Good things often come in small packages. That couldn’t be truer of the smart fortwo, a compact “compact” for the next generation of car buyers. An acronym for Swatch-Mercedes-Art, smart is the brain child of Nicolas Hayek, founder of Swatch. Hayek had an idea for a tiny city car powered by a hybrid or full electric motor. In the early 1990’s, Mercedes began developing the car with Hayek, and it proved a great sales leader across Europe. Though Hayek eventually lost interest in the project, Mercedes saw the promise and continued to develop the car. The smart fortwo has finally made its way across the pond from France via an eclectic dealership network headed up by Roger Penske. Equipped with a 70-horsepower, 3-cylinder engine, it buzzes to 60 in about 14 seconds and delivers something to the tune of 40 miles per gallon, a figure that should entice today’s energy-conscious consumers. Offered in Pure and Passion packages, as a coupe or roadster, the priciest option runs about $17,000. Despite its size, smart is actually quite safe and capable of rubbing fenders with larger, heavier vehicles. Now that’s smart.
Take a test drive at smart center Sacramento, 2625 Arden Way. 916-482-5790,
smartcentersacramento.com.
