ERA towing a Smart Fortwo FYI

[Chirpnchicks]

Fri night at Rocky Knob CG, near Floyd, VA my neighbor had an 09 ERA (24 ft.) Tennessee plates with a ForTwo in tow on an aluminum carrier.
We spoke for a while and compared notes.

Regarding the rig: He has 100k on the odo, tours 3-5 months per year, replaced glow plugs twice, third set of tires, never used the awning, frig/freezer not working as well as earlier years, always leaves power sofa in bed position. Not aware of rv.net but he is now.
Bought the Fortwo last year because he got tired of using the ERA as an everyday drive.
In common: Love of touring, hit and run camping.
Not in common: He's single, early retired and without pets.


Jay

[John___Angela]

Chirpnchicks wrote:
"Not San Antonio. Go west, somewhere hot, and a good place to be if you are the lucky type."

Stratosphere, downtown. Jay

You got her.

[Chirpnchicks]

"Not San Antonio. Go west, somewhere hot, and a good place to be if you are the lucky type."

Stratosphere, downtown. Jay

[loving_retireme]

NCWriter wrote:
Whenever I think about towing something, I just sit quietly and the feeling soon passes.

I have no need to tow, but I find the idea of towing quickly passes when I watch a couple at a pad across the road struggle for 45 minutes trying to connect their tow vehicle and I disconnect the electrical and pull out in my RT 190 in 3 minutes.

[gdoug83]

NCWriter wrote:
Whenever I think about towing something, I just sit quietly and the feeling soon passes.

Me, too. Thought about an Accent, Fiat, Fiesta, and the like. But in the end the cost of purchase, extra requirements, insurance and maintenance relative to calling Enterprise when I really "need" a car made me think again. We either rent, unhook, or ride the bikes.

[John___Angela]

stan909 wrote:
Pic of smart car at San Antonio. That is my guess. How many time could you rent a car for $17,000 and never have to worry about a tow vehicle,costs,loss of mpg,where to turn around,braking system ,campsite length etc....?

Not San Antonio. Go west, somewhere hot, and a good place to be if you are the lucky type. 🙂

Agreed on the rental analysis. Sometimes you have to wonder.

[stan909]

Pic of smart car at San Antonio. That is my guess. How many time could you rent a car for $17,000 and never have to worry about a tow vehicle,costs,loss of mpg,where to turn around,braking system ,campsite length etc....?

[JackD]

Tow or carry:

[John___Angela]

SkiMore wrote:
John & Angela: That is some impressive MPG you are getting. It's twice as good as the 34/38 EPA MPG the car is rated at. Are you driving a US spec car? Do lots of smart owners get those numbers?

Good morning Skimore. Nope. We are driving CDI diesels. They are rated for that. We have had ours since 2006 but the 2011 and later diesels get more horsepower and better mileage. If we keep ours around 55 mph we easily achieve 70 USMPG but it drops off quick on the interstates. Lower 60 's etc. Over 70 mph you are in the high 50 s. Not much horsepower but lotsa torque with the little diesels. 6 gears instead of five. Once you learn to drive it in the torque zone they gobble up hills with little effort. Fun little cars. The US never got these cars but Canada did. Right now the new diesels are not available in Canada. Hopefully that will change.

[SkiMore]

John & Angela: That is some impressive MPG you are getting. It's twice as good as the 34/38 EPA MPG the car is rated at. Are you driving a US spec car? Do lots of smart owners get those numbers?

[John___Angela]

ryegatevt wrote:
Check Consumers Reports or the auto mags for reviews of the Smart for2. Most call it the worst vehicle on the road. Chevy Spark or Honda Fit get better mileage, seat more people, have much more cargo room, and drive much better. Tranny on the Smart leaves much to be desired... That said, we still prefer the "get up and go" of our Roadtrek! Happy pets ride with us, kitchen and bathroom always with us, and a comfortable place to take a break from driving or even have a snooze!

I think it depends what publication you are reading and what the user is looking for. The EPA rates the smart as the highest mileage for non hybrid vehicles. Price kinda depends on options etc. 15,000 grand will get you a nicely optioned variety of cars including the smart. Safety in in the smart beats many of the competition. The smart is the only small vehicle available as a two seater or as a convertible. When we were looking for another small vehicle we liked the fiesta and the Yaris but they are frickin huge in comparison to the smart. We ended up with another smart. There are 1.6 million of them in the world now. I don't suspect they will ever make serious inroads in the North American market where big, heavy and lots of horsepower is king but fuel is cheap here. If that ever changes the micro cars like the smart will make inroads here. Although the mileage is okay in comaparison to most other north american products it would have been nice to have the other 5 engine choices that are available in europe, all with considerably better mileage including the amazing little CDI diesel. 76 mpg. We get around 65 to 70 mpg USMPG with ours depending on wether we are highway or city. Would be nice to see more small diesel vehicles on this side of the pond but they just don't seem to catch on. Gotta say though, I like the picture of that spark. Now if they make a convertible....... 🙂

And the obligatory cool shot of our burgundy baby. Guesses where the picture was taken.

[Davydd]

The Smart ForTwo has synergy in being matching Mercedes Benz with the Sprinter and being proportionally small with a B. BTW, it can be towed four down.

[ryegatevt]

Check Consumers Reports or the auto mags for reviews of the Smart for2. Most call it the worst vehicle on the road. Chevy Spark or Honda Fit get better mileage, seat more people, have much more cargo room, and drive much better. Tranny on the Smart leaves much to be desired... That said, we still prefer the "get up and go" of our Roadtrek! Happy pets ride with us, kitchen and bathroom always with us, and a comfortable place to take a break from driving or even have a snooze!

[NCWriter]

Those cars are nifty, no question. But. Whenever I think about towing something, I just sit quietly and the feeling soon passes.

I'd be interested in what other B people think about towing. Have they done it, was it worth it? We had use of a car last winter while camping near relatives and dealing with it was actually more trouble than it was worth.

For me, the B is great mainly because you are so light on your feet...the quickie arrival and departure at a campsite. I like the overall simplicity of less stuff. One vehicle to buy and to manage. And the convenience of having all at hand while out sightseeing - change of clothes, food and snacks. The excellent fuel mileage. The ability to go down small byways and turn around easily. When you add a second car behind, wouldn't you give up some of that?

B ownership to me is living more comfortably in your car. The tradeoff for the stripped down simplicity of B travel is course less living space.

So if the day came that we bothered with towing a trailer or another vehicle, I'd be thinking, why not just get a small class C? Some folks at our regional Leisure rally did that, and have one of those little cars. Seems like a great way to go. But it would not be as simple as life in a B.

[Arizona_Kid]

We have a Chevy Spark, std trans. Will seat 4, and is averging 40.5 mpg. while running the AC in AZ. heat. Another alternative for a mini car toad, and towable 4 down. It's used mostly as a commuter car, and short trips around town. I'm 6'2" and have plenty of leg, and head room.
Less expensive than the Smart For Two, a lot more comfortable, and more fun to drive.