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Man Thinks He Made Smart Car Choice

From Rob Marlowe

Rob Marlowe's Smart ForTwo coupe doesn't take up much space in a parking space in downtown New Port Richey.

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By Cheryl  Bentley | The Suncoast News

Published: June 3, 2008

Updated:

Where did you get it?" a motorist smiled. Her friend had one, she said, and drove off still grinning.

New Port Richey City Councilman Rob Marlowe had just parked his tiny Smart ForTwo coupe in front of his business office on Grand Boulevard. With sides parked parallel to the sidewalk, Two Smarts could have fit into the space.

That number would have increased to three had the car been backed into the space with its bumper parallel to the sidewalk, as is legally allowed in New Port Richey, according to Marlowe. At 8.8 feet long, the entire length of the Smart can easily fit into the width of a New Port Richey parking space.

The woman's friendly reaction was typical, said Marlowe. He calls the car "terminally cute." Upon seeing the Smart, people often smile, laugh or wave. He recounted a recent trip to the post office in which four people stopped him to talk about the car.

"I could have bought a car that got more miles per gallon, but I couldn't have bought a car that gets more smiles per gallon," Marlowe said.
Although it doesn't beat that of hybrids, the mileage isn't too shabby either.
According to the Smart Web site www.smartusa.com the car gets 33 city and 41 highway miles per gallon.

Marlowe now spends about $27 a week filling up. In his previous car, a Chevy Silverado truck, that amount was $72.

Its low gas mileage was what attracted Marlowe. He put his name on the waiting list a year ago, when he thought gas prices were high. Now, with today's soaring prices making drivers nostalgic for even 2007 prices, Marlowe is basking in his decision.

This is not the first time Marlowe has been ahead of the curve. He got into the Internet service provider business, Marlowe & Associates, in 1993. That was a year before Netscape released the first version of its pioneering Navigator web browser.

A test ride on the area's highways assured Marlowe the little Smart could comfortably handle those. Smarts can reach 90 miles per hour, according to the Web site.

Ratings from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety also reassured him. The car is enclosed in a hard safety cell that protects occupants. According to the Smart Web site, the car got the highest ratings for front and side crash safety. It achieved the Institute's second-best rating of acceptable for whiplash protection in rear impacts.

The Smart was the smallest car the Institute ever tested.

But it doesn't feel like a small car inside. The car has a high driving position for greater visibility and uncomplicated entry into the car. "It looks tiny on the outside, but it's huge inside," said Marlowe. Its interior sports two seats with plenty of leg room and a storage area in the back.

The three Smart models are around $12,000, $16,000 and $18,000. Base models are equipped with five-speed automated manual transmission and central remote locking system.

Like Marlowe, buyers are aware of fuel economy these days, said Miguel Baratoli, general sales manager at smart center Clearwater. The dealerships' name is spelled, Baratoli stressed, without capitalizing the words smart and center.

"People coming into the door now are absolutely motivated by the economy," Baratoli said.
As of last week he had sold five or so cars to West Pasco residents. Baratoli, who lives in New Port Richey, is on that list.

Smart's parent company is German carmaker Daimler AG. That makes the diminutive Smart car a corporate sibling of the brawny Mercedes-Benz.

Smarts have been in Europe since the late 1990s. They become available in this country this year. There is a year's waiting period for the car.

In this area, there are dealerships in Clearwater and Tampa.

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