Exotic Sportscar Spotted

[Wintermute]

We've had these up here for a while, sold by Mercedes-Benz... imagine $ 30,000 + for that thing. It tops out at about 140 KM/hr View the video ..any questions after seeing that? Sure, It stays intact but how would you look after such an impact.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXnW_Me-w5w

WTF are you talking about, they are 21K loaded, top model. The 08's are supposed to be 14K for the base model.

You guys in the US will get used to them pretty quick. Hell I might buy one for a beater. As for safety, the cage is pretty stout. Its not like you are going to be at highway speeds very much.

Oh yeah, and Brabus makes aftermarket stuff for them lol. Yes I said Brabus.

 

[T-Bolt]

WTF are you talking about, they are 21K loaded, top model. The 08's are supposed to be 14K for the base model.

You guys in the US will get used to them pretty quick. Hell I might buy one for a beater. As for safety, the cage is pretty stout. Its not like you are going to be at highway speeds very much.

Oh yeah, and Brabus makes aftermarket stuff for them lol. Yes I said Brabus.

Yeah, the only reason the older ones were so expensive here was because they were privately imported. The cars are cheap as hell in Europe and Canada. Brabus actually mods the whole Smart too.

 

[theDRIVER]

that's no that bad. has anyone seen those idiots cruising around in those golf cart looking things? it holds 4 passengers with all the bells and whistles of a regular auto. no windows either, except for the front...

 

[TRmach03]

Seen a few also on the road. That thing couldnt be any faster than a moped.

 

[PC Doc]

Did a couple of little Oriental guys jump out and say, "Wii would like to play?"

 

[HISSMAN]

What video, where?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnVNUvixWUQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPdEWLnAQr0

Every single one of those demonstrated how the passenger compartment held up in a crash very well. The first one was at high enough speed where their internal organs would've sustained damage from impact, but if you hit a wall at 70 in any kind of car you will probably be going to the hospital. I would really like to see where they would lose their legs. I believe you are getting the smart confused with a little electric car that is popular in London and is classified as an ATV, so it doesn't need to pass crash tests. That car is indian-made and occupants will lose their legs in a moderate collision.

Edit: also, all of those vids are of the older Smart, which is smaller and lighter than the new one that we will get. Just to let you know, the old Smart passed US crash tests with flying colors.

In every test I saw the interior of the car was crushed up against the seat bottom. Sure, the overall compartment held up, but you would not have legs from the knees down. The NTSA has taken note of this as well.

-Jeff

 

[HISSMAN]

How small is too small?
The first time I saw the Smart car, I thought . . .WOW how cute? where is the rest of the car? I immediately began shooting pictures of it, because noone in the US had seen one that I knew of and I wanted to be able to share it when I got home.
TOO small is the Smart car. There is no barrier between the rear of the car and the driver. Impact from the rear would be horrific if in an accident. The doors are very thin and there is virtually no room between the seats. If one were to be broadsided or t-boned as some call it, the impact would most definitely be traumatic.
The largest part of the car is the front end, but I rather believe that the legs of the driver and his passenger would be severely damaged if they were in an accident where there was front impact.

In this pic, if you look close, you can see that part of the front end of the Mercedes is visible inside of the Smart Car's cabin. It is a small grayish protrusion.

 

[T-Bolt]

In every test I saw the interior of the car was crushed up against the seat bottom. Sure, the overall compartment held up, but you would not have legs from the knees down. The NTSA has taken note of this as well.

-Jeff

Then how come they removed crash test dummies with their legs intact? If they were not safe they would not sell.

Edit: what you claim is the car if you watch closely is actually just the dash. It is a very similar color to the E Class. If you watch the whole video, you'll notice the whole dash is intact, so unless the benz actually did intrude into the passenger compartment, you'd need x-ray vision to see it from that view. The whole car has also been designed to compensate for small crumple zones. The seats deform to absorb an impact, the steering wheel collapses to give more room for deceleration, and the seatbelt tensioners do not fully lock instantly, also to slow you down.

