Mercedes’ upcoming offering to the US market, the Smart car, confused some US consumers at last January’s 2007 Detroit Auto Show. Nestled between mountain-climbing Jeeps and luxurious Infinitis, consumers weren’t quite sure what to make of the quirky-looking fella. But distributor Roger Penske — one of the most successful racecar and track owners in motorsports, chairman of Penske Auto Group, and no stranger to what makes a great car — is certain the mighty wonder, already a big hit in Europe, is a perfect fit for urban US drivers.

On a freeway full of oversized SUVs, is there room for the little Smart? Drivers in the know say yes. The car, half the size of a standard auto, reduces one’s carbon footprint while protecting both driver and passenger in a racecar-like frame.

Environmental impact
The two-passenger Smart fortwo model has nearly double the fuel efficiency of standard passenger vehicles at about 40 to 50 miles per gallon. Purposely built to ease urban congestion, one or two people in a Smart, compared with the same number in a five-person sedan or large SUV, is a much more environmentally-friendly option, especially in tight cities such as Boston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

Smart has other environmental bonuses. The steel Tridion frame — we’ll get to that in a minute — is powder-coated, a process far less harmful to the environment than traditional paint methods. In addition, the lightweight plastic body panels are completely recyclable.

Safety
Many critics of Smart point out its small size must mean lower crash ratings. Although it has not yet been officially tested, Smart president Dave Schembri said, “The car has been designed to receive a four-star crash rating” in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration front- and side-impact tests.

Smart is built around a Tridion safety cell, a rigid steel frame that absorbs much of the impact in a collision. The cell also transfers some of the energy created by impact to crumple zones of the other car in the crash. The engine, located in the back of the vehicle, is designed to slide under the passenger compartment and not towards passengers in the event of a rear hit. There are crash absorbing structural elements in the front and back of the vehicle that act as crumple zones in high-impact collision. Aluminum struts in the doors and front and side airbags create a car much safer than it initially appears.

“The best way to explain it is that this car is surrounded by a roll cage,” said Kai Goddard of SmartUSA. “If you watch a stock car or touring car race and you see a crash; parts break apart and the driver is safe inside. That is exactly what we have here with this car.”

Urban driving convenience
Smart is about half the size of a Honda Accord. At 8.8 feet long, the fortwo can fit headlong into a parking spot in which even a compact car would only fit length-wise. This means two Smarts can fit into a spot that would only fit one larger vehicle. Some European cities have even created Smart-only parking out of previously unused inches of street space.

Don’t let that compact appearance fool you, however. During the current Smart marketing road show, in which the public was invited to take Smart for a preview spin, drivers over 6-1/2 feet tall were regularly seen climbing in, and all reported having plenty of legroom.

“The legroom in this car is about the same as a c-class Mercedes,” said Goddard.

Another convenience seems to be Smart’s maneuverability. “If you’re driving in low-speed urban situations, a small car might be a better alternative,” said Russ Raider, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But Smart isn’t just for low-speed driving conditions — the fourtwo goes at least 90.

Smart money
This car’s got smart pricing, too. Starting at around $11,000, additional savings really start to pile up when gas savings are taken into consideration.

“When people commute they’re often alone, so why would they want to take on the cost of a four-seater vehicle?” asks Roger Penske. “The Smart will achieve over 40 mpg at a time when fuel costs are higher than I can ever remember. This is a metro car for a high-density market.”

What about Smart’s closest competitor, the Mini? Penske doesn’t consider it competition at all. “A typical Mini will be $6,000-$7,000 more expensive,” he said, “and the ownership costs are higher.”