Smart ForTwo is a compact two seater that is capable of attracting everyone’s attention with its size and looks. So if you are shy, forget owning this car as it is sure conversation piece and you can escape from people talking to you about this beauty. Though Smart has sold more than 30,000 of this car in the United States, still people are surprised seeing its tiny look and often pose a couple of questions to the owners wherever they see the ForTwo. Here is a quick review of the Smart ForTwo analyzing its pros and cons.

Seeing the size of the car, the first concern for anyone is the safety issues while driving the car. This is indeed a fair question as there is a widespread message, the bigger is the better which is being stated from long past. But while driving this little master, you don’t think of its safety as it provides a great driving comfort. The car has a deep dashboard and distant leading edge to windshield gives it a bigger feel than its original size. The car also has all the safety airbags and also other safety features NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has given it a four star crash rating for its driver safety measures. Though there are many critics who comment this is only a half car seeing its size, the car gives a great drive experience in variety of environments and thus answers them on road.

The car is apt if you just want it to take you between two destinations and it serves as road trip machine. The Smart ForTwo has an almost eight cubic feet of space for cargo and it just enough to accommodate your light grocery. Speaking of its power, it has a 70-hp, 1 liter three cylinder engine that sits in between rear wheels. One thing to be noted is that this positioning of the engine heat up the cargo area and is not advisable to keep any cold items at the bottom if you wish them to stay cold till your house. And here comes the biggest mess of 2009 Smart ForTwo, its transmission.

Though the car’s automated gearbox has been improved compared to its predecessor, it is still not up to the mark and only ends up proving a mess. ForTwo offers two shifting options that include the manual option where the driver can use the steering wheel mounted gear paddles or floor mounted paddles to change the gears. The other option is the fully automatic mode wherein the transmission is completely automatic. The fully automatic mode is not that is useful as the transmission is jerky and provides an unpleasant experience especially when shifting from first and second. The manual mode allows a slightly better and smoother transmission but this mode does not give a useful feel as it is an additional overhead for the driver.

The car also does justify when it comes to fuel economy. It offers a mileage of 32.7mpg in its automatic transmission mode and offers 38.8mpg when the manual paddle shifters were used. Speaking of the interior design, the dashboard has been designed effectively with an efficient tachometer.  The ForTwo comes at a base price of $16,990 and considering the features the car offers it is not the preferred one for this price.