Driving into the USA

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Driving my Smart Car into the USA isn't a big deal. It's like driving any other car into the USA. Yes I still need my passport. And yes my car can go highway speeds and even a little above the speed limit.

This surprises many Americans in Montana. I'm often greeted by inquisitive Americans with the same questions.

"so is that run on gas or electricity?"

And so I explain "no, it's diesel"



"seriously, it's a diesel"

They just don't get it. But then then want to know who makes it.

"It's by Mercedes"

Nope. It just doesn't compute.

And should I mention that my Smart Car has a trailer hitch towing a small 3 bike trailer with two Vespa on it?

Now Montana isn't everywhere in the USA. I understand that Smart Car sales are doing just fine in New York, California and other American markets. However USA sells less powerful gas versions of the Smart Car almost exclusively.

Obviously there are some small barely perceivable cultural differences across the 49th. And I'm not talking political differences, or philosophical differences, or whatever. Of course those exist too.

American corn crops are currently used for ethanol production for green yet shitty gasoline additive despite a really bad drought threatening most of the crop. while this concerns me, it's besides the point I'm trying to convey here.

What concerns me is that the simplest of answers to global problems are so elusive, no because of politics or philosophy but shear ignorance. I mean I can't see why one wouldn't want a fuel efficient compact automobile for under $18k. Even if your reasons are not for environmental or monetary concerns (like everyone is suddenly wealthy now a days?), how about for the convenience of parking? Have you tried parking in downtown Missoula during the day?

About five years ago when gas prices were rapidly rising I know that sales for scooters rose exponentially. Some bought Vespa brand, which is a classy choice being an Italian classic, but it's a rather expensive brand. (You'll have to ride a whole bunch to make that $5k you spent on the initial purchase to make back in gas savings.) Others bought inexpensive generic Chinese made scooters (same models are sold under a variety of names) and suffered the quality issues that had them fall apart or break down. In either case, quite a few simply gave up their scooter for their old gas guzzling car/SUV habit.

A compact car is certainly a nice compromise. There's the protection from the elements, A/C, space for passengers and all your "stuff". It doesn't have to be a Mercedes Smart Car either. There's plenty of compacts (and sub-compacts) on the market.

But what blows me away is that for many people in the USA this is so far off the radar that they have never heard of, much less seen, a car that's been on the market for over a dozen years!

Comments

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

If you drove it in portalnd people wouldn't look twice. Mainly because you see them fairly often.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Portland Oregon or Portland Maine?

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Oregon.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

What a gorgeous town. Great for Vespa. I'm planning to be in Portland in late Oct or early Nov. I want to attend Paseo Con Los Muertos Oct 27-29 in Seattle or Trouble in T-Town 4 in Tacoma Nov 19th. Either way I'm going to go out of my way a bit to stop in P-Town during our travels.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

I miss it lots already. If it weren't for job stuff, I'd still be there.

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

My jeep liberty is a diesel, a 2006 CRD and I get a slightly less incredulous response most of the time.
Another engine by mercedes, from the Daimler Chrysler partnership of the time.

And the Smart is .7 tonnes.

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

And?

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

No, the OP was talking about a small diesel that turns heads for being a small diesel.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

I am in NJ and see Smart cars all the time. Well, not as often as I see, say, a Camry, but often enough that it doesn't turn my head like a Lamborghini or an Aston Martin. I really liked the diesel Citroen we rented in France a few years ago. I wish we had more diesel options here in the US, but diesel fell afoul of the environmental movement back in the 1970's for its small particulate emissions and ever since then gasoline has ruled supreme on the US highways.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

I very nearly bought a VW Jetta that ran on diesel - over 50mpg! Was shocked at the time that you could a) still get diesel vehicles and b) that the mpg was so solid.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Here we have two Ferrari dealerships,
http://www.ferrariofalberta.com/ (also sells Maserati)
and
http://www.zrauto.ca/gallery/cars-for-sale/ (also sells Lamborghini)
as well as a Bentley dealership
http://bentleycalgary.ca/

While these exotics are always head-turners, there seem to be so many in recent years (especially in my neighbourhood just blocks off the Red Mile) that the thrill of spying something so rarely seen has all but gone. I'm much more thrilled to spy a Tesla (I've seen two here).

