Smart ForTwo Pure

Smartcar ForTwo Pure

How smart is the Smart Car? The 2009 entry level Smart Fortwo Pure comes with a very attractive starting price of $11,900. The Pure’s unique profile and small size will definitely garner attention on the street. What’s more, the Smart Fortwo Pure was given the highest front and side crash safety ratings in 2008 from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; an impressive achievement for a car this tiny. But if you visit the official Smart Car website you have to look around pretty hard to find the 33/42 EPA city/highway fuel economy ratings. (Hint: They’re on the tech specs page.)

That puts the Smart Car in the same fuel-efficiency league as any number of newer (and much larger) compacts like the Toyota Yaris 29/36, the Chevy Cobalt 25/36, and even the Ford Focus 24/35. The 2009 Smart car is smart enough.  But maybe hitting the books for a 2010 mileage improvement wouldn’t be a bad idea.