Images of Canberra - Capitals' Smart Car parked sideways outside Tilleys

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

And 4.5l/100km doesn’t seem that good for bike – I once owned a car that would do 5.5l/100km around town!

My Charade did that, easily. And my hulking “SUV” guzzles a massive 7.5 l/100km, argh, the beast is driving me to wrack and ruin.

I love people with Falcodores complaining about gas-guzzling 4WDs.

I quite like the Smart roadster thingy, soft-top. If it was priced more realistically, I’d get one for sure.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Makes sense. I was thinking of getting a van once as well, but unfortunately wouldn’t get enough use of it in the way you’re thinking of using yours.

That’s the thing. I can’t justify a V6 anymore. Yeah, it’s big and comfortable for long hauls like Moruya to Brisbane in one hit last Christmas Day, and I definitely need cruise control (as I had my pelvis re-modelled by a NT Range Rover with bullbars outside Dickson Library when I was 11 years old, and then had my spine re-sized and angle-ground when I was 28, so long distances ain’t fun). But further than that, I’ll definitely get the use out of a mini-bus. Kiddies won’t mind the extra room either.

It’ll be a cold day in hell and they’ll be handing out the great coats by the side of the river Styx the day I get a 4×4. I love the bush but have no need to go off road unless it’s on foot.

I suspect that’s down to the rider…

Ahh, say no more…

I was actually eyeing off a 4cyl Tarago style thingy on the weekend that was way cheap and very well-maintained. I need the extra space for rocking up to strange festivals late at night and being able to stagger back to same at 4am after a singing session without having to bother with putting up a tent in possible driving rain.

Makes sense. I was thinking of getting a van once as well, but unfortunately wouldn’t get enough use of it in the way you’re thinking of using yours.

Actually p1 – that makes good sense – as a lot of the trip to the moon was just coasting using no fuel at all.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

And 4.5l/100km doesn’t seem that good for bike – I once owned a car that would do 5.5l/100km around town!

I suspect that’s down to the rider…

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

(The V6 is going just as soon as I can find something in a nice 4cyl that meets my various needs.)

It would want to be a cheap 4 cyl, second hand large cars aren’t worth much these days!

And 4.5l/100km doesn’t seem that good for bike – I once owned a car that would do 5.5l/100km around town!

I was actually eyeing off a 4cyl Tarago style thingy on the weekend that was way cheap and very well-maintained. I need the extra space for rocking up to strange festivals late at night and being able to stagger back to same at 4am after a singing session without having to bother with putting up a tent in possible driving rain.

I tried this trick at a non-musical event a couple of years ago and made the mistake of going for the tent erection (ahem) AFTER the commencement of the convivialities, and the result was something like ‘Los Trios Ringbarkus’ trying to put up their deckchairs, for anyone for whom that makes sense or paints a visual picture.

(The V6 is going just as soon as I can find something in a nice 4cyl that meets my various needs.)

It would want to be a cheap 4 cyl, second hand large cars aren’t worth much these days!

And 4.5l/100km doesn’t seem that good for bike – I once owned a car that would do 5.5l/100km around town!

And it only counts as efficient if you car pool with 400 odd of your closest work mates.

Oh – and in terms of power to weight to distance travelled – the most efficient vehicle ever devised by man is the new Airbus A380.

I know that leaving the earth’s orbit takes a lot of energy, but the trip to the moon was a very, very long way, so on that basis I would be interested to know how the apollo missions stack up.

Loose Brown said :

Oh – and in terms of power to weight to distance travelled – the most efficient vehicle ever devised by man is the new Airbus A380.

But I’d like to see you park it at Tilleys.

Oh – and in terms of power to weight to distance travelled – the most efficient vehicle ever devised by man is the new Airbus A380.

Well I have a 2-stroke motor on my bicycle – it’s a 48cc, generates 1.6 kw at 5,000 rpm. I get 100km per 1.5 litre tank. If it rains I get wet, it has a top speed of 35km/hr on the flat. Hit a hill, you have to pedal a bit to keep it in the powerband.

It is a beautifully efficient machine however I can’t ride it around Canberra because it’s illegal (power-assisted bicycles in the ACT are limited to 200w).

