Unutterably Silly Steve Jordan test-drives the VentureOne

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

Seriously, did this company ever build more than one of these? Saw it first about five years ago!

What you saw 5 years ago was, I believe, the Carver, a vehicle created by a European company which is the engineering platform for the VentureOne. The Carver was previewed on Top Gear, and looked like a blast to drive. I do not believe a VentureOne model has been road-reviewed by anyone as yet, but I could be mistaken...

[Cthulhu]

Mr. Jordan--

While I appreciate your pusillanimous point of clarification, without a full retraction, those chinos are still going to be forcibly removed in a Civil court of law.

Cool Tech like the Carver/Venture One never seem to make it past prototype.
What is the nomenclature for the automotive analog of 'vapourware' I wonder....

One of these would undoubtedly be quite cool, so long as it fit a bag of groceries and a case of bottled water.

On a related note, has anyone else spotted a SMART car in the wild? There is a dealer here in Charleston, SC, so I have actually seen two or three, and wonder about their saturation in other markets.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

Cool Tech like the Carver/Venture One never seem to make it past prototype.
What is the nomenclature for the automotive analog of 'vapourware' I wonder....

Concept car, I believe

On a related note, has anyone else spotted a SMART car in the wild? There is a dealer here in Charleston, SC, so I have actually seen two or three, and wonder about their saturation in other markets.

There's quite a few of them on the UK roads, mostly the standard 2 seat 2 door version; but I've seen a few of the 4 seat versions and the roadster model.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

What you saw 5 years ago was, I believe, the Carver, a vehicle created by a European company which is the engineering platform for the VentureOne. The Carver was previewed on Top Gear, and looked like a blast to drive. I do not believe a VentureOne model has been road-reviewed by anyone as yet, but I could be mistaken...

It was deeply amusing watching Clarkson (6'4" tall) getting into the back seat on the Carver.

This thread comes up second on a google for VentureOne road test

[RWood]

So we will see pictures posthumously, will that be soon?

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

On a related note, has anyone else spotted a SMART car in the wild? There is a dealer here in Charleston, SC, so I have actually seen two or three, and wonder about their saturation in other markets.

I'm interested in the Smart car! There's been one around here for a few years, so it would be the original engine, retro-fitted to be legal in the States. It had a Subway's advertising on it, and it really drew attention! But no, I haven't seen any of the current batch yet. So they haven't made it to the left outskirts of Chicago.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

One of these would undoubtedly be quite cool, so long as it fit a bag of groceries and a case of bottled water.

Bottled water?!? What kind of resource-ravager are you? Don't you know bottled water comes from the same sources as tap water, are rarely filtered in any way, and come packaged in bottles that leach chemicals into the water, AND take forever to break down when you LANDFILL THEM?

Eldrich-Evil-Dude! Get wise and buy a Brita!

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

On a related note, has anyone else spotted a SMART car in the wild? There is a dealer here in Charleston, SC, so I have actually seen two or three, and wonder about their saturation in other markets.

They sell them out of a local BMW dealership, 2 miles from my abode. We see quite a few of them driving around in the local area, though I realized I have yet to see one parked in front of any house I've ever passed... so I'm not sure who's buying them, or where they're ending up.

[Slite]

Wierd... SMART is a pretty common car over here in Sweden.

Extremly silly car, but quite common

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Well, it's essentially unlike the average American car in every way, and most Americans can't even imagine driving something like the Smart. I expect that attitude to change as time passes, but it's a deeply-ingrained attitude that includes ideas of what you use a car for... not just getting around, but hauling things, travelling with your posse, looking sophisticated, looking rich, looking fast, making out, etc, etc. It's a lot of baggage that will take a lot of time to work out of the American psyche, before more Americans start accepting vehicles like the Smart, and not inwardly (and often outwardly) laughing at them.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

On a related note, has anyone else spotted a SMART car in the wild? There is a dealer here in Charleston, SC, so I have actually seen two or three, and wonder about their saturation in other markets.

Cthulhu, I have spotted about a half-dozen in the wild here in DFW. Totally unsuited for DFW driving, designed for people who value green over survival...

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Well, it's essentially unlike the average American car in every way, and most Americans can't even imagine driving something like the Smart. I expect that attitude to change as time passes, but it's a deeply-ingrained attitude that includes ideas of what you use a car for... not just getting around, but hauling things, travelling with your posse, looking sophisticated, looking rich, looking fast, making out, etc, etc. It's a lot of baggage that will take a lot of time to work out of the American psyche, before more Americans start accepting vehicles like the Smart, and not inwardly (and often outwardly) laughing at them.

Why should we accept the SMART? In a world where we want a gadget (one gadget) to be a - computer, ebook reader, music player, clock, telephone, photo album, camera, video player, calculator, and a host of other functions, why should we expect a car to be a limited single function device? Am I supposed to have a half-dozen different cars, each designed for a single purpose? Inquiring minds want to know....

I consider the SMART to be a death-trap of a car. It is too high, too short, and too narrow. Give it a few years for the accident returns to be analysed, and I think you will find it less safe that the Suzuki Samari. Safely useable only in narrow confines and at slow speeds....

