For all of you concerned with gas guzzling engines in the Challenger.....your time has come.
Mini to the max: Will the Smart car grow on U.S. drivers?
Story Highlights
The Smart car goes on sale in the United States in January
The ultra-compact two-seater is designed to get at least 40 miles per gallon
Car is expected to be big among first-time buyers, city dwellers, baby boomers
Size prompts questions about safety, but company touts steel-cage technology
By A. Pawlowski
CNN
(CNN) -- There's a petite new contender ready to tackle America's problems of foreign oil dependency and urban congestion.
Meet the Smart car: An ultra-compact, Mercedes-designed, head-turning little vehicle that's been negotiating traffic and squeezing into impossibly tiny spaces in Europe for almost a decade.
Now, it's about to go on sale in the United States.
One reason the company waited so long to introduce it to Americans was that the U.S. wasn't ready for such a small car, said Jessica Gamarra, marketing specialist for Smart USA.
But choking traffic and rising gas prices have changed that, she said.
"I think we've finally gotten into a mindset where we are starting to look at conserving rather than consuming, and I think that especially makes this car the right car at the right time," Gamarra said.
The Smart is expected to get at least 40 miles per gallon.
But fuel-economy may be an afterthought for some buyers. Many are simply expected to purchase the car for the "wow factor" once it hits dealerships in January.
"You get something that looks totally different than anything else on the road," said Csaba Csere, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine. "So if you kind of want to be looked at and want to be the first on your block with the new hardware, the Smart does that."
But Csere advised prospective Smart car buyers to take a realistic look at their driving habits.
"I would make sure that a car this small will meet your needs," Csere said. "If your driving is mostly on city streets or maybe city freeways, the car is going to be fine. But this is not a car that you want to do long distances in on the highway."
The automotive Web site Edmunds.com had a similar verdict.
It praised the Smart for its styling, economy, "zippy" handling and ability to park almost anywhere.
But it raised concerns about the Smart's "anxiety-causing" size and -- with prices starting at about $11,600 -- it found the vehicle expensive compared with bigger cars in its class.
"As a second, commuting-only car, it's wonderful, but those with room for only one vehicle in the garage may want to consider a larger subcompact or compact car," the Edmunds.com review said.
'Neat gadget'
Many Americans got their first look at the Smart car during the "street smart" road show, which brought the tiny vehicles to more than 50 cities across the country during the summer and fall.
In all, about 70,000 people showed up to check out the Smart and more than 40,000 took a test drive, Gamarra said. Some stood in line for hours. The tour was part of what the company calls "discovery marketing."
"We really like to give people the chance to see, touch, feel and drive the car versus just showing them a television ad," she said. "Because it's so new ... it's something that you really need to wrap your head around by experiencing it." Watch a Smart car test drive in the Big Apple »
The road show's recent stop in New York generated many comments. One fan called it a "cool, little, neat gadget;" another declared: "I just want to buy one immediately."
But other people were nervous about the size of the car.
"They're a little too small for this country, and I think people will think they're kind of flimsy," one man remarked.
"I don't know if I'd want to be on the [highway] doing 60 miles an hour and have a c