My bike gets 16km to the big mac – hows that for value yo!

My car gets forty rods to the hogshead, and thats the way I likes it.

nathan said :

My bike gets 4.5L/100km, carries 2 people, a carton of beer and half a dozen bottles of wine, is easier to park than even a Smart, and I don’t look like a wanker on it. Oh, and it was a third of the price.

I once bought a Scandanavian pram/stroller that fits a case of beer underneath.

That facility sealed the deal.

Forgot to mention, my bike’s 185kW/tonne outperforms the Smart’s 69.3kW/tonne.

Deano said :

But you’re not comparing like for like. The equivalent spec Mazda3 is $29,600. Plus the Mazda3 only gets 8.7l/100km compared to the Smart’s 4.7l/100km – a saving of nearly $1000 per year in petrol costs alone.

My bike gets 4.5L/100km, carries 2 people, a carton of beer and half a dozen bottles of wine, is easier to park than even a Smart, and I don’t look like a wanker on it. Oh, and it was a third of the price.

Downside? If it rains, I get wet. And… no, that’s all.

It’s a good point, sepi. I’m parked around the corner from where this pic was taken but I had to do several laps in my big V6 Commodore before I fluked a spot when someone left.

(The V6 is going just as soon as I can find something in a nice 4cyl that meets my various needs.)

And we have such a parking issue. If more people drove these they could do a whole row of tiny carparks in the front row to free up a a few spots. and ACT govt could start off by getting a flock of them.

And besides you look like a bigger wank in the Smart then the Fiesta.

Only to insecure V8 and SUV owners

Good comeback! 🙂

What fuel consumption are you actually achieving driving in and around Canberra? Does this vary much on a trip? I’m curious as to the real world figures these little beasties get.

Only to insecure V8 and SUV owners.

To insecure V8 owners maybe. To the SUV owners you look like a speed-bump 🙂

skaboy12 said :

Do a comparison and see if its worth the difference. I have specced up two cars. A smart fortwo and a ford fiesta. I hyave added the required options to both to make them as equal as possible.

Now work out the fuel usage, factoring in 10 cents a litre more for premium, 20000km a year and you end up with a difference in fuel cost of about $430. so you would need to drive the smart for 13 years to make up the difference in the initial purchase price.

This doesn’t include the added seating capacity of the Fiesta, the increased luggage area, the better safety, or the significantly cheaper servicing costs. Both are European cars, so thats not a factor.

The smart only needs 95RON fuel but the price differential is the same. Cheaper stamp duty, registration, insurance and lower depreciation significantly reduce the payback period.

Luggage space in the smart is smaller but it is also 100l per passenger, much bigger than the Fiesta’s 52l.

The other factor to consider is weight. The Fiesta weighs in at 1095kg vs the smart’s 750kg. In power to weight terms the smart’s 69.3kW/tonne outperforms the Fiesta’s 67.5kW/tonne.

And besides you look like a bigger wank in the Smart then the Fiesta.

Only to insecure V8 and SUV owners.

On the other hand they would be able to fit into the “Tree spots” in a lot of car parks, that’d be handy.

You see them all over London, perfect for a place like that.

You do hey Thumper – but as you mentioned…In LONDON! They have vastly different traffic challenges there compared to Canberra. I think yet another Canberra compulsion to try and be like their US or European counterparts, and failing embarrassingly.

In Sydney or Melbourne I could see some more value!

Deano said :

Morgan said :

The smart car is $22,000, thats the same as a Mazda3, Lancer etc. Yeah Nup.

But you’re not comparing like for like. The equivalent spec Mazda3 is $29,600. Plus the Mazda3 only gets 8.7l/100km compared to the Smart’s 4.7l/100km – a saving of nearly $1000 per year in petrol costs alone.

Deano,
Do a comparison and see if its worth the difference. I have specced up two cars. A smart fortwo and a ford fiesta. I hyave added the required options to both to make them as equal as possible.

