Getting Smart About Smart
I haven’t written a whole lot about Smart, the teenie weenie two-seater set to hit U.S. 
streets later this month for the first time. At the NAIAS, the Smart was on display and getting a lot of attention. I made sure that I grabbed a media pack and took some photos for posterity’s sake.
I knew about the special cage the body was wrapped around, but hadn’t seen it close up. It is this cage which promises to protect drivers in the event of a cataclysmic collision, with proof of this evident in a YouTube video which shows a Smart car racing down the highway at 70 mph and hitting a concrete divider head on. Instead of exploding in thousands of pieces, the Smart hit the barrier and moved to the side and stopped. Damage to the body was notable, but the cage was left in tact.
The car is expected to win a four-star crash rating, which is extremely good for a vehicle of its size.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
A friend of mine had a crash whilst driving a Smart – a truck jumped a red light – he showed me photos afterwards and I was amazed to see how well such a tiny car took the hit.
Now, off to find the video on YouTube!
January 15th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Driving Course, I’m glad your friend survived. I’m impressed by this car in that the safety cage is effective enough to protect its occupants. The YouTube video rocks!