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2009 APEAL Study Results
Subcompact Car Segment

The 2009 Smart Fortwo is the most appealing subcompact car according to the results of the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 APEAL Study, ranking ahead of the No. 2-ranked 2009 Scion xD and the No. 3-ranked 2009 Honda Fit, in its first year of inclusion in the study. Last year, the previous-generation Honda Fit was the highest-ranked subcompact car

The 2009 APEAL Study provides information gathered from over 80,000 purchasers and lessees of 2009 model-year vehicles. Overall model performance is measured on a 1,000-point scale. A higher score indicates better performance and a lower score indicates worse performance. The 2009 study covers a total of 90 vehicle attributes, and organizes them into the following 10 categories:


* Exterior
* Driving Dynamics
* Interior
* Visibility/Driving Safety
* Engine/Transmission
* HVAC, or Climate Controls
* Storage and Space
* Audio/Entertainment/Navigation
* Seats
* Fuel Economy



http://www.jdpower.com/autos/article...d-Compact-Cars

 

Not bad, not too sure how we got ahead of the Fit when nothing really notable changed on the xD.

 

the Fortwo is garbage. i was gonna buy one of those until i found out it only comes with a 2yr/24,000mi warranty. you should be suspicious when a company wont stand behind their own product, especially when its mercedes. if you want a longer warranty, its an additional cost through a third party company. from what i remember, it was $1400 for an additional two years. if you want power steering, thats another $850.

the test drive was awful! if feels like you are riding with someone who is just learning to drive a clutch, and its totally gutless. the gas mileage isnt even that outstanding for its size (33/41/36) AND it requires premium fuel. more proof that people will buy whats 'hip and cool' as opposed to what they really need. same reason obamas in office.

people and the manufacturer will also rave about how safe it is for its size. i dont doubt one bit that the car is structurely sound with its 'tridion safety cell', but its the g-forces that will kill you when you and a vehicle that weighs 3 times as much tangle up (curb weight ~1800lbs). simple physics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

right around 2:15 is where you want to watch. car survives, but highly doubt passengers would. they say 70-0mph in 1 second, when its more like milliseconds. they also fail to test the g-forces of the wreck, and poorly concluding safety from what they see with a slo-mo camera. there are enough g's there to put your liver in your lap. this would be about equivilant to getting into a head on collision at 40mph with anything but a motorcycle.

quick summary of the car (in my opinion) as it applies to the categories from JD Power listed above:

* Exterior: people say its cute and upbeat, looks like a piece of cheese. could be worse.

* Driving Dynamics: handles nicely through turns, feels a little top heavy. sucks in parking lots without power steering, although you can pretty much park it anywhere.

* Interior: decent quality, but dont forget about the large hocky puck like sensor mounted ON the windshield right below your rearview mirror (for the automatic wipers). useless gauge pods above the dash that hold a clock and something else.

* Visibility/Driving Safety: again, a touchy subject for me. excellent visibility from within the car, how well others can see you is uncertain.

* Engine/Transmission: definition of weak. without any exageration, my gokart with a 5hp briggs feels more sporty, and also drives smoother. the transmission reminds me of an automatic without any fluid left in it.

* HVAC, or Climate Controls: cant remember much, but they are there.

* Storage and Space:

* Audio/Entertainment/Navigation: crappy, unless you pay to get the upgraded stereo.

* Seats: sporty and comfy

* Fuel Economy: well, for an engine almost half the size of the xDs (1L), almost half the horsepower (70hp), requiring premium fuel, in a vehicle close to half the weight, youd get better than 3-5 additional mpg. weak.

and this is why i now own an xD gets close to the smarts gas mileage, has about twice the horsepower, is available in a real transmission, and is a lot safer.

 

hey! you just went against the Scion selling philosophy. isn;t that why all have Scions. cuz they're hip and cool? and Obama's not in office cuz he's hip and cool. I don;t care either way, but there was record voter turnout for that election. can you guess why?

 

yes, they can be hip and cool, but they also come with neat features called practicality and reliability; something obama and his merry men dont have. same reason there are so many smarts for sale with low miles - "it sounded cool, and was cool for the first few months i owned it, but now i realize that premium is 30 cents more a gallon, and i dont even have room for my bowling ball. i didnt realize how useless this car was."

kinda like:

"he sounded cool, everyone else thought he was cool, the media made him sound cool... but now i have to pay how much more for my utility bill because of cap and trade? i have to pay how much more for someone elses healthcare after they have smoked themselves to death? why should i move up in my job when taxes will bring my salary even lower? do my tax dollars count as a down payment on a brand new GM automobile? i didnt realize i voted for a communist."

the point is, the smart is only on the list because its "something new" from the old, not because its what people actually want. if the smart had everything it does now, but looked like a regular compact, there would probably be about 4 sold. the lack of car is disguised by a trendy design. sure, scions got a trendy design, but it least comes with something to back it up. exactly why nissan and kia have both ripped off the xB. do i think the iQ is ripping off the smart? somewhat, although i trust toyota will build a car of that platform much better. would i buy the iQ over a smart from what i know about it? definitely.

 

Think Waaaay back to September 2008. . .it was G W B that put each taxpaying american in debt 6,000 $ (see 1)not Obama. And this was a post about How well our cars did in a real life study not just an excuse to politically bash presidents.

Back on subject: I thought Car&Driver magazine nailed it back in April 08 with this snippet from their road test; (#2)

"The Smart falters when compared objectively with small cars such as the Toyota Yaris three-door. The Yaris is cheaper, offers 50-percent-plus more horsepower, more than double the cargo space, and, of course, a back seat, while achieving just 11-percent-lower EPA combined fuel economy."




1) http://investment-blog.net/bailout-c...-113-trillion/

2) http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...erpoint_page_3

 

so... its bush's fault, again. sorry, msnbc has burned that argument out months ago. and yet, its okay if obama spends another 1.5 trillion. of course this thread is about our cars, which is what i ended on... so dont tell me im getting off topic when its what youve opened with. what i said in my original post could have been completely ignored as a personal opinion, just like 90% of the other stupid crap that people write on here. there is clearly some insecurity in here.

btw, investment watch is a sad, sad source to quote, especially if they dont even edit their own work:

"Investment-blog.net provide high-value, complementary financial content. This is different from other finance blog because it focuses on opinion and analysis rather than news..."

however, as much as i disagree with the sad state of liberal thinking and baby killing, i can see that we are at an agreement when it comes to the smart. i dont think people understand how much they would dislike the car once they get over its snazzy uniqueness. even with the scion and the fit, if you get past the looks, there is still a strong frame of reliability and practicality that smart cannot even compare to. the fortwo is like a turd with a pretty wrapper that flashes and beeps when you pick it up.

 

smarts true market was for city drivers that cant get parking, was never meant for suburbia drivers. Im sure plenty of rich teeny boppers and mommy cougars wanted em cause of their "cute" appeal but much like a civic, they all end up moving onto a SUV 3x the size and barrel down highways on their cell phone lol
as pickle says tho, everything else about them is a complete turn off to a ordinary car shopper.

Im assuming most of the opinions were from city consumers for the research. I must admit the xD has fit in a lot of tight areas in NYC tho.

I also 2nd that Obama is a fad. Its sad in this day and age, even historical figures like Jackie Robinson are more so remember for their skin color then their actual talents. Obama mainly won just the same how JFK won, by his looks.

Go xD :D lol

 

You've got it all wrong, the smart fourtwo (there's no caps) is a perfect car for those who enjoy hitting their head on the rear window while they reverse.

"Most appealing" is quite pointless. It's far more important to ask people 6 months to a year after the car arrives, because then they tell you the real faults of the car, without complaining about the things that were different from their previous car (that aren't likely faults or problems at all); yet, the things that really bug the owner eventually are discussed...in a less biased manner.

The only one that really matters is the 3-year reliability survey, if you ask me; something Lexus has nailed every year since getting on the list in '92.

Let's not drag politics into this discussion, 'mkay? At the end of the day, El Presidente has little to do with your nor my ride and income, thank you very much.

 

ok f-politics...


now.

the fortwo is lame. i agree with everything said above. it would kill you by physics alone.

how about the tC that hit a brick wall at 60 MPH and the interior didn't even crunch? hell, the engine never went beyond the dashwall. the windshield was barely cracked, and it has KNEE airbags!!!! scion's rock, and always will.

 

scion tc has knee airbags?! never knew that

 

Yeah, so the the xD... if you buy it in Europe.

 

thats okay. If Mcain was president, we'd be hearing the same stupid arguements. F politics. it's the same story over and over.

 

quoting for truth. People please remember who the enemy is here, the fortwo. Don't bring up something silly like politics to divide this awesome community.

 

^^^ yup. I;m done with it