I had just presumed they had decided to bin the cabrio for now seeing as it didn't seem to be mentioned at the release 
-
-
The Forfour looks better in this video than in the pictures, but the non wind windows in the rear are cheap just like the Volkswagen Up ! At 1:27 minutes in the video you can clearly see the bonnet catches on the Fortwo. Don't like that idea that anyone will be able to see how to open the bonnetOriginally posted by ajprice View Post
Comment
-
Bonnet is now lockable.Comment
-
I can't agree with this comment.Originally posted by Thrumbleux View Post
Most of the people I know who bought MINI's, bought them as a cheap way into the kudos of owning a BMW!
BTW. I was following a new Citroen C1 today & the back end looks like the new ForTwo to me with those big square rear lights. Must of used the same computer design program! Must be the in thing.
Comment
-
I think we will suck it and see with this Smart, and grow to love it over time. The more normal they make the car, the less interesting it becomes. I hope they do some special editions for the real Smart lovers. Certainly don't want to go back to a car with a clutch pedal.
It's a dilemma they have trying to appeal to the mainstream.
Any 450's left to buy? :-)Comment
-
The Coupe is due out in December, and they are leaving the convertible versions til Spring/summer, which makes sense, as thats when prospective owners want the roof open.Originally posted by TallOrder View PostI had just presumed they had decided to bin the cabrio for now seeing as it didn't seem to be mentioned at the release
Comment
-
Just like I said - all about how it looks.Originally posted by Mr T View Post
Except the 453 is neither easy on the eye or drawing wannabe Benzers.Comment
-
Come on then, so who's put a pre order in already so that they can be first in the country to have one? What no takers this time? People not in a mad rush? See what you have done smart totally killed the interest. I guess pensioners may buy them if you throw in an owner life expectancy warranty as it'd fit in with jazz note and kia buyers........ They are pretty hideous expect some major MHD type price slashing when they get diddly orders..... Oh hold on if they glue a Brabus badge on it I am sure folks will be fooled enough.Comment
-
I could hardly believe how slow this thread was to get moving! Yep, interest has waned. Early adopters aint interested as 453 is regressing and I guess the gloss wears off over 15+ years familiarity. That and the BMW i3 being the only genuinely new tech on the market.Originally posted by madDan View Post
With MB eager to attract a younger crowd to the A-Class, I wonder if that is where the 453 is really aimed? Noticeably, round where I stay, 451s are driven by the elderly. Obvious progression?Originally posted by madDan View Post
And probably spec them to within an inch of the price of a BMW i3!...Originally posted by madDan View Post
Comment
-
As the Smart normalises and becomes less special, the message board will slow up. Happens on other websites as well on other subjects.Comment
-
You arre right the interest has already started waning, everything has slowed down over the past year or so. The 451 with the MHD was a very poor car design. The new cars are ugly and overpriced, a manual in a city car is a stupid idea, I dont know what they thought they were thinking of but if you are stop start all day in a city the last thing you wanna be doing is constantly pressing a stupid clutch. The design isnt aimed at previous buyers of smarts and the new car just isnt special anymore like the older ones.Originally posted by SmarterAlex View Post
They are heading in the wrong direction, conformity wasnt what smarts were about, but all they have done is go down that route. The more they do that the less likely they are to sell many because there are other better options.
The new car is a huge disappointment. It needed to follow the roots of the 450 to draw back the interest and they couldnt have gotten any further away from it with the new car. People are generally of 2 camps they want a cheap small car or they want a big family car and the new car doesnt fit into either of those categories.
The fortwo being just like its competitors but far more expensive and the forfour being smaller than its competitors and being oddly positioned in a none existent market. There doesnt seem to be any mention of a Roadster of the car and that will also hurt it, the roadster was a big seller and attracted people. Smart doesnt have the history of its name to sell to morons who earn too much like the mini, beetle, 500 etc... so where they expect their market to come from I have no idea. The thing that attracted many people I knew back in the 90s and early 2000s was the idea that the car was customisable. None of that is evident on the new car, if there was the first thing people would demand was new headlights to get rid of the retarded bubble things they stuck on the front!
At least there is one big bonus to it and thats that the old 450 will remain a one of a kind to be admired and wanted well into the future! Smart the brand may die but the great little car they produced years ago will remain!
Comment
-
I think the slow down in interest on the message board does not mean it's going to be a bad car. I have seen a similar pattern with other products, where there were improvements and a better product, but that meant there were less things for people to post comments on. To be fair, we are trying to pre judge a car just from some pictures and video media. It's not real for us yet. Bit I certainly agree with your spirit, and I don't want a clutch pedal. Had lots of fun in the original 450. Who wants a boring old normal car?
-
-
At the end of the day, whether it be cars, planes, houses, gadgets or even food, being different from 'the norm' invariably means more costly as specialist parts/tooling need to be used.
Although Smart would like to be 'free thinking' , 'out of the box' etc, they still need to sell cars, as cheaply as possible & to make as much money as possible to stay in business & keep share holders happy.
The downside to all of this is that eventually we all ending up having the 'choice' from a selection of near identical objects with different frocks on, which is sad.
At the moment we have a 450 and a roadster and although they have their problems, I don't think we'll be changing either of them for a 453 any time soon...Comment
-
I drive in London a lot, I live in Brighton. Most of the Smart drivers in Brighton acknowledge one another as they pass by. In London not once have i received even a glance, and theres nearly always one in site. This to me says they've bought a car, its a smart and they are driving happily to and from wherever it is their lives take them, not at all interested in past looks, future looks, current looks, its just a car that fits what they need.
These people (probably the vast majority) are the people that will buy it as it again ticks the boxes they need and not once considering where its design has come from like we do.Comment
-
Exactly and it's these people that will make smart make a profit, I like the new design, from certain angles it looks odd but I really will wait to see it in the fleshOriginally posted by Bill View PostComment
Comment