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Driving a Smart ForTwo is like walking a puppy. It’s a great way to meet strangers. People are curious about the its tiny size, cute smiley-face grille and fuel economy. Be prepared for a lot of questions.

The Smart’s overall length of 105.6 inches is smaller than the wheelbase of most midsize sedans and nearly 3½ feet shorter than a Mini Cooper. The Smart is so small that two of them can almost fit in a regular parking space. The cabin, however, has a surprising amount of space for two passengers. Legroom is only 1 inch less than a Mercedes-Benz E-class. Drivers well over 6 feet fit easily.

When you’re driving alone you lose track of the car’s small size until you wheel into a parking place and the car pivots on a dime.

The ForTwo comes in Pure, Passion and Passion Cabrio models. The Pure begins at $11,990, the Passion at $13,990 and the Passion Cabio at $16,990. The Cabrio has a retractable canvas roof section. A sportier Brabus model begins at $17,990 for the coupe and $20,990 for the convertible.

The base Pure model has a central remote locking system and air conditioning. The Passion adds a panorama roof, alloy wheels, air conditioning, steering-wheel paddles, power windows, electric and heated side mirrors, and an AM/FM radio with CD player.

The body panels are plastic while the safety cell is high-strength steel.

Smart cars are manufactured by the Mercedes Car Group, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, and sold in the U.S. by Penske Automotive Group through a separate dealer network.

Fuel efficiency is a major attraction, and the Smart is rated at 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 on the highway. The engine is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder, 70-horsepower unit mounted under the rear cargo floor. The car can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 13 seconds and has a 90 mph top speed.

The Smart ForTwo’s luggage compartment behind the seats is listed at 7.8 cubic feet, and it’s easily large enough for a few grocery bags or small suitcases. The front passenger seat folds forward to make room for larger items.

The transmission is a five-speed with an automatic clutch. It shifts automatically, or the driver can take over and shift it manually with paddles on the steering wheel or the floor-mounted gear lever.

In auto mode, the car feels happiest when it is driven more like a manual: Accelerate, let up slightly to encourage a shift, then accelerate again.

The driver can override the auto mode at any time by tapping the shift paddles, which is handy for a quick downshift if you need more power for a hill or for pulling around a slower car.

The ForTwo feels surprisingly stable because the engine is located low and over the rear wheels. The electronic stability control and cornering brake control provide a high-tech safety net.

On the highway, the ride is fairly choppy and the car seemed sensitive to side winds.

Safety is always a concern for a car this small, and the Smart has been designed with a high-strength steel safety cell, or roll cage, that surrounds the passenger compartment and four airbags, two for the front and two on the side for the head and thorax. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration gave the ForTwo four out of a possible five stars for protecting the driver in a front-impact crash and three stars for passenger protection. In a side-impact crash test, the ForTwo received five stars.

In addition to the safety cell, the Smart has electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes and cornering brake control.

Price

I drove a Passion coupe with a base price of $13,990. Options included the comfort package, upgraded sound system and silver paint on the chassis beam. The sticker price was $16,010.

Warranty

Two years or 24,000 miles.

2009 Smart ForTwo Passion

Engine: 1.0-liter, 70-hp 3-cyl.

Transmission: automatic

Rear-wheel drive

Wheelbase: 73.5 inches

Curb weight: 1,808 lbs.

Base price: $13,990

As driven: $16,010

MPG rating: 33 mpg city, 41 hwy.

To reach Tom Strongman, send e-mail to tom@tomstrongman.com.