Auto News For Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - Ford Refreshes Escape For 2017

Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Tuesday, November 17, 2015.

FORD
Ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford introduced a facelifted 2017 Escape with a new front fascia, new technology, and new engines. The Escape’s new 2.0L turbo is said to be more powerful and efficient, a 1.5L turbo – like the 2.0L – features stop-start tech, and Ford also debuted SYNC Connect, which will enable owners to start the vehicle, unlock the vehicle, and check other things on the vehicle from a remote location. The Escape is Canada’s top-selling SUV; America’s second-best-selling SUV.

VW
The 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune won’t save Volkswagen from its diesel emissions troubles, nor will it be a mainstream car. But to Beetle enthusiasts, it’s likely everything they wanted the Beetle to already be.

KIA
Toyota struck gold with the Prius. But with the auto industry increasingly earnings its keep with SUVs and crossovers, Kia is going to try to replicate the Prius’s success with a dedicated hybrid crossover, the Niro. 

AUTOFOCUS
Across much of the world, Volvo has not been struggling. But in North America, the brand’s sales fell so low some wondered whether its Chinese ownership would want to continue funding the North American operations. The XC90 is here now, however, and it’s selling very well, and Volvo thus appears to be on its way back.

TTAC
Scion is about to introduce a new crossover based on the Toyota C-HR Concept. Scion is already displaying signs of life because of the iM and iA. The C-HR could be just what the brand needs to regain the strength Scion displayed a decade ago. 

RECALL
BMW is recalling 7162 copies of the 2016 5-Series – 528i, 535i, 550i, 535d, and M5 – because of, "an inboard lower anchor for child restraints on the left rear seat that may have been bent downwards, preventing the child seat from fully engaging both lower anchors.” 

WATCH 
Americans couldn’t have the first-generation Smart Fortwo. The second Fortwo sold well at first but gradually waned. The third-generation is believed to be a dramatic improvement. Here’s Alex Dykes’ Alex On Autos review, the most detailed and thorough on YouTube.

2015 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Review - Aside From Price And Range, What The Fortwo Should Be

I like Smarts.

It’s not a guilty pleasure, for I am not ashamed. It is a bizarre pleasure, however, lacking consistency and believability.

THE GOOD • Electric torque • Accurate range predictor • Plenty of acceleration • Eery silence • Lots of space for two + stuff

THE BAD • Burdened by weight • Range not great • Inconvenient charge time • Gets breathless at higher speed • Clearly a car that dates to '08

I’m a true blue car enthusiast with a love of V8 rumble, turbocharged torque, supercharged sizzle, manual shifters, and performance wagons. And yet, I can’t help myself: I like the way the Smart Fortwo steers, I’ve adapted to the way it wants to be shifted, I love the feeling of interior airiness, and I periodically enjoy well and truly pushing a car to its limits just to make proper forward progress. 

Approaching the limits in those performance cars I love? That’s a recipe for jail time.

As much as I like Smart Fortwos, my wife likes them a whole lot more. So in 2009, after our old Topaz, a new Civic, and a Santa Fe company car, she leased a second-generation model during a week of ridiculous Mercedes-Benz discounting that made the Fortwo significantly more affordable than any other new vehicle. The 451 wasn’t as efficient as the diesel model with which she fell in love in 2004, but it was thousands of dollars less expensive, much roomier inside, built better, and – in concert with the severe price cut – free to maintain. (The diesel 450 most certainly was not.)

2015 SMART FORTWO ELECTRIC DRIVE Base Price: $29,255 * As-Tested Price: $29,800 * Drive Type: rear-wheel-drive Transmission: 1-speed automatic Battery: 17.6 kWh Li-ion Horsepower: 74 Torque: 96 lb-ft Curb Weight: 1984 pounds Length: 106.1 inches Width: 61.4 inches Height: 60.7 inches Wheelbase: 73.5 inches Tires: Kumho Solus KH16 Tire Size (f): 155/60R15 Tire Size (r): 175/55R15 Passenger Volume: 1286 litres Cargo Volume: 220 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 340 litres EPA City: 122 MPGe EPA Highway: 93 MPGe EPA Range: 68 miles NRCAN OEE City Equiv: 1.9 Le/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy Equiv: 2.5 Le/100km Range: 109 km * Canadian dollars, includes $2265 in fees.

