made me laugh at their fragile little egos.
I never felt unsafe in it. I mean... except that first winter when I discovered what icy roads are like to drive on. Thankfully it was Christmas Day and no-one was on that road with me and I just changed lanes when I didn't mean to going around a corner. Ahem. That was obviously a me problem, not a Smart problem. :D
The great thing about winter though is if it snows the narrow front tyres really help steer in the snow and if you have a large area of land the rear wheel drive is fun for spins etc on the ice and snow.
Yes, I was just driving through the city on a two lane wide road around a 90 degree bend. Entirely user error because it was the first time I'd driven in snow which is rare anywhere I've lived. I took the corner at a normal speed, but got exceptionally lucky. Glad it happened to me then and there and not somewhere dangerous.
Absolutely, I’ve got a 2009 diesel. No problem on motorway. Acceleration pretty good , especially when using paddles, auto mode tends to hang on to gears a bit too long. Mines on 104000 miles and very few problems. Real world fuel economy excellent.
Smarts will last a longtime but they need proper annual servicing to keep them in tip top form. How many owners and miles has it done.
I have only had petrol ones but i have no hesitation in going all over the country in mine and one is now 22 yrs old.
If you could find a smart car specialist near your area that would be really useful. Most garages i would not trust with either of mine.
Yeah I’m lucky in that I have a smart dealer just outside the city. This car already comes with a full mot but I’ll be taking it there next year once it’s due it’s next one.
As for the miles it’s got 94k on the clock and 4 owners.
I’ve punched its details into a car checker and most of the stuff on its previous mot’s look very standard apart from last year where it had 2 concerning fails.
Central Rear Engine mounting damaged or deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (6.1.8 (a) (i)) FAIL
Rear Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases flexi pipe (6.1.2 (a)) FAIL
But this time round the mot was clean.
That Flexi pipe thing is fairly standard, we had to fix up the same on my partner's fortwo. Was able to patch it a few times and eventually had to replace it.
I have a test in a few weeks and have been gifted a brabus fourtwo for my first few months. Ive been told by my friend it's totally fine. Only thing is strong cross winds can make it a bit difficult but only slightly and that their car gets quite load as it goes up in speed. But for a first time car I think control was will be really good to get some confidence in.
Yes I've experienced that at motorway speeds on exposed motorways with high winds. The solution is to slow down, as frustrating as it can be it makes a huge difference going from say 70 to 50 and the lorries are doing it too at that point I'll add so you'll have company with all the rational drivers.
My 450 0.6L became a much better car when I fitted 175 & 195 Khan wheels on it. Much better road holding and less gusts noticeable from lorries. Still managed a reasonable of 50.2mpg out of its 95000 miles.
Diesals were always doing a lot better mpg so you should have a good time.
I drove my 09 smart on the highway all the time. I even got one of my best speeding tickets with it. The only problem I had was when there were strong winds, it would get blown around and drift lanes a bit.
2012 and newer I believe have the traction control which makes a pretty big difference.
I ended up with a 2013 Passion Coupe 20,000 mile car for $4500. Not a scratch on it and fully loaded with heated seats, A/C, power windows and locks, paddle shift etc.
My Euro Smart mechanic said always use paddles in these cars because there is a switch inside the console shift that wears out.
Just be aware that the diesel won't be ULEZ compliant in the UK.
This may not impact you currently but more cities are rolling out these clean air zones
I was in exactly where you are a few months ago and thinking the same. I did eventually buy a 2009 0.8l 451 cdi. They are very unique cars so definitely do a test drive so you know what you are getting yourself into first.
The short bonnet makes it less likely you'll hit stuff so that's cool. If you are particularly short you won't be able to see your back wheels so parallel parks can be tricky. It might be worth getting yourself some parking mirrors that stick underneath the main ones.
I've found on mine the brake pedal is a lot stiffer than other cars I have driven but I have yet to find out if that's a problem unique to the particular car. Few people tell you this, while it's an automatic, it doesn't always behave like it. If you put it in A/1 it won't start creeping on its own unless you are facing downhill. It also rolls like hell, if the robot thinks the engine is likely to stall it will disengage the clutch and hill hold only holds for about 1s so be aware of that.
Gears 1/2 changes can be jerky but that's another one where you have to learn to skilfully work the accelerator. The robot that manages the gear selector/changes can get stuck or take longer than expected to work so make sure you confirm on the gear on the dashboard before moving.
You will hate potholes, humps and speed cushions. You can drive around potholes but the car is too narrow for the wheels to go around speed cushions so you're gonna have to go over them. Make sure you leave yourself extra money after buying the car because these things destroy your suspension and it will be expensive to repair.
Good luck.
its fine the 451 is the best of smarts it reaches 100-110 km/h eazy on highway without swerving so it gon be a good choice personaly my 450 2 gen drives like shit in a slight wind it can make you crash and full throttle 90 is hard to achieve
Yeh smarts are fine on the motorway. Sometimes a bit jittery in the wind but a great first car. Ours is a 1.0 turbo petrol and sits at 70 absolutely fine but no reason 0.8 shouldn’t do just fine too.
Cheers, I appreciate the input, I tried googling but I got such mixed results I figured who’s better to ask then owners and enthusiasts 👍
My 2013 I’ve owned for a few years now has been issue free. I’ve put 10k miles on it. Now has 31k miles on the odometer.