Not quite so exotic but I'm equally thrilled to see a Nissan Figaro or a Renault Kangoo (I know one of each locally) But that's simply because of the rarity factor and unique shape (the new Maserati (Quatroporte) has nothing really too unique about it from a glance, except the logo, and could be easily ignored)

While expensive (therefore exclusive) Mercedes dealerships are EVERYWHERE... even in Montana (I count 27 Mercedes dealerships in Montana) and they all sell Smart Cars. I assume they advertise. So there's no excuse why they wouldn't be known about. I can only assume it's cultural.

Too bad about not having the infrastructure support for diesel. I know I have to be on the look out for diesel stations in the USA, generally truck stops. The environmental excuse was resolved back in the 70's when diesels stopped emitting particulates. So it's back to being a cultural thing. At least in my mind.

I mean USA is all about NASCAR, turning left for 500miles in a Ford Fusion or Chevy Impala. Frankly I don't get the excitement. I'd much rather watch F1 because it's so exotic.

I guess it's like eating exotic bread fruits and star fruits, where a good old macintosh apple is comfort food. It's what you know. What try something different?

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

The thing is, we do have the infrastructure for diesel. I mean, every gas station has at least one diesel pump, so it isn't like the concept is unknown. But government regulations on car emissions have made diesel cars uneconomical. In the 60's and 70's it was smog that was the killer/menace of the day, and the diesel motors of that time produced a soot that was considered a major factor in making cities like LA bye words for bad air. So, we cleaned up the LA air, but have lost out on fuel efficient, simple to run, reliable diesel cars ever since. Unintended consequences are unintended. Also, since the diesel cars that Americans remember weren't especially reliable and had less than stellar performance, now there is a strong bias against them.

[nevermind6794.livejournal.com]

It's actually the other way around - normal gasoline is so cheap that diesel is typically uneconomical. In Europe the math works out because they have such high gas taxes.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Yeap same. And as an immigrant I'm still amazed that US market pretty much ignores diesel engines

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

It's not just ignorance, but willful and often belligerent ignorance. Just look at the all but dead smear campaign that Fox and right-wing blogs/pundits have launched against the Volt. It's a marvel of engineering, winning dozens of awards and converting even the most stubborn of gear-head reviewers, but that doesn't matter to these people. It's a means to attack Obama, albeit a specious one, so they're willing to destroy the reputation and sales of an American-made product. No means to this end is off the table for them.

/end rant

I've had my Volt for 9 months, and I filled up today for the second time. I calculated a savings of nearly $1500 in fuel costs so far (that includes the cost of electricity). In about 4 or 5 years, the cost will reach parity with a Honda Civic. Unlike a Civic, I drive emissions-free, without noise or vibration, and it's by far the most fun car I've ever driven. Even better than a BMW 3 series.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

A club mate has been riding around on a Zero ( http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/ca/ ) for the last few months. It's silent and very zippy. It just goes from standing still to 45mph in about 3 seconds! However when I leave in the morning on my bike, I never know what I'm going to get up to. I might end up riding outside the city (although my bikes are almost exclusively city bikes). I might be home at noon or late in the evening. Even with a generous 200km range, I would feel very limited to where I can go... even cautious about it.

Granted even bike is a little different. I don't ride my 50ccVespa like I do my 200cc. I don't ride my 50yr old vintage bikes like I do my newer-ish ones. I carry tools and cables and spark plugs with some, others I ride care-free. An electric bike is no different.

The Volt, like the hybrids before it, seem full of promise. If I had the cash I would rather drive a Tesla.

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

Unlike other hybrids before it, though, it's a series hybrid not a parallel hybrid like a Prius or an Insight. The first 40 or so miles are purely EV, then the range extender kicks in to keep the battery charged. That's the nice thing about the Volt: you can enjoy the benefits of an EV without the range anxiety of a lower-range EV like a Leaf or Focus EV, or the high pricetag of an EV with a massive, expensive battery like a Tesla.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

I'll probably test drive it when I get back to buying another car next year, but I doubt it'll beat my Miata in terms of fun to drive.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I don't mean to sound like an ass, but you went to Montana. I think Montana has barely left the age of the horse and buggy, so naturally they'd be confused at a diesel automobile. ;P

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

We've explored pretty much all of Alberta and BC. So Montana has become our weekend getaway. It's still not too far yet full of places we've never been to. We like going into Idaho as well.

A few months back we went and drove the I95 through South Dakota, Minnesota and clear into Wisconsin. Although we drove a Honda Element. We didn't see a SmartCar the entire trip and our destination was only an hour outside of both Chicago and Milwaukee.

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

Er. There were diesel VWs thirty years ago. Okay, forty years ago. Dear god.

Diesel is actually more expensive and I think (could be wrong) a little more volatile price-wise. So I'm not actually sure how a car that runs on diesel is better...?

And around this neck of the woods, a Smart car wouldn't be practical as the only mode of transportation. I've seen a few in a couple of the larger towns, but I wouldn't feel comfortable using one exclusively in the winter. It's different in a large city.

Plus, diesel turns to a gel at -40. They stop running Amtrak a couple of times a year during those days.

They're cute though. I call 'em roller skate cars. :)

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

It's -40 during the winter here. I don't find it an issue. Plug in your block heater if it's gonna sit in the cold.

Excelent handling in the winter with snow tires.

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

Now I need a block heater. XD

Do you do much rural driving in winter? Or do you live in an urban area?

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

http://youtu.be/TH_0GjGirV0

There's lots more on Youtube, search Smart Snow.

I live downtown Calgary (pop1,000,000) I went 12years without a car. I had the workvan and my scooters and that's all I ever needed. I bought SmartCar last year because my mom moved here and now I can visit my mom in the burbs no matter the weather. I mean showing up in a big old plumbing van lacks class.

When it's -40 you need a block heater no matter if it's gas or diesel. When it's friggin' cold it's friggin' cold. I seen gas blocks freeze up just fine.

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

I'll check out the video, thanks.

We're in a rural plains town. Travel is a must for doctor's appointments and WalMart runs. We've had cars that didn't cut it and pretty much got destroyed by the snow (PT Cruiser, for one, driving home in a surprise blizzard) and we don't get that much. We've finally gotten a 4WD and I'm no longer terrified of sliding around into ditches -- or the local parking lot, where I've gotten stuck at 4am delivering papers more than once in a lesser car.

And a block heater? Meh. We've survived without it (not by choice), it just meant running the car for ten minutes several times a night. Don't have one for this car now... the concern isn't the gas but the battery going dead. It starts right up.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Wait, you mean people don't know about diesel in parts of the USA?

Diesel? That thing that 50% of people around here use?

In the USA?

In the 21st century?

blink... O_O

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Hard to believe, isn't it?

But it's true. There are people who'd hear "diesel", and think, "Oh! Mercedes Benz!"

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

nah man, you mean the clothing line, right?

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[peamasii.livejournal.com]

I just rented a Renault Megane diesel model for 2 weeks in Portugal. That car drove like a dream (also doing very sharp climbs in reverse, etc) and because it runs on diesel, the longer drives (over 100km) are definitely cheaper than on gas. It used to be that diesel engines would easily stall when idling, mostly because their idle rotation speed is lower and the power output is lower at low rotations. Also it used to be that their carbon emissions were higher. That's no longer the case with the latest models. Modern diesel engines are more economical, more robust and more expensive than their gas equivalents.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Diesel got a bad rap in the 70s. They produced cars that couldn't even pass themselves.

I'm surprised though because I'm sure a lot of Montanan's own diesel pickups.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

Not as many as you'd think.

Interestingly there are a lot of import and operating regulations on diesels at both the state and federal level.

Part of me suspects protectionism on the part of Detroit because I'd love to have a littl four cylinder cummins-powered Hilux or Ranger like I drove in the emirates but the excise taxes (for CA at least) cost almost as much as the truck itself.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Diesel in America has gone into a reverse, because the supply was so great and the demand was so low that it was waaaaaaay cheaper than regular unleaded... so they stopped refining diesel as much in American refineries and its now more expensive than regular unleaded. At least in the 90s, diesel ran about 40-50 cents or so cheaper than unleaded.

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

I live in Metro Detroit and while they're not totally common, I've seen several in the neighborhood. Then again, this is car country and people love their vehicles here, so maybe it's not all that weird. Smart cars seem like a cool idea although I rather wonder how they'd handle on icy roads and in the snow. Have you had any problems with yours? I'm guessing no, since I see that you live in Canada?

