| For many people, cars are more than just about getting from A to B, but are about the enjoyment of driving and the experience. Life, after all, is about the journey, not the destination. Having owned many cars that range from the lows of the company car Vauxhall Cavalier, to the more rewarding Lexus IS200, back through the great fun of the Series III LandRover, right back to the start with the self-build Dutton Melos that was used and abused, but much loved, I find myself full circle with a Smart Roadster-Coupe. |
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| As a company car, this is a full �222 per month - yes per month - less to run in company car tax than its predecessor the X-Type Jag. If that wasn't a good enough reason to enjoy it, it is great fun to thrash about in, despite the slow-reacting gearbox, which, if more responsive, the paddleshift 6 speed coupled to the light but tiny 698cc engine would make this the perfect fun car that is easy to live with everyday. The gearbox makes overtaking somehting that needs a little planning, but even it's shortcomings in everyday traffic disappear on the road from Blairgowrie to Glenshee, where every twist and turn in the great handling setup can be matched with the perfect gear at the perfect moment. |
| Loving gadgets, as I do, I like to travel with an iPod full of great music, but the sound quallity (and volume) from a Griffin iTrip FM transmitter is far from perfect (especially in a noisy sports car). What was needed was a proper, fitted and wired-in, iPod kit for the Smart Roadster-Coupe. |
| Denison's ice-link is one option, which apparently fits the Grundig header unit in the Smart, but finding a supplier who would fit this in the UK wasn't easy - especially as those that offered it via the internet had slightly unprofessional looking web sites that didn't inspire confidence. |
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| Smart told me, several times, that they didn't do a kit, until I pointed it out to them in their brochure! Interestingly, this isn't (yet) shown as an option on their web site. The moral of the story - don't take the first answer, even if it is no. |
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