She rarely drove the car outside of the downtown core where we lived. Chief among the car’s annoyances wasn’t the transmission – the car really does force you into an unconventional acclimatization – but rather the difficulty of holding steady at the posted speed limit of 110 km/h. Fortwos prefer to settle in at an easy 130, a speed at which highway fuel consumption sharply increased. Cargo capacity and flexibility never ceased to amaze. The observed mileage far exceeded the Smart’s official ratings.

RATIONALIZING
Surely nostalgia alone would be sufficient to melt her heart when an electric version of the Smart Fortwo appeared in our driveway in early May, loaned to us for a week by Mercedes-Benz Canada. It’s been years since we ran a Fortwo; lifestyle changes long since made a Smart an impossibility in our family. But a gas-free Smart, with all the charm of the conventional car plus the ability to plug it into our house, is surely a winning ticket, no?

No, not in our province, not in our lives, not even as a second car. A $30,000 two-seater with no performance credentials to speak of, no available tax rebates, lengthy charging times, and a dearth of ordinary creature comforts isn’t a recipe for success. This whole “compliance” electric car production works in a buyer’s favour with the right lease deal, in the proper U.S. jurisdiction, if they plan to operate a different primary car, and, of course, if they like Smarts.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
Click Any Of Images For A Larger View

DRIVING
Attempting to draw comparisons between an electric Smart and cars we typically drive is virtually impossible. This feels nothing like a conventional automobile, more unlike the Nissan Micra I drove the week before than a Prius is unlike a Camry.

More unusual is the stark difference between the way the Fortwo Electric Drive makes its way down the road in comparison with a normal second-generation Fortwo. The electric version is 16% heavier, and with the added weight settled low in the structure, the Electric Drive rides more sedately. But the steering is very heavy and rather unwilling to move far off centre.

Throttle calibration is nicely weighted, and the initial surge of torque is genuinely pleasing, as in so many electric cars. With no shifts to be completed, the Fortwo ED simply continues to build speed in a strange manner, so very unlike the normal Fortwo which, while in possession of passing power at highway speed, doesn’t exactly race down an on-ramp. The Electric Drive, on the other hand, is out of breath at higher speeds.

Brake feel is dreadful in this electric car, but the regen modes (through which you can cycle using the paddle shifters) can be so effective that one-pedal driving becomes commonplace. One-pedal driving is the best.

From a handling perspective, the weight which improves ride quality greatly reduces the feeling of agility that makes the regular Fortwo such a blast in the city. As a result, much of my reasoning for labelling the Fortwo as “fun” is lost, because this car isn’t nearly as enjoyable to hustle around town as the gas car.

RULING
Approximately 16 hours of charging (in a standard outlet) resulted in a range read-out of 140 km, well in excess of the car’s official 109 km (68 mile) range. The estimator was accurate for the duration of the car’s stay. Driving for 40 km resulted in around 40 km of range reduction. (I opted against testing the full limit of the car’s range for obvious reasons.) For the record, in 30 months, my wife’s 2009 Fortwo averaged 5.9 L/100km in city driving, around 5.1 L/100km on the highway.

A Fortwo Electric Drive and a normal Fortwo share another trait. They are most definitely acquired tastes, even for the previously indoctrinated. On day one, the Fortwo Electric Drive comes across as weird and mildly humorous. A day later, it’s simply weird. On day three, you’ve surely encountered an experience that causes it to be unfortunately weird and you’re not especially humoured. Day four brings your mind around to weird but decently useful. On days five and six you’ve learned to drive the Fortwo as it wants to be driven, making it both weird and moderately fun.

