MCC Smart & pulse > Reviews (23)

I am writing this article as a Smart owner, & I hope to dispel some of the stupid 'facts' floating about on these cars.
Firstly, THEY ARE SAFE, they passed some of the most rigorous Safety tests in the world. I personally owe my life to one, I'll tell you what happenned. I was driving on an A class road at about 50mph. I passed a very large vehicle, carrying new cars going in the other direction. Sitting impatiently behind it was a motorcyclist who decided to over take. I do not remember much about the impact other than thinking my air bags hadn't worked because they had deflated seconds after impact- I didn't know they did that! It's basically to aid your escape. I won't go into the details of what followed with the motorcyclist but he drove right into the left hand side of the car, & it took the full impact. The motorcyclist lost his arm, leg, & license. But I walked away. The police were amazed that such a little car took that impact at a combined speed of over 100miles an hour.
Anyway, they are funky, thoughtfully designed, extremely cheap to run, I went from Paris to South Wales for £15- I kid you not. Yeah ok they're only for two people, but it means you're not a taxi service, & you drive with who you like. They look different- aren't there enough wardrobes on the road?
They come with a Triptonic gear box as standard, which means there's no clutch, and only a nudge is required to change gear. You can also get the 'soft touch' version which is fully automatic, allowing you to concentrate on the thrill of the ride.
If you buy one from a dealer, be prepared that they will know little about the car & the computer that manages it. It has lots of safety features that are unusual, so insist on an English handbook. If I was going to get another one, I wouldn't import one because you can get right hand drives here in the UK at Smart centres up & down the country. I've heard Sheffield is good. But drop the cynicism! This car is for anyone who wants an extension of their personality & not their penis.