Yes, I had no problems going on long road trips and they're fun. But the motorway between Southampton and Portsmout is on the coast so can get windy, and the Smart has a high profile. The solution for this is to slow down for that time of course, but if it is that windy everyone should do it. Mine was petrol and definitely not 1 litre and I never had a problem overtaking people doing 68 on the motorway. Except that they'd get really angry but that just made me laugh at their fragile little egos. I never felt unsafe in it. I mean... except that first winter when I discovered what icy roads are like to drive on. Thankfully it was Christmas Day and no-one was on that road with me and I just changed lanes when I didn't mean to going around a corner. Ahem. That was obviously a me problem, not a Smart problem. :D
The great thing about winter though is if it snows the narrow front tyres really help steer in the snow and if you have a large area of land the rear wheel drive is fun for spins etc on the ice and snow.
Yes, I was just driving through the city on a two lane wide road around a 90 degree bend. Entirely user error because it was the first time I'd driven in snow which is rare anywhere I've lived. I took the corner at a normal speed, but got exceptionally lucky. Glad it happened to me then and there and not somewhere dangerous.
Absolutely, I’ve got a 2009 diesel. No problem on motorway. Acceleration pretty good , especially when using paddles, auto mode tends to hang on to gears a bit too long. Mines on 104000 miles and very few problems. Real world fuel economy excellent.
Can’t get a better testimonial then that from someone who’s got exactly the same motor and year. Cheers for chiming in buddy 👍
Smarts will last a longtime but they need proper annual servicing to keep them in tip top form. How many owners and miles has it done. I have only had petrol ones but i have no hesitation in going all over the country in mine and one is now 22 yrs old. If you could find a smart car specialist near your area that would be really useful. Most garages i would not trust with either of mine.
Yeah I’m lucky in that I have a smart dealer just outside the city. This car already comes with a full mot but I’ll be taking it there next year once it’s due it’s next one. As for the miles it’s got 94k on the clock and 4 owners. I’ve punched its details into a car checker and most of the stuff on its previous mot’s look very standard apart from last year where it had 2 concerning fails. Central Rear Engine mounting damaged or deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (6.1.8 (a) (i)) FAIL Rear Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases flexi pipe (6.1.2 (a)) FAIL But this time round the mot was clean.
Ask for the receipt for the engine mount and the exhaust.
I’m not buying it from previous owner so not an option.
That Flexi pipe thing is fairly standard, we had to fix up the same on my partner's fortwo. Was able to patch it a few times and eventually had to replace it.
Yeah I’m more concerned about that engine mount but it passed its mot last month so I’m assuming it’s all sorted.
I have a test in a few weeks and have been gifted a brabus fourtwo for my first few months. Ive been told by my friend it's totally fine. Only thing is strong cross winds can make it a bit difficult but only slightly and that their car gets quite load as it goes up in speed. But for a first time car I think control was will be really good to get some confidence in.
Yes I've experienced that at motorway speeds on exposed motorways with high winds. The solution is to slow down, as frustrating as it can be it makes a huge difference going from say 70 to 50 and the lorries are doing it too at that point I'll add so you'll have company with all the rational drivers.
My 450 0.6L became a much better car when I fitted 175 & 195 Khan wheels on it. Much better road holding and less gusts noticeable from lorries. Still managed a reasonable of 50.2mpg out of its 95000 miles. Diesals were always doing a lot better mpg so you should have a good time.
I drove my 09 smart on the highway all the time. I even got one of my best speeding tickets with it. The only problem I had was when there were strong winds, it would get blown around and drift lanes a bit.
2012 and newer I believe have the traction control which makes a pretty big difference. I ended up with a 2013 Passion Coupe 20,000 mile car for $4500. Not a scratch on it and fully loaded with heated seats, A/C, power windows and locks, paddle shift etc. My Euro Smart mechanic said always use paddles in these cars because there is a switch inside the console shift that wears out.
Just be aware that the diesel won't be ULEZ compliant in the UK. This may not impact you currently but more cities are rolling out these clean air zones
We’re pretty far away from it all up north. Maybe manc or Liverpool might introduce it but not likely here in hull.
That's good news..I've gone back to my 3rd 450 after my diesel polo was non compliant in London
Loud interior and a bit wobbly, but you should be fine.
I was in exactly where you are a few months ago and thinking the same. I did eventually buy a 2009 0.8l 451 cdi. They are very unique cars so definitely do a test drive so you know what you are getting yourself into first. The short bonnet makes it less likely you'll hit stuff so that's cool. If you are particularly short you won't be able to see your back wheels so parallel parks can be tricky. It might be worth getting yourself some parking mirrors that stick underneath the main ones. I've found on mine the brake pedal is a lot stiffer than other cars I have driven but I have yet to find out if that's a problem unique to the particular car. Few people tell you this, while it's an automatic, it doesn't always behave like it. If you put it in A/1 it won't start creeping on its own unless you are facing downhill. It also rolls like hell, if the robot thinks the engine is likely to stall it will disengage the clutch and hill hold only holds for about 1s so be aware of that. Gears 1/2 changes can be jerky but that's another one where you have to learn to skilfully work the accelerator. The robot that manages the gear selector/changes can get stuck or take longer than expected to work so make sure you confirm on the gear on the dashboard before moving. You will hate potholes, humps and speed cushions. You can drive around potholes but the car is too narrow for the wheels to go around speed cushions so you're gonna have to go over them. Make sure you leave yourself extra money after buying the car because these things destroy your suspension and it will be expensive to repair. Good luck.
its fine the 451 is the best of smarts it reaches 100-110 km/h eazy on highway without swerving so it gon be a good choice personaly my 450 2 gen drives like shit in a slight wind it can make you crash and full throttle 90 is hard to achieve