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Smart recalls ForTwo for bad paint, which could lead to loss of windshield or roof
Filed under: Economy, Recalls/TSBs, Safety, SMART 
Click above for high-res gallery of the smart fortwo
Of all the possible reasons that a vehicle could be recalled, a poor paint job doesn't at first seem all that newsworthy. After all, cars could theoretically be recalled for exploding gas tanks, runaway engines or any number of horror-inducing problems. Bad paint? No harm, no foul -- just take it back and have it repainted properly. Unless, of course, that paint problem could lead to the loss of your windshield or roof while driving. This is exactly the worry that the NHTSA has with 43 smart ForTwo's, all sold in 2008. It...
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Woodward 2008: Watch your step, you might squash someone!
Filed under: GMC, SMART 
One of the cooler aspects of the Woodward Dream Cruise is that its completely open and unmoderated. It's the ultimate "run what you brung" event. Hundreds of thousands of people sit along the edge of the road and watch everything from bikes to trucks go by and the juxtaposition can be fascinating. Seeing a giant yellow high riding pickup truck with the front end of a Chevy Kodiak bearing down on a custom vinyl wrapped Smart is definitely an interesting sight.
Gallery: Woodward 2008: Smart vs Really big truck!  
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smart fortwo Limited 2 on sale this September
Filed under: Economy, Euro, SMART 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart fortwo Limited 2.
A very limited car is now available in a new limited edition. The smart fortwo Limited 2 is the sequel to the 2006 original. The only significant mechanical change from a regular passion Coupe or Cabrio is the addition of six-spoke alloys with 15-inch rubber. The rest of what makes this city car "limited" is cosmetic. The pale blue metallic paint changes color depending on the angle of the light and the interior is swathed in a cognac brown leather meant to impart luxury on this tiny machine. If all that isn't...
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Hold on a sec... BRABUS smart fortwo wins European Cannonball Run?
Filed under: Motorsports, Economy, Euro, Green, SMART 
Click image to enlarge
The Cannonball Run that takes place every year in Europe dpesn't have much in common with the Hollywood comedy it takes its name from. In fact, the goal of the modern-day race is not to finish in the least amount of time possible, but to finish with a specific average speed; 61 miles per hour, in the case of the 2008 event. So, while it may be initially shocking to hear that this year's race was won by a BRABUS smart fortwo, it actually makes sense considering that the smart...
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Shaq buys smart fortwo, wears as shoe
Filed under: Economy, Etc., SMART, Celebrities, Humor 
Standing seven feet and one inches tall and weighing in at 375 pounds, Shaquille O'Neal is one big dude. Must drive a big 'ol car then, right? Umm, not exactly. The Phoenix Suns star center has recently been spotted in his newest automotive purchase, a smart fortwo. Seriously. And, surprisingly enough, he fits! Don't believe us? See above for photo proof. Well, so he sorta fits. It's a good thing that Shaq opted for the convertible, as his head comes up several inches over the top of the windshield. Oh, and we can find no real proof that...
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Mercedes-Benz to introduce fully turbocharged lineup by 2010
Filed under: Green, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, SMART 
When it comes to increasing fuel economy, turbochargers are the replacement for displacement. The combination of highly efficient snails and smaller engines provides the power people expect, while reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. Like other automakers that have realized that forced induction is a suitable stop-gap for improving fuel economy, Mercedes-Benz is in the process of developing turbo'd engines that will proliferate throughout its lineup in the next two and a half years.
Thomas Weber, a Daimler board member in charge of research and development told Automotive News, "All our vehicles will have turbocharged engines in series...
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All Smarts to get start-stop standard
Filed under: Green, SMART 
The already fuel efficient Smart fortwo will soon become even more stingy with the petrol when start-stop technology is employed fleet-wide beginning in October. The start-stop technology, which is called "micro hybrid" by Smart, works by cutting off the engine during braking when the vehicle speed drops below five mph. According to Smart, the engine restarts immediately when the brake is released and the technology will result in a fuel savings of 8 percent, bringing consumption in the US EPA cycle to about 44 mpg on the highway and 36 mpg in the city. CO2 emissions will also be reduced by 9g/km, now netting 103g/km. The technology will...
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Thinking Small: Koenigseder wide-body Smart ForTwo
Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, SMART 
Click for a hi-res gallery of the Koenigseder Smart ForTwo
"Wide-body" is a relative term. An SUV or a supercar decked out with a wide-body kit? Pimpin'. But a smart ForTwo? Well, it's wider, sure. Koenigseder is known for modifying big SUVs, but with this kit it's gone decidedly smaller. The Austrian tuning house's package for the diminutive Smart car widens the body by over an inch, which we're not sure is so Smart for a vehicle designed to park sideways in tight spots. The kit also includes 17" rims, which look positively monstrous on such a tiny car, plus Eibach springs, an aero kit, some...
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IIHS releases official results on the smart fortwo
Filed under: Economy, Safety, Hatchbacks, SMART 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart fortwo crash tests.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has finally released its official data on the smart fortwo, and it appears that the lil' urban runabout held its own during the IIHS' tests. The fortwo racked up a rating of "good" on both the frontal and side-impact tests, while rear impacts were scored as "acceptable." IIHS President, Adrian Lund, made it clear that normally bigger and heavier vehicles are the safer choice, "but among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level...
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The Truth About Smart: fortwo rumors dispelled
Filed under: Car Buying, Economy, Green, Safety, SMART, UK 
Though Men's Vogue has already attempted to disprove the theory that only women can get away with driving one, it seems that smart has seen the need to dispel some rumors about the fortwo, their little urban runabout. Specifically, many people apparently question how large of a person the smart can easily handle, how safe a car this small could be, how much room there is for stuff and what features the fortwo is equipped with. In all honesty, the smart would probably work for a large percentage of the population of both...
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