How do you drive a smart car?

Answer 1

So this car does not have a smooth, stable, low-speed drive in 1st gear like other automatic small cars. Driving a Smart Car demands conscious (deliberate) gas pedal finagling (trying to find a Sweet-Spot) at parking-lot (slow) speeds. What owners are trying to avoid is an awful Jerking motion.

You see, the transmission is a, Standard (Manual) Transmission that operates electronically. When your foot is off the gas pedal, it means STOP (almost) in a Smart Car!

What about high speeds?

Let's start from a stopped position first. With this car, it is best to "Jack-Rabbit". What is meant by this? A good example is when you happen to be stopped on a Breakdown-lane on a local highway. To get back into high speed traffic, Smart Car drivers must press on the accelerator (to about a halfway position) to merge quickly with oncoming traffic. Yes, everyone is supposed to do this anyhow. But Smart Car owners MUST! Why?

The problem they are trying to avoid, (not only here in this scenario) is hard braking by other drivers. Most drivers are smiling at the sight of it once behind one, they don't mind breaking if they have to.

You see, Smart Cars are designed with a very early and low speed gear shift from 1st to 2nd. Then to make things worst, the gear change takes a while.

What it feels like is, an UNTIMELY LOSS of POWER, or an inappropriate COASTING sensation crossing a busy intersection. Imagine this. You're in a Smart Car, the light turns Green. You know in your gut every Tom, Dick, Harry & Mary wants to "Make the light"! You press on your Smart gas pedal LIKE-NORMAL; you feel movement . . . then . . . thEN (a long pause). WHAT? No power . . .

Cars are in your rear view mirror, while your "Smart Car" is trying to find 2nd gear nonchalantly (casually).

The solution it seems is to press further on the gas pedal. Hence, FORCING 1st gear NOT-SHIFT so early. This gives the car a higher momentum and higher (get-going) coasting speed, and now being farther ahead of traffic - giving you the needed time for the dreadful PAUSE when shifting does occur.

Disclaimer!

"Jack-Rabbit" is a very DANGEROUS way to drive ! ! ! !

The acceleration is so fast; you run the risk of surprising other drivers, (by being in their path unexpectedly).

So be Smart!

Don't do this technique in a mall parking lot ! ! !

Don't do this going into a sharp turn ! ! !

Don't do this immediately on a green light ! ! !

(In other words, check cross traffic to avoid those "I-Run-Red-Lights" violators.)

Anyhoo!

I don't know why design engineers chose this early gear shift. Maybe they wanted to protect the 3 cylinder engine from excessive RPM or (engine) revolutions per minute.

The long pause between 1st & 2nd, I read somewhere, is innate (normal) for manual transmissions.