Smart ForTwo
Cost – $24980
Seats – 2
Power – 52kw
Torque – 92Nm
Fuel Quality – Must be 98ron
Fuel Consumption – 4.9l/100
Boot Space – 220l

Ford Fiesta
Cost – $19290
Seats – 5
Power – 74kw
Torque – 146Nm
Fuel Quality – 91 – 98ron
Fuel Consumption – 6.8l/100
Boot Space – 261l

Now work out the fuel usage, factoring in 10 cents a litre more for premium, 20000km a year and you end up with a difference in fuel cost of about $430. so you would need to drive the smart for 13 years to make up the difference in the initial purchase price.

This doesn’t include the added seating capacity of the Fiesta, the increased luggage area, the better safety, or the significantly cheaper servicing costs. Both are European cars, so thats not a factor.

And besides you look like a bigger wank in the Smart then the Fiesta.

Glad it’s working out for you Mathman 🙂

I personally hate the car, but I do recall seeing on an episode of UK Top Gear a new model sports car they released. Can’t actually recall if it was a smart or something similar…
Anyhoo, it was a great-looking little car and if I didn’t need a back seat, I would definitely consider it…

Ok, I’ll admit to being a smart car owner.

Overheard said :

I still wouldn’t fancy driving one, say, from here to the south coast. One decent ocean breeze and you’d be back in Braidwood.

I recently drove my smart car from Canberra to Sydney and back. It had no trouble maintaining highway speeds and, yes on blustery days like today it is a bit twitchy. It did the Canberra Sydney return trip on one tank of fuel which is just over 33 litres or $50 – cheaper than the bus.

shauno said :

Yep the Smart was actually designed to park like that. Ive driven them in Paris and you can get a turbo version lol its a good car for packed cities like Paris but not Canberra.

Turbo version is also available in Australia. I actually swapped my sports car for the smart. Why, well the sports cars could do 0-100 in 6 seconds and top speed of 220km/h but 98% of my driving is one person commuting to and from work – 0-100 in 5 minutes and top speed of about 80km/h on a good day. Just didn’t make sense to cart around three empty seats and 1000kg of extra metal for no real reason. Not only is the fuel economy better, registration, insurance and maintenance costs are cheaper – about $2300 a year cheaper to run than my previous car.

As for comparing it to a Getz – you get what you pay for. The smart is a Mercedes and is one of the better cars I’ve ever owned.

Granny said :

Well, I think they’re cute.

You’re not alone Granny – it has proven to be quite the chick magnet as well – something about their size and the inverse relationship to the owner’s manhood.

And Pandy, the HSV story on Top Gear was pretty cool. Interestingly, on a highway/freeway drive those 400 horsepower HSVs will beat most medium and large sized 4WDs for fuel consumption!

I’m not sure why you’d buy a Smart car other than for the space issue. In terms of fuel consumption they are not particularly good for their size. Many small diesels will get below 5l/100km, and many small petrols (such as a $13k Hyunday Getz) will get about 6l/100km, and you get 5 seats.

As Thumper says, they’re perfect for somewhere like London (which is nothing like Canberra).

Yep the Smart was actually designed to park like that. Ive driven them in Paris and you can get a turbo version lol its a good car for packed cities like Paris but not Canberra.

Well, I think they’re cute.

Deano said :

Morgan said :

The smart car is $22,000, thats the same as a Mazda3, Lancer etc. Yeah Nup.

But you’re not comparing like for like. The equivalent spec Mazda3 is $29,600. Plus the Mazda3 only gets 8.7l/100km compared to the Smart’s 4.7l/100km – a saving of nearly $1000 per year in petrol costs alone.

I still wouldn’t fancy driving one, say, from here to the south coast. One decent ocean breeze and you’d be back in Braidwood.

The HSV was using 350L/hundred kms when it ws doing 250km/h on Top Gear. Burn a hole in the ozone layer lads!

That’s why that Smart is that awful shape and size, so it is actually legal to park nose-in to the kerb like that. They were probably trying to educate everyone else… these Kei cars can do that.

Still looks like a phone booth in a strong wind though, and costs 10k too much.

Morgan said :

The smart car is $22,000, thats the same as a Mazda3, Lancer etc. Yeah Nup.

But you’re not comparing like for like. The equivalent spec Mazda3 is $29,600. Plus the Mazda3 only gets 8.7l/100km compared to the Smart’s 4.7l/100km – a saving of nearly $1000 per year in petrol costs alone.

