2008 Smart fortwo Performance Review

• Overall
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability
• Specs
• Photo Gallery

Performance - What the Auto Press Says

Despite an awkwardly-shifting transmission, slower-than-expected brakes and the need to use premium gasoline, auto writers predict you'll be pleased with the 2008 Smart Fortwo's performance -- as long as you keep it in the city.

• "The Fortwo is a minor hoot to drive." -- Los Angeles Times
• "It rides well, it holds the road, it maneuvers as if it's controlled by a video-game joystick, and its performance is quite respectable." -- Automobile Magazine
• "A neat little car, highly maneuverable, which means it's adept at scooting out of the way of larger vehicles, which it must do frequently on expressways." -- Washington Post
• "The Fortwo is best used as a city car. It's meant to get drivers from A to B without frills. Its small size makes it easy to park and allows it to easily dart in and out of traffic." -- New Car Test Drive
• "While I am not particularly taken with the Smart, it really doesn't have that much to do with size. More with the grabby, unpredictable brakes; the darty, go-kart-like steering and that transmission." -- Orlando Sentinel

Acceleration and Power

Some reviewers describe the Smart Fortwo as a weakling, but there are others who find the car's pep and power acceptable for its size.

• "The engine delivers 70 horsepower at 5,800 rpm, and it makes for modest acceleration starting out. Power builds much like it would in a Honda Civic or Mitsubishi Lancer, though, and by the time the tachometer tops 3,000 rpm, the ForTwo feels downright peppy." -- Cars.com
• "While the Fortwo is one of the slower cars on the road today, it's not a moving traffic jam. Smart quotes a 0 to 60 mph time of 12.8 seconds, but the three-cylinder engine delivers its power best from a stop, allowing the car to keep up with the flow of traffic." -- New Car Test Drive
• "Around town we found ourselves using full throttle to keep up with traffic, while on the freeway the power deficit is too often a frustrating liability." -- Edmunds

Transmission

According to our analysis, the 2008 Fortwo's automated manual five-speed transmission is a sore spot. Auto writers' chief complaint is the pregnant pause between shifts.

• "One huge gripe is the 'automated' 5-speed manual that shifts without a clutch or by pressing steering wheel paddles. On its own, there's a pronounced pause as you and the car bow forward slightly before each upshift." -- Chicago Tribune
• "If you're looking for the explanation for the Fortwo's sluggish run to 60 mph, you don't have to look much further than the drivetrain's automated five-speed manual transmission." -- Edmunds
• "Leave the Smart transmission in automatic mode, and punch the accelerator, and the transmission shifts so abruptly that you literally rock forward in the seat." -- Orlando Sentinel
• "You can learn to minimize the lurching if you anticipate the shift points. In manual mode, it's much easier. You simply drive it like a manual gearbox, lifting off on the accelerator pedal between shifts with either the shift knob or the optional steering-wheel mounted paddles." -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Fuel Economy

The Smart Fortwo gets an EPA-estimated 33 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway. Most reviews found these numbers to be accurate, but complain about the manufacturer's recommendation to use premium fuel.

• "It flaunts its eco-ness - the highway's equivalent of the recycled canvas grocery bag." -- Seattle Times
• "We managed 34 miles-per-gallon on a mixed driving loop using premium grade" -- Motor Week
• "The Fortwo's 8.7-gallon fuel tank should be good for 350 miles or so. But to achieve these results, the Smart's highly tuned engine requires pricey premium-grade gasoline. It will run on regular, but not as well, although we're not sure you'd feel it in the seat of your pants." -- Edmunds
• "It seemed also to run acceptably on mid-grade. But that is a cost consideration vs. regular that you have to consider." -- The Family Car

Handling

When it comes to handling, the 2008 Fortwo's small stature is a double-edged sword. Reviewers compliment its turning radius and the ability to park it anywhere, but notice the car is vulnerable to crosswinds.

• "Highway stability is surprisingly good considering its size, though it is more susceptible to crosswinds and pavement irregularities (where it tends to get a bit bouncy) at speed than would a heavier vehicle." -- Forbes
• "Take a corner quickly and the Fortwo lolls and rolls like it's on old bedsprings. And yet, even this quality has a quirky fun factor." -- Los Angeles Times
• "The car does do things no other car we've driven can do, namely make U-turns on some pretty narrow streets, and fit into parking spaces that would keep even a MINI, with its 12 feet of overall length, rolling past." -- The Family Car
• "Don't drive that fast in a Smart, especially not on moribund roads such as Route 66, and definitely not on wind-swept, multi-lane highways such as Interstate 40, whose construction rendered Route 66 obsolete. Steering the lightweight, tall-bodied Smart under those conditions is akin to steering a kite." -- Washington Post

Braking

Many test drivers were not pleased with the responsiveness of the Fortwo's dual circuit, anti-lock brakes.

• "The Smart's braking performance is adequate, but pedal feel and response from the bottom-hinged pedal is strange. The Smart stops in 124 feet from 60 mph, a distance that identically matches the performance of the Honda Fit." -- Edmunds
• "Standard antilock brakes employ discs up front and drums in back. The execution is disappointing: I found the pedal rock-hard, imprecise and never all that powerful. After two days' driving, I still couldn't stop the car smoothly." -- Cars.com
• "For a car so small and light, why do you have to stand on the brake pedal to stop?" -- Chicago Tribune