The Auto Writer

Lease a Smart Fortwo from $169 per month through February 2010.

The Smart Fortwo has reached an important milestone. This month makes it two years since the Fortwo first went on sale in the United States, but over that time the tiny two-seater has seen demand flow and ebb. Gas prices have either stoked or dampened customer demand making it difficult for the Penske Automotive Group, exclusive US distributor, to move the tiniest car on the market.

36-Month Lease Option

Now Daimler Financial Services is intervening by offering a lease deal that just may jolt sales. Last June, Smart rolled out 4.2 percent financing, but that effort resulted in only a minor boost in sales. Thanks to a leasing special, buyers can plunk $999 down (plus a $595 acquisition fee and the first month’s lease payment) on their Fortwo and pay just $169 per month for the next thirty-six months.

Your leasing cost totals just over $7600 for three years with a purchase option of $6,534.15 plus taxes offered with your closed-end lease. Oh, by the way, you are limited to 30,000 miles of travel before a twenty cent per mile charge kicks in. Read the fine print before signing up; insurance, license, tags, and other fees are extra. This deal is good through February 28.

The $169 lease deal applies to the base Fortwo with the Passion coupe lease running at $189 while the Fortwo cabriolet can be had for $249 per month. Squint your eyes when you read the fine print because you will find a $395 vehicle turn in fee charged too. Now THAT is a rip off!

Roomy & Peppy

Though small, the Smart Fortwo offers some surprises to drivers. At 6′, my frame easily fits in the cabin area with room to spare. Indeed, I have heard people as tall as 6’5” remark that they had enough room with the seats offering correspondingly good support. The Fortwo may sit on a 6′ long wheelbase, but every square inch is used, well, smartly.

Underneath the hood, the tiny 1.0L three in-line engine seems like it wouldn’t have the power to push a riding lawn mower never mind a commuter car, but it, too, surprises. Paired with a five-speed manual automatic transmission, the peppiness of this motor is evident, providing more than enough power to move you and your passenger out of the way of that rig bearing down on you as well as delivering combined fuel economy in the upper 30s.

More Models Needed

One problem with the Smart line is its lack of new products. Every vehicle sold is a variation on the Fortwo frame including the BRABUS series which offers additional performance and a fancier trim level.

Soon, however, a pure electric plug-in Smart will be offered with test vehicles showing up on US streets later this year. Pricing is a mystery as is its official roll out date, but Daimler is intent at offering an electric car and the Smart Fortwo has been chosen to feature this technology.

Source: Smart USA