Driven

Soooo cute, but is it Smart for Florida?

        The first time I saw this tiniest of tiny cars, the Smart Fortwo, I wondered whether I could shove it over on its side all by myself. A female colleague at the Herald, at first sight, excitedly just wanted "to hug it."  And a male colleague, having taken it for a spin, came back to report: "It's a babe magnet!''

       Such are a sampling of the varied reactions the 2008 SmartForTwo will trigger. Some folks still aren't certain exactly what it is: "Is that one of those half-electric cars?" a bewildered Civic owner asked at a gas station. "Does it get, like, 60 miles a gallon?

       The answer to both questions is no. It is gas-powered, all three cylinders and 70 horses of it. And mileage is likely to be between 33 and 43 mpg, not quite as impressive as one might expect from a toy-like machine. And nowhere have I seen an explanation as to why this little 1.0-liter engine-that-could (barely) can't come up with better mileage figures. No kidding, a 10-year-old Honda Civic can match it.

       There are some niceties about the Smart, which is Daimler's attempt to sell Europe's version of cute and economical to Americans tired of big, gas-sucking SUVs. But let's cut to the chase: You can park the Smart in a closet.

       One recent evening my neighborhood's roads were being repaved and everyone had to clear the driveways and squeeze somewhere on a street or swale. Piece of cake; you could park this jitterbug in a mailbox.

       The Smart is so small I missed it, peering from my upstairs window, when it first was delivered to the driveway.

       That brings me to nicety No. 2: a surprising interior. From the inside, it feels like a totally different, much larger car. You can't imagine this is the same golf cart you were just looking at in the driveway. Even six-foot-plus types will have no complaints with the legroom, headroom and shoulder room.

       Visibility out the huge windows is excellent. Open the gigantic sunroof, which makes up most of the dinky top, and you can see the world.

        It's also good-looking inside, with two-tone color combinations and quality materials.

        Cargo space, though, is about the size of a big suitcase. I read where one new owner said it was fine for he and his dog. Well, better avoid the big economy bags of Alpo for old Fido. There are a mere 12 cubic feet of space behind the two seats, and that's if you stack to the ceiling. 

        Access to the rear is gained through a window that flips up and tailgate that pulls down, much like the old station wagons. The rear window on the test car rattled a bit on bumpy roads.

        There also are some not-so-niceties about the Smart. With its limited herd of horses and torque that tops out at just 68 foot-pounds, it is slow from the get-go, even shudders a bit at the initial acceleration. Shifting of the five-speed automatic is sluggish and tedious, actually lurching the car forward each time it grabs.

        Once it labors through the gears, however, it is able to keep up with the traffic and is quite tolerable even at 70-75 mph. The speed is electronically controlled at 90 mph and can't imagine it has much more in it anyway.

        The wind has its way with the Smart, not much of a surprise considering its lack of aerodynamics. At 164 inches long and 61 inches high and wide, it is shaped like a big snowball. The two doors occupy most of its length.

        One reasonable question Smart Fortwo owners are sure to hear: "Is that thing safe?"

        Surprisingly, it is safer than you might think. It's packed with safety technology like front and side air bags and stability and traction control systems. And, its unit-body "steel cage'' of a cabin reportedly has performed well in crash tests.

        The Fortwo base is called the Pure, which comes in around $12,000. Next comes the better-equipped Passion. There also is a convertible for another $3,000 or so.

        Does the pint-size Smart have a future in the land of big cars, big buffets and big egos? Well, it seems to be off to a good start as many have plopped down the $99 deposits.

        But it faces a challenge, I believe, in the U.S. and South Florida. It can serve a niche for short-trips in small towns where in-town parking is a hair-tugging event. But in this land of highways, shopping malls and sprawling parking lots, it makes less sense.

        Cute? Sure. I'll get back to you on the "babe-magnet'' thing.    
   

Base Price: $12,235

As Tested (Smart Fortwo Passion): $14,235

   

Honda delivers hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Clarity

   Honda announced Friday that it has delivered its first hydrogen fuel cell-powered FCX Clarity.

    Ron Yerxa and Annette Ballester took delivery at Honda of Santa Monica, one of three dealerships in Southern California that are part of the first fuel-cell vehicle dealership network.

   The couple are the first of about 200 customers who get to lease the Clarity in the U.S. and Japan over the next three years.

   The FCX Clarity, which gets the equivalent of 74 mpg, is propelled by an electric motor that gets its electricity from the fuel cell. The vehicle's only emission is water.
   

