German Car Zone

Smart ForTwo MHD Named Germany's Most Cost-Efficient Car By EurotaxSchwacke


Posted October 6, 2008 At 11:15 AM CST by T. Philips

Summary:

According to German market observer EurotaxSchwacke, the smart fortwo micro hybrid drive (mhd) is still Germany's most cost-efficient car, confirming previous cost calculations by numerous other trade magazines and ADAC (Germany's largest automobile club). In the study, a total of 16 vehicles from the mini car segment were evaluated, after which it was determined the smart fortwo mhd costs €27.52 to drive 100 kilometers. When compared to the segment's most expensive model, which costs €38.88 per 100 kilometers to operate, the smart fortwo mhd saves drivers approximately €1,700 per year, assuming an annual mileage of 15,000 kilometers.

To arrive at these figures, EurotaxSchwacke' team evaluated the various models based on tax, insurance and fuel, and in addition, they then considered the cost of wearing parts, maintenance, repairs and the vehicle's loss of value for an ownership period of 36 months and a mileage of 45,000 kilometers. According to Martin Verrelli, Managing Director of EurotaxSchwacke GmbH: "The running costs are also an important factor to consider when choosing a vehicle. Otherwise there is a great risk of a supposedly low-priced purchase turning into a flop." After each of the preceding factors were taken into account, the smart fortwo mhd once again managed to retain its supremely cost-efficient status, further establishing its sovereign reign over the mini car segment.

To learn more about the smart fortwo mhd as well as its evaluation by EurotaxSchwacke, keep reading for the official press release.

Enjoy ladies and gentlemen.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)






OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Environmentally friendly and economical: The smart fortwo mhd is the most inexpensive way of running a car.

The smart fortwo is still Germany's most cost-efficient car. This is the conclusion reached by experts from the prestigious market observer EurotaxSchwacke after analysing 16 vehicles in the mini car class. They confirm previous cost calculations by numerous trade magazines and the ADAC, Germany's largest automobile club. Owners of a smart fortwo mhd save around €1,700 in running costs compared with the most expensive model in this class.

The smart fortwo tops the ranking of low cost vehicles once again. After auto motor und sport, Auto Bild, Autozeitung and the ADAC, now EurotaxSchwacke GmbH also confirms that the smart two-seater has the lowest running costs in the mini car category. No other car is cheaper to run in Germany.

In the latest examination the experts compared the running costs of 16 vehicles from the mini car segment. They found that it costs €27.52 to drive a smart fortwo coupé pure mhd (micro hybrid drive) 100 kilometres. For comparative purposes: the most expensive model tested costs €38.88 per 100 kilometres. With an annual mileage of 15,000 kilometres this means that smart drivers save approximately €1,700 per year.

In addition to tax, insurance and fuel, the complex calculation of the total costs also considered wearing parts, maintenance, repairs and the vehicle's loss of value for an ownership period of 36 months and a mileage of 45,000 kilometres. "The running costs are also an important factor to consider when choosing a vehicle", says Martin Verrelli, Managing Director of EurotaxSchwacke GmbH. "Otherwise there is a great risk of a supposedly low-priced purchase turning into a flop." The EurotaxSchwacke calculations provide impressive real-world proof of the savings potential of smart's micro hybrid drive technology, which has been successfully deployed in production vehicles since 2007.

To reduce the fuel costs of the smart fortwo even further, from October 2008 the two petrol models with 45 kW/61 bhp and 52 kW/71 bhp engines will be equipped with mhd technology as standard. This reduces the fuel consumption of both versions by around eight percent to 4.3* litres in accordance with the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). CO2 emissions are reduced to 103 grams* per kilometre. Savings of up to 19 percent are possible in urban traffic with frequent stop-and-go situations. This means that in future 7 out of 10 customers in Europe who choose a petrol model will be able to take advantage of this environmentally friendly technology.

Smart has implemented the automatic start/stop system in a particularly ingenious way: the control electronics shut down the engine as soon as the driver brakes and the vehicle's speed falls below 8 km/h – for example when approaching traffic lights. The engine starts again in the fraction of a second when the driver releases the brake pedal. The predictive engine shut-down effectively lengthens the time without fuel consumption.

The system is optimised for the smart fortwo's automated manual transmission and is fully automatic – no clutchwork or gear shifting are needed. mhd technology is extremely well suited to the urban use patterns of smart fortwo customers and makes it particularly easy to save fuel and emissions.

* softip-modus

Copyright © 2008, Daimler AG

Source: eMercedesBenz.com -- Smart ForTwo MHD Named Germany's Most Cost Efficient Car by EurotaxSchwacke

Saturday we go down to pick up my dad's Smart. It finally came in over a month later then it should have. A month ago we would have paid cash for it... F***ing stock market.

Smart had better have something ready to flush out the brand when the novelty wears off. I still can't believe how small this car is when I see it on the road. One guy was right in front of a Peterbuilt on the Interstate the other day, I sped up so I didn't have to watch that scene anymore.

M

Lol this is very funny. So how is Smart catching on over there in the USA. Is it a disaster or will/has the car catch on?

Waiting list is about a year long. In some cities you can pick up an orphan, but other cities have none.

My bud just bought his second Smart. It's a convertible this time.

^That is a cool actually and i like it

Oh Smart is a runaway hit here, over 18,000 sold so far this year. The Penske group that sells them says they could sell over 40K units if they had them to sell. They're quite popular in and around the Chicago area. They launched the Smart during the height of the gasoline price hysteria and it caught on like wildfire even though it doesn't get the gas mileage of some bigger cars.

M

^The gas mileage ratings for the Smart are wack. You can get better than what it says by the EPA.

My 07 E350 is rated highway at 26, the same exact car for 09 is rated at 24, yet I can easily get 28 mpg while driving 80mph+