I've Driven the Future Nearly 500 Miles...and it Wasn't a smart.

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
10/16/2018 at 12:49 • Filed to: Oppo review

Ever since I first started driving a bit over ten years ago I’ve had the privilege of driving roughly fifty or so cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles. The last time my mind was blown this much was when I first saw a smart. What is this mystery car?

Madame DeLorean’s 10th gen Honda Civic. (not pictured)

For a car that doesn’t cost all that much more than my C453 smart, it’s absolutely insane how this car is this brilliantly intelligent and built so well at the same time. This car has innovations I never thought would be useful, but in practice they are amazing. Not just that, but this car has a CVT that seems paired so well to the car I couldn’t imagine it having a normal Auto. Well done, Honda. Watch for a full review in the coming days.

DISCUSSION (30)

Just Jeepin' > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2018 at 13:04

Huh. I had a 2012(?) Civic that so thoroughly bored me that I barely shed a burp when I traded it in for my first (well, only) Jeep.

It was perfectly fine, quite responsive (manual) but not being a convertible it was hard for me to care much. I suppose it didn’t help that it was my rebound car: I bought it in a hurry when my beloved del Sol fell apart.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Just Jeepin'
10/16/2018 at 13:11

the 8th and 9th gen Civics are horrible I’ve onl y driven one, I Don’ t feel any urge to do it again.

I’ ve owned a 4th gen, 6th gen, and 7th gen and I’d take any of them even a non Si 7th gen over the 8th.

Just Jeepin' > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/16/2018 at 13:20

What made them horrible? For me it wasn’t awful, just meh.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Just Jeepin'
10/16/2018 at 13:29

that is what is horrible. they are just MEH. older Civics were fun.

also that busy, dual level dash thing. I could never get used to that.

Mercedes Streeter > Just Jeepin'
10/16/2018 at 13:31

I’ve driven a Civic of that particular generation and have similar feelings. The 10th gen I drove over the past four days or so was a different animal. I won’t say it was an “enthusiast” car (I mean CVT is going to be a non-starter for many here lol) but it was a car that kept making me going “holy crap this is cool” when I discovered new features it could do.

Just Jeepin' > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/16/2018 at 13:37

Other than the del Sol, I’d never driven a Civic, so I had no point of comparison.

The Civic remains the gold standard for newest and most advanced car I’ve driven other than random rentals. I’ve always had pretty meh vehicles , technologically speaking.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Just Jeepin'
10/16/2018 at 13:38

no wonder you thought it was boring comparing it ot a Del Sol. Also the 8th 9 th gen both are incredibly hard to see out of.

Just Jeepin' > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/16/2018 at 13:40

That del Sol was incredibly reliable and very fun. Drove it for 14 years. Every now and then I see one and think it would be a nice complement to my Jeep, but then sanity prevails.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Just Jeepin'
10/16/2018 at 13:44

ha buy one. the Honda I really want to add to my stable is an Integra GSR. I had a four door for a while and i loved it. i want another one pretty bad. https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/cto/d/1999-acura-integra-gsr/6713064580.html

Svend > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/16/2018 at 13:45

Are those USDM vehicles?

I’ve two mates, one has an eighth gen Civic Type R and the other a ninth gen i DTEC. They both absolutely love them.

Kinja'd!!!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Svend
10/16/2018 at 13:59

Yeah, I cant weight in on the EDM Civic. I cant say that I think theyre ugly.

ihm96 > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2018 at 14:04

Eh but I bet its all relative. Go drive a C300 and you’ll be even more amazed or an S Class that can massage you and lead you through relaxation exercises or brighten the mood of the car lol

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2018 at 14:16

I bought a 2009 Civic Si new and yeah... that was back when “civic” and “features” didn’t work for Honda unless they included the words “bare minimum”. Beautiful car, well made, but missing so much so it wouldn’t compete with the Accord paired with a meh engine meant it got traded within two years.

Mercedes Streeter > ihm96
10/16/2018 at 14:23

Very true! Plus my benchmark for what a modern car is an oddball. Still, I’ve driven a little bit of everything on the “non-luxury” spectrum, including a handful of vehicles even newer than my girlfriend’s, yet none of them were like this. The 2016 Chevy Impala had neat conveniences, attractive looks, and party tricks, but this little Civic could save your life when you refuse to do it yourself.

With that in mind, given what you could get in a current gen Civic I’m desperate to experience what the heck you could get in a current gen S-Class.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2018 at 15:30

My wife has a 10th Gen hatchback. It’s a really great car I’ll admit, but uh, I haven’t gotten quite the same impression you have.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on what makes it “ the future” for sure!

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2018 at 15:38

In a surprise to no one, a basic economy car is still leaps and bounds better than any Smart...

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
10/16/2018 at 16:00

I would rather have a current smart electric than any current civic. And I hate smarts

Mercedes Streeter > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
10/16/2018 at 16:11

But but!!!

....Shit.

At least seating position is as high (and sometimes higher) than a CUV and thus easy ingress and egress in high heels, right? lol

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
10/16/2018 at 16:13

Until it inevitably breaks and you pay Mercedes prices for parts and labor.

shop-teacher > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
10/16/2018 at 16:34

If you can even find a dealer that’s willing to service it.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
10/16/2018 at 16:40

Everything for smarts is cheaper than my other cars. And the electric components tend to have much longer warranties.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > shop-teacher
10/16/2018 at 16:41

I’m certified. No issue here. We at one point were one of the highest volume smart centers in the US I think.

shop-teacher > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
10/16/2018 at 17:44

Yeah, it would make sense for you. Not so much for me. A cheap Leaf or Volt would make sense for me, but I put so few miles on my truck, it makes more sense to just put some more gas in my truck.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > shop-teacher
10/16/2018 at 19:27

Oh yeah they definitely don't make sense for a lot of people. But especially at my lease rate, they're basically free.

Mercedes Streeter > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
10/17/2018 at 14:39

West Covina?

Mercedes Streeter > shop-teacher
10/17/2018 at 14:41

Only 27 MB dealerships currently sell the things (down from somewhere near 100). The dealerships that used to sell them were allegedly supposed to service them after they stopped selling them , however many owners are finding out that some dealerships want nothing to do with the smart anymore at all and won’t do it.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Mercedes Streeter
10/17/2018 at 14:54

About a thousand miles north.

Mercedes Streeter > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
10/17/2018 at 15:06

Nice! You would be about accurate in your assessment. :) Your side of the country remains the greatest sales driver for the smart ED/EQ and I doubt that’ll change as MB rolls out more EQ models.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Mercedes Streeter
10/17/2018 at 15:26

it wasn’t something I came up with. We actually got an award from smart at some point, at least once, I just don’t remember the actual verbage used. No idea if car2go played a role in that or not, since those were all 451's for years, and our local fleet was enormous. For a while we were servicing at least a few dozen 451's every day that were just car 2go, on top of normal customer smarts. It's declined considerably since car2go doesn't use them anymore, but Daimler has a big facility here and runs a fleet of electrics so we've always got those coming through now.

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter
10/17/2018 at 15:45

Exactly.