lightest toad car

The Honda Fit Automatic is towable 4 down. Great car. Don't even know it is following us.

Hi,

So far I've test driven the Honda Fit and the Smart car. Of those two I much preferred the Fit.

Another Smart owner here - 2008 Passion - towing 4 down

The difference between towing an 1800 lb toad and a 2500-3000 lb toad will be even less noticeable. The difference in comfort and safety (and resale) will be much more noticeable with the heavier vehicle.

A common fallicy that bigger and heavier is somehow 'safer'

At 60mph a 5000# vehicle has a huge amount of inertia - when it crashes that inertia has to be absorbed by something - either the vehicle you are in or whatever you hit.

The same accident in a 1800# smart carries a lot less inertia and the extremely strong shell of the smart car is built around the roll cage principle.

They look small until you sit in one - and then you realize that for 90% of your journeys, you are carrying around a set of back seats and trunk that are serving no purpose.

They are not for everyone but we love ours, it has exceptional resale value, does 40+ mpg, can hold 70mph on the freeway and holds a weeks worth of shopping in the back :)

Yep. Our little smartie diesels are pretty plain as well although we have the power windows and mirrors. The convertibles are power and Angela's has heated seats. I think cruise and nav systems are options now. We love em just the way they are. We consistently turn in 60 to 70 mpg (US gal) but of course that depends on speed and driving conditions. Over 60 mph the mileage drops like a stone.

427435 wrote:
...
The difference between towing an 1800 lb toad and a 2500-3000 lb toad will be even less noticeable.
....

I would say that the difference is in braking. Even a pickup truck can pull a space shuttle.

A secondary reason why I didn't want a big toad comes from seeing others load their toad with 500 to 1,000 lbs of cargo. I see these toads jammed full with just the drivers seat left empty. It just means that they brought way too much with them.

My toad is for running errands (groceries, post office, laundry), keeping the rain off of my head, and the occassional sight seeing side trip.

These massive MHs and trailers cater to RVers who can't do without, who have to bring everything with them. IMO, A toad should be as utilitarian as possible. A couple driving a 40' MH pulling an H2 Hummer does not impress me. It means that they'll be hard pressed to find a site that will hold both the MH and the H2 in front of it. It is an extreme case - but I've seen it first hand on more that 1 occassion.

mowermech wrote:

tatest wrote:
Lightest new car today is the Smart for Two, considering your two-passenger requirements. It is a computer shifted manual transmission, but that you are not likely to notice the difference between that and a traditional automatic.

A number of sub-compact imports from the '50s and '60s will have been lighter, and four passenger, but will almost always be manual transmission, and not have air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, power seats, power windows, et al, and if they have a sunroof it will likely be fabric and you will move it by hand. At two-passenger, you might have been as light as 800 pounds empty (smaller versions of the Isetta).

Y'know, that is a rather sad commentary on the drivers of the day. Have we REALLY deteriorated to the point where all we can be expected to do is push a button? We simply can't handle anything that isn't power operated and/or computer controlled?
I will admit the Air Conditioning is nice (my Jeep even has it) but Power Everything? I question the real "need" for that!

My smart car does not have power steering. I did not want it. The radio is AM/FM/single CD. No NAV or DVD player. No tach. It does have air conditioning though. Given the entire roof is a moon roof, the AC is needed in the summer.

az99 wrote:

mowermech wrote:


Y'know, that is a rather sad commentary on the drivers of the day. Have we REALLY deteriorated to the point where all we can be expected to do is push a button? We simply can't handle anything that isn't power operated and/or computer controlled?
I will admit the Air Conditioning is nice (my Jeep even has it) but Power Everything? I question the real "need" for that!

There is no "need" for it. The mfgs. have been gradually adding standard features so people think they need the stuff. And how else could they charge $30K for a 4 cyl. stick shift little car without all the extra stuff.:)

I hear what you're both saying, but how many non-air conditioned cars do you suppose they could sell?

We have a hhr,3100works for us and now it's all happy camping

mowermech wrote:


Y'know, that is a rather sad commentary on the drivers of the day. Have we REALLY deteriorated to the point where all we can be expected to do is push a button? We simply can't handle anything that isn't power operated and/or computer controlled?
I will admit the Air Conditioning is nice (my Jeep even has it) but Power Everything? I question the real "need" for that!

There is no "need" for it. The mfgs. have been gradually adding standard features so people think they need the stuff. And how else could they charge $30K for a 4 cyl. stick shift little car without all the extra stuff.:)

wny_pat wrote:

427435 wrote:
I wouldn't go overboard on a light toad. Remember that you will be riding and driving it-------often in unfamiliar areas. Your safety and comfort should be a factor also.

I pull a 5000 lb. toad because it was what I had that was towable when I bought the MH. We had the occasion to climb the Wolf Creek Pass (10,800') east bound two days in a row (long story). The second time, I elected to unhook the toad and have my wife follow me. While I was able to climb it a little faster, the difference wasn't great-----still ended up in 1st gear at times.

The difference between towing an 1800 lb toad and a 2500-3000 lb toad will be even less noticeable. The difference in comfort and safety (and resale) will be much more noticeable with the heavier vehicle.

For years, the RV Gurus have said that the lightest weight toads were the best choice. Have not owned a 5000 lb car since we got rid of the 1964 T-bird. It sure did come close to the 5000 lbs!

One can go overboard either way and I still say that your toad should also suffice as a DD, so as not to waste money on an extra vehicle for the purpose of towing it only. Even though ours is a little heavy for the coach, it does surprising well and we'll hopefully know more after some mountain driving, but it should do OK, judging from some of the testimony here.