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Why should we accept the SMART?...

(chuckle chuckle) There you go again, Ralph...

The fact that people on this forum buy Kindles and Sony Readers is enough of an example of people who don't mind buying 1-purpose devices. The Smart is just such a car.

Obviously, the Smart is not a car for everybody in America. And no, no one's telling anyone to buy a car for every purpose. But as a majority of American households have a car that is used primarily for commuting... and as many (most?) of those households tend to have 2 or more cars... it is logical that one of those cars could be a Smart-type car, optimized for commuting, and the other could be a vehicle more suited towards other tasks (like hauling gear, or soccer teams). (When my car dies, hopefully years away, I will be in a position to make this same choice.)

In addition, many households buy vehicles for an intended purpose, which is in reality a very small percentage of how the vehicle is used. In many cases, a household could simply rent a vehicle for the occasional times they need the irregular use, and save themselves thousands of dollars over the projected lifetime of a vehicle. For example, buying a pickup truck to haul lumber makes little sense if you only haul lumber 3-4 times a year... you'd be better off renting a U-Haul for those times, and driving a more efficiant vehicle the rest of the year. (Most people in the U.S. simply do not accept this idea, because they would rather pay extra for the convenience of having the vehicle to themselves.)

Households who realize these facts see that a Smart-type car is often just the thing for them to own. It saves them money... and it helps the environment. What's wrong with that?

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

(chuckle chuckle) There you go again, Ralph...

(Quoting Sheriff Bart in Balzing Saddles). I like to keep my audiences riveted.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

(The fact that people on this forum buy Kindles and Sony Readers is enough of an example of people who don't mind buying 1-purpose devices. The Smart is just such a car.

Obviously, the Smart is not a car for everybody in America. And no, no one's telling anyone to buy a car for every purpose. But as a majority of American households have a car that is used primarily for commuting... and as many (most?) of those households tend to have 2 or more cars... it is logical that one of those cars could be a Smart-type car, optimized for commuting, and the other could be a vehicle more suited towards other tasks (like hauling gear, or soccer teams). (When my car dies, hopefully years away, I will be in a position to make this same choice.)

Most households have two cars used primarily for commuting, not one. In addition, Murphy's law will bite at the worst possible moment. (I need car 'X', but it's at home. So I have to go home, get car 'X', come back to do the job car 'X' is needed for, then go back home. Or spouse/SO has the car I need, same juggle. Or both I and my spouse and SO need the same car at the same time...) What price is my time worth?

There is always a market for single purpose tools. But there is a bigger, more vibrant market for multifunction tools. (Ebooks are a very niche market. But I love 'em!)

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

In addition, many households buy vehicles for an intended purpose, which is in reality a very small percentage of how the vehicle is used. In many cases, a household could simply rent a vehicle for the occasional times they need the irregular use, and save themselves thousands of dollars over the projected lifetime of a vehicle. For example, buying a pickup truck to haul lumber makes little sense if you only haul lumber 3-4 times a year... you'd be better off renting a U-Haul for those times, and driving a more efficiant vehicle the rest of the year. (Most people in the U.S. simply do not accept this idea, because they would rather pay extra for the convenience of having the vehicle to themselves.)

How many times have you rented a U-Haul? My average checkout time is 45-1 hour. That's not use time, that's the time it takes to get the U-Haul. And where do I leave my other car? At the U-haul shop? I have to get there first. If I pull a trailer, there's the hitch setup time. (and backing up with a trailer, extra driving headaches, ect.)

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Households who realize these facts see that a Smart-type car is often just the thing for them to own. It saves them money... and it helps the environment. What's wrong with that?

It also may maim/kill them. I don't see those costs in the calculation. If I seem thin-skinned about this, I have a 2nd cousin about my age. He has been a quadraplegic for 18 years from a Suzuki Samari rollover. (He didn't know that they were so dangerous when he bought it. It looks economical and fun...)

The Smart car is like a canoe. A wonderful design for a Canadian stream, but not particularly practical for Lake Superior. If you limit it to small, slow streets, a la small German or other old European town streets, it's great. You put it on a 120 KPH freeway, it's a deathtrap. And in Texas, at least, freeway driving is necessary, not a luxury.

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

On a related note, has anyone else spotted a SMART car in the wild? There is a dealer here in Charleston, SC, so I have actually seen two or three, and wonder about their saturation in other markets.

I've seen a few in Cardiff, quite a few in London, and even more in Paris. They are very useful if you need a car in a city, especially when parking spaces are difficult to find.
On the other hand, I doubt whether my Texan cousins could actually fit in one. They had trouble squeezing into the Nissan Micra that we owned, last time they visited.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by Patricia

I've seen a few in Cardiff, quite a few in London, and even more in Paris. They are very useful if you need a car in a city, especially when parking spaces are difficult to find.
On the other hand, I doubt whether my Texan cousins could actually fit in one. They had trouble squeezing into the Nissan Micra that we owned, last time they visited.

Well, the Smart isn't really designed for ... ummm... "big-boned" people