Just test drove two Smart cars

[Sp!ke]

I've just got back from testing a couple of Smart cars with a view to getting one as a daily driver so the SL can remain warm and snuggly in its garage on all but dry sunny days.

I'm currently spending £500 per month on fuel commuting to work and back so the idea of a £100 per month lease and 85mpg seems to make rather a lot of sense.

However I found the diesel smart so painfully slow that I'd imagine I'd end up thrashing the pants off it everywhere and not getting anywhere near the quoted mpg figures.

The petrol micro hybrid drive version I found much better and despite reading lots of bad press about the stop start function, I thought it was pretty good. I don't like the funny semi automatic gearboxes on the Passion model, preferring to leave it in manual and change up and down myself. It wasn't a bad drive at all but I wonder what real world mpg figures are on these?

I understand there's an electric Smart coming out at some stage soon - does anyone have any idea when that might be?

I'm strugling to think of an alternate choice of car which is just as fun, that is cheap to buy with low depreciation and good mpg. What else should I look at in the £100-130/month bracket as a cheap commuter?

 

[bigyin1]

In the realworld a Smart diesel gets 50-55mpg, to get their figures you'd have a queue of cars behind you as you gingerly took 5 minutes to get to cruising speed!

You'd be better finding a 1.6 TDI CR VW/Audi car, brilliant new engine and 60-70mpg easy - i used to have a 1.4 TDi and managed 70mpg on that regularly and that was 5 years ago! A fiat 500 1.3 tdi would also be frugal, or Ka/Corsa with the same engine....

 

[flango]

I agree with the VW/Audi CR or one of the PSA 1.6d like in my Volvo. My long term average is 58 mpg including my stop start motorway commute.

Driven steady on a run 68 mpg around town 54 - 55 mpg

I had a Volvo C30 1.6d Drive stop/start as a loan car and that was clearing 60 mpg around town and supposed to clear 70 mpg on a run which I can well believe

 

[Sp!ke]

I get 60mpg from my wifes S60 on my commute but I cant buy one new for £100 per month.

 

[flango]

I get 60mpg from my wifes S60 on my commute but I cant buy one new for £100 per month.

You'd struggle to buy a good push bike for £100 / month

Are you buying or leasing?

As there are some cracking lease deals around for £100 - £150 / month

 

[manalishi]

I get brim-to-brim 55-64mpg from my Aygo. I like to own stuff, so I bought instead of leasing (about £130/month). Does well in the city car surveys, and depreciation is best: Parker’s – Toyota Aygo is slowest depreciating car

Manual version wasn't affected by the Toyota accelerator recall. Not actually made at Toyota, and the QC nor build quality isn't as good as real Toyotas. It's nippy enough, if a bit unrefined at 70-80mph.

 

[Sp!ke]

It is what they call an agility finance deal - basically a PCP type thing.

What similar priced lease deals are out there, I cant seem to find anything much in the £100 per month bracket.

 

[jaymanek]

Im also a big fan of the aygo.. and even the IQ... great little cars..

 

[wemorgan]

It is what they call an agility finance deal - basically a PCP type thing.

What similar priced lease deals are out there, I cant seem to find anything much in the £100 per month bracket.

Do any other these PCP deals appeal?

Honest John's Best PCP Deals | Honest John

 

[Apial]

I agree with the VW/Audi CR or one of the PSA 1.6d like in my Volvo. My long term average is 58 mpg including my stop start motorway commute.

Driven steady on a run 68 mpg around town 54 - 55 mpg

I had a Volvo C30 1.6d Drive stop/start as a loan car and that was clearing 60 mpg around town and supposed to clear 70 mpg on a run which I can well believe

Same engine in the MINI Cooper/Clubman D. I get low 60s mpg on 20 mile mix of urban congestion and A roads. Depreciation is very low but the new prices are not cheap.

 

[BlackC55]

I would go for the vW polo bluemotion. The Smarts are good but the Polo is a little bigger and has great fuel economy.

 

[st4]

£150 personal loan over 3 years has to give about £3200 purchase. Should get you a servicible "supermini" diesel type car that you'd OWN after 3 years.

Just a thought.

 

[Apial]

How many miles a month do you travel that costs £500?

 

[lil.smartie]

I LOVE my iQ 1.33 manual but I think it's going to be about 45/50 mpg whereas my old fortwo does 55mpg. The new ones aren't as good on fuel but from a CDi I'd guess 60/65 and the 71bhp MHD 45 ish is reasonable and realistic.
My sister has a 107 and it's about 50mpg petrol 1 litre iirc.

Kate

 

[jeremytaylor]

However I found the diesel smart so painfully slow that I'd imagine I'd end up thrashing the pants off it everywhere and not getting anywhere near the quoted mpg figures.

What else should I look at in the £100-130/month bracket as a cheap commuter?

I used to have to drive my Smart Brabus like that to make decent progress - I dread to think what the diesel is like on the open road.

For that money I would go for an Aygo/107/C1. A 'proper' car, better stability, 4 seats, but still with a characteristic 3-pot engine. As much as a Smart is fun, the Aygo/107/C1s are more so. A bit more basic inside, though.

 

[spinaltap]

While my A-Class is off the road for road traffic accident repairs, I had a Smart Passion Cdi for two weeks followed by a Ford KA Zetec for a further two weeks.

I really loved the Smart - but would buy the petrol over the unrefined diesel - and really miss it over the pile of junk that is the KA. Sure, the KA overcomes speed humps better than the Smart, but its poor rearward visibility and lacklustre interior design is beaten hands-down by the superior Smart.

Before owning my A-Class I had two VW Polo's, the last one being on PCP. A word of warning: if you choose a VW on PCP, and choose not to own the car, VW will charge a hefty administration charge for the privilege. What is more, the new Polo's interior is dour and claustrophobic compared to the old model - not a happy place to spend your commuting time.

Even so, if you do go for one, opt for the TFSi engine - the older FSi in my first Polo was a real thrill for such a small engine.

If it were my choice, however, I would go for the Smart.

 

[Sp!ke]

How many miles a month do you travel that costs £500?

Not many

1500 maybe

 

[Sp!ke]

Do any other these PCP deals appeal?

Honest John's Best PCP Deals | Honest John

Those NewCar4me PCP deals are more expensive than directly from the main dealers. How do they do business?

The Fiat Panda looks to be the bargain of the bunch @ £5999 OTR but I'm not sure I could live with driving one everyday for 3 years. I know my wife wouldnt be seen dead in it.

It surprises me that you only get 45-50 MPG from a smart? What on earth is the point of them then? 60MPG is achievable from my wifes bus of a Volvo and I could get two decent ones second hand for the cost of a smart.

In fact the more I think about this, why are little super mini's not really any more economical than big family cars? Less refinement or development maybe? Maybe they just build them to a tight budget with older tooling and wider tollerances or something? However you look at it, unless you are a youngun restricted by insurance costs, I'm not sure I get the whole small car thing.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Fiat are offering the 500 1.2 Pop on a PCP deal with a low deposit and £129 per month, available until the end of June. That's got to be more versatile than a Smart.

Fiat.co.uk | Fiat 500 i-Deal with FEEL3 Servicing

 

[Sp!ke]

Whilst I agree that the 500 looks kind of cute in a puppyish sort of way, I don't think it is a car suitable for any self respecting heterosexual male do you?