CSmart Car as a Solera Dingy

[BadBob]

Our 24R is capable of dingy towing our 2011 Equinox and we are using Invisibrake with a Sterling tow bar. Equinox is close to the max for our Solera and I know it is behind me in the mountains. Never liked being so close to the maximum limit when towing anything. Is just my dear wife and myself on most trips and have been looking at the Smart Car as a dingy possibility. Anyone towing Smart Car with a Solera and how is it working for you? I will keep the Equinox for the special trips with the grandchildren. May even consider a light aluminum trailer for the Smart Car.
Thanks
BadBob

[dblr]

We use a Smart for running around but do not tow it, it rides on the deck of our truck and we tow a 5th wheel. For getting around it is fine but we do limit ourselves to no more then a hours drive from the campground. No spare in a Smart, can carry plenty if you need to go to the store, as far as towing I can not help but I have seen folks towing them behind a motorhome.

[devilsquid]

We towed our Smart car four down on a tow bar and I didn't even know it there underway. It worked great right up to the time we were on a long stretch of road under construction (your very basic gravel road with gigantic potholes). Missed most of the pot holes with the Solera but the poor Smart car took a beating. On hardtop roads (not under construction) it does just fine but the car is a bit more fragile than most. It has all of these sensors measuring all parameters (this car is really run by it's computer) and our steering angle (I think) sensor was damaged by whatever the car hit (couldn't feel it when it apparently went into a deep pothole)...with parts and labor set us back a grand. We are now going to try the car on an Aluma 7712H tilt trailer...our first trip with this setup will be this weekend.

[motorscooter]

We've towed a Smartie for approx 3k miles & have had no problems. Bought it used w/ 60k. An important item to remember is to disconnect the battery while towing. It has such little suspension travel I'm guessing it would not like off road. We also use it around town & is a hoot to drive. Major/minor problem is not all Mercedes dealers will service or work on them & most independent shops don't want to do anything outside of an oil change. BTW haven't put brakes on it probably doesn't need them, but they are required in most states & all of Canada.

[BadBob]

Have been doing more research on the Smart Car and think I will pass on it as a dingy. Like how light it is and think they are fun to drive. With the problems I have with the Mercedes in our Solera just do not need another Mercedes to deal with. On the bright side did just complete a short two day trip and no CEL or any other lights. First time for that in the last 6 months. Maybe they got it fixed this last time. Will continue to use the Equinox when we need a dingy and just take it easy. Will keep watching for a nice Geo Tracker and grab up a good one if we get lucky and find one.
BadBob

[MiataHoarder]

Been researching the Smart about 4 months. Yes, you need to be careful and follow the Owner's Manual instructions, especially about disconnecting the battery when towing. But, you can do without the supplemental braking system because of its light weight (1,700 lbs) some of which can cost up to $2k installed; it HAS NOT affected the driving characteristics of our '15 Solera; though not super efficient, we always get 38+ mpg; and it is fun to drive. When neighbors ask if we bought a Smart Car, we reply with "No, the RV had a baby." We settled on the one in the photo because the paint scheme is so similar to the Solera, especially the silver "swoosh" which is part of the high strength steel surrounding the cabin; as well as being a 1 owner 2009 vintage Smart; always garaged; and 19,000 miles.

They do have quirky transmissions. Best way to describe it: imagine a clutch operated by a slow computer; remember the old column shift and how long it took to let off the gas, depress the clutch, shift, engage the clutch and depress the gas again. Well, its a little better than that but very similar. You can use the paddle shifters to tell the computer when you prefer to up or down shift, OR, just let it do its thing. The good thing is that when you put it in neutral, there is no connection between the drive wheels and the engine/transmission making it practical for towing. There aren't many choices for light vehicles with automatic transmissions suitable for wheels down towing.

We saw several Smarts with over 100k miles on them and they were still reliable and were nice to drive. The one thing you CANNOT DO, is ignore the coolant level. There is no sensor to tell you when you're low on antifreeze. If you're on the freeway going 70 and the overheat light goes on, pull off and shut down immediately or you risk frying the aluminum engine: at best, warped head and blown head gasket; at worst, all that plus scored cylinders. Coolant leaks can occur, but more often, someone checked the coolant level and did not tighten the reservoir cap sufficiently; over months, coolant could evaporate.

Oh, and if you're concerned about safety, Google the Smart Car videos to see what happens to it when hitting 20 tons of Jersey barrier going 70 mph. You might find it somewhat reassuring.

[BadBob]

MiataHoarder- That is good information you posted and you seem to have exactly what I am looking for. We have the same paint scheme on our 24R and that is a great match on your Smart. We have a Sterling tow bar and am watching for a Smart that may be already set up as a dingy. Found one in Florida but that is not close enough go and see. Will keep watching and may just have to buy a good used one and have the brackets installed and lights wired. Do you bungee your steering when you tow yours?
Thank You
BadBob

[MiataHoarder]

Yes, I used cable ties through existing holes in the seat bracket to affix a long bungee; wrapped once around the 6 o'clock position on the steering wheel and then to the opposite side of the seat bracket. There is a good resource on the Smart Car owners website showing how to attach and mount a cut off switch. We bought our smart "Passion" for $7.2k - purchased used Roadmaster 5000 tow bar off Craigslist for $50. The tow brackets we had installed - total was $906 included hitch, safety cables, and wiring to operate the turn, brake and PM lights. If you find the right Smart, the professionally installed brackets are easier to do than finding one already configured. You'll likely recover most of the additional cost when you sell it to another RV'er. Also, I changed the engine air filter to a K&N which made a real "seat of the pants" difference in power. The cabin air filter is also easy to change and the interval is every 10k miles. Feel free to PM me should you have more questions.