Back in Rainy California

We had some pretty heavy rains storms recently, and uncharacteristically late in the season for our area. But "We need the rain" is the common refrain voiced by almost everybody, referring to our persistent drought conditions. I do kind of like the rain and dramatic cloud patterns we get this time of year — we have plenty of clear sunny skies the rest of the year.

I generally try to avoid driving my Smart car in the rain - the increased risk of an accident due to slippier conditions and reduced visibility has me a little cautious. I hadn't expected such a downpour when I left for work that morning. But the Smart does feel very solid in the rain, and tracked pretty well at full freeway speeds. It's only when the wind gusts up that it gets a little frightening — it knocks you around, tugging at the steering wheel, feeling a lot like heavy turbulence in flight.

Smart Replacement

All the faults of the first generation Smart really started grating on us by the end of day one. So I promptly went over the next morning and swapped it out for the current generation model — the same version as the one I have at home. It even had the same red interior color. What a difference! Everything worked, the better quality interior was roomier and more functional, and there was a lot much more power on tap. It was also a convertible model, unlike the older Smart we'd had the day before — perfect for buzzing around all over the island of Santorini.





The weather had improved as well, so we retraced our steps from the day before, exploring the very southern end of the island. It was good to have that extra power for going up the one-lane main road to the island's highest point. The car looks pretty sharp in all silver. I'll admit I'm not a big fan of the Smarts standard dual color scheme, where the Tridon Safety cell sports a contrasting color from the rest of the body work. I think the car's blocky wedge shape looks much better when it's all one color. I still noticed a slight difference in the body panel colors. I've noticed my all black model back home also has the same problem. I guess it's impossible for modern manufacturing processes to match the colors between the metal and plastic parts to a reasonable tolerance. Those simpler design European spec wheels are definitely sharper looking than the stock American offering.




This is the road up to the central, highest point on the island - It's hard to convey in pictures how steep and high up this single-lane road was.


As you can see from all the red lines, we drove almost every road possible.

Big Red Smile

Peugeot's current design theme — very consistent across their entire line — features a very prominent, smiling front grill that really takes some getting used to. It's a look that is so extreme you're reminded of a Jack-O-Lantern face, or a creepy grinning Cheshire cat — a tad bizarre. This bright red example is the relatively new 107, the smallest car in their lineup, developed in conjunction with the Toyota Aygo and the Citroen C1, both of which look better. Still, it strikes a rather fine profile, especially in this color, and is amazingly compact for a four door.

Back in Time

Visiting the island of Santorini over the Easter break we noticed a number of little vest-pocket car rental sites — compact parking lots along the road with an array of tiny cars, scooters and ATVs for rent. I decided to try out one of the previous model Smarts, in a handsome two-tone metallic grey silver. I've always preferred the look of the first generation Smarts, with it's sleek, continuous-sloping, front end/windshield design. I was looking forward to rekindling a relationship with the old Smart, recalling that winter in England where we rented one six years ago.

The island is small but you still need a car to get around, especially to the more remote, less popular eastern side of the island. But it quickly became apparent that this Smart was not the quality automobile I remembered — what a difference from the 2008 model. Underpowered, whining transmission, jerky gear-changes, rougher riding, and with a much cheaper looking interior, this car had the infuriating habit of stubbornly sticking its doors closed. Barely more substantial than Tupperware lids to being with, the doors had to be opened with a peculiar delft movement of the handle — we never really did figure out how to open the passenger side door from the outside.




This particular car had an indicated 36,000 km on the odometer so it was too new to have worn out. For a brief moment I thought that maybe this readout meant 136,000 km, but that would be pretty impossible on an island barely 15 miles long. I guess I've become pretty used to the new generation car — especially the paddle shifting mode on my new Smart — I really had trouble getting the transmission to behave smoothly on this one — it had me jerking all over the place.

After turning on the windshield washers and smearing our forward view with toxic sludge so permanent that even couldn't be cleaned off with vigorous scrubbing, we decided we'd had enough. The next morning I went back and traded it in for the newer model Smart.

It does look pretty though...

Japanese Smart

The much lauded IQ, spotted on the island of Santorini. This is Toyota's answer to the Smart Car, but with an amazing interior space trick — it's a four-seater! Barely longer than the Smart — at just under three meters — it manages to accommodate twice as many people, using a front-mounted engine and very clever packaging. These cars have only just launched in Europe, and it's already made it to this tiny Greek island.

The Japanese have had many decades of experience in tiny car design; the so called "Kei Car" category is a special designation of automobile that qualifies for reduced tax and insurance rates in Japan, based on a limited length and engine size. Most these are too tight and underpowered for export markets, but a new breed of similar sized vehicles with more creature comforts and beefier engines are poised to invade European and American shores. The Toyota IQ is the first of these, and is garnering rave reviews.

I'm not a big fan of that strange "S"-shaped rear side glass but the rest of the car has a clean, powerful stance. It looks more brutish, and sturdier than a Smart, but the overall profile is not nearly as well-resolved: the engine in the front necessitates a protruding, pug-nosed, bulldog face. A more powerful engine is being offered later in the year, maybe finally making it suitable for American delivery?

Punto Power

I couldn't resist snapping a picture of this car — it popped off the street in vivid yellow, upstaging the lively Psiri neighborhood in Athens. Several steps up in size from the Smart, the still diminutive four-seat Fiat Punto is a common sight on European roads, but unknown in America. Taut, crisp lines delineate the abrupt shape of the jaunty little hatchback, its tall trademark taillights framing the rear window.

Smart Wheels

Came across this handsome black Smart Car on a side street in Monastiraki area today. I like these handsome 6-spoke wheels that seem standard with many second generation Smarts here in Europe. They are not offered to the American market and I wonder why — I like their simpler, broad-spoke design.

Greek Smarts

Ahh... back in Athens after more than a dozen years. I love this vibrant, chaotic city. It seems much more prosperous and orderly than I remember it back in 1996. The cars, the buildings, and the people themselves look more wealthy and better put together. I guess the infrastructure and other improvements over the Olympic games period have helped spur an economic renaissance of sorts. Another noticeable change is the Smart cars everywhere — ideally suited for such a densely populated city.

Here's a few photos of the first generation Smart — The one that was never officially imported into USA. It's almost a foot shorter than the current model and has a sleeker, more integrated appearance at the front-end. Some of these color options just aren't available stateside.








Tight parking is the norm — the extreme shortness of the Smart really comes in handy, especially in the vey crowded Plaka neighborhood.