Forget MP3, this baby has a Highway Hi-Fi

   If you think have it made in the shade with the MP3 player, Bluetooth hands-free phone link and heated seats, well, they're tame compared to talking cars and pressure cookers.

   Hagerty Insurance, the collector-car insurance folks, recently compiled a list of some quirky extras over the years. Among them:

   -- Automatic Lit Cigarette Dispenser: As a safety feature, it somehow dispensed a lit smoke to eliminate the distraction of lighting up while driving. Was unveiled in the 1940s, and one of them was attached to the steering wheel. Watch that thumb.

   -- Highway Hi-Fi (LP Player): This brilliant idea, developed in 1955, came from Chrysler. It skipped. No kidding? Would have never guessed.

   -- Electric Shaver: An electric shaver that was powered by a vehicle’s electrical system was developed by aftermarket automotive suppliers in the 1940s, and was an available factory option for a 1957 Chevrolet. 

   -- Swamp Cooler: These were popular from the late 1940s through the 1950s to help cool the interior of cars before air conditioning systems became readily available. It relied on a cool-water reservoir and evaporation. Don't ask. (Hagerty says they're highly collectible, however, at car shows).

   -- Steam pressure cooker: This accessory mounted to the rear bumper to cook food while motoring down the road. It routed exhaust gases through the inner chambers of the cooker to provide the heat to cook the food. Mmmmm.

   -- Whatever happened to swivel Seats? These seats, available on a ’59 Chrysler, would automatically swivel out as the door opened to make it easier to get out.

   What have they missed? Post it if you recall a crazy one.

Toyota Sequoia: Bigger, more capable than ever

        The '08 Toyota Sequoia is bigger, roomier and more powerful than ever now that it's platform provider, the Tundra pickup, has been upsized.

        It can carry eight people, tow a whopping 10,000 pounds, and its optional 5.7-liter V-8 puts out more than 400 foot-pounds of torque. Plenty of SUV, one might think, to move a college-graduate daughter out of her sorority house.

         Then again, "one'' has not met my daughter, who seems bewildered when I tell her one foot locker accommodated all my college stuff in the '70s. Don't get me wrong; the Sequoia is plenty capable and did what it was asked to do. It was just no match for my daughter. It took another one-and-a-half SUVs to get the job done.

        Loading the Sequoia, however, was a pleasure, with a wider cabin this year (wider and longer and taller than the previous generation) and fold-flat seats. Access is made easier with sliding second-row seats. Third-row seats recline and can be folded flat to open up the cargo area even more.

        Access from the rear is easier, too, with doors that open wider and require less effort to open.

        Perhaps even more than cargo capacities, the living room-like Sequoia is about carrying eight adults in luxurious manner. Seats are wider than last year and comfortable, with big armrests and plenty of legroom and headroom. Even adults can travel in the third row, where legroom is as good as the second row. The third row is among the most comfortable of all the SUVs. 

       For long hauls, an optional rear entertainment system keeps younger passengers occupied -- and quiet. And at least 16 cupholders, eight of them for extra-large cups. Don't know why so many -- bring drinks for your friends, I don't know.

        My back handled the trip easily -- with the welcome help of lumbar adjustment that is standard on all Sequoias.

        The Sequoia was introduced in 2000 but came up short with the competition when it came to power and cargo capacity. The second-generation Sequoia now easily keeps up with rivals like the Chevy Tahoe and Ford Expedition.

        The standard engine is the old 4.7-liter 276-hp V-8 but many looking for more power will opt for the 5.7-liter V-8 that's in the new Tundra pickup. It puts out 381 horses and a peak of 401 foot-pounds of torque.

   This big boy is actually more fuel-conscious since it has dual variable-valve timing. The two-wheel-drive is rated at 14 mpg city, 19 highway, and the 4x4 gets only one mpg less on both figures.

        Sequoia's ride can be described in one word: elegant. Its smooth, big car-like handling offers confident driving on the highway as well as on off-ramp curves. Steering is responsive and easy to the touch, even when negotiating a sharp turn (turning radius is an impressive 19 feet).

        Independent suspension in the front and rear contribute to the ride comfort, and an adjustable suspension system is available with the premium Platinum Edition.

        An electronically controlled six-speed transmission (with the 5.7-liter) takes it through the gears smoothly and effortlessly.

        Sequoia's base SR5 has plenty of decent features, like power windows and locks and eight-speaker sound system. But the Limited adds leather trim 10-way seats, roof rack and fog lamps. Move up to Platinum and you get the big engine and 20-inch wheels, memory seats and navigation system.