 

[HISSMAN]

Yes, but they had red, yellow and blue die on them. That is a marker that means that the legs suffered severe trauma. Red is most Severe, and usually means crushing injuries. Crushing injuries usually translate to.."dude? what happened to my legs" conversations once you wake up in the hospital.

 

[BelvedereGTX]

those things have been around for a couple years now. I see one around from time to time . and the benz dealer down the road always has one in stock. Imagine if a dodge duelly nailed that lol

 

[HISSMAN]

Then how come they removed crash test dummies with their legs intact? If they were not safe they would not sell.

Edit: what you claim is the car if you watch closely is actually just the dash. It is a very similar color to the E Class. If you watch the whole video, you'll notice the whole dash is intact, so unless the benz actually did intrude into the passenger compartment, you'd need x-ray vision to see it from that view.

There is another still photo that was taken from the front after the cars were separated and you can clearly see through the front and into the passenger cabin. I will try to find it, but google is not being my friend right now.

 

[Common]

They rule in Germany. 50hp and 90tq all while getting 65 mpg.

 

[Common]

Get into a head on crash with someone...................dead
I just noticed that first picture, the plate says "SMART", if I had to get one, i'd want a plate that said, "DUMB"

Wrong but thank you for showing us how little you know. Car has excellent safety rating.

 

[T-Bolt]

Yes, but they had red, yellow and blue die on them. That is a marker that means that the legs suffered severe trauma. Red is most Severe, and usually means crushing injuries. Crushing injuries usually translate to.."dude? what happened to my legs" conversations once you wake up in the hospital.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPdEWLnAQr0

Point out the red, because all I saw was blue. Also, if the NHTSA is so concerned about leg injuries, how come they said it's fine to sell in the US? Just something I found real quick on Google: http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/040908.htm

Also, the Euro NCAP doesn't **** around. Here are their results, including side impact testing. Funny thing is, they display that it has good lower leg protection, which is what I thought you said gets crushed in an impact. Guess not.

The reason you can see into the passenger cabin is because there are 2 small holes in the firewall, and breaking away the stuff that covers them kinda exposes them, but they aren't a safety worry. You actually have a better chance of keeping your feet in a fortwo than you do in an Audi A3 or a PT Cruiser. Also, the old fortwos weren't as good crash safety-wise as the new fortwos as I said before. I just posted up the only crash footage in this thread of the new fortwo, but my point was that the old fortwo did ok, and the new, bigger fortwo will do better.

Edit: stupid me, forgot the link: http://www.euroncap.com/tests/smart_fortwo_2007/303.aspx

 

[HISSMAN]

I am just seeing different data than you I guess. In any case, even if it is as safe as sitting in the hand of God, I would not be caught dead in one. ;-)

Do you have something to do with the overall design of this car? Man you are taking it personally.

 

[JD03Cobra]

Went to Paris 7 years ago...They were everwhere. Guy at work here drives one that is diesel. No way am I getting in that car.

 

[03whipedsnake]

haha!!!!

 

[T-Bolt]

I am just seeing different data than you I guess. In any case, even if it is as safe as sitting in the hand of God, I would not be caught dead in one. ;-)

Do you have something to do with the overall design of this car? Man you are taking it personally.

Nah, I just think it's a neat little city car that gets great gas mileage. Oh, and a motorcycle engine fits in it quite well.

 

[HISSMAN]

I found where the NHTSA tested the car back in 2000. After digging into their Database it appears as though there has been no record of testing since then. It received an acceptable rating in Front End crashes, an excellent rating in side impact, a poor rating in weight, and an overall score of acceptable, or 3 stars out of 5.

The ratings are as follows.

Excellent
Good
Acceptable
Marginal
Poor

 

[PERCULATOR]

what a pos