By week’s end, it’s weird and likeable. But not sufficiently likeable, not with such limited range or at such a lofty price. Similarly equipped gas-fired Fortwos are at least $10,000 less, ride worse but handle better, accelerate slower but cruise more effectively, and are not limited by a charging cycle.

WAITING
Any interest in a new Smart, whether electric or gas, must be tempered by the realization that the third-generation Fortwo is set to arrive shortly. It won’t simply be newer, it will also be much better. Not only is the outgoing Fortwo Electric Drive not the most newfangled electric car, it’s based on a design that originated seven years ago.

The 2016 Fortwo will be slightly larger but still blissfully small. While the size causes such consternation in legions of buyers worried for their personal well-being, I always believed the Fortwo’s tidy dimensions produced odds which were ever in my favour. After all, there’s a lot less of me to hit.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.

Scion iQ Fuel Economy Ratings

Oft-discussed but never touched, official fuel economy figures for the 2011 Scion iQ are now available (and now, official U.S. numbers too.) Canada's Office Of Energy Efficiency has ratings for numerous new models available in their searchable database, one of which is the anxiously awaited Scion iQ. Expected to be Canada's sixth most economical car, the iQ's figures are jaw-droppingly good.

2011 Scion iQ city fuel economy: 5.5 litres/100 km
2011 Scion iQ highway fuel economy: 4.6 litres/100km

These numbers translate to 43 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway.

It should be noted that the OEE/Natural Resources Canada figures aren't as close to reality as their U.S. counterparts from Fueleconomy.gov. GoodCarBadCar.net's 2009 smart fortwo, like the 2011 smart fortwo, is rated at 33/41 miles per gallon by the EPA - quite attainable numbers - but 5.7/4.8 L/100km by the OEE - quite challenging to attain. Expect the EPA's numbers eventually manifested on Fueleconomy.gov to be more in line with reachable figures. Nevertheless, The Good Car Guy is prepared to up GoodCarBadCar.net's April prediction from 35/42 mpg to 37/45 mpg.

As for the Scion iQ price, we finally have the answer.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Scion iQ Projected Price & MPG
Scion Starts Off Slow In Canada
Toyota iQ Gallery & Dimensions
Top 5 Safety Facts From The Toyota iQ

Mercedes-Benz And Smart USA Sales - October 2010

Mercedes-Benz USA sold 18,351 vehicles in October 2010, scant increase of 0.9% over October 2009. Including the Sprinter takes Mercedes-Benz's total to 19,076. Add the smart fortwo on top of that and Daimler's total in the United States for the month of October 2010 to 19,443 vehicles sold.

What does all this mean? Well, Mercedes-Benz USA sales are up 15.9% in 2010. Its six core models - the C-Class, E-Class, S-Class sedans and the M-Class, G-Class, and GLK-Class SUVs - have all posted higher sales in the first 10 months of 2010 then in the first 10 months of 2009. That said, Mercedes-Benz's best-selling model, the 2011 E-Class, posted declining sales in October compared with the month prior and October 2009. Add to that some disappointment from the Mercedes-Benz GLK350 which has long since ceded its crown in the small luxury SUV arena but which also managed to suffer a huge 23.9% sales drop in October 2010.

Nevertheless, Mercedes-Benz's 2010 version of October won't go down as the worst in memory, of that there is no doubt. It's a pleasant experience, selling 59 SLS AMGs. Not so pleasant is watching smart fortwo sales continually find new cliffs to fall off. Sales of Mercedes-Benz's eight small volume vehicles can be seen after the jump.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class: 5568
Year-over-year volume change: -8.3%
Last month: 5608
Year-to-date: 50,298

Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 3771
Year-over-year volume change: -8.5%
Last month: 5196
Year-to-date: 49,931

Mercedes-Benz M-Class: 2826
Year-over-year volume change: +19.2%
Last month: 2780
Year-to-date: 22,445

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class: 1887
Year-over-year volume change: +32.3%
Last month: 1989
Year-to-date: 15,821

Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 1787
Year-over-year volume change: +60.4%
Last month: 1709
Year-to-date: 11,512

Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class: 1394
Year-over-year volume change: -23.9%
Last month: 1685
Year-to-date: 17,672

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class: 261
Year-over-year volume change: +47.5%
Last month: 142
Year-to-date: 1645

Mercedes-Benz R-Class: 260
Year-over-year volume change: +52%
Last month: 292
Year-to-date: 2466

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class: 207
Year-over-year volume change: -49.4%
Last month: 197
Year-to-date: 2044

Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class: 134
Year-over-year volume change: +15.5%
Last month: 128
Year-to-date: 1756

Mercedes-Benz G-Class: 112
Year-over-year volume change: +30.2%
Last month: 52
Year-to-date: 721

Mercedes-Benz CL-Class: 84
Year-over-year volume change: +27.3%
Last month: 50
Year-to-date: 769

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: 59
Last month: 35
Year-to-date: 415

smart fortwo: 367
Year-over-year volume change: -44.5%
Last month: 422
Year-to-date: 5146

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - October 2010
BMW USA Sales - October 2010
smart fortwo Driven
Top 10 Best-Selling European Cars In America - September 2010
Subaru USA Sales - October 2010
Volkswagen, Audi & Porsche USA Sales - October 2010
Top 10 Best-Selling European Cars In America - October 2010

Blinker Plastic Busted On GCBC's Long-Term 2009 Smart Fortwo

Only a couple months after GoodCarBadCar.net finished up articles based on spending One Year With The Smart, the first genuine build quality issue has crept up in a fairly strange place. Our 2009 smart fortwo was delivered in pure trim with just one option: air-con. Earlier this week GCBC's long-term smart fortwo crossed the 17,000 kilometre barrier - that's 10,563 miles, America.

That's not to say our smart's quality concern didn't arise until the 17,000 kilometre mark, however. A few weeks ago, I noticed a little round piece of hollow-out grey plastic on the driver's floormat. I stared at it for a while. I picked it up. I rolled it over in my hand. I glanced around the car for a few seconds before my eyes landed upon the blinker/headlight stalk to the left of the steering wheel. Missing from the end of the blinker stalk was a little round piece of hollowed-out grey plastic. Hmm. Snapped back on, the quality concern was placed aside as the freaky but forgettable moment of the day.

About a week later, the piece of grey plastic was on the driver's seat. This was, of course, more curious, since I was sitting in the seat and didn't notice the piece of grey plastic until I vacated the premises. Nevertheless, the round piece of hollowed-out grey plastic was placed back in its... place.

Then came today. The run did rise, the clouds disappeared, and The Good Car Mother was due to be intentionally blinded by the eye doctor downtown. (He has his reasons.) Moments after unlocking the smart fortwo and placing one foot inside, I spot the little grey piece of plastic on the floormat once again. This time, as I pick it up, I see that the offending grey piece of plastic has a slight crack in it. It still snaps on - and still won't snap off even if I try - but the crack necessitates a trip to O'Regan's Mercedes-Benz in Halifax as soon as I have time to concentrate on the needs of our smart fortwo's blinker stalk.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
One Year With The Smart
2009 Smart Fortwo Driven
Replacement Candidates For GCBC's Long-term Smart Fortwo
The Good 12 v3.0 Part X - Smart Fortwo
Smart Fortwo Car Wash Photography

750 KILOMETRES, 18 HOURS TO CAPE BRETON AND BACK IN A SMART FORTWO

The Good Car Guy's slackness on U.S. auto sales data this week relates directly to that feeling you get after vacation.... and the feeling before a vacation. A three-day week between ten days in PEI and a four-day weekend for a jaunt to Cape Breton makes for lackadaisacal work effort. The July 2010 sales data for the U.S. is coming very soon, but first, a look back at yesterday's drive.

At approximately 8:00am in Halifax, GoodCarBadCar.net's long-term smart fortwo left GCBC Towers and headed for the Stanfield International Aiport. There, the other vehicle in our transportation tandem (a Nissan Altima driven by in-laws) was acquired. One stop near New Glasgow, another in Auld's Cove, and a long stop at the causeway for a barge to travel through the canal meant time was suddenly tight. The Good Car Girl's cousin was to be married near Chimney Corner at 2:00pm. No problem, right? No problem, except for the fact that supper was hours away and we needed lunch. 

