Video: 2011 Smart ForTwo Passion Coupe

Now, one of the issues you notice right off when you're driving the Smart is the transmission. It's a automated manual. And without going into the technical details, the thing you notice that it takes a long time to actually switch between gears. Now, the other thing that I noticed that it didn't really like was it seemed very inconsistent. I swear it just never gave me the shift at the same time no matter what I did. Even trying to accelerate exactly the same way. What I found is there's a way around that you can sort of shift into a manual shifting mode and you can use these paddle shifters to select your gears. Now that doesn't make the actual switching between gears happen any faster, but you control it. So you can anticipate when it's gonna shift. It makes such a difference that I have to say the only way to drive the Smart without going crazy is to use these paddle shifters. Now, the next issue you're going to notice with the Smart is the ride. It's very short wheel base so you would expect it to be rough. I think the Smart Fortwo takes it to another level. It'll beat you up over rough roads. Another thing is it tends to sort of follow the ruts in the road. So it's not very confidence inspiring. And it's something that you really have to check out. Even if you live in a place with really pristine roads. One of the things about the Smart Fortwo is it's a very noisy car. Now, obviously with a shape, you'd expect there to be a lot of wind noise, and there is, but it's not just that. There's a lot of engine noise in the cabin. Also the climate control, especially the air conditioning, is really loud. It's just one of those things you notice if you've been driving a lot of other cars and it's really something to consider when you test drive the Fortwo. Now, I go into more things on my review on cars.com, things like how many grocery bags it carries and suitcases as well as its mileage and how it competes with the other small cars out there. But I have to say right now, the only real compelling reason to consider the Smart is if you absolutely love the styling. Because between the road noise and the ride, it's not very comfortable and it's just not very fun to drive. <v Announcer>For more car related news, go to Cars.com or our blog, Kickingtires.net.