![]() The excellent-feeling brakes provided another quirky result: The hatch stopped from 70 mph in 167 feet, the ragtop nine feet later. Our three-door tester cruised through the quarter-mile in 19.9 seconds at 68 mph. The heavier convertible’s time is 13.6 seconds, and no, we don’t know why, but at that clip, who’s counting? Top speed is 91 in the hatchback, 92 in the cabriolet. The 12-valve engine hangs out back and monkeys around to 60 mph in 14.4 seconds. The rear wheels of all are powered by a 61-cubic-inch, three-cylinder engine making 70 horsepower and a very thin 68 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm. The Passion convertible, whose ride feels identical to the hatchback’s, opens at $17,235. A step up is the better-equipped Passion model seen here, at $14,235. It starts at $12,235, and that’s without an air conditioner or radio. They’re as potato-faced as Jimmy Kimmel, but they do have back seats and trunk space, and the prices are in the same ballpark. If you don’t and are simply looking for some relief from three-dollar gas prices, think Chevy Aveo, Honda Fit, and Toyota Yaris. Still, the Fortwo has real charm and can be fun to drive if you like to drive. Our test vehicle got a disappointing 32 mpg overall, not the 50 or 60 mpg it looks like it should deliver, and the tiny engine requires pricey 91-octane fuel. And there’s no overcoming the minuscule cargo space, although if you cram stuff up to the headliner, the room swells to 12 cubic feet, and the passenger seatback folds down flat. Its short wheelbase (73.5 inches) results in a nerve-jangling ride on neighborhood streets that are raggedy, a place where, oddly, it is supposed to shine as the perfect errand boy. And the Fortwo comes with an odd feeling when one notices that each of the doors runs almost the entire length of the car. The seats are exceptionally comfortable, the materials inside are first-rate, and the view out the windshield is panoramic. But it’s very easy to get into and out of it’s not at all cramped inside-in fact, it has about the same legroom, and close to the headroom, of a Cadillac Escalade. It is the smallest car curious Americans will likely ever get into, and the seeming vulnerability of its golf-cart dimensions, riding on little 15-inch donuts, may frighten off a lot of buyers. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |