One of the greatest best mileage cars is the Smart For Two whose revolutionary car design has stood the test of time and been highly successful. A lot of people thought this car would come and go as quick as some other odd designs in the past. Its a rear engined, two seater with interchangeable body panels and is only 250 cm in length which allows its party trick of parking lengthways in a parallel parking space.
The Smart For Two is manufactured by Smart GmbH, a subsidiary of car maker Daimler AG, based in Boblingen, Germany. Smart's logo is a combination of the letter "c" and an arrow denoting "compact" and "forward thinking" respectively. The fuel efficient little Smart car entered production in 1998 and is currently still in production in a second generation design since 2006.
The original first generation car had a turbocharged 3 cylinder 599cc petrol engine, but this was quickly changed to a 698 cc engine which was available in either 37 kW or 45 kW forms. A 799cc turbodiesel engine was also available putting out 30 kW of power.
There have been several special editions of the Smart For Two, such as the sporty Brabus, which has 72 kW of power and 0 to 100 km/h figures of 9.9 seconds. Its top speed is limited to 155 km/h (96 mph). There have also been many concept designs, such as the Forfun2 Concept, which was an off-road version of the car unveiled at the 2005 Athens Motor Show by Greek 4x4 Rally Champion Stefan Attart. The forfun 2 Concept combined the body of a fortwo with the chassis and drivetrain of a Unimog. It sported monster truck-like 26-inch wheels wrapped in 140 cm diameter tires and winding keys where the fortwo's rear wheels were supposed to be.
The main changes in the second generation Smart For Two car were an increase in overall length from 250 to 269 cm and improved crash performance. Styling remained very similar to the original.
A new 53kW 999 cc engine produced by Mitsubishi was introduced. As far as fuel efficiency goes, the Smart For Two remains one of the best mileage cars. The European Union rates the Smart at 4.7 L/100 km (60 mpg-imp; 50 mpg-US) for the gasoline model and 3.4 L/100 km (83 mpg-imp; 69 mpg-US) for the diesel version. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates the vehicle at 36 mpg-US (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg-imp).
The Smart For Two is one of the lightest cars on the market, with a weight of only 730kg, however its rigid steel frame, marketed as the "Tridion" frame, surrounds and protects the passenger compartment very well.
In 2007 Smart launched a mild hybrid version of the Smart For Two. It is claimed to provide an increase in fuel efficiency from 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg-imp) to almost 55 miles per US gallon (4.3 L/100 km; 66 mpg-imp), making this one of the truly top best mileage cars.
There are also plans for an all electric version of the car, called the Smart ED. Production is planned to begin in 2010. Power output will be 30 kW (40 hp), top speed 70 mph (110 km/h) and 0-30 mph (48 km/h) in 6.5 seconds. The electric Smart can travel up to 72 miles (116 km) between charges and will take around 8 hours for a full charge. The sports car manufacturer Tesla Motors has signed an agreement to initially supply the battery packs.
The Smart For Two has been a legendary economical car. It has introduced revolutionary design features to the market. With its new hybrid and electric versions it is set to continue as one of the best mileage cars.