No, It's Not a Toy

The parking lot attendant took one look at the diminutive Smart Fortwo I was driving and congratulated me on having a ''nice roller skate.''

A neighbor nicknamed the Fortwo ''the pod'' because of its tall, round shape. And more than a half dozen people asked where the plug is for this new car.

They assumed the smallest and lightest-weight new car in America — measuring just 8.83 feet long from bumper to bumper, or 3.3 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper hatchback — is a little electric-powered vehicle.

But they're wrong.

Despite its weird looks and a weight that's just two-thirds that of a Honda Civic sedan, the 2008 Smart Fortwo is a gasoline-powered two-seater from Mercedes-Benz.

The starting manufacturer's suggested retail price is $11,590 for a base, three-door Fortwo with a 70-horsepower, 1-liter, three-cylinder engine, and no radio or air conditioning.

The starting MSRP is $290 more than the starting price for Toyota's smallest car in America, the Yaris three-door hatchback. And the Yaris comes with a 106-hp, 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, as well as standard air conditioning, radio, and a back seat.

The Smart Fortwo also is pricier than the 2008 Hyundai Accent hatchback, which has a starting price of $10,775 and is powered by a 110-hp, 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine, and also has standard air conditioning, radio, and a back seat.

Many consumers assume the 1,808-pound Fortwo is super fuel-efficient, because it's so small.

But this is no 50-mpg car.

The company bringing the Fortwo to the States, Penske Automotive Group, said the federal government fuel economy rating will be 33 mpg in city driving and 40 mpg on the highway, once the stats are officially posted.

These numbers are better than the 29/36-mpg rating for a 2008 Yaris and the 28/37-mpg rating for a 2008 Mini Cooper. But they're not as high as the 48/45-mpg rating for a 2008 Prius hybrid gasoline-electric five door and the 40/45-mpg rating for a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid.

And with the Fortwo's gas tank limited to 8.7 gallons, the farthest a driver can go on a tankful is about 300 miles, which is roughly on par with more mainstream vehicles with larger tanks.

Frankly, the best part of driving the Fortwo test car — a mid-range model with audio, air conditioning, 15-inch wheels and $13,590 price tag — was the attention it drew. People stared and asked questions and wanted to look inside. Several took pictures.

The novelty, however, can wear off during driving.

There was noticeable and tiring road noise. Even with the windows closed, I readily heard the stereos of nearby cars and the rumble of diesel trucks in the next lane.

The suspension felt like it had little travel for the wheels. Even smaller bumps grew tiring in the Fortwo.

Expansion cracks on a lengthy bridge had me and this short-wheelbase car bobbing up and down like we were searching for apples in a barrel at Halloween. The front suspension uses a lower wishbone, MacPherson strut arrangement, while a de Dion rear axle with coil springs works at the back.

The Fortwo was easily buffeted by passing semis, and a windy day had me holding the steering wheel firmly.

As for power, the 70 horses are sufficient around town, but highway passing was lackluster, especially in hilly terrain. I would floor the accelerator and wait for the Fortwo to respond.

Torque peaks at a meager 68 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm, so even in slower traffic, the Fortwo didn't scoot forward as much as it lurched from one shift point to the next. The automated manual transmission doesn't require a clutch pedal since electronics govern its operation.

These electronics could use some fine tuning, however, because the tester was so jerky at the transition of gears that the car body bucked noticeably. Furthermore, taking my foot off the brake pedal at idle resulted in an artificial-feeling thrust forward.

The Fortwo's interior had a surprisingly open feel — thanks in part to the test car's panorama roof. On sunny days, in fact, I felt like I was traveling in a bubble.

Since there's no engine under the tiny hood of the Fortwo, there's great front legroom. In fact, there is as much as in the front seat of a Cadillac Escalade.

The Fortwo is tall for its size — 5.1 feet — and passengers set themselves onto the seat cushions without having to drop down into them. Visibility from high above the road is thus quite good.

Room behind the two seats is limited, however — in part because the floor back there is high to accommodate the engine.

In the test car, the plastic interior trim that was supposed to be attached to the rear tailgate would separate from the metal tailgate every time I opened it. This did not give the impression of a quality-made car. Neither did the cheap, plastic feel of the gauges on the top of the dashboard that can be aimed in several directions.

Many consumers want to know how safe the Fortwo is. The federal government's official crash test ratings are not out on this model.

But all Fortwos come with standard front and side-mounted airbags as well as electronic stability control and antilock brakes. Curtain airbags are not offered.

A final note: Smart cars have been sold for years in Europe by Mercedes. But they will be sold in the U.S. by some 70 dealerships selected by the Penske Automotive Group. This means Smarts will not be available everywhere, and they will not necessarily be found at Mercedes dealerships.