Last weekend the generous folks at Smart USA let me test drive a Smart Fortwo Passion Cabriolet. I drove this little car all over Manhattan and was pleasantly surprised with its power, convenience and cache.

I won't bog you down with all of the mechanical specs (head over to the Smart site to read them) but let me tell you... This car is a head turner! Everywhere I went people were rubbernecking to get a second glance of the Smart Fortwo.  As I drove through Times Square (which is a nightmare for anyone who lives in NYC) tourists were taking cell phone pictures of the car, and a delivery truck driver even yelled to me out of his window to ask if I liked the car.  I did, very much.


The interior is stylish and surprisingly roomy considering the overall compact size of the car.  The spacious seating, huge windows and convertible roof (ya, the whole roof goes away) left me comfy while forgetting that my ride was about half the size as every one else's.

Bottom line: Green is the new black.  You don't need a giant gas-guzzling Hummer to get noticed. The Smart Fortwo barely used any gasoline for the four days I had it and easily whipped around the city streets. 

And for those of you who don't live in NYC, I took the Smart Fortwo out onto the highway and felt completely safe and secure.  Granted the small cargo area wouldn't serve well for any long distance vacations, but is perfect for running a few errands or a quick trip to the beach

My friend and I filmed our Sunday travels in the Smart, so feel free to watch our video of the test drive and share your thoughts.

--Pat