Dan's Papers - August 24, 2007

In East Hampton, directly in front of Blue and Cream, was a Smart Car tent where hundreds of people gathered and signed up to give these cute, speedy cars a test drive. Mercedes-Benz of Smithtown is going to be one of the first dealerships in America to offer the sweet little mini machine.

If you are an avid traveler, you may have seen these vehicles all over Europe where they are very popular and fashionable because of their great gas mileage, fantastic engineering and, as my British friend Jamie who is out for the summer put it, "Those are wicked...wicked cars."

With Americans being used to larger vehicles, the Smart Car immediately puts you off at first. A part of you believes that it is too small and therefore not safe. However, due to a diamond design, the Smart Car has been given a 4-star crash rating. With the incredible success of the Mini Cooper in America by BMW, the Smart Car, which is made by Mercedes Benz, has its advantages as well. And with gas prices above $3 a gallon in most parts of the country, the Smart Car certainly raises an eyebrow, and will, at least, lure you in for a test drive.

Which is exactly what I did.

At 40 miles to the gallon and more, I wanted to see how this thing drives. I'm not the type of guy that is just going to buy a car because I like the gas mileage. I need to feel good in it, I need to feel like I'm driving and like the style. I want it at a good price and I also need to feel like I'm getting good gas mileage. In other words, I want it all.

I hopped into my white convertible Smart Car and was stunned by the legroom in the vehicles (I'm 6'3"). The engine also sounded fantastic and felt remarkably powerful. I was surprised. This didn't feel like I was in some sort of space aged, super quiet car. I pulled out, switching into the manual mode of shifting and felt really good on the road. The Smart Car feels solid and gives you exceptional handling - similar to a sports car. It also had incredible pickup, which made it really fun to drive. I also enjoyed playing with the steering wheel paddle shifters as I zipped into a high second gear.

Within 30 seconds of driving, I realized why people not only like the Smart Car, but rave about it. This car feels great and is a true display of some of the best automobile engineering in the world. It's a sick little car.

I whipped the car back to Blue and Cream and had a smile on my face. I've test driven a lot of cars and felt really good about the Smart Car, so I decided to check out dollars and cents. The low-end model is going to start under $12,000 and the high-end model is going to be around $15,000. So these cars are very affordable.

I imagined that this car would be great to zip around town in the Hamptons, but I also found it to be an excellent open road vehicle because of its speed, safety and pleasure to drive.

Honestly, since the test drive, I can't get the car out of my head. It is a great vehicle that offers excellent engineering and has a style of its own. I highly recommend that you check out the car for yourself and see what I'm talking about. It is going to be available at Mercedes-Benz of Smithtown, a major dealer of Mercedes Benz's on Long Island, in 2008. They are, of course, answering questions about the car and are extremely informative and pleasant. Call 631-265-2204 for more information.