The content of the article:
- A bit of history
- Subtleties of purchase
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Smart Cars
With the depreciation of the ruble and the rapid rise in fuel prices, domestic car owners have become more confident in getting rid of large cars equipped with high-volume and gluttonous engines, which have become extremely costly for everyday use and maintenance.
The fly in the ointment was also added by the fact that over the past decade the number of cars in Russia has grown several times, but the transport infrastructure of large cities has practically not changed, which led to huge traffic jams and problems with finding free parking spaces. As a result, in order to save personal time, many car owners were forced to switch to public transport, and use their own car exclusively for trips out of town or occasional shopping trips.
Those who do not consider abandoning a personal car under any pretext have begun to look towards more compact and economical cars, the most popular among which have recently become Smart bu models produced by the Mercedes-Benz automaker.
A bit of history about Smart
The Smart model owes its appearance to Nicholas George Hayek, who is the founder of the Swatch watch company. It was he who first set himself the goal of creating a high-quality and stylish subcompact car that could make life easier and meet the needs of residents of large cities. Wanting to bring his idea to life, he turned to a large number of automakers for help, but he could find support only in Mercedes.
As a result, two concepts were presented in 1993 - Eco Sprinter and Eco Speedster, which became the progenitors of the first Smart model, which entered the conveyor in 1998.
Almost after the start of serial production, Swatch left the project, after which it changed its name from "Micro Compact Car" to "Smart GmbH".
Currently, the Smart range is represented by Smart Fortwo, Smart Fortwo cabrio, Smart forfour and special, hotter versions from Brabus.
The subtleties of buying a Smart car
Currently, the simplest new Smart Fortwo in Russia is offered at a price of 790 thousand rubles. (about 13.6 thousand dollars), which for the majority of Russians, given the class, dimensions and capabilities of the car, makes buying it, frankly, expensive and meaningless. Therefore, the majority of potential buyers have to turn to the services of automotive Internet sites offering a Smart car to buy a used car, where its price starts at $ 3.2 thousand for copies with a mileage of more than 100 thousand km.
True, we categorically do not recommend buying a Smart bu with such a mileage, because to the existing price you should immediately add the price of an overhaul of the motor, which will cost a pretty penny. Cars with more or less adequate mileage (less than 60 thousand km) start at $ 4-4.5 thousand, and the most optimal copies will cost $ 5-7 thousand.
Another option to become the owner of the Smart subcompact is to buy a used car abroad, and then drive it to Russia on your own.
In this case, the price of a car, together with customs clearance, will vary between 4.5-5 thousand dollars, but the buyer will receive a wider selection of modifications and a richer package.
If there is no desire or time to go to Europe to buy a car on your own, you can resort to the services of specialized companies, whose specialists will independently select and fit Smart Bu cars, taking into account the wishes of a potential buyer. In the latter case, the buyer can additionally count on professional advice, comprehensive support and even a guarantee.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Smart Cars
Like any car, a used Smart has its own advantages and disadvantages, which make it much easier to make a decision about the necessity and advisability of buying a subcompact.
The main advantages of the car
- Design. Whoever said anything, but even today the first generations of Smart look modern, stylish and attractive, and this applies not only to the exterior, but also to the interior decoration of the car. Being in city traffic, the car instantly catches the eyes of others, most of whom "baby" Smart causes an extremely sincere smile.
- Dimensions. Thanks to its compact dimensions, Smart allows you to climb where the driver of a larger car will not even look. This allows you to easily find parking spots and move confidently in dense city traffic, easily maneuvering between neighbors in traffic. Moreover, the little car allows you to park perpendicular to the curbs and turn around literally on the spot, which has become one of the main "calling cards" of the model, so beloved by residents of large cities.
- Visibility. Due to its compact dimensions and large glazing area, the car provides excellent visibility, which allows you to drive up to obstacles almost closely.
- Excellent dynamics - despite the presence of frankly weak 3-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, the car has excellent dynamics that allows you to literally break off the traffic lights, leaving behind surprised drivers of larger and more powerful cars.
- Efficiency - however, this applies exclusively to diesel modifications, which allow you to consume about 3.7-4 liters of diesel for every 100 km of track. Gasoline versions of used Smart on average consume about 6-6.5 l / 100 km, which is comparable to the consumption of larger and more powerful models. In fairness, we note that modern Smart, equipped with a gasoline engine, on average, consume about 4.1 l / 100 km.
- Security. Yes, yes, you didn’t hear, despite its diminutiveness in terms of safety parameters, Smart not only does not concede, but also surpasses most competitors, even if we are talking about cars several classes higher. At the heart of the body of Smart is the proprietary Tridion frame, consisting of several layers of reinforced steel, which is supplemented by several zones of predictable deformation, designed to dampen the force of an impact in an accident. The picture is complemented by the presence of front and side airbags, as well as three-point belts with a pretensioner system.
The main disadvantages of Smart cars
- Suspension stiffness. Unfortunately, miracles do not happen, and the Smart's short wheelbase negatively affects the comfort of passengers, to the fifth points of which almost all the irregularities of domestic roads are transmitted. As a result, only a masochist can go on a long journey by this car.
- Low practicality is the flip side of the compact dimensions of Smart cars. So, in the cabin of the car, only two riders can fit, and the trunk volume is only 280 liters, and the driver does not have the opportunity to fold the back of the front passenger's seat, which does not allow transporting more or less oversized cargo. In addition, the vehicle is not capable of towing a trailer or towing other road users.
- Expensive service. Since the carmaker Mercedes-Benz is engaged in the production of Smart cars, there is no need to count on a low price for maintenance and repair. Moreover, they are comparable to the cost of servicing the "adult" Mercedes models.
- Low engine resource, which for most Smart models is limited to 100-150 thousand km, after which it will need a rather expensive overhaul.Moreover, it is not possible to repair a Smart engine in all auto repair shops, which imposes a number of additional inconveniences on its owner.
- Modest equipment and low acoustic comfort. Most Smart models are equipped with only the most necessary equipment, especially for the first and second generation of the model. In addition, due to the location of the motor just behind the driver's and passenger's seats, acoustic comfort leaves much to be desired, which can be pretty annoying during long trips.
Conclusion
Summing up, we note that in the conditions of modern reality, the Smart bu car is still an expensive toy, rather than acting as a convenient and affordable transport for every day.
Smart should be considered for purchase only by those people whose family already has a larger and more practical car, and who are morally and financially prepared for its low practicality and comfort, as well as rather expensive maintenance. We recommend everyone else to look towards compact cars, the brightest representatives of which are Kia Picanto, VW Up, Hyundai i10 and others.