        If you truly need a big SUV with great hauling power, and can live with the price of gas these days, the Sequoia is an exceptional full-size SUV. With the comfort, ride and rear-seat entertainment system, passengers may just forget they're in an SUV.

       But if you have a college girl, better bring two.

       Entry price: $34,150

       Platinum Edition 4x4: $55,600

   

The hybrid privilege: Prime parking spots

   Tax breaks, incentives, HOV lanes. Hybrid owners have gotten the VIP treatment. Now RexCorp, a real estate developer on Long Island, N.Y., has joined some others in reserving prime parking spaces at its office buildings for hybrid cars, according to a recent story in Newsday.

   A RexCorp exec says it "sends the right message." Not everyone agrees, of course.

   Discrimination, some will yell. I have no gripe with rewarding the green-inclined. So long as RexCorp is ready to give the hybrids the boot when someone, some day, drives in with a plug-in electric.

   And then boot the plug-ins when the first fuel-cell cars arrive.

   What do you think? Hybrid owners deserve special attention?

Mini Cooper: For even more function, join the Clubman

        For those who like a little novelty with their transportation, there's the Mini Cooper. For those who like a lot of novelty, there is the new Mini Clubman wagon.

        Looking like a scrunched-down service van, the Clubman is loaded with Mini DNA, from its droopy front end to its monstrous center-mounted speedometer and airplane-like toggle switches for the lights and locks, windows and sunroof. But then you step to the rear and open its "barn doors'' -- first open the right, then the left. More convenient than the standard Mini hatchback? Nah, but more funky.

          If you think the Clubman looks familiar, you have a good memory. It was inspired by ancestors like the Austin Mini Countryman, Morris Mini Traveller and Mini Clubman Estate which were popular in the '60s and '70s. A classic family trait: the twin rear doors.

        The "Club' can accommodate five; entry to the rear seat is made easier by a right-side mini door, hinged at the back. Rear-seaters enjoy about three inches more legroom than the regular Mini (after all, it's nine inches longer and an inch taller). Still, the back seat is merely bearable, not quite roomy enough to be called comfortable.

        Inside, front doors are adorned with distinguishing features like oval indents and half-moon shaped handles. From the outside, I found the door handles required more effort than they should.

        Two-tone seats can be part leather, part fabric, as if one had decided to upgrade but just couldn't go all the way. But seats are plenty supportive and comfortable.

        Mini raised the rear cargo area to offer a flat area when the rear seats are folded down. It's about nine cubic feet bigger than regular Mini. And there is a hidden storage compartment under the rear floor to tuck some things away when at the mall.

        Touchable surfaces felt like good quality, but sun visors had a surprisingly flimsy feel. A novel instrument panel has a gas gauge with 10 tiny lights, each representing a tenth of a tank, that go out one at a time as you consume.

        A sunroof keeps things bright inside, but maybe sometimes you want to turn off the bright. Well, the sunroof has a manual shade but no solid closure to block out the sun completely, and that means taking more warmth than you wish here in South Florida.

        Options abound to make every Clubman unique: any combination of four interior colors, interior trims like English Oak and glossy Black Piano paint. Twelve body colors are available and the Clubman even has a brown exterior color reserved exclusively for it: Hot Chocolate.      

        Out on the road, the Clubman feels solid and stable, but it also is a rather rough ride -- especially with the sport package and its stiffer springs and shocks and run-flat tires. 

        Its 1.6-liter engine with twin-scroll turbocharger and variable valve timing has plenty of pep. In zero-to-60 tests, it gets beat by its kin, the Mini Cooper S, but not enough for many to notice. The Clubman gets it done in 7.2 seconds, versus 6.9.

        With 177 foot-pounds of torque, it's not exactly overloaded. Yet it performs all around the tach dial and it never feels underpowered.

        And its six-speed tranny upshifts quickly for a sporty feel.

        Fuel economy is comparable to the smaller Mini, rated at 23 mpg city and 32 highway, and that's pretty accurate as I managed mid-20s combined. Assisting in the economy with all manual gearboxes is an "auto start stop'' option which shuts down the engine every time you come to a stop, shift into neutral and take your foot off the clutch. To restart, press the clutch pedal again.

       The sportier Club also gets performance safety features like electronic brake force distribution and stability control.

       The Clubman will hit you up for another $2,500 over the regular Mini and, considering its similar performance and features, that's worth a second thought. But if your pal down the street has the other one and you want a little more room and just as much fun, join the Club.

MSRP: $19,950 - $23,450