You wouldn't know the Smart cdi was the world's lowest emissions car if you spotted it on my south London street. From the outside it looks like any other Smart fortwo. Fire up the ignition, however, and the noisy rumblings of the engine reveal the secret of this fuel-thrifty runabout: diesel.
When it arrives in UK shops in February 2009, the cdi will officially be the greenest car on the roads. Because diesel is more energy dense than petrol and the car is a tiny two-seater, the cdi is capable of an eye-popping 85.6mpg and only emits 88g/km CO2. That's far less than the 112g/km CO2 recorded by the next most efficient Smart, the fortwo 45kw model. It also means you'll pay nothing for road tax (VED).
I took the cdi for a spin last weekend to see whether its green halo comes with any catches. Read on for the road-test verdict.
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Anonymous 11 August, 2011 11:46
American legislation has always been hard on diesel emmissions and particulates.
The fact that the little 799cc Turbo diesel is the cleanest combustion engine this side of Mars does not make the situation any easier for Mercedes.
Penske part of the famous NASCAR racing team made the decision to take on the franchise of Smart dealerships throughout America and for a while trade was excellent but due to continued falling sales Mercedes themselves have taken over sales of this great little city car.
With its introduction all 451 Smart ForTwos sold in the states are the less efficient petrol or gas models with lots of other small cars namely the Honda Civic returning similar gas mileage.
The American market is huge and if the Smart is to survive longterm then maybe but only MAYBE the CDi may be introduced there.
The Americans still love their large SUVs and fairly thirsty vehicles with the price of gas not high enough really for the average driver to consider changing to something smaller and more fuel efficient.
Introducing the little CDi to a market where sales will still remain fairly low may be a risk not worth taking and with the decrease in performance over the gas version something that will deter certain customers IS IT WORTH IT ?.
If the Smart is to survive longterm in one of the largest car markets in the world then the American customer must be given the opportunity in purchasing a vehicle that will return fuel economy figures that no car currently available in the states can offer.
It took Mercedes ten years to introduce the CDi to the Uk market and with our very high fuel costs purchasing one makes so much sense especially when over half of all Uk vehicle sales are diesel.
The American market is so different with gas or petrol cars far outnumbering diesels so introducing the Smart Cdi may be a step too far but who knows it may be the only way to ensure the Smarts longterm future in such an important car market.
It's up to you Mercedes.