The smart car is $22,000, thats the same as a Mazda3, Lancer etc. Yeah Nup.

Hahahahhahahaahahaha I know it’s one of my favourites….

Mind you all the capital’s girls are bigger than me so I tread once more lightly through the night…..shhhhhhhhh

Oh sleaze that is such a back-hander to wimin. Except for the ones with more X chromosone.

The smart car was actually designed specifically to allow it to park like that on European streets it’s dimensions are marginally within the legal size to park within a normal car space like that in Europe except of course you can fit three or four within the lines. It is also legal to park them in Europe between two normally parallel parked cars. Of course in Australia we’ll regulate it and fine you thereby reducing the incentive once again to purchase a fantastic (for some people) environmentally sound, cheap alternative to ford and holden sedans which are in rapid decline. The smartcar is everywhere in Europe for exactly those reasons… oh and it’s legal for women to drive over there… unlike here they have driver training to prepare them for operating in a role that requires spatial awareness and the ability to judge objects at speed.

Yawn same old story really copy paste copy paste

sure it’s not some sort of clever (?) advertising thing by the people that sell Smart cars? There was a thread on here a while back (before JBs return) with pictures of Smart cars parked sideways.

hmm what would Jessica Wright say… lol

Possible bumper stickers:

“Women’s basketballers do it sideways.”

“I brake for very tall women in sensible shoes.”

Not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that!

And for the record, I’m a big fan of the Capitals. Love watching them play and very appreciative that they’re so supportive of cancer charities, esp. breast cancer. Very fond memories of selling pink ribbons outside a home game.

(Thank me now for not doing anything creative with the ninth last word in the previous para.)

Capital players are so gay

Carrie Graff is a regular (nose in) parker of a Smart here in the city….

p1 said :

I wouldn’t be caught dead driving one myself, though.

I wouldn’t either, unless it was either this or this.

wow. that is pretty good. but if you ran over a falcon or holden, would you have the weight to crush it?

Holden Caulfield said :

They’ve been parking Smart cars like this in Europe…

Which has always been illegal. Having lived in Berlin, I’ve seen many a sideways Smart Car awarded a white piece of paper under the wiper.

i would like a smortina please, with mags and lowered and a scoop in the hood.

p1 said :

I wouldn’t be caught dead driving one myself, though.

I wouldn’t either, unless it was either this or this.

Or a Smorvette or a Smorche or a Smerari

Missed a bit:

If the road is a two-way road, the driver must position the vehicle parallel, and as near as practicable, to the far left side of the road.

johnboy said :

The sign doesn’t demand parallel parking, and they’re within the lines, where’s the problem?

The Australian Road Rules are the problem.

Reg 208
The driver must position the vehicle to face in the direction of travel of vehicles in the marked lane or line of traffic on, or next to, the part of the road where the driver parks.

This rule does not apply to a driver if the driver parks on a length of road, or in an area, to which a parking control sign or road marking applies, and information on or with the sign or road marking includes the words “angle parking” or “angle”;

I wouldn’t be caught dead driving one myself, though.

I wouldn’t either, unless it was either this or this.

I think is is very smart – you would need to be a point guard – what the bet its Nat Hurst!

i don’t have an issue, but i can see a parkie striking just because they don’t understand why they would park that way…

Yeah, I don’t see why people get so bent out of shape over those smart cars parking oddly. I wouldn’t be caught dead driving one myself, though.

johnboy said :

The sign doesn’t demand parallel parking, and they’re within the lines, where’s the problem?

There should be none. They’ve been parking Smart cars like this in Europe when Ab Fab was still making new episodes.

The sign doesn’t demand parallel parking, and they’re within the lines, where’s the problem?

PickedANickname said :

So If I get one of those I can avoid parallel parking????

wouldn’t think that the parkies would see the funny side of that.

So If I get one of those I can avoid parallel parking????

so THAT’S why it is parked sideways!

This has made my day. Delightfully Canberra (and in this case moronic) indeed!

Insert calliope music whilst doing so

I can just see dozens of overly tall women pouring out like clowns.