Howdy smart car believers,

The smart fortwo recently battled in a four car fuel economy test sponsored by Edmunds and did pretty good.   The fortwo achieved the following miles per gallon (mpg) ratings during the test: 

• Backroads:  43.9 mpg
• City             34.0 mpg
• Highway      40.0 mpg
• Average       40.0 mpg

This is very close to its EPA ratings of 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway.

The following four 2008 models completed in the test:

• Ford Focus
• smart fortwo
• VW Jetta Diesel
• Toyota Prius Hybrid

The test consisted of three stages of driving (backroads, city and highway) Then two calculation tests were conducted (average mpg for entire trip and fuel cost, greenhouse gas emissions).

Listed below are the test results:

Stage 1: Backroads (334 miles) [average of 55-65 mph]

1. Jetta    47.3 mpg
2. Prius   46.0  
3. fortwo 43.9
4. Focus  36.9

Stage 2: City (133 miles)

1. Prius    52.4 mpg
2. fortwo 34.0
3. Jetta     32.6
4. Focus   23.6

Stage 3:  Highway (209 miles) [75 mph average]

1. Jetta     48.9 mpg
2. Prius     47.7
3. fortwo   40.0
4. Focus    37.5

Stage 4a:  Total Trip (676 miles)

1. Prius      47.7 mpg
2. Jetta       43.8
3. fortwo    40.0
4. Focus     33.3

Stage 4b: Total fuel cost:

1. Prius     $53.32   (14.17 gallons @ $3.76/gal : regular gas)
2. fortwo  $66.37  (16.90 gallons @ $3.92/gal : premium gas)
3. Jetta      $66.66   (15.43 gallons @ 4.32 /gal : diesel fuel)
4. Focus    $75.96  (20.30 gallons @ $3.74/gal : regular gas)

Stage 5: Greenhouse gas emissions during test

1. Prius     .18 tons  (360 lbs)
2. Jetta      .19 tons (380 lbs)
3. fortwo  .22 tons (440 lbs)
4. Focus   .26 tons (520 lbs)

In summary, the smart fortwo did well in the tests taking 2nd or 3rd place in each stage.  Achieving 2nd place for the total fuel cost despite needing premium gas says alot about the smart’s design to achieve good gas mileage ratings in both the city and highway driving, thus making it an excellent commuting vehicle!

Take a look at the video to view more details about the test.

http://www.edmunds.com/

After viewing the video, take some time to study the results, and ask yourself “Does the smart car meet my current and future driving needs?” With gasoline prices over $4 a gallon, I believe many Americans will seriously consider high fuel efficiency vehicles.

Also, I’m curious with around 7,000 smart cars sold in America this year (2008) so far, what have smart car owners been achieving for fuel efficiency?  

Let the “HooD” know by writing a comment to this blog.

Finally, to get a better appreciation of all the smart fortwo qualities and features check out:

http://www.america-smart-car-guide.com/

 Together we can make a difference for our country,

 Your “Smart Car Guy”,

Good News smart Car Enthusiasts,

The rankings for the “Greenest Cars of 2008″ have been released by the Americian Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, a nonprofit group and….

The smart fortwo comes in forth place for its inaugural ranking!

This “Green” car ranking is based on the following:

• Fuel economy
• Emissions and estimated pollution from the manufacturers
• Fuel production and distribution

Listed below are the top four finishers and their “green” score based on a scale of 1 to 100.

1. Honda Civic GX 57
2. Toyota Prius 53
3. Honda Civic Hybrid 51
4. smart fortwo 49

There was just 8 points separating 4th and 1st place, with the last car the Volkswagen Touareg having the worst score of 14.

This was a very respectful showing by the fortwo.

Click out the link below to see a galley of the cars with a brief discription.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/27/meanest.greenest/index.html

To learn more about the smart car, check out: http://www.america-smart-car-guide.com/

The smart fortwo does indeed make a statement,

Your “Smart Car Guy”,

Well smart car fans it finally happened…..

The average price for regular unleaded went over the magical $4 per gallon this past weekend.

Here in Boise, Idaho the price has been holding steady at $3.99 for about 10 days until yesterday (Sunday June 8, 2008) when it jumped to $4.07 in the afternoon.

Most major news sources are giving it headline coverage and are asking Americans how are they coping with the skyrocketing price of fuel.

In fact CNN.com has a page dedicated to dealing with the high price of fuel. It’s called: Fueling America, Click on the link to check it out: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/fueling.america/index.html

It has several features that might help you understand and handle this constant rising of fuel prices, I strongly recommend it.

I believe for most Americans, this latest price increase puts them in a very tough situation that requires changes in their life habits; such as driving less, spending less on other items, finding alternate transportation methods.

How are you coping with this crisis? Please share your tactics so fellow smart car fans can benefit.

One of the major benefits of owning a smart fortwo is the miles per gallon rating of 33/41 (city/highway) to help get the most miles out of one gallon of gasoline.

Check out the link below to see more details about the many features of the smart car that make it unique and helps you make your own statement…

http://www.america-smart-car-guide.com/smart-car-features.html

Save money… drive a smart fortwo,

” Your Smart Car Guy”,