I admit that they sort of freak me out when I see them on the freeway where here in Detroit the motto seems to be "Drive it like you stole it." They're just so tiny and hard to see sometimes and don't seem like they'd give you much protection if you got into an accident.

Still, I have two children and a husband who stands six foot two, so sadly they're just not a very practical vehicle for us like our Honda.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

I'm 6'5" and there's plenty head and leg room. I drive a Ford van in my job and I wish the seat moved back another two inches. Unlike most American cars, Euro cars seem to have more room inside.

With snow tires the Smart handles wonderful in slippy conditions.

Yeah, drive it like you stole it because it's so darn zippy. It's no muscle car. All the effort is in the middle of the powerband. So it's very quick,

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

I see SMART cars all the time in San Diego, and I laugh at them every time. It's a pointless car and too expensive to actually buy. But if it makes you feel better, great, I don't care.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

It's a really neat car. I'm 6'2" and 240lb and I feel comfortable sitting in it. And you can get it fully loaded for something like 16,000. Nice car for the city. Wouldn't get it myself though.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

I ride a bicycle without a helmet.
I defy the odds.

You can too.

Then again I've heard stories of a man saying "That's it! I'm buying her an SUV!" after his wife got into an accident...


It's odd that you let fear take the wheel and steer.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

The only truely safe place is under mom/dad's blankets. I assume you're taking more risks then that now.

I know a few EMT who ride scooters. They realize the risks more then most. But taking risks is part of life.

You see the Smart Car bounce? The cage was left completely intact. Survival rate in a SmartCar is actually pretty high.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24599768/ns/business-autos/t/smart-car-gets-highest-score-crash-tests/

Life is risky. I don't want to live a long and boring life. I would rather live a short life full of excitement. Riding a motorbike ain't that exciting. Lots of things that could amp it up. Hey, some people minimize the risk of their furniture getting stain by putting plastic covers on everything. I think that ruins the enjoyment of good furniture.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Sky diving is something I havn't tried. It's not on my bucket list.

I had not owned a car for over a decade. I've had work vehicles. Otherwise between living downtown and having bikes a car hasn't fit my lifestyle until this last year.

Scooters are indeed exciting. It's full throttle right out my drive way. Quick too. I can beat any car off the line as long as the race is no more then 10ft long,

So I like zippy vehicles that accelerate quick and maneuver easy. They are definitely fun to drive. Where a Harley or a sport bike much like a muscle car are fun only when racing down a highway. Like somebody said above, they are driven like they are stolen.

Like a scooter, my little car is pretty zippy. I considered getting a rally race car for a while. Subaru's are pretty fun. Smart car had much more room inside. And my certainly car fits my life style.

Besides, most auto collisions happen at slow speeds while parking. Fatalities just get all the publicity.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Just saw this and thought of you....

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Smart debacle. Here's the trouble:

The Smart diesel you drive cannot be licensed in the US. At all. In North America they are available in Canada only.

A limited number of gas Smart 2x2s were brought in, retrofitted by a questionable company in California (ZAP, a pile of crap, but that's another story) for US road regs (about $8K per vehicle) and sold through boutique dealerships (like the Green Car Company here in the NW) for about $27K. These were the good Smarts, getting over 60 mpg. I test drove one, thinking about a purchase. Quite peppy and fun, but too pricey, sadly.

You might ask, but why weren't they distributed by Merc dealers? Ah. The real trouble. Merc is a high-end brand in the US. Dealers want nothing to do with tree-hugging hippies ruining the champagne and caviar party at their dealerships. In fact, current owners of the European Smarts cannot get replacements for their MB emblems that might get nicked off their cars. Those are not sold in the US by MB at any price.

So MB contracts out to (IIRC) Mitsubishi to build a US road model. They lengthen the car, they widen the car, and they dump a shit box engine in the rear. Without turbocharging, this crap box has shit acceleration and shittier mileage, about 42. Doggish acceleration, sluggish handling (but, I will admit, better stability with the widening). All that and worse mileage. The price was better.

So MB builds a great car for Europe, a decent-ish car for Canada (the diesel doesn't accelerate nearly as well as the gas, and gets about the same mileage), and farms out manufacture of a crap car for the US. All so it can sell upscale without getting dealership rugs in contact with Birkenstocks.

That, my friend, is why this car was such a surprise to many. Two options, neither good.