Consumer

'Smart' Cars Are Selling Like Hot Cakes

DENVER (CBS4) ― The Smart car is becoming more popular with drivers looking to save money on gas.

Smart Center Denver says some of their customers have to wait a year just to get theirs.

"It's the cuteness factor ... people come in they look at it they're like 'wow,'" said Jeff Storm, an account executive with Smart Center Denver. "It's the most unique looking vehicle on the road right now."

The Smart car is a little over 8 feet long, 5 feet wide and about 5 feet tall. It's smaller than most cars but gets good gas mileage.

"We have a lot of SUV owners coming in here saying, 'I get 15 miles a gallon, what does this get?'" Storm said. "Well it gets close to 40."

With rising gas prices, the Smart car seems to be a smart choice.

"It gets great gas mileage, it's very comfortable to drive," said MaryEllen Hornbacher, who has owned one for a year and a half. "It cost me about $25, $30 dollars to fill it. So $130 on my truck and $30 here."

Looking at the size of the car many would ask about the safety. While some parts are plastic, the parts that matter are double and even triple reinforced steel.

The Smart car passed a recent crash test done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety with passing colors.

"Four out of five stars for driver side impact and side impact is five out of five stars," Storm said. "It has four airbags."

Additional Resources

Customers interested in getting a Smart car have to register at http://www.smartusa.com to get on the list. Most Smart cars start at a base price of $13,000.

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