So the final stop was in Mabou at the Red Shoe Pub. This is the Red Shoe Pub operated by the Rankin sisters, members of the famed Rankin Family. Tell My Ma When I Go Home. The food was tremendous but slowish in coming and we weren't adequately dressed for a wedding. The four of us ate about half the food on the table, rapidly paid (the bill was pre-delivered) and estimated TOAs were provided by staff. The time was 1:00. The wedding was at 2:00. One staff member believed the drive to Whale Cove Bluff to be about an hour; another said 45 minutes.

We made it in 34 minutes, thanks to The Good Car Guy's expert driving (*guffaws*) and a very liberal interpretation of the speed limits. Naturally, this being Cape Breton and many members of the wedding party being homegrown, the wedding didn't actually start until 2:35, at which point the officiant (The Good Car Father-In-Law) pointed out that the wedding was actually scheduled for 3:00pm, so it was early getting underway. He was kidding.

Then came the drive back to Judique for the reception. At 10:30pm we left Judique. The Good Car Girl took over driving duties at 12:01am in New Glasgow. GCBC Towers was spotted at 1:45am. 

Fuel economy averaged 5.7L/100km, just over the EPA's highway rating of 41 miles per gallon. The average speed is.... ahem... unknown. 750 kilometres were added to the smart fortwo's odometer.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
One Year With The Smart Fortwo
Photography IX By GoodCarBadCar.net
Smart Fortwo Car Wash Photography

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO/MURCIELAGO/REVENTON EMISSIONS "IMMEASURABLE"

After arriving in Nova Scotia, The Good Car Brother bemoaned his Chevrolet Suburban's poor fuel economy and envied the efficiency of GoodCarBadCar's recent long-term addition, an '09 smart fortwo. Traveling extensively on highways all across this continent, his Suburban was achieving somewhere under 20 miles per gallon. The smart? Routine driving sees near 38 miles per gallon.

Converted to people miles per gallon, however, his Suburban would have been rated around 108 pmpg. GoodCarBadCar's smart with full human capacity wouldn't be rated beyond 76 pmpg. While it's true that no current Lamborghini could attain a pmpg rating over 40, there is another argument - another perspective, really - that ought to be considered when attacking the manufacturer for the consumption and emission of its automobiles.

Over its 46-year history, Lamborghini has produced approximately 22,000 cars. Americans made the Hyundai Elantra the tenth best-selling car in the USA last month by buying 21,673 sedan and wagon Elantras. Context given.

Of the 22,000 Lamborghinis manufactured in the last 46 years, only 11,000 are driven regularly. Unfortunately, this means 11,000 sit in living rooms, museums, and.... avert your eyes, junkyards. More context required? Toyota sold 10,656 Highlanders in August. One can assume they're all being driven. On the school run.

So few Lamborghinis are being driven, yes, but hardly driven in truth. On average, those 11,000 Lamborghinis are driven about 3,000 miles annually. GoodCarBadCar's long-term smart is driven sparingly yet will cover that distance in six months.

Measure the equivalent this'a'way. Take 2,750 cars and drive them each 12,000 miles per year. In other words, that's about 7% of the Honda Accords sold in the U.S. in August driven a regular amount.

Finally, says evo's Harry Metcalfe on Stephan Winkelmann's subject, the "CO2 levels of all the Lamborghinis ever produced is almost immeasurable". And yet, even amongst the automotive enthusiast society, we continue to expect companies like Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley to produce E85-burning hybrids with hydrogen fuel cells and curb weights under 2,000 pounds.

Just for full disclosure's sake, here are some of the Numbers from the EPA on Lamborghini's 2010 models. By the way, the EPA (@ fueleconomy.gov) uses 15,000 miles per year to calculate the carbon footprint of automobiles.

Lamborghini Gallardo 6-speed manual: 12 mpg city/20 mpg highway, 12.2 tons of CO2/year

Lamborgini Murcielago 6-speed manual: 8 mpg city/13 mpg highway, 18.3 tons of CO2/year

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster: 9 mpg city/14 mpg highway, 16.6 tons of CO2/year

EXCHANGE 9500 AIRMILES FOR $2000 SMART FORTWO REBATE

Hearing of $2,000 discounts on a $15,000 car is far more joyous than a $4,000 discount on a $45,000 car. Imagine this, in addition: Mercedes-Benz Canada offers you a $2,000 "Mobility Rebate" on any new 2009 smart fortwo then you exchange Air Miles Reward Miles for another $2,000 discount.

Is 9,500 Air Miles for a $2,000 vehicle discount the most lucrative option for your rewards? Probably not. The price of airline tickets for a typical 9,500 Air Mile flight would be significantly more than $2,000. Nevertheless, the thought of a ridiculously low car payment is enticing.

Sobeys, Sport Chek, Shell, BMO, and Century 21 are just a small group of businesses that allow you to collect rewards for free, if you so choose. Turning those rewards into a smart fortwo rebate doesn't sound like the best use of your reward miles, but it doesn't sound like a bad idea, either.

All of a sudden the $14,990 smart fortwo pure is a $10,990 vehicle. Or, the $18,250 smart fortwo passion can be priced like a pure with the $4,000 discounts sucking the price down to $14,250.

The $2,000 rebate from Air Miles ships inside two weeks and can be used on leases and purchases of fortwos in Canada.

WATCH SMART FORTWO COMMERCIALS

Numerous times over the last few days I've had to describe the spaciousness of GoodCarBadCar.net's long-term smart fortwo. Its twelve cubic feet of cargo capacity is equal to the space inside a Honda Civic's trunk; more capacity than can be found inside the trunk of a new Mazda 3.

Up front where real people spend their time, the smart's legroom is only an inch shy of the Civic's total. Headroom in the fortwo is superior.

Looking back at the older, smaller first-generation smart fortwo (the 450) in this commercial, it's not hard to decipher the ad's meaning. The second advertisement may not be suitable for children, depending on their age and temperament - but it's a hilarious way for smart to establish the fortwo's safety cred.

GOODCARBADCAR.net PHOTOGRAPHY IV

Every now and then The Good Car Guy supplants the normal manufacturer-supplied pictures normally seen on GoodCarBadCar.net with photography from The Good Car Guy and, more frequently, The Good Car Girl. Click here to look through previous posts with GoodCarBadCar.net photos.

Below, you can see a refreshing Esso-made drink perched accurately in front of the license plate of GoodCarBadCar's new long termer. The Ford F250 HD was seen parked at a famous kitesurfing locale in Prince Edward Island, Princetown Point. Finally you'll see the multitude of keys on The Good Car Guy's Monaco Grand Prix keychain. If you can't decide what to send me for Christmas, you've plenty of time to start saving for this Hasselblad H3DII-50.

2009 SMART FORTWO PURE DRIVEN

Not for a minute would any faithful GoodCarBadCar.net reader doubt The Good Car Guy's love for the smart fortwo. Mercedes-Benz's city car has been an economical competitor in the USA since model year 2008. North of the border, Canadians were served the diesel smart fortwo CDI as far back as model year '05. In both The Good 12 and The Good 12 v2.0, smart's gasoline-powered car made its presence known amongst eleven other admired vehicles.

Cutting straight to the heart of the matter, why is the fortwo considered by some to be wondrous but by others, it's wretched? Pay attention to this simple explanation: for those who wish to dine on a lovely barbecued steak for supper, a fork and steak knife will work perfectly. Does that mean a spoon sucks? No, but in this specific situation, the spoon can't accomplish the task. On the other hand, when it comes time for Frosted Flakes in the morning, that spoon will be the perfect tool.

Check Out The Smart Fortwo in GCBC's Top 25 Memorable Debuts

Let's get the smart's negative factors out of the way first. Cargo space isn't overflowing in true Grand Caravan style yet I'll still guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised with the amount of cargo capacity found behind the two seats. Power is far from plentiful. For daily driving, however, you'll rarely want for more. Fuel economy isn't otherworldly. Still, the vast majority of vehicles available in North America use far more fuel.

What's to like? Highway fuel efficiency is better than any midsize hybrid (Camry, Altima, Fusion, Aura). A surprising ability to carry 12 cubic feet of cargo, as much junk as fits in the trunk of a Honda Civic, ain't bad either. And while 70 horsepower sounds piddling, so does 1,808 pounds, the weight of the smart fortwo. Apart from these three major categories, the smart's most charming feature is its driving quality; something that couldn't be said so strongly about the previous-generation car.

With slight increases in wheelbase length, overall length, and width, the smart fortwo now drives more like a "real car". That's not to say the first-gen car wasn't fun, but it was fun partly as a result of weirdness. The newer car copes with rough streets like a vehicle developed on roads outside of Catalunya.

Read About The Fortwo's Major Future Competitor, The iQ

Automatically, three sensations apply to anybody taking their first drive in a fortwo. Approach the car from the rear, take a look in the rear window, then approach the driver's side door to hop in. Expect to take one or three steps too far. Nobody anticipates gaining entry at the rear corner. Next up are the engine sounds emanating from something, somewhere directly behind and almost beneath you. The 1.0L triple produces a truly glorious thrum; Porsche-like in its rhythm. Up to this point you've accepted the fortwo's dimensions. Then comes the time for reversing out of your parking spot and, with a small right turn of the neck, your eyes see the rear window right there. Oh, so this car really is as small as they say? Yuh.

Ignition takes place between the driver and passenger smack dab behind the gear lever. Versatile cupholders sit ahead of the stick. Mechanisms for both windows can be found on the driver's side door now... thankfully. Switches for power locks are underneath the stereo, conveniently located in practice if not in theory.

Start up the 3-cylinder, move the 5-speed automatic's shifter back into drive (and over to find manual shift mode, which you'll almost always want) before setting off. Attention: shift into second when the time comes, lift off the throttle and get back on it as if you'd disengaged and engaged a clutch. Repeat for third gear; fourth; and fifth, although you'll be able to do so more quickly at higher speeds. Treat the smart fortwo's tranny like a truly clutchless manual and you'll enjoy shifting rather than be pained by its idiosyncrasies.

Watch The Smart Fortwo's Crash Tests

Whipping the fortwo out of a downtown parking lot into areas fully populated by vehicles and pedestrians is a revelation. Visibility is so complete, all fears of renegade walkers are stripped away. Don't think for a moment that 18-wheelers or cube vans become a menace, either. The smart is small enough and - it must be clear - powerful enough to intentionally squirt away from intersections into the path of larger oncoming automobiles. Considering the lengths to which new vehicles have gone (Honda's Accord gains 3 inches every generation), it's not difficult to understand the joys of zipping around cities in the smart fortwo, a car 88 inches shorter than a new Accord.

Theories surrounding the smart's perpendicular parkability are challenging to reproduce in the real world. Contrasted with the aforementioned Accord, the smart fortwo is 33.4 inches longer than the Accord is wide. In certain situations the fortwo could be parked against the curb, opposite to the flow of traffic. In two weeks with the smart in a downtown environment I've yet to discover a parking spot capable of handling the smart fortwo in this unique manner.

For most people, however, the real world includes far more than urban situations. It's on a twisty backroad that the smart's surprises really kick in. Forget maintaining sight of almost any other car's rear bumper on the straights. Rear-wheel drive dynamics, paired with the traction given by the rearward placement of the engine underneath the floor behind the occupants, makes for joyous cornering. Keep the throttle pinned to regain sight of the car that had previously pulled away. Enjoy the jig and jag of the steering wheel while selecting your line. No, this doesn't compare with a Mitsubishi Evo X or Nissan 370Z. But it's a whole lot more fun than any of the other lowest-priced cars in North America. Moreover, it's a whole lot more fun than most mainstream front-wheel drive cars.

Passenger comfort is sublime. Seats are worthy of luxurious living rooms. In fact, recent flu-like symptoms culminated with back pain for which the smart's seats were the only cure; no joke. Reaching the iPod auxiliary jack in the glovebox is easy, which says a lot for the remainder of controls, all of which are closer. The wheel does not tilt or telescope, yet the perfect driving position is found quickly.

1 Year With A 2009 Smart Fortwo - July 2010

What's left to bring the smart fortwo down from its perch? Ride quality is stiff; very stiff. Two factors contribute to its spine-shortening ride: wheelbase length (rather the lack thereof) and decent handling. No vehicle this tall and narrow would be able to tackle the twisties this capably without a truly tight suspension. Besides this, most bumps and yumps and dips and holes are struck with the rear wheels at pretty much the same time as the front pair. That's a problem. For some people, it'll be so great a problem that they'll ignore the smart fortwo altogether. Others, The Good Car Girl and The Good Car Guy included, love the advantages a short wheelbase provides. The smart is lovingly small, spectacularly efficient, and wonderfully fun to drive.

HOW CONSUMER REPORTS RELIABILITY RANKINGS RELATE TO GCBC AWARDS

Late last year and in early 2008, The Good Car Guy handed out twenty awards. Well, let's be honest: eight of them were shameful awards. The Good 12 and The Bad 8  place significance on vehicles that can be purchased by people you and I know - no Ferraris, Lamborghinis, or Bentleys. Of the hundreds and hundreds of different models available to the North American consumer, The Good 12 tells you which you should buy if at all possible in 2008 and The Bad 8 makes very clear which cars you should not buy if at all avoidable.

Of course, those vehicles are in the running for 2009's Good 12 and Bad 8. If they're still the best, they ought to be recognized that way. But before that comes, it appears that Consumer Reports has released its reliability rankings, pieces of news in which many consumers (how ironic) place a great amount of trust.

So, how do those rankings compare with The Good 12 and The Bad 8? Have a look below.

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Small Cars: Consumer Reports says the Scion xD and Mini Cooper Clubman are at or near the top while the Nissan Versa sedan is the worst. The Good 12 holds fast on the regular Mini Cooper while the Versa sedan resides in The Bad 8.

Family Cars: Consumer Reports puts the Toyota Prius and Kia Optima at or near the top with the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger platform-mates at the bottom. GoodCarBadCar.net is silent on the topic.

Sporty, Coupes, & Convertibles: Consumer Reports places the Lexus SC430 and Volco C30 at the top with the Chrysler Sebring convertible and Saturn Sky at the bottom. The Bad 8 has both the Sebring and Lexus SC in its grasp.

Luxury Cars: Infiniti's M35 and Lexus IS250 are CR's most reliable; the V8-powered Cadillac STS and V8-powered Mercedes-Benz E-Class are at the bottom. GoodCarBadCar.net speaks neither well or ill of all four.

Minivans/Wagons: The Toyota Matrix and Scion xB are the best of the bunch in CR's rankings, the Chrysler twins (Town & Country, Grand Caravan) are the worst. GoodCarBadCar.net is silent.

In the SUV/truck arena, the Toyota Tundra; Honda Ridgeline; Toyota Sequoia; Honda Pilot; Lexus RX400h; Honda Element, and Toyota FJ Cruiser are all leaders of their respective packs. Conversely, the Ford F-250; Land Rover LR2; Saturn Vue in V6 all-wheel drive form; Land Rover Range Rover; Volkswagen Touareg; V8-powered and diesel-fired Mercedes-Benz GL-Class; and the Dodge Dakota 4x4 are all unreliable by Consumer Reports' standards.

One more thing: Consumer Reports also said the Honda Fit; smart fortwo; and Infiniti G35 are "also very reliable". Those